Synopsis:

He's on a mission to annihilate the enemy.

A Talion enforcer, Ranulf Thorsen has served his people for a thousand years, delivering the eye-for-an-eye justice by which his kinsmen live. Weary of the centuries long fight, the fierce warrior with icy blue eyes had secluded himself on a mountain far away from the chaos below. Now the Grand Dame has called him one final time to face the most dangerous battle of his life and the fate of his people is on the line.

But when he meets the beautiful heroine he has sworn to defend. . . .

Ranulf and his bitter rival and fellow Talion, Sandor Kearn, must find the bloodthirsty Kyth rogue who set a violent fire in a nightclub. The near-deadly blaze's unlikely heroine, Kerry Logan, is also a Kyth, possessing the ancient Nordic people's unique ability to manipulate human energy. She just doesn't know it yet.

Who will protect his heart?

Kerry finds more than comfort in her warrior's embrace, and Ranulf hungers to both defend and claim the petite powerhouse for his own. But with time ticking away and their lives on the line, Kerry proves she possesses the inner strength to match her Viking lover's.
 

SRR GRADE:  A+
 

Often when a writer starts a new series, as a reader there is a fear that the new series won’t live up to the old.  As much as I adore Alexis Morgan’s Paladin series, I’ll admit I started reading Dark Warrior: Unleashed with a little trepidation.  After reading the first chapter my fears evaporated and I sat back and enjoyed the ride.

The Talion’s are the warriors of the Kyth, a race that is a mutation of humans that came about in Scandinavia around the time of the Vikings. The Kyth take energy from the people surrounding them, most of them take it from positive experiences; clubbing or sporting events but sometimes one of them goes renegade and starts “feeding” off negative energy. That is when the Talion are called in, specifically Ranulf Thorsen. Ranulf has been the executioner of renegades for a thousand years. When summoned by the Grand Dame, he is side-tracked by a club fire and the woman who is working hard to get as many of the patrons out as possible and is an unknown Kyth.

In Ranulf Ms. Morgan gives the reader a hero that is beyond a doubt an Alpha Hero, but fears he is hanging onto his humanity by a thin thread. Kerry sees past the Vikings gruff exterior to the man in need of acceptance.  The villain of the story makes the reader shiver and worry that perhaps the good guys won’t win. Throw in a rival for Kerry that leaves you alternately liking then hating him, the Grand Dame herself with her strong will and you’ve got a book that must go to the top of your must read as soon as you get it list.

I find myself looking forward to the next Talion book as I am the next Paladin book.