Author: Melissa Pearl
Genre: Fantasy
Published on: February 15, 2012, self-published
It is only a matter of time before Gemma's parents find out she traveled through time to bring Harrison back into existence. The fear of being found out is a heavy weight on her shoulders, but she refuses to give up on everything she's fought for. Harrison is worth the risk.
The couple draws closer together as they battle opposing forces from all sides. They stay strong until Gemma's parents welcome an exchange student into their home. Simeon, a gorgeous Californian, is as smooth as coffee and, supposedly, a fellow time spirit. Gemma's parents expect her to take him everywhere and, of course, fall in love with him. After all, he is the boy they have chosen for her.
No longer able to sneak off alone, Gemma must watch every step as she waits for the inevitable nightmare to catch up to her. Her parents ultimate goal is to get that last necklace and open the box hidden in their safe. If they do, Gemma knows her entire world will unravel.
As the danger mounts, Gemma must decide if she has the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the ones she loves and stop to her parents' destructive plans.
It’s here, the conclusion of the Time Spirit trilogy. The previous book, Black Blood, ended in a pretty big cliffhanger. Protagonist Gemma Hart managed to save the day, though narrowly. It almost seemed as if a HEA wasn’t far along. Then the cliffhanger came and threw a wrench into that potential future. Now Gemma faces opposition from two fronts.
The good news is that Gemma has her boyfriend, Harrison Granger, back. He was wiped out of existence by Alistair and Penelope, Gemma’s parents. The Harts are time spirits, human beings who can time travel into the past. Alistair and Penelope have a very specific future in mind for their daughter. Harrison didn’t figure in it, so they got rid of him. Gemma was able to learn how to time travel thanks to Gabe Hunter, a former time spirit. I say former because time spirits lose their power when they become old.
Gabe couldn’t fix the timeline himself, so he trained Gemma to do it. What was his motivation? Gabe turns out to be Gemma’s biological father. He revealed in Black Blood that the Harts stole Gemma when she was a baby. She’s a pureblood time spirit, which means she’s the most powerful of them. The Harts have allegedly been using Gemma for their own means. She refused to believe that at first. After her parents erased Harrison, Gemma started to see the truth.
This time, the Harts are not the only ones who oppose Gemma’s and Harrison’s relationship. Harrison’s mother, Helen, has suddenly become hostile toward Gemma. She and Harrison wonder what changed her mind. It doesn’t take long before Helen reveals she knows Gemma is a time spirit. Harrison is baffled by this. Helen doesn’t trust time spirits, so she wants Gemma to have nothing more to do with her son. This may have little effect. Harrison and Gemma aren’t going to let anything stand in the way of their happiness.
Gemma also must contend with another situation. On Gabe’s advice, Gemma is keeping Harrison’s re-existence from her parents. If they found out he’s back, they could kill him for real. It’s lucky that Gemma’s siblings, Dom and Ruby, are away for college. That means less people who could expose Gemma and Harrison. They’re living on borrowed time, though. This becomes more pressing when Gabe suspects the Harts are plotting something. Over the last couple of books, they have been collecting certain artifacts that were lost in time.
To my impression, Harrison has less prominence in Pure Blood. Even after Gemma discovers a big secret about him, he remains mostly lackluster. Harrison only serves as a romantic interest. He’s barely able to help Gemma defy her family. There’s one thing that Harrison has going for him, though. Harrison’s an excellent researcher. Whenever Gemma is about to go on a big mission, Harrison finds out as much information as he can about the period she’s traveling to. If it weren’t for this, Harrison wouldn’t be a very good protagonist.
The book also introduces a new character who could throw a wrench in Gemma's plans. He's Simeon, who despite his funny name is the perfect match for Gemma (according to her parents). They say he's an exchange student. Simeon is also a time spirit, which means Gemma has another reason to watch her back. Simeon has one of the most interesting story arcs in this book. When you think he's going to be one thing, Simeon ends up being another. His character definitely wasn't wasted, and I liked that. And despite his prominence, Simeon's role doesn't make Harrison's already smaller role less significant. In the end, Pure Blood was a satisfying conclusion to this series. It didn't leave me wowed, but I might read it again. The series was more than good enough.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
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