E.G. MANETTI : Chalice bearer (Twelve systems chronicles #8 - Thornraven #1)

After three years of trial, Lilian is free and Monsignor Lucius Mercio's protégé. Her triumph comes at cost. Fearful of Lady Estella's wrath, Lilian has refused to continue her liaison with Lucius, breaking her heart and straining her relationship with him. She is stunned to discover that Estella is entering her final days and wishes Lilian to return to Lucius and help him through his grief.
Lilian and Lucius's relationship has only begun to repair when duty demands she travel to the distant planet Desperation. There, she will confront her deepest fears when the theft of dangrous technology forces her to descend into the depths of Desperation Crevasse. In the frigid wastes at the bottom of the Crevasse, Lilian will discover an ancient legacy of the Five Warrios and Adelaide.
The worst of Lucius's grief at Estella's lost has barely passed when his world shatters again. Lilian has disappeared into Desperation Crevasse. He cannot lose them both. Determined to rescue Lilian no matter the cost, he races toward the Sixth system and deadly danger.

This is the continuation of the Twelve systems chronicles series, so it can't be read as a standalone.

I was so happy when I saw this new instalment was released ! This series has become the equivalent of comfort food for me in the recent years, better than dark chocolate. And yet, at the very beginning, I thought it was going to be, more or less, some kind of 50 shades in space : I started reading it with wariness (I got the first book as a freebie and read it because of the raving reviews) and ended up completely, utterly hooked.
The book is steamy, as is the whole series. Lucius is in control, yes, though Lilian (who is in possession of a fully functional brain and a wonderful intellect - plus insights and weird premonitory dreams) has a mind of her own and usually gets her way. She can be ruthless.
She started out as a society pariah and, vanquishing many obstacles, has finally become a protégé. At the beginning of this book, we see apprentices turned recently into protégés having some trouble adaptating. This society is very strict and apprentices rules even more so. 
What amazes me each time is how E.G. Manetti has been able to build a complete universe with its unique rules : geopolitics, religions, language, each part of this series has been thought through and through. I absolutely love Lilian and her distant, almost autistic ways, a warrior turned apprentice against her will in order to preserve what's left of her family, her slightly mad but seer mother and her teenage sister.
And now, I'll just have to wait for the next...