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Book Review: Marked, Entwined, Temped – by Elisabeth Naughton

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This is a replacement post. I see that I reviewed Elisabeth Naughton’s Marked, Entwined, and Tempted on Goodreads. But I do not see that I posted them here. I am rectifying that. I believe the first was an Amazon freebie, and I purchased the second two.

eternal guardians covers

About Marked:

THERON — Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Eternal Guardians, an elite group of warriors that defend the mortal realm.

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the immortal realm nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Review:
I grabbed Marked off of the KDP free list just because the cover is so tempting. The main character, Theron, lives up to it too. The book reminded me A LOT of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, though I don’t know which series came first. The Eternal Guardians has the same leather-clad, hulking alpha-males oozing testosterone all over the place and falling hard for that certain female. But hey, that’s why we read these types of books to start with, right? It’s all good.

I liked Casey’s strong spine and Theron’s dedication to his duty. The Greek pantheon makes for an interesting casting too. Though, starting with a little knowledge of the mythology will probably help. For example, I misremembered Persephone and Hades’ relationship at one point and was confused when she was excited to see him. The book does present the mythological history, so no worries if you don’t know it.

Other reviewers have commented on the random placement of sex scenes, and it’s true. The first one seemed to especially come out of left field. It generally bothers me to find characters thinking about sex when their circumstances are life-threatening. Seriously, who thinks about getting down and dirty when they’re running for their life? I’m fairly sure some aspect of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs comes into play here. The steamy nature of the same scenes kinda makes up for it, though.

While it didn’t top my favorites list by a long shot, I enjoyed it enough to buy the second and look forward to the third. (Demetrius was one of my favorites.) So I have no real complaints. It amused me for an evening and, therefore, served its purpose.

About Entwined:

ZANDER — The most feared of the Eternal Guardians. It’s rumored he can’t be killed, and he always fights like he has nothing to lose. But even he has to have a vulnerability… somewhere.

Forces of daemons are gathering and have broken through the barriers of the mortal realm. Now more than ever the Eternal Guardians are needed to protect both their own world and the humans’. Zander can’t afford to think about what might have been with the bewitching physician he once regarded as his soul mate. But with eternity stretching before him, he also can’t fathom spending his life without the one woman who makes him feel most alive. Perhaps he’s found his weakness, after all…

My Review:
Entwined continues much in the same vein as Marked and focuses on Zander. He makes a good tortured soul and the breach with his soulmate is believable. I generally enjoyed the book. If anything I think that it is better than the first. The world-building was done in book one, leaving more room for story here. I really liked that the Brothers…oh, did I say that…Arghonauts interact more. I like their snarky comments to one another. The women aren’t wilting violets and are more than willing to stand up for themselves, even if their culture doesn’t approve.

I did have a few issues worth venting about, though. How did Atalanta manage to raise Max to be a good kid? I’m having a hard time believing he would be psychologically sound after ten years with her. I’m just saying. Did Callia’s father really deserve to be forgiven so quickly? Did Zander, for that matter? The happy ending seemed a little too convenient. If it was being arranged ahead of time, surely someone would have said something, or the existing plans would have been canceled. Lastly, the book could do with a bit more editing. There are some inconsistencies, like “she covered her hand with her mouth “instead of mouth with hand. There are also a lot of fragment sentences. I realize that lines such as “That hurt. A lot.” is a writing device intended to force the reader to stop, thereby emphasizing the last statement. But here, it is used so much and in such a manner that it often just felt too jarring; commas would have a similar effect and not have rattled my brain so much.

Despite all of that, I enjoyed the read. Zander and Callia are a steamy couple. The Eternal Guardian’s effort to protect their worlds is honorable, and the politics of Argolea are interesting. I look forward to reading the third in the series.

About Tempted:

DEMETRIUS — He’s the hulking, brooding warrior his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it’s best to keep everyone at arm’s length.

Isadora is missing. The words pound through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection, Demetrius did all he could to avoid the fragile princess. And now she’s gone—kidnapped. To get her back, he’ll have to go to the black place in his soul he’s always shunned.

As daemons ravage the human realm and his loyalty to the Guardians is put to the ultimate test, Demetrius realizes that Isadora is stronger than anyone thought. And finally letting her into his heart may be the only way to save them both.

My Review:
I have to say I think that this series is getting better as it goes along. Tempted focuses on the Guardian Demetrius, his soul mate, and his secret. I liked the way Isadora finally came into her own, but Demetrius stole the show. One of my favorite types of characters is the brooding, damaged male whose game is completely thrown off by a female. That is Demetrius all over. He is big, strong, dark, and cruel, but in the presence of little ‘ol Isadora, he’s…well, maybe not an awkward, blushing teenager, but definitely not himself. It makes me smile. The smex was pretty amped up too. There was no lack of steam here. I did get tired of the Robinson Crusoe routine after a while. I thought the plot stalled for a little bit, but not long enough for me to consider dropping it or anything.

