Week 8 Reviews: Rhapsodic, A Strange Hymn, The Emperor of Evening Stars, Dark Harmony

From Goodreads:

Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she's been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she's received. Only death or repayment will fulfill the obligations. Only then will the beads disappear.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He's a man who can get you anything you want … at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects.

But for one of his clients, he's never asked for repayment. Not until now. When Callie finds the fae king of the night in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows things are about to change. At first it’s just a chaste kiss—a single bead's worth—and a promise for more.

For the Bargainer, it's more than just a matter of rekindling an old romance. Something is happening in the Otherworld. Fae warriors are going missing one by one. Only the women are returned, each in a glass casket, a child clutched to their breast. And then there are the whispers among the slaves, whispers of an evil that’s been awoken.

If the Bargainer has any hope to save his people, he'll need the help of the siren he spurned long ago. Only, his foe has a taste for exotic creatures, and Callie just happens to be one.

From Goodreads:

Siren and soulmate to the King of Night, Callypso Lillis survived the clutches of Karnon, the mad king, and his twisted prison. But the nightmare isn't over. Callie wears the physical reminders of her time as a captive, and mounting evidence suggests the Thief of Souls is still out there.

When a fae celebration thrusts Callie and her mate, Desmond Flynn, into the Kingdom of Flora, they take their investigation with them. But under the bright lights and striking blooms of the realm, they find there are more immediate issues to deal with. No place is more uniquely savage than the great fae halls, and no amount of bargains can save Callie from royal intrigues.

Fairies play dangerous games. Some want love, some want vengeance, some want flesh, and some want things too unspeakable to utter. One thing is for sure: no one is who they appear to be. Not even Des, who only grows more enigmatic with every passing secret.

But the Kingdom of Flora has its own secrets, from bleeding trees to branded slaves and missing guards. Something is stirring in the land of all that grows, and if Callie isn't careful, it will claim everything and everyone she loves—and her along with it.

From Goodreads:

In the beginning, there was darkness.

Before he met Callie, before he became the Bargainer, there was Desmond Flynn, the bastard son of a scribe. A boy born to a weak mother, cursed with little magic, and destined to marry a slave.

But fate had something else in mind.

Till darkness dies.

From the barren caves of Arestys to the palace of Somnia to the streets of earth, this is how Desmond Flynn, a fairy who began with nothing, became the Emperor of Evening Stars. 

From Goodreads:

There are worse things than death. Things that lurk in the shadows and slip into your dreams. Things that have no business existing. Things that once slept … but have now awoken.

For Callypso Lillis, the fae magic that now runs through her veins is equal parts curse and good fortune. For the very thing that bonds her to Desmond Flynn, the King of the Night, also makes her vulnerable to the Thief of Souls, a man who wants to break the world … and Callie along with it.

But it's not just the Thief whose shadow looms over the Otherworld. Des’s father is back from the dead, and he wants revenge on the son who sent him to the grave in the first place.

Des and Callie must figure out how to stop both men, and time is running out. Because there are forces at play working to tear the lovers apart once and for all … and unfortunately for them, death is no longer the worst thing to fear. 

My Review:
Oh, I had an excellent time reading this series! I really enjoyed getting to know Callie, Des, and their world, and I had such a great time reading their story! They were such great characters, and I really enjoyed the steam and the politics! 

I really enjoyed in the first book, that we went back and forth between the present when the Bargainer is back after 7 years, and the past, of when the first met, how their relationship developed, and ultimately how it ended. That was really great!

The first book was their romance, and the set up for this world, while the second one explored more both deeply, and I really enjoyed getting to see the Otherworld! The politics because of the actions at the end of Rhapsodic, of Des being a king, and Callie being his mate, just absolutely loved!

The overarching plot with the Thief of Souls, I really enjoyed how it all played out, and how it tied into with everything that was going on, and how Des's father was back! It was such an intriguing story, and I enjoyed every minute of it! 

This was a fantastic series, and I can't wait to read more by Laura Thalassa!

Author: Laura Thalassa
Series: The Bargainer #1, 2, 2.5, 3
Read: February 23rd, 24th, 24th, 24th, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Books, and Dark Harmony is a End of Series 2022 Book! 
Publisher: Lavabrook Publishing Group
Published: November 15th 2016, May 26th 2017, October 15th 2017, October 28th 2018

Rhapsodic:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Strange Hymn:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

The Emperor of Evening Stars:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Dark Harmony:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars