Review: Return to Me by Melissa MacKinnon

Print Length: 333 pages

Publisher: EsKape Press (August 19, 2014)

From Goodreads.com: Archaean bounty hunter Marek Coinnich isn't particularly fond of Engels. In fact, he prefers them dead. But to save his injured brother, he must enter the manor of an Engel enemy. Marek finds himself enthralled by the slave girl nursing his brother back to health. When his enchantment with her lands them in a compromising position, he refuses to let the young beauty pay for the misunderstanding with her life.

Brynn of Galhaven prefers to keep to the shadows. When she is ruined by an outsider, she barely escapes with her life and finds herself left alone in an unforgiving land. Through her struggles to survive, Brynn discovers a world she never imagined and never forgets the enemy Archaean who stole her heart.

Marek can’t deny his desire for Brynn, but these are wartimes, and she is the enemy. And though love knows no prejudice, the world in which he lives isn’t nearly as forgiving. 

                              

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My Rating: 4 stars out of 5

My Review:  Let me begin by saying that this book is NOTHING like I was expecting. I was expecting a regular romance with some historical and paranormal twists. What I got was something so much more. To begin with - I was immediately pulled into this story. You couldn't help but feel sorry for Brynn as she is accused of things she did not do, and sentenced to a punishment (by her own father nonetheless) that would surely kill her. Marek establishes himself pretty early on as someone who protects others (especially those weaker than he). The chemistry between the two is apparent immediately - but there is that pesky problem of the fact that he is already married and cannot act on his feelings for Brynn. Instead, Marek does the next best thing - he brings her to a town and pays for her safety.

Then things happen. Things that I wish I could talk about, but that would mean revealing spoilers that would make it pointless for you to read yourself. And despite Marek's best efforts to protect Brynn - things do not go well for her. Nor do they go well for Marek when he finally makes it home. 

The remainder of this story moves fairly quickly. You spend time with both Marek as well as Brynn (and their few friends) as they try to live their lives apart - and eventually as they cross paths time and again. There is wonderful character growth, as well as story development which thankfully includes enough detail that you don't find yourself confused as the story moves on (especially since it includes the points of view of both Marek as well as Brynn so you know what each is experiencing as the story progresses). 

I will admit that the ending of this story kept me the most intrigued. Just when I thought one thing had happened, it was revealed to be something else entirely. It was a phenomenal ending to an engaging story and I cannot wait to read more by this author. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own. 

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Return to Me is available from Amazon.com