Hard-eyed and hard-bodied, Hunter Fitzsimon isn’t what Tate Justice expected in a tenant for the apartment above her garage. Terse and intensely private, Hunter’s mission is to protect a narrow stretch of the barrier between Earth and Kalithia against the Paladins’ ruthless enemies — a job that would be much easier without his sexy landlady nosing around. So when she follows Hunter into the woods late one night, he decides to teach Tate a lesson with a passionate kiss that brings her to her knees…and unexpectedly ignites red-hot desire deep in his soul. But the warrior’s dark and dangerous world is no place for his fiery lover. Does possessing Tate mean turning his back on his brethren…or will Hunter forsake the woman of his dreams for the harsh duty he’s always known?

Defeat the Darkness by Alexis Morgan
Available Now
Paranormal Romance
Paperback, 368 pages
Pocket Star
Reviewed by Karra

One of the awful truths about being a Paladin warrior is that no matter how ruthless they fight, they’ll eventually die—several times throughout their lifetimes.

Paladin warrior Hunter Fitzsimon received an up close and personal reminder of this particular fate the day he was ambushed by renegade Others (escaped Kalithians) and beaten to a bloody pulp.  The only thing that saved him from further torture at their hands was his death, and even then, he couldn’t rest long.  After being resuscitated, he spent months in rehabilitation, resigned to the fact that he’d never be the easy going warrior he once was.

When it’s time to test his strength and muscle arm, he’s sent to Seattle and assigned to monitor a small portion of the barrier that keeps the Kalithians out of our world.  The Paladins have reason to believe that some of the Kalithians are crossing the barrier with the help of humans, and it’s Hunter’s task to get to the bottom of the situation.

This task would have been so much easier if he didn’t have to contend with his feisty landlady Tate Justice.  Curious at first, Tate quickly learns that her new tenant just wants privacy.  She leaves him alone, only to find that he’s quite the gentleman with the elderly neighbors: polite and chivalrous towards them, but frigid with her.  He’s quite the puzzle, and one she’d love to figure out.

She watches him through her bedroom window as he takes his nightly walks through the woods in her backyard, and after a thwarted attempt to warn him of the dangers of the area, Hunter makes the first move and kisses Tate to silence her while staking out his Paladin assignment.  From that night on, Hunter runs hot and cold with Tate, torn between his duties as a Paladin and his affection for the woman he’s coming to love.

Though the attack that killed Hunter so many months ago only created demons that he alone can slay, Tate becomes a balm to his wounded soul and someone he must now protect from the evils that threaten her quiet life, for the humans that help the Kalithians might just be right under their noses.

We step back into the world of Alexis Morgan’s Paladins with the sixth book in the series, Defeat the Darkness.   This is Hunter’s story, and since his beaten-to-death trauma in book five, he’s become so dark and broody that you almost wish you could reach through the pages and give him a hug.  Or maybe just a quick pat on the back so he can’t lash out and beat you with his cane.

His leg was nearly severed in the attack, which now causes him severe pain, and because of that leg’s limp, he’s convinced he’ll never be a fully functioning warrior again.  That depression, coupled with the physical pain would make anyone bitter, but of course there has to be a solution!

Enter Tate, a twenty-something gal who has inherited her Uncle’s huge home, and runs a tea shop from within its walls.  She’s working on writing her own romance novel when not behind the shop’s counter, and is caught in a cyclone of mixed emotions when Hunter takes up residence in the apartment she’s renting.  Who could blame her?  He’s sexy, rugged and twisted.  Plus he’s nice to old ladies.  A plus for all involved.

As the plot evolves, Morgan introduces other Paladin warriors, as well as some of the most amusing elderly characters I’ve ever read.  The dimensions of her secondary characters are just as full and charismatic as her primary characters, which is such a wonderful change from authors who tend to make their secondary characters rather flat.

The plot line of the book worked well with the character of Hunter, allowing him the growth and recovery he needed, as well as his relationship with Tate to bloom.  Nothing felt forced or seemed improbable, and the story was written in such a way that every aspect of the plot and characters just seemed normal, almost as if the book had written itself.

The story flows effortlessly and overall, Defeat the Darkness is a nice addition to the Paladin series.  With this book, I’ve truly become a fan of Alexis Morgan, and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for her sexy Paladin heroes.

Rating: 4 stars

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~*Karra*~