Finally the most anticipated book as well as favorite character of the 
series is here, Gregori's story. I think all the Gregori fans out there will 
not be disappointed.

After almost a thousand years of emptiness it was time for Gregori to 
claim his lifemate or turn vampire. Emptiness as in nothing there, meaning, no 
love, no joy, no light, no color, no feeling, nothing everything was gone. It 
didn't help that for the last five years Gregori was bearing this emptiness by 
choice.

By his own choice Gregori gave Savannah five years of freedom before he 
claimed her as his lifemate. By this same choice Gregori has been living the 
last five years on the edge of turning vampire. When the five years Gregori 
allowed Savannah was up and he came to claim her it was not by Savannah's 
choice. A choice Savannah's mother had let her grow up thinking she would 
have. A choice she didn't want to make now or ever. 

Savannah is the daughter of Mikhail and Raven. Raven having been human 
once holds onto the belief that a Carpathian woman or psychic human can make a 
choice as to whom their lifemate will be. When in truth there is one lifemate 
per Carpathian man. That lifemate is destined from birth, and Gregori has 
waited way to long for his. Now that he has tried to give her time it is 
either claim her now or turn and have to be hunted and destroyed. As Gregori 
has had to do to other males that could not hold out for their lifemate.

This is not what Savannah wants, she wants to be free to choose. Even if 
she chooses no one. Since Gregori has been around so long and is so powerful 
Savannah is frightened and intimidated by him. When Gregori comes to claim her 
it is definitely not what she wants. But then we are back to choices once 
again. Gregori has no choice, he has to claim her, now. Although he tries to 
make things easier on her they have a long road to go down before she is 
comfortable with this relationship, a relationship that was forced on her. 

If truth be told Gregori is the only man that sparks any type of sensual 
feelings in Savannah. That is part of why Savannah is so resistant to his 
claiming of her. Between his powers and her feelings she is afraid that she 
will lose herself during the relationship. Eventually though Savannah gives in 
to her feelings, but it is a little too late to stop Gregori's beast from 
rising. While Savannah and Gregori are becoming intimate Savannah feels rushed 
and fearful, but Gregori is unable to stop when she askes him to. His beast is 
unleashed and he joins with her much more quickly, and brutally then she's 
ready for. Even after the brutal way they have sex Savannah chooses to stay 
with Gregori once she sees just how close to turning this great Carpathian is.

Unfortunately and fortunately this is not the end of their problems. 
Unfortunately Gregori thinks Savannah is not his true lifemate due to the 
manipulation of circumstances he had a hand in since the before Savannah's 
birth. Although Savannah knows deep inside that Gregori is truly her lifemate, 
now the only problem is to convince him of that. Also unfortunately due to her 
living a life in the spotlight as a magician Savannah has drawn the attention 
of a group of vampire killers. Fortunately for Savannah but maybe not so 
fortunately for Gregori she teaches him there are good qualities in some 
humans. To Gregori's bemusement he has a growing affection for a human he has 
saved the group of vampire killers the man was tricked into helping.

I personally couldn't find enough good things to say about this story. It 
definitely lived up to my expectations of what I thought Gregori's story would 
be. Although there is one scene in the book that may be objectionable to some 
we are back to choices. The choice was taken out of Gregori's hands when he 
gave Savannah her five years and came so close to turning. Some choices are 
not actually choices at all.