So a Shtriga walks into a bar....
--Fated Mates-- Found Family-- Old Dragon X Shtriga-- one whos lost too much-- one who thinks he's a monster-- secret tying them together-- The sanctuary is unstable-- forced proximity honestly--Fur babies galore-- Murder. Triplets... you'll see--
I was SO excited to jump back into the Sanctuary with a new couple. And this story did not disappoint at all. It ties a lot of things together time frame wise and history wise for Nolan & Zamir.
Up until this point we didn't know very much about Zamir and him being a shtriga. Stella did an excellent job at weaving the historical fear of Shtriga across the supernatural universe. Which leads to Zamir and Nolan to feeling that spark of attraction & giving into the fear of stereotypes.
Zamir and Nolan circle each other until they honestly are forced together. Love some forced proximity. Throughout the book both men find difficulty with what they are, who they are and what the future holds for them separate and together. Both are on individual journeys of self acceptance and truth which leaves them both with the inevitable.
They are fated mates.
Which means, they can't just go on in life without each other. They are great opposites and it shows throughout the book.
Toss in some nosy Sanctuary friends, coworkers and furbabies.... and you have everything you need for a slowburn thats sweet and at times difficult when it comes to acceptance.
Add in, Nolan being an old Dragon who has seen a lot and knows a lot of people. He ties into…
Fated mates and an animal or eight
Zimir is a Shtriga and lives at the Sanctuary. He has plenty of friends but feels because he is a monster, surely the Fates would not give him a fated mate. Nolan is a very old dragon and knows he is better of without a mate as he doesn't want to lose one more beloved person in his long lived life. Meeting in his bar Zimir gets drunk, which is ok, but what is not ok is that he is starving himself. Terrified he will kill someone when he feeds off of a someone for their life force, he doesn't do it except from his friends at the Sanctuary and even then not nearly enough. While this is going on, the Sanctuary keeps having it's glitches and are getting worse and more frightening for the residents. The Head Master is obviously suffering from exhaustion trying to keep the magic enough to keep the Sanctuary running the way it should. Nolan has a long history and lots of magic and wants to help but the two men have a history and the Head Master is not ready to forgive or forget. This is the third book in the series which brings us to the cliff hanger at the end. An HEA for Nolan and Zimir but what about Keoni and his strange behavior around the Head Master? An excellent story with the next one brewing to keep us waiting to find out their story.
Read this if you want a unique PNR romance story!
When I start a Stella Rainbow book, I know that I'm in for a fluffy romance that has serious themes/topic matter but handled with care and almost from a lighter perspective... I know that what I'm reading is going to have a guaranteed happily ever after, and that's exactly what I got with Zamir and Nolan!!
I thought this book was really interesting! I've adored the concept of The Sanctuary ever since the first book, but I also love how creative Stella has gotten with the residents of The Sanctuary. Before reading about Zamir, I had never read about a Shtriga before, it was completely new and unique to me!
I also adored how big of a role all of Nolan's furry and feathered family members were and how important they became to Zamir as well. I thought this was a cute story overall and I'm looking forward to knowing what's going on between Zephyr and Keoni!!
This series is the absolute best! The characters, the world building it is all fantastic. I loved Zamir and Nolan and of course all the animals! The murder triplets, who would not want them? I highly recommend reading not only this book but the entire series!
Zamir and Nolan’s book is sweet. It features a Shtriga who’s afraid to feed and thinks he’s a monster. It also features Nolan who is afraid of losing another person he loves so he’s closed off his heart (at least where people are concerned). These two are so perfect for each other, and their journey to being mates helps them along the way. This is a sweet, low angst, fated mates, no third act break up, with some adorable pets (love the chickens), and a wonderful happily ever after.
