The Orchard of Flesh Arcadia Trust Book 2
MM Paranormal Adventure
Bold Strokes Books
August 16, 2016
282
Reylan’s last assignment for The Arcadia Trust brought a rebellious human servant under his roof, and a volatile werewolf lover named Jorgas into his bed, leaving the self-reliant Blood Shade--known to the outside world as vampires--in no hurry to risk his immortality for them again.
But when a new terror starts disappearing humans from a bad part of town, Reylan must do everything in his power to keep Sydney’s supernatural factions from the brink of war. Having an ambitious, meddlesome human in the mix is only going to make things worse...especially when that human is Jorgas’s father.
Reylan will need all his determination and cunning to keep the peace under his roof, between the night’s power brokers, and in his lover’s troubled heart.
Reviewed by Melissa Brus
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
This is the second book and continues the adventures of Reylan and Jorgas. In this edition, while Reylan is still his snarky self, he is also more sympathetic in so many ways. We get to see, should I say, a more human side to him. (Goodness he would hate that!) Baines somehow manages to give us more heart from his characters, interspersing those fantastic moments of humor, while still keeping the darkness intact. Even during the hot sex scene in the middle of the book, there are definite dark elements that keep it true to the story.
I truly love that the storyline was pretty seamless from book one. While you could probably read this as a stand alone, so much character development would be missed that I have to recommend this as a series read. The narrative is so intriguing. There are new characters that make the story so much fun, particularly the addition of Brett, Rey’s mannequin. Old favorites shine in this book as well. Rey’s downstairs neighbor, Dorotha, is the best nosy neighbor ever. Her moments of humor are some of my favorites. The adventure elements and the romance will keep you on the edge of your seat. I may have yelled at the author at the end. And there may have been tears. Yep. Christian Baines made me cry. The ending leaves just enough unanswered and teased that the next book will be on your To-Be-Read list quickly.