DEATH BRINGER is the second book of Kate Pearce's new Soul Justice series. It picks up pretty much right where the first book Soul Sucker ends; and jumps right into the story without much in the way of recap for the forgetful or new reader. Agents Ella Walsh and Vadim Morosov are now mated, so Ella is no longer in danger of sinking into madness once she hits her 27th birthday. Due to the bonding between them, she has picked up Vadim's mad fae powers; she just has to learn to use and control them.

The new case the SBLE (Supernatural Branch of Law Enforcement) sends the pair of agents on is a case of someone magically stealing faces and replacing them with unknown faces. Ella and Vadim are having a hard time working the leads, as the victims keep committing suicide. As they sift through the clues, they begin to see some patterns in the crime spree. They eventually tie the case into a very powerful fae called Adam; who is part of a group of fae who do these sort of things for fun and on bets with each other.

This is a pretty straightforward SBLE case until they go into the Otherworld after Adam; and the tone of the story starts to shift dramatically. At this point, Death Bringer becomes much more about Vadim's convoluted past. His own personal ties to Adam and his past with his royal fae family come into question; and to the forefront of the plot. There are some great new insights to Vadim's character during this part of the story. The bond relationship between Ella and Vadim begins to deepen and show some development.

DEATH BRINGER is a very good story for the most part. The case is quite interesting as well done, as was learning more about the mysterious Vadim. The switch to the Otherworld and the fae part of the story is a bit clumsy; and the focus of the story changes so much that it sometimes feels like reading a different book entirely. The execution is occasionally awkward, especially when the plot just stops so that Ella and Vadim could have sex repeatedly. Kate Pearce's roots in erotic romance works its way into the story at some inopportune times. Despite the often wandering plotline this is still a quite intriguing story; and leaves the reader wondering what is coming up next for this mated pair of SBLE agents. This is an overall good read in what looks to be a fascinating series.

Book Summary

A powerful magic user is stealing people's faces in San Francisco, and empath Ella Walsh and shifter Vadim Morosov have been called in to investigate. Still adjusting to the closeness and permanence of their new relationship, the government-paired mates are soon hot on the trail of an Otherworld cultist from Vadim's past. But their target turns the tables, and after he gives Ella someone else's face, the couple will have to follow him to Otherworld to get hers back. There, in an ancient world of family ties, old grudges and monsters, where living memory stretches centuries, Ella will have to confront the dangerous truth of Vadim's bygone life. Because there's a reason the Fae call him Death Bringer, and if Ella can't unravel it, she may never see her mate—or her face—again.