The fourth book in Lauren Dane’s Goddess With a Blade series, At Blade’s Edge, picks up right where Blade on the Hunt leaves off. Our favorite heroine, Rowan, travels to London in an attempt to sort out the mole in Hunter Corp, the supernatural regulation agency. She knows the identity of this jerk, but must work carefully in order to gain enough compelling evidence to convince everyone else. As always, Rowan has her sexy vampire companion, Clive, to assist and support her. For vampire hunter badassery that knows no bounds, and an incredibly clever heroine with realistic self-doubts, you can’t pass up the Goddess With a Blade series. Please note that this series really should be read in order.
Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Raised at the knee of The First and honed into a weapon by the Hunter Corporation, she wields ancient knowledge from the Goddess Brigid…and is newly married to a powerful Vampire scion.
Though she’d hoped the deadly events in Venice would end the threat to The Treaty she is sworn to protect, Rowan found evidence of a grander conspiracy to destroy the fragile peace that holds humans, Vampires and those with magic back from war. A war that would only hurt the weakest and destabilize the world as we know it.
It’s not so much that someone ordered her assassination that makes her angry—people try to kill her all the time—as it is the risks those she cares for, especially her new husband, now face. Clive Stewart has never tried to pen Rowan in or control her choices. He has his own fires to put out now that he’s married to the most powerful non-Vampire in their world, and Rowan knows it’s a challenge to support her the way she needs while not being too much or not enough.
The organization that gave her a purpose, a home, roots and a path when she’d run from The Keep at seventeen has betrayed her. Now, instead of on a much-anticipated honeymoon, Rowan is in London gathering her allies and the evidence necessary to drive out the rot within Hunter Corp. and expose whoever is at the top.
Rowan is a predator and this threat is prey. She’ll burn it down and salt the earth afterward. On her terms.
So if you’re following this series (which you totally should be), you know that Rowan is one of the good guys. She hunts rogue vampires, fell in love with a vampire, and was raised by…you guessed it, vampires (technically, she was raised by the equivalent of the vampire’s king). Rowan is poetry in motion. She’s an actual killing machine that gives even the most potent supernaturals a run for their money (possibly due to the goddess that lives/is housed within her). Her desire for justice is admirable, if a little pie in the sky. In the real world, rarely does justice occur in every situation. BUT – Rowan is going to do her best to make that happen.
I really can’t say enough good things about Rowan. I absolutely love Lauren Dane’s writing. That said, Rowan is such a complex and multi-faceted character. She’s trying to save the world, build and maintain a meaningful relationship, and cultivate some sort of relationship with her new in-laws (hilarious – and I sort of love Clive’s mother!). I’m a sucker for a strong female lead, and Rowan delivers on all accounts. Her endearing self-doubts make me love her more. If someone such as Rowan faces insecurities, then surely my own battles are justified. (See how that works? And, yes, I know that she’s fictional. The impact is no less, though.)
Let’s talk about Clive for a minute. He’s a hunka-hunka-burnin-vampire-love. Whoa, baby. The alpha qualities that make us shiver, the sensitivity to his lover, and his incredible understanding of Rowan and her needs. Like, wow. Who doesn’t want a Clive in their life? He sees her strengths and loves her for them. He sees her weaknesses and strives to balance those by supporting her when she needs it most. Swoon. Is there a catalog for Clive-like men? Because I’m gonna need a copy of that catalog – stat!
Full disclosure – I’ve read (and loved!) most of Lauren Dane’s books. She has a way with characters that is incomparable. Rowan is one of my favorites. The personal growth from book one until now is amazing. It’s almost as if I’m on a parallel journey with Rowan. Perhaps, that is why these books touch my soul the way that they do. It is a wonderful and empowering feeling to completely accept yourself. I’m just now there in my life, and I feel like Rowan is so very close. I’m rooting for her and Clive. I loved At Blade’s Edge, and I can’t wait for the next installment!
Read order
Goddess With a Blade (review & review)
Blade to the Keep (review & review)
Blade on the Hunt
At Blade’s Edge
