“Privilege,” she said gently, “gives the crown its shine. Duty gives it its weight.”

4.5 stars

Since I started reading romance, I’ve enjoyed many colors and stripes of them. But I have to say, I believe that possibly above all other romance sub-genres, I categorically enjoy fantasy/paranormal series that follow one couple and continue along a larger arc. I’m talking the “Fever” series, or the “Kate Daniels” series, and “Wraith Kings” certainly qualifies as well. I appreciate these longer takes for a lot of reasons: they frequently get to tease out the sexual tension over a longer period of time, which for obvious reasons makes the first official coupling even more explosive. They also get to explore relationship dynamics — including conflict — beyond the initial standard barriers to getting together. Falling in love is wonderful, but staying in love is rewarding, and reading about the characters sharing their strength and growing together is invigorating as a reader. Along those lines, a couple whose story spans several full-length books gets to display, on multiple occasions, their teamwork, and have more failures and more successes, which gives them more depth and just makes them more compelling as the readers get to know them better.

That’s all if the author knows what they are doing, though, because it’s also so easy for main pairings to get stale. Only two books into the Wraith Kings series, and Grace Draven is amply demonstrating that she does in fact know what she’s doing. Eidolon is tightly plotted, advancing the larger story that concerns the kingdom Prince Brishen and Ildiko inhabit, but focusing on the strength of their marriage and centering the emotional trial on the clash between their love for one another and their duties to the kingdom. Beyond that, the banter between the two is still clever, and it’s still surprisingly sexy, considering the attention given to the fact that the couple are from different species that find each other repulsive to look at.

This is a very easy series to jump into, since the volumes are short and the writing is efficient. Despite investing in a narrative arc that expands beyond one book, one gets the sense that Draven has her eye on the finish line and isn’t going to let a lot of fluff get in the way. The plot is refreshingly simple, and it allows the characters to shine as they confidently navigate their roles and make important decisions. Free from artifice and manufactured drama, they seem all the more competent and up to the challenges they face.

Starting with Radiance, and now given the very strong sequel, I’m confident saying that I highly recommend this series.