Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank

Jacob was absolutely breathtaking (the Little Flower thing notwithstanding). I had very high hopes for Gideon. After all, it's not just any paranormal that can grab my attention in such a positive manner.

Gideon is the Ancient healer, who in Jacob, came out of a self-imposed isolation to assist in the climactic battle. Legna is Noah's youngest sister. I would have had no problem with this pairing, except that he was called "the Ancient" and much reference was made to his silver hair, etc. while the reference was made to Legna's youth quite frequently. It, quite frankly, started to creep me out. I began to imagine an old guy with a hard-on for a very young woman. Just... yuck. It was very difficult for me, then, to picture Gideon in the role in which Frank later put him - that of a romantic lead - manly, virile, youthful.

Having said that, I did enjoy once again the dialogue between the H&H - once the relationship was established, there was an irreverence in the way that Legna dealt with Gideon, along with the innate respect they obviously had for one another. Humor tempered with understanding of the importance of the situation in which they found themselves. I also once again enjoyed Frank's voice, her characterizations, and her supporting characters, who each seem to take on a leading role at some point. Once again, I found myself skimming through the battle at the end, reading just enough to discover who was injured, who was ok, and who was where.

Ancienty-Creepiness factor aside, Gideon seems a fascinating... errr, umm... man, able to bring different factions of Nightwalkers together for a common cause; commanding respect from all who know him. I was less than enthralled, however, with the reason for his self-imposed exile. There was the huge build-up in Jacob, and the reason seemed so insignificant in the grand scheme of things once revealed. I was frustrated with his excuse for stalking a human when he "couldn't" have Legna.

I liked Legna and Bella's friendship, and would have liked to have seen more of Legna's life explored in depth. I felt that Frank really just scratched the surface here, and there was much more that she could have revealed.

All in all, still a very enjoyable read, but not nearly as good as Jacob, IMO.