Ancient Warrior by Katie Reus.
Long before The Fall, before the world changed forever, tiger shifter Harlow worked in Black Ops for the safety of all shifters. She excelled at her job, loved everything about it, until the male she loved tried to kill her. So she was forced to kill him first.
I really enjoyed this book. Great story and characters. 5*.

Book #8 in the Ancients Riding. So much action, drama, danger and adventure that it'll make your head spin. Katie weaves a tale that is so good and so page turning that you won't be able to stop reading.

Ancient Warrior, book eight of the Ancients Rising by Katie Reus gives the reader on of the original characters of the series their HEA. Tiger shifter Harlow was part of the first book then the Fall as it is called happened. I was glad to see her get her story. There are also two other romantic subplots that happen along with her. One is quick and complete while the other continues to simmer.

Harlow’s story is a second chance with her one true love, Aodh. Their last time together working is one of confusion, heartache, suffering and trickery. The team goes on the hunt for the evil that must be destroyed. Suspenseful as good hunts evil. However, the battle is quicker than I thought it would be. This book seemed to be more focused on the three romantic relationships as well as those within family.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Awesome!

Another amazing story by Ms. Reus! Aodh and Harlow have a second chance once the figure out what happened to them in the past. Once they find a way they are full speed ahead to overcoming crazy obstacles and finding their HEA.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Loved Harlow and Aodh! I'm a huge fan of dragons. Ms. Reus sure knows how to make a fictional world come to life and never get dull. This, I believe, is the 8th book in this world. I can't seem to get enough and am always counting the days until the next one. This was certainly an interesting second chance romance with these two characters, but so enjoyable just the same. I really liked both of them and was rooting for them to be together again. I also love that we always get some of the characters we already know and love from the other books as well weaved into the new story. It is a great way to catch up on what's going on with them. Loved this book!

Another addition to the series and I really liked it. I didn't know if I would since second chance + deception aren't my favorite, but this one was handled well. The plot is more intricate than some of the other books have had. I liked going back to the Fae realm, I would like to stay there longer in the future.
The pacing would be my only complaint. We take a while to dance around getting our couple to interact then clear the air, then we have a good investigating phase, then it was fast forward with other character progression. I felt like it was out of the blue and while I wanted to love it, it was just so fast, I didn't grasp onto it.
I look forward to the next book, as always. Waiting impatiently for Axel and Christian to get their acts together, too..

I really enjoy this world, and this installment did not disappoint. I am a sucker for a second chance love story, and this one was definitely a new take on it. I just adored the romance and loved seeing these two make their way back to each other. The secondary characters make the story, and it was great to see how things turned out. Can't wait for #9!

Ancient Warrior is a new twist on a second chance romance with a plot that span two universes a plethora of colorful paranormal characters committed to getting revenge on a murdering witch who stole years of happiness and love for her own agenda. Working through past hurts feelings of loss and betrayal reconnecting and renewal of a love that was thought lost and the many surprises that are revealed makes for a interesting story

Before "the Fall" when supernatural beings were revealed to humans, Harlow worked Black Ops for the Marine's shifter unit alongside her twin Brielle, friend Alex, and lover Aodh. Their mission is to take down a serial killer witch, but things go horribly wrong when Aodh turns on the team and Harlow is forced to kill him. She's never recovered from killing the love of her life, so she's shocked when he reappears with accusations that she left him behind, imprisoned and abandoned for fifteen years. How is it possible that he's even alive? Why is his enemy still after him? And is it possible to love again after so many years and hurt feelings between them?
I was planning on reading the series first, which I feel would have helped better understand the world building and previous characters. But for the sake of a review before publication, I read this book first. It wasn't hard to fall into the story since she does a good job describing the world after the fall. There were so many extra characters to keep track of though that I focused on the main group and then didn't feel like I was missing anything. It can be read as a standalone with a wonderful HEA, but would be much better read in order.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fantastical shifter romance. Such a good story about Harlow & Aodh. Certainly a unique romance between these two solid characters. Enjoyed!

This is the first book I read in this series and enjoyed it even if it's the 8th in the series.
A well plotted story that kept me entertained and rooting for the characters.
Interesting world building, tightly knitted story
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Another brilliant addition to this series as we get Harlow a tiger shifter and Aodh a dragon shifters story This is a second chance story but like all of Katie's stories it has a twist Aodh has been held by a witch who has been using his blood to increase her powers but he has finally escaped and he wants answers He wants to know why his team that included his mate Harlow deserted him What he doesn't know is that Harlow believes that she had to kill him after he betrayed her and the team As they strive to get to the bottom of what is happening Can they learn to trust again and will these mates have a happy ever after this time. There are plenty of tear jerker moments in this latest offering in this wonderful series

’s been a minute since I’ve visited the world after the Fall. I quickly picked up as if no time had passed, these characters just never fail to draw me in. I really loved Harlow and Aodh’s story. They had a history which was refreshing and the spin on this one was refreshing and new. We get to see lots of past favorite characters as well as some teasers of characters we can’t wait to see more of. This story is a great addition to the series and now I feel like I need to go back to the beginning and work my way back here from Bo and Nyx.
This was an advanced reader copy provided by the author / publisher in exchange for a honest review!

After just reading the summary, I was full of questions, such as how lovers could turn into enemies. And while the answers are immediately provided, time and distance put a dent in Harlow and Aodh relationship.
Harlow was never unable to really mourn Aodh, lost in her sorrows, incapable to comprehend why he turned against them. So she just put all her feelings in a box and went on with what she has always known, her family and her tasks.
But now, by a sort of payback, he is back in her dreams and she can not hide anymore her pain.
Aodh never understood why his friends let him rot in a prison, why they never came to rescue him. So now he is finally free, he wants answers. Why the woman who should have been his mate left him to his fate.

Their romance and the events leading to their breakup were easy to sort out, now it is up to them to see if they can mend what once was.
They are both so sweet, each still burning for the other despite their estrangement.

The added hints of side characters’ romantic entanglement is also fun.
As is the exploration of another realm, it opens new paths for upcoming stories.
4 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Another Exciting Read In The Series!

Aodh had been trapped for years by a Witch but he thought the love of his life and his friends had abandoned him so when he escaped, he wanted answers.

Being a Dragon and an ancient, he was patient so when he found her again, he followed her to see if she was as guilty as she seemed!

Harlow had mourned for years the death of her lost love Aodh. Thinking he had betrayed her and her team she would never speak of him until he revealed himself to her!

Fated to be together, they had to find the Witch and bring her down!

A steamy shifter read with lots of emotion and amazing characters. All the books within this series are fantastic and this one is another recommended read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another gripping book from Katie Reus!

I have become a huge fan of Katie's this year so I was psyched to have a chance to read an ARC from her. I will admit I didn't have much experience with reading paranormal romances and shapeshifting. I was also concerned since I was starting with book 8 in a series, but this story was very easy to get into and follow.

This is Harlow and Aodh's story. Before the fall her and Aodh worked on ops together and during one of them Harlow thinks Aodh turned on her and she killed him. 15 years later he is back and there are unanswered questions, some awkwardness and good angst that come with these two reuniting and having their second chance at romance.

I loved reading about Harlow, she was very capable and badass and caring for those around her. Aodh was a fun character too. He was fiercely protective of Harlow and his team, but never controlling. I loved how as soon as he realized what happened, he was fully commited to having Harlow as his mate. Also, being a fan of Katie's romantic suspense books, I loved that they used to work ops.

Another aspect I enjoyed about this book was how there was LGBTQ+ representation as well as a neurodivergent character. Found family is a big theme in this book and I really loved that. I felt a lot of happiness when reading that I could escape into a fantasy world, but it wasn't so high fantasy that it was confusing for me. I loved how accepting, loving and protective these characters were of eachother.

I plan to go ahead and read the first book in this series, and check out some other paranormal books from Katie Reus as well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Katie Reus and KR Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this fantastic book in the equally fantastic series

this is harlow and aodh story.....aodh has just escaped his prison, the witch that had kept in prisoner was a powerful witch and had fed off him

but now he was out for revenge but first he had to find the ones that had left him behind, to suffer all those years at the hands of the witch

harlow is still haunted by their last op where her partner aodh had tried to kill them all and she had had to kill him to survive, but the memory never got any easier...but just recently those memories kept re-surfacing and she didnt know why

this is a brilliant story that i couldnt put down at all and finished within a day.....this series just gets better and better and i cant wait for the next book in this series

This was a very exciting book. Harlow had lost the love of her life when she killed him after he attacked her and her friends. What they didn't know was that it was a spell and he was being held prisoner for 15 years. She was heartbroken when she realized what happened and he quit being mad that she had not looked for him. It was interesting that they were all different species - he was a dragon, she was a tiger, and there were all sorts of others including witches and Fae. The hunt was on for this witch that was killing whole communities. Very exciting.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Another great couple for the series. I'm glad to see Harlow find her happily ever after and it was a very interesting storyline. I adore all the recurring characters, especially Hunter and Willow, the dragonlings. We even get to see an extra couple find their HEA. I love how all the different supernaturals have found a home together and become a family despite all their differences. Great series!

I love this series, and it just keeps getting better and better. Ancient Warrior is the eighth book in a series of standalone romances all set in the same world. I love this because the protagonists in the books are usually secondary characters in the other books, so you get to catch up with all of your favorites and see what they’re up to.

I was really excited to learn more about Harlow’s story, as she’s been a more elusive character since the beginning of the series. A former Black Ops agent before The Fall, Harlow’s life changed in an instant when the love of her life tried to kill her. Harlow had to kill him instead, and she’s never fully recovered. Aodh was just as in love with Harlow as she was with him, which is why he doesn’t understand why she abandoned him and left him to the cruel dictates of his captor. Now free, Aodh wants answers and revenge.

It’s so tragic to think that, for over a decade, Harlow believed she killed Aodh after he betrayed her and her friends. And the entire time, Aodh believed his Black Ops team, including Harlow, abandoned him. But for all those years apart, Harlow and Aodh never stopped loving each other. Their romance isn’t as high stakes or obstacle-ridden as some of the others in the series, but it’s just as sexy and compelling. Also, I think it’s one of the only second-chance romances in the series.

As with all of the Ancients Rising books, the world-building is vivid and immersive, and the secondary characters are fantastic. Plus, the dragons! I just adore the baby dragons and love every scene they’re in. And there’s another couple that I NEED to see together. They have great chemistry and so much angst, and I think they could be good for each other. They have been circling each other for several books, and the sexual tension between them is 🔥.

This is a great addition to the series. It’s exciting and suspenseful, and the romance is wonderful. I also like the direction the overarching plot is going, and I’m curious to see what’s in store for these fabulous characters and creatures in the next book. Special thanks to NetGalley and Katie Reus for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.