Reviewed: November 3rd 2021
Released: November 2nd, 2021
Genre: Paranormal Dark Fantasy
Battleworn Ruby is putting her darkest days behind her, and where better to start again than the bustling Callien city? Too good to be true, when the demon of her past comes crashing back into her life, the warning he carries with him leaves it in pieces. Where Drayvex goes, chaos and mayhem trail in his wake. And she’s bound to him tighter than ever before.
Scheming Drayvex has been busy: chasing the demon turned traitor from world to world, keeping furtive tabs on the girl with a piece of his soul; oh, and running a demon empire. Concerned Ruby will be discovered alive, he enlists her on a hunt for the lapis temporis, an object that can quite literally turn back time, to fix old mistakes and kill their mutual enemy in the past. He’s done playing games.
Power-starved Saydor is on the run. Converting to his cause one underdog at a time, his eyes and ears are everywhere. You can’t kill what you can’t find, and Saydor’s covert talent is deadly. The bigger you are, the harder you fall. And he’s just getting started.
But when you’re playing for time itself, how do you know when you’ve been here before?
Helen’s thoughts: 5/5
I enjoyed Shadow Stained, the first book of this series, so much, I wrote an episode of topsyturvychallenge where I dropped my characters, Jerrol and Birlerion into Rachel’s world. You can find it on my IG page: @helengarrawayauthor. Soul Strung is a worthy sequel, continuing where the first book ended, and drawing us back into the suspense and danger of the demon world.
I think one of the most wonderful things about this book is the way both Ruby and Drayvex are drawn to each other, even though they both try and resist the attraction. They both know nothing ever goes right when they are together, but they just can’t resist each other. Hobbs writes the angst and the struggles they go through beautifully, setting the sexual tension alight even though they hardly touch each other.
You tend to forget Dravex is truly a horrible person without a thought for anyone but himself, and now reluctantly for Ruby, even though he doesn’t really understand how she gets under his skin, or the emotions he is struggling with.
Ruby is one of the most courageous and underestimated heroines. What she goes through and still comes out the other side fighting is amazing. I know I would have been legging it in the other direction!
Hobbs also comes out with some fantastic Hobbism’s from Frankenshambles which made me giggle, to hellscapade which was so apt in the situation. You’ll understand when you go pick up this book, which you should, right now!
If you would like to know more about Rachel Hobbs and her Stones of Power series, you find my author interview with her here.
About the author:
Rachel Hobbs lives in South West Wales, where she hibernates with with her bearded dragon and her husband. By day she is a dental nurse at a small local practice. By night, she writes.
Her debut novel SHADOW-STAINED is the first in a dark fantasy series for adults, inspired by her dark and peculiar experiences with narcolepsy and parasomnia. She’s since subjugated her demons, and writes under the tenuous guise that they work for her.
Fuelled by an unhealthy amount of coffee, she writes about hard-boiled monsters with soft centres and things that go bump in the night. You can find her at http://www.authorrachelhobbs.co.uk
Soul Strung
Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback
Link to book on Amazon US: eBook | Paperback
If you enjoy also fantasy books then you will love my books which are available in eBook or paperback: Book One: Sentinals Awaken. Book Two: Sentinals Rising. Book Three: Sentinals Justice. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
Helen Garraway 