Note: I also read Enraptured and Enslaved. But I only reviewed them as heavy-handed and repetative.

The Nightlife New York

Book Review of Travis Luedke’s The Nightlife: New York

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Travis Luedke and I recently connected on Twitter. At the time he jokingly offered me a free copy of his first Nightlife novel (New York). It happened to be free on KDP that day so there wasn’t much sincerity in the offer, but it was amusing. Turns out I had already downloaded the sucker (pun intended since it’s a vampire book). I like the cover art and that’s often enough to grab my attention…that and it’s about vampires. I’m a sucker, I know. (OK I’ll stop.)

LONG Description from Goodreads:
Vampires, strippers, escorts, night clubs, gangs, pimps and corrupt cops, the Nightlife of New York is never boring.

Is she a beautiful blond guardian angel as he imagined, or something else entirely? When Michelle saves Aaron’s life she shares the benefits of her blood (after getting him shot accidentally). He awakes a changed man, living in a purgatory of eternal night, never to see the sunrise again.

Michelle drags Aaron through a hardcore learning curve of vampiric slavery. Forced to adapt to servitude, Aaron is subject to her authority of compulsion. She orders him around like a puppet on a string, a dog on a very short leash. First things first, he must learn to feed properly without creating bloodslaves (humans addicted to the powerful drug-like effect of their venomous bite).

And then she puts him to work-a male escort in the sex trade-same as Michelle. Aaron walks a tightrope of strictly controlled feeding regiments and intensely erotic sexual adventures while catering to the neurotic control-freak tendencies of his new master. It’s do or die, Michelle vows to eliminate him if he proves too difficult to control. The real kicker-amidst all these shocking and degrading adjustments, Aaron finds he’s falling in love.

Can he maintain and keep a sliver of his humanity intact? Innocence is a luxury few can afford in the decadent nightlife of New York. In a world where sex, blood, and power over women is so readily accessible, Aaron struggles against the predatory instincts deeply rooted in his new psyche. He must find his way quickly, practicing rigid self-control, or risk the consequences of Michelle’s wrath.

Review:
Nightlife: New York is a paranormal romance unlike I’ve ever read and it took me a little while to pinpoint why. Surprisingly, I think it is the fact that it was written by a man. It changed the feel and focus of the romance. There was a realism to the main character, Aaron’s, thoughts and actions that I can only imagine was born of the male author’s innate ability to relate to the emotions of a male character. This multidimensionalism  is often lacking in other PNR. They regularly focus almost exclusively on the man’s alpha qualities, to the exclusion of all others. And while I enjoy these novels it was nice to come across a PNR hero who had a little more depth to him.

Aaron Pilan is the nice guy who never gets much coverage in this genre. He isn’t 6’5”. He isn’t build like a tank. He isn’t bulging with muscles or oozing raw sex appeal. He doesn’t even wear leather or shitkickers. He’s attractive, but innocent and a little naive. Meeting the gorgeous vampire Michelle and being brought into her way of life throws him for a serious curve. I adored him! Over the course of the book he grew to be the strong alpha lead we women currently love so much, but managed to maintain the caring qualities that attracted Michelle in the first place. He was interested in more than just pounding a hapless, lust-driven female into a mattress (though the springs did get a workout or two) and I appreciated his internal debates as he tried to reassess his new role. 

There was a little bit of an info-dump in the beginning as Luedke established what type of vampire we’re dealing with. Do they sparkle or brood? Do they maintain their human intellect or become mindless predators, etc? The book gets a little dry during this necessary evil, but quickly picks back up. There are a whole host of interesting underworld characters who play their role without ever cluttering up the plot, a little bit of humour, some sizzling moments, and some tender moments. There really is just about enough of everything.

This is definitely one worth picking up. I have Nightlife: Las Vegas which I have every intention of reading. As an aside, I happened to notice that both books are still be free on Amazon at the moment. I don’t know how long that will last though. 

Book Review of Smolder (Dragon Souls #1), by Penelope Fletcher

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I grabbed Penelope Fletcher‘s first Dragon Soul book, Smolder from Smashwords, probably during the Summer/Winter sale last year. I found that I had been really ignoring my Smashwords books lately. I’d largely forgotten about them. So, I’m making a point of reading some of them now.

Description from Goodreads:
Wounded, a dragon drops from the sky to crash in front of Marina in an explosion of fire. She does the only reasonable thing a woman can do – she saves his life. Marina knows any moment may be her last, yet she cannot deny the connection between her and the alluring creature. When fierce dragon lords appear, leading a dangerous assassin to their hiding place, the truth about her dragon is unveiled. The consequences of falling for a beast gifts Marina wonders never before seen … in this world

Review:
Penelope Fletcher’s Smolder is an entertaining read if you are willing to suspend any expectation of realistic behaviour (and I don’t just mean because it is fantasy). Marina and Koen are another stunning example of insta-love, granted it’s also a case of instant hate too. The whