THE TEARS IN MIDNIGHT

The fourth book in Wilder’s (The Danger in Justice, 2018, etc.) paranormal romance series featuring immortal warriors and reincarnation.

Katerina not only dreams about her past lives but remembers them when she’s awake—or, at least, many of them. In her first life, many years ago, her name was Kepa, and she was the sole witness to a murder of Four, one of the most powerful so-called immortals, who can live for thousands of years. Another immortal, Two, gave Kepa the ability to recall her past lives in the hope that her memories would reveal the  murderer, but it took centuries before she even got close to remembering the event. Each time she was reincarnated, she would eventually find Arsen, the immortal warrior who’s bound to her, but lately they’ve been unable to stay together. Now, she’s been called back into service, and she decides that if she’s going to be forced to spend her time translating old documents, she’s going to do it somewhere scenic—a beautiful Greek island. Within days of arriving there, however, Katerina begins to recall a past life that she’d forgotten, as well as parts of her own relationship with Arsen that had created their bond. Now that Katerina is in the house that Arsen had built for her, there may be a chance for them yet. Readers will find that there’s a lot to unpack over the course of this novella, and the author helps new readers catch up by offering a fair amount of backstory. Despite this, there will likely be parts of the tale that will be confusing to those who lack familiarity with the previous books. That said, readers who focus only on Katerina and Arsen’s relationship will have little problem following their story, which is a solid romance. Indeed, the second-chance-at-love plotline alone makes the book worth a read, mainly for the author’s clear, emotional prose (“Arsen was tangling his fingers in her hair and she was breathing in, holding the warmth close, locking the scent of his skin deep in her lungs”).

A sturdy entry in a fantasy series about unbreakable bonds.