Review: Warlock Unbound by Dana Marie Bell (Heart’s Desire #4)

Warlock Unbound (Heart’s Desire #4)
Dana Marie Bell
Published: Sept. 1, 2015 (Samhain)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amanda

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Over the past couple months, Daniel’s watched his brothers cast the spell that matches them with their mate. He’s avoided it for as long as he could, but he’s run out of time. Gareth, his older brother and king of the wizards, decrees it’s time.

Kerry knew she was Daniel’s mate almost from the very beginning, despite being a mundane. That he’s waited so long to cast the spell is puzzling…and a little hurtful. Once he does, Kerry rushes to his side, but not just because she’s eager to be with him. Someone put a sleeper hex on her, and she can’t move her little finger without putting herself in danger.

Daniel’s determined to remove the hex, claim his mate, and finish off the last of the Godwins. Arthur doesn’t want to be found, though, so completing all three tasks before Kerry ends up dead is going to be a challenge—and the Becketts are running out of time.

This whole series has been fun and sometimes hilariously entertaining. One of my favorite parts throughout each of the books is the banter between the brothers, and that’s no different here. With three of them mated, though, we get banter-y goodness between the brothers and their mates.

Gareth pouted down at Genevieve. “How come we don’t play pirates?”

Gen’s brows lifted. “Because you’d lose.”

*snort* I love Gen. She’s much more confident and comfortable with her place amongst the Beckett clan in this book, though the Council still gives her the side-eye on occasion.

Kerry, despite having no magical abilities of her own, fits right in with the family. Daniel’s brothers had already accepted her as their sister-to-be long before Daniel cast the spell, and her best friend is Lana, Chris’s mate. What she lacks in power she makes up for in smarts and stubbornness. She’s determined to do something to help especially because it’s her life they’re trying to save.

What threw me off, and what ultimately lowered my rating, was Daniel. From the previous three books I always got the sense he didn’t want to be mated to Kerry because he didn’t actually like her. So finding out he didn’t just like her but he wanted her to be his mate took some getting used to, especially because once he cast the mate spell, he was all in. It wasn’t quite a one-eighty, but it was close. Still, their chemistry was page-burning hot, and after a while, Daniel realized he needed to give Kerry space to help in whatever way she could, and I loved that he recognized that.

The hunt for Arthur Godwin was a little slow, and a little light on the details. There wasn’t as much about him in the previous books, and I figured he was kind of a pansy. He’s definitely no wimp, though I found myself wishing there’d been more hints of his endgame in the previous books.

Warlock Unbound is an enjoyable and satisfying end to the series. If you’re looking for something different in your shifter romances, pick up these books. Bonus: no waiting for the next one to come out!

Sexual content: graphic sex