I read the first novel in The Duskwalker Brides series, A Soul to Keep, last year and I absolutely fell in love with it. The author has stated that she was inspired to make this series by the anime/manga The Ancient Magus’s Bride, and since that is one of my all-time favorite series, I knew I had to check these books out. A Soul to Heal is the second volume, and you definitely need to have read the first book to fully understand this one.
Delora is a woman trapped in a loveless marriage. She has learned to tolerate it until she comes home to find her husband having sex with another woman in her village. In a fit of passion, she kills them both. Instead of executing her, the village council decides to toss her into the world of monsters, where she literally lands on the head of a Duskwalker. Duskwalkers are creatures that are about 7 feet tall, covered in fur and feathers, and have the skull of the first animal they ate. They lack intelligence or humanity unless they eat humans. The Duskwalker in this novel is nameless and lonely. After meeting another Duskwalker with a human bride, Nameless then endeavors to become worthy to have a human bride of his own.
Considering the male protagonists of these novels are human-eating monsters, they are surprisingly sweet and tender to their brides. They are protective, eager to please, and loyal. If only men could be more like monsters sometimes.