Silver/Steel by Belinda McBride
Silver/Steel is book 2 in the Arcada Series. It follows Blacque/Bleu.
Silver/Steel by Belinda McBride
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Blurb…
When dream hunter Dylan Ryve spots a beautiful shapeshifter raising hell in a bar, he knows he wants the wild young man. But Travis Feris is more to Dylan than a few hot minutes outside in the snow; he’s the assassin’s ticket into the magical town of Arcada. He didn’t plan to rescue the kid, but when he found the shifter being attacked, the opportunity to play hero was too good to pass up.
Through the solitude of a long winter night, Dylan walks in Travis’s fevered dreams, learning about Arcada and the pack, and showing the shifter the man he’d been so very long ago. When morning comes, both men know their lives will be forever entwined.
From Dylan, Travis learns that he is a strong, valued member of the pack. The dreamwalker sees his own worth reflected back at him in the dark blue eyes of the wolf. Yet when Dylan has the chance to free himself from centuries of enslavement, can he betray the man he has come to love
So what did I think?
This was quite a complex story involving Travis, a wolf shifter who lives in the enchanted town of Arcada, and Dylan who is Fae. Dylan has sworn an oath which keeps him slave to the evil Ulric and must enter Arcada to complete his last mission or forever remain enslaved.
I found the first 30% or so of the book a little confusing as I struggled to understand the different types of folk living in Arcada and understand the complex dream world that Dylan was able to enter. This was probably just a personal thing for me as I enjoy the occasional PNR but am not a huge fan of fantasy worlds so probably don’t have the patience to immerse myself in the world created.
The plot is not a simple one, also focusing on internal pack politics and an attack by a rogue wolf pack, their evil Alpha trying to gain control of the town.
With so much going on, I found myself just wishing for a simple focus on the romance between the two men. I enjoyed the elements of dominance/submission which occurred early in Dylan and Travis’ relationship (the blurb has a BDSM warning but it is very light) . I also enjoyed the theme of not trying to define people in categories of black and white.
I think lovers of PNR will really enjoy this story because the main characters are very likable and the world well crafted.
For more information on Belinda McBride and her books, visit her website.
Buy Silver/Steel at Amazon