Review: Isadora by Ella Frank (Monsters Among Masters #2)


Note: This ARC was provided by Between the Sheets Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

"I can't do it again, Elias," she whispered.


Before thinking about it, he put his arms around her shoulders, and the firece, stunning vampire crawled into his lap.


"What can't you do?" he asked.


"I can't let you go. Not again."


I went into Isadora, the second novel in author Ella Frank's paranormal erotic romance series entitled Masters Among Men, with my set of expectations and ended up getting much more. I thought this was going to be about Isadora Nikitas--her life before being turned and her connection to her Ancient, Diomêdês--and her shared history with Elias Fontana. Yes, parts of the book delve into Isadora's past and present, but this book isn't exclusively focused on her and Elias. They share quite a bit of the spotlight with the original main characters from the first book--Alasdair Kyriakoús, Leonidas Chapel, and Vasilios--as well as Diomêdês, and then we learn more about Thanos, his sire Eton, and Paris Antoniou--the third member of the not-quite-human triumvirate that also includes Elias and Leo. So, there's a lot of things that are going on at the same time, but everything is clearly tied together, and if series starter Alasdair left us with questions, we get a few more by the time this sequel ends, leaving us anxious for Thanos in March.

Isa has loved three people. One was taken from her, the other she walked away from, and one remains by her side from the time he sired her. When Elias takes her with the intention of ending her, it isn't exactly the reunion she's dreamed of. He knows he's been given a task that he needs to see through, but it isn't as easy as he thought it would be. To kill or not to kill? Now there's a question that both Isa and Elias will have to face because they know what is required of them, but you know what they say when feelings get in the way. And of course, we can't forget Diomêdês, whose own personal history had me shocked but I must say that I like that he's different from the other Ancients in the story. The quandary that Isa and Elias find themselves in is complicated by who they are and what they represent. There were unanswered queries and unsolved mysteries in book one, and while things are beginning to make a bit more sense with this sequel, nothing is fully resolved. So, imagine me feeling both frustrated but excited by this turn of events.

I've taken note of how a lot of what happens in this trilogy is in threes: Alasdair, Leo, and Vasilios in book one, Isa, Elias, and Diomêdês here in book two, and I wouldn't be surprised if we find Thanos, Paris, and Eton together as well in book three. There are three Ancients, three vampires sired by them, three not-so-human humans, and three god-like voices. I'm not complaining though. There's a belief that good things happen in threes. Well, so do not-so-good things, but at the rate the Monsters Among Masters series is going, I have no doubt that this is a very good thing we're witnessing. With such a unique story arc, one that I have never come across before, this series is in a league of its own. Add to it a host of mesmerizing characters whose individual charms are difficult to turn away from, but when you get them into their threesomes, the combination can prove to be intoxicating and addictive. I've got a new set of expectations for Thanos, and I'm ready for Ella Frank to blow it out of the water yet again. Five-plus stars for Isadora. ♥

Date Read: 08 January 2016

Learn more about Ella Frank.

Purchase Isadora on Amazon.

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