“5 HEARTS!...This book is a must read. It's well written and held my attention from the first page to the last. If you're a fan of the M/M paranormal genre, you won't be disappointed. I love the two main characters Shaun and Rannon. Their story is intense, but it's beautiful in its intensity. The supporting characters are well developed and add that special touch to the story. There is some violence. The sex is hot and passionate, very erotic. M. L. Rhodes is always at the top of her game and this book is no exception. I felt a part of the story, that's important to me as a reader. I loved this book. I'm hoping there's a sequel in the future.”--Beverly, The Romance Studio
“4.5 NYMPHS!...A well-written action thriller with an extremely detailed plot that begins with a century’s old binding curse. The characters are convincing. An invigorating suspense, in addition to being an exceptionally enjoyable saga that kept me on edge to the last page.”--Chocolate Minx, Literary Nymphs Reviews
“5 DIVAS!...M. L. Rhodes is already on my auto-buy list, but when I heard she was combining vampires and shapeshifters for her new novel...I was immediately intrigued. The plot moves along quickly introducing all the characters at a fast pace, which sets the tone for the entire novel: action-packed and intense. Has some of the most scorching love scenes in any romance book I’ve read in the last year. I can easily say that the chemistry between Shaun and Rannon was the key point in why I loved this book. If you don’t believe these two men are willing to die for each other, then the whole supernatural plot wouldn’t have worked. I truly enjoyed Into The Woods, and hope M. L. Rhodes plans more books in this unique universe. The ending certainly left that option open and I know I would gladly buy the sequel to read more about Shaun and Rannon.”--Lasha, Dark Divas Reviews
“A JOYFULLY RECOMMENDED READ!...A fantastical story of fairy tales, otherworldly creatures, and a love that never dies. Suspenseful from the start...gives readers the perfect balance of tension, action, and fantastic characters, as well as scorching hot M/M encounters. Allows the main characters to display an amazing capacity for compassion and love against overwhelming odds. This is a romance that doesn’t leave you even when the story ends.”--Lisa, Joyfully Reviewed
...The rain seemed to have let up a bit, from the big pelting drops to a persistent light drizzle that somehow wasn’t much better. Shaun trudged across the cemetery, his shoes squelching in the puddles. He should have worn boots today, but, hell, it hadn’t been raining when he’d left home. He circled around the stone church to his SUV, which sat alone at the edge of the parking lot, bordered by the encroaching darkness of the forest. The mud-splattered black FJ Cruiser looked the worse for wear after taking on the winding mountain roads in the rain.
He reached for the door, but before he could open it, a low, masculine voice from directly behind him said, “I’m sorry ’bout your dad.”
Shaun’s heart pounded like a bass drum. Jeez! How had someone snuck up on him?
He turned…and discovered the stranger from the funeral stood less than two feet away from him, close enough to reach out and touch. And, for a split second, Shaun almost did touch him, warring between the desire to push back the hood of his black wool coat that kept his face hidden in shadow so he could really see him and know who he was dealing with, and the urge to lunge and tear into him for sneaking up on him. He did neither, forcibly reining himself in with another deep breath to settle his edginess. What’s the matter with me? First the priest and now him. Shaun had never been a violent person, never felt the need to pick fights. He couldn’t understand why he was wound so tight today.
Except for Doyle’s damn letter.
Gee thanks, Dad. Your final legacy…leave me infected with your paranoia.
“You all right?” the stranger asked, sounding concerned.
Shaun realized the silence had stretched unnaturally long. “I’m fine,” he mumbled, wishing he could see who he was talking to. He could tell very little about the guy except that up close he was a few inches shorter than Shaun, had a lean build, wore jeans turned dark from the rain, and heavy black leather boots. But his voice unexpectedly affected Shaun—it had an easy drawl to it, a Texas accent maybe, with a gritty, sensual undertone that made Shaun think of…well, of slow, hot, sweaty sex.
Christ. His pulse thrummed in a way that didn’t have anything to do with caffeine overload or whatever else ate at him.
Realizing the silence was dragging too long again, he said, “You knew him? My father?”
There was a pause, as if the question had surprised the stranger. “A bit.”
“A bit?”
“I…talked to him a few times.”
“Do you live around here?”
“Not really.”
What was with the vague responses? But even more than that, Shaun suddenly wondered how the man had known who he was. The unsettled tension of earlier crept up his spine again, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The only person he’d spoken to since he’d gotten here this afternoon was Father McKenzie. And the woman at the post office, but he hadn’t told her who he was. The priest was the only one who knew Doyle was his father. How could this guy possibly know it?
Who exactly are you? he was about to demand, but the stranger chose that moment to reach up and push off his hood, causing the words to die unspoken on Shaun’s tongue.
Shaun found himself staring again, blatantly, at a man around his own age, with disheveled dark blond hair, a golden glint of stubble along angular cheeks and chin, a dusting of freckles across his nose, sensual lips, and a pair of striking, pale green eyes.
A ripple of something—Familiarity? Déjà vu?—slid over Shaun.
Did he know this guy? No, surely not. He would have remembered meeting someone like him. The stranger had the kind of active, outdoorsy appearance that had always appealed to Shaun. He wasn’t classically handsome, but there was an unpretentious, down-to-earth sexiness about him that Shaun knew he would have found hard to forget.
The man’s warm gaze seared into Shaun, like an electric current passing through his body. The probing stare was so intense, so filled with…Jesus, was it need?...that Shaun’s blood suddenly ran hot and he found himself thinking about sex again. And how it would feel to strip off the man’s clothes right here and now, and lick every inch of what he was certain was a hot and delectable body, until the man writhed in pleasure and desperation. Then Shaun would find what he knew would be the perfect fit for himself between the man’s legs, and thrust so deep inside him, the stranger would cry out and beg for mercy, beg for more, all in the same breath. Shaun knew he’d comply, too. Knew he’d give the man everything he wanted, would plough into him until they were both hoarse from their cries, until their bodies shook from need and glorious exhaustion. Until they were both spent and sweaty and covered in each other’s scents…
Holy crap. Shaun swallowed hard and blinked as reality settled back in around him, yanking him out of the vivid daydream.
What had just gotten into him? Just a minute ago he was ready to attack the guy for sneaking up on him, and now he couldn’t think straight because he wanted to fuck him. His skin tingled, his heart thudded, his balls ached.
The weird thing was, he was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one suddenly and powerfully turned on. Shaun got the distinct impression the stranger was fighting the urge to haul Shaun against him do something similar to what Shaun had been thinking. He could practically feel the sexual tension sizzling in the air. Could almost smell the man’s desire…smell his own desire as well, and the heady mix of both together.
“Who are you?” Shaun breathed...