Some people have waited five years for this book -- I've waited three.  But I'd happily wait more for the perfect return to the world of Immortals After Dark.

Munro MacRieve is being tortured by warlocks, forced to meet his mate and watch her die.  But when he's able to overpower them, he knows he must go back in time to save her.  100 years earlier, famed Lore Hunter Kereny Codrina is just trying to get herself married when the ceremony is interrupted by, of all things, a werewolf.  He says he's her mate, and he'll do anything to protect her, including turning her immortal.  The more time they spend together, the more Ren realizes he might be her mate, but in the face of looming danger, can she convince him that the choice to turn immortal must be hers?

The IAD series has always been political -- always about power and who has it, bodily autonomy, and strong women.  Munro is no different, and if anything, Cole's time away has only amped up her desire to do some real work with her writing.  At the core of this story is a woman demanding that she be the one to make choices about her body and her life, not her (however well-meaning) male partner.  Time and time again, Ren has to beg Munro for choice, to trust her to come to the resolution he wants but on her own terms, and Munro is so terrified for his fragile human mate that it's difficult for him to accept this.

An underlying thread throughout the book is also the destructive power of humans: Ren was taken from the 1920s to the modern period through ~romance magic~ (a time portal), and the stark difference between the way humans treat the planet and each other from her time to now is so striking to her.  I think this idea certainly could have been present in a 2018 release of this work, but it's so much more poignant now after nearly two years of a pandemic.  The whole of IAD is people of disparate backgrounds coming together against a larger evil, and I think that message is more relevant now than it has been in a very long time.

There's so much to delight in with this book.  It's like coming home after a very long time away, a bright spot in a dark winter, a warm visit with friends.  Cole never shirks from taking the finger, and there's so much of her trademark sharp wit and humor here -- it’s honestly laugh out loud funny.  I'm so glad this book is finally here.

Thank you to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!