Editorial Review: Verge of Corruption: A Love’s Warrior Novel by P.C. Stevens
When Zestine saves Tris from a near-deadly encounter she didn’t know she was throwing herself into a world even more fraught with peril and darkness than she's ever known – but also more love.
Verge of Corruption: A Love’s Warrior Novel is the second in the series, though a preface covers the details of the first book that you need to know in order to enjoy this installment. Tris is Light-blooded, but his brothers are becoming corrupted by the dark and are turning to violence and murder. Pursued by his once trusted friend Tris is saved by Zestine, a Beast who can choose her feline form. Whether she chooses to be a stunning woman, a tiny domestic kitten, or a crushing jaguar, Zestine is wiser and older than her perfect body would let on.
Zestine and Tris are sent to the Dark Dimension to investigate and report back to the King and Queen, but it does not go smoothly. Rather than stick to the original plan, Zestine finds herself in some vulnerable positions posing as Tris’s prisoner, and Tris realizes that he won’t get through this mission without doing some seriously dark stuff. Despite their rocky introduction and awkward refusals of one another, over the course of their mission the two grow closer emotionally as well as physically. Despite their differences they know they have to work together to stop the Corrupted and their dark father. The Ravager and a group of demons are trying to raise a dark god, one who would throw the worlds completely out of balance.
This is a fast paced and action-packed steamy romance, with plenty of plot to keep the story from lagging. With a story so reliant on blood and violence there are several graphic battle scenes. On a few occasions the graphic violence does overlap with the explicit love scenes, but Zestine and Tris have a relationship based in respect and love. In fact, the love shared between the two becomes pivotal to the fate of the world.
While Tris is somewhat an alpha archetype in that he is a muscular warrior, Zestine is by far the more deadly and experienced – she is fifteen hundred years old after all. Verge of Corruption will appeal to fans of alpha male romance but also to people who prefer physically strong female leads. It must be said that those with a sensitivity to violence or scenes of a graphic sexual nature may find the content not to their taste.
Verge of Corruption has plenty to offer from seriously intense love to gripping battle scenes complete with a great plotline.
