Swoon Thursday #136 ~ Refuge (Relentless #2) by Karen Lynch

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Here's how it works. From the book you're currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

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My Swoon for this week comes from:

Refuge
(Relentless #2)

by
Karen Lynch 

First - The Blurb:

To keep the people she loved safe, Sara left everything she knew behind. She soon learns this new world is nothing like her old one, and she struggles to make a place for herself among the Mohiri. But it soon becomes apparent to Sara and to everyone one around her that she is not your typical warrior.

As the weeks pass, Sara builds new relationships, copes with her new trainers, and tries to manage her ever-changing powers, while keeping her unique heritage a secret. Looming in the background is the constant shadow of the Master who will do anything to find her.

Sara finds herself on a journey of self-discovery that uncovers her true strengths and awakens a part of her she never knew existed. She experiences the delight of new friendships, the sweetness and pain of first love, and a loss so deep it could be the thing that finally breaks her. At the end of it all, she discovers that the one place she was supposed to be safe might not be the refuge she thought it was.

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Second - The Swoon:

Conscious thought fled when Nikolas's lips brushed mine. Warm and firm, his mouth explored mine with aching slowness and infinite tenderness as his hands framed my face, holding me against him. As if I had the strength to pull away. Sensations I had never felt before blossomed in my chest, and instead of trying to understand them, I sensed something indecipherable shift between us - like two repelling magnets that flip and are suddenly drawn to each other - and my lips parted to let my breath escape in a soft sigh. He pulled me closer, if that was possible, deepening the kiss, and I surrendered to it, exhilarated and terrified at the same time and never wanting it to end.

Oh my! This series just gets better and better.

Giving up her human life and entering the world of the Mohiri isn't easy for Sara, especially when she feels like the one person she has come to rely on, has abandoned her. Struggling to adapt to her new life, she spends much of her time training, only thing is, without allowing herself to connect with the demon living inside her, she isn't doing so well.

With her superiors finally deciding that there is only one person who can help her, Sara finds herself coming face to face with the one person she has tried hard not to think about. Nikolas! Like in the first book, there is a lot of tension between them as they each deal with feelings neither one of them has experienced before. Although I could see where things were heading, I loved watching the romantic side of their story unfold.

In this installment, it was nice to see some of the characters from the first book reappear (Nate, Rolland and Pete) and meet new ones (Desmund, Tristan and Jordan). With Sara still being hunted by the Master vampire, there are many action scenes and a few surprises.

Karen has created an amazing world and her writing is clear and easy to follow. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm loving this series.

My Rating: 5 out of 5

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Okay, so what do you think?

If you liked my Swoon, please leave a comment below!