Review: Claimed by Ice by Candace Blevins
Stunning conclusion to the Aurora Immortalis trilogy, I am even more in love with Emmy and her beaus. After spending three months in an intense erotic playground to satiate even the most exuberant of exhibitionist, Emmy needs to return back to reality. The reality of defending her dissertation and finding a job. Even more concerning, what happens to the liaisons she's developed between a master vampire and his right hand man? And who wants to stay in Alaska for an unknown period of time when they are a fire breathing dragon? So many questions for the future and so much uncertainty for twenty something female who will live pretty much forever. This book should be read as the last book in the trilogy; it is not a standalone.
Emma is now back in Xander's home but this time, things are different. She is no longer the possibly bratty directionless best friend's daughter. She is a powerful dragon shifter who has grown and become a lover to two powerful men. The continued character growth in this story keeps me riveted. With Emma's educational direction and her "youthful indiscretions" under control, she is no longer seen as the black sheep by her parents. All is forgiven by dear old dad and he wants to reinstate what he has taken from her. For some readers, this may be a wonderful loving gesture. For both Emma and me, it is insulting and reeks of condescending conditional love. By no means is this her parents' intent. However, this is how it feels and I totally validate this feeling.
For me, Emma did not change from a sudden wastrel spoiled rich kid to an upstanding driven person. She's always had the drive. Was she perhaps a bit foolish in her public displays? Yes, but she's young and her father did worse in his very extended youthful time. Instead of understanding and accepting her and helping to guide her, they cut her off. Cutting her off from all support that in my mind, threatened her ability for basic survival - food and shelter. To survive, she sold her body and blood.
Emma felt this acutely and realized she would never want to be dependent upon another person for her livelihood again. Sure, Sugar Daddies or trust funds are fantasy for many, but Emma has felt the complete cutoff of these luxuries with no recourse. She wants to be independent and this I admire her for. Because in her position, I would want to be the same, completely independent of someone else's finance support. They do say, that behind every strong and independent women who handle everything thrown at them, is a child whose trust was broken too many times. For me, this is Emma. Her childhood belief that her parents would always be there for her, as she was finding her way was shattered and no amount of love and support now will fix it.
This story may be focused on the romance and how she can continue her sexy threesome. For me, it is a coming of age where she finds herself standing on her own two feet and accepting love on her terms. I love this for her.
Parental issues aside, this sexual chemistry between the threesome continues with blazing heat. The sex scenes with erotic power exchange are breathtaking. This does include intense BDSM that will thrill the kinky romance readers. As with all Ms. Blevins' BDSM stories, the kink is divine. This erotic paranormal romance is recommended to readers who love menage and happily ever afters.
* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Your point about Emma's parents' forgiveness feeling condescending really resonated with me. The reviewer frames their gesture as loving, yet Emma reads it as conditional, and that tension seems central to her growth. I wonder whether the trilogy treats her hard-won independence as something the romance ultimately softens or complicates, given she's committing to two powerful partners. Does choosing love on her own terms genuinely preserve the self-reliance she fought for, or does the story quietly undercut it?
Further reading: https://animebreaker.org/
Spent way too long on Poki last weekend — started with one puzzle game and ended up trying like five different ones. Everything loads right in the browser which is nice when you just want something quick without installing anything. The variety is honestly what keeps me coming back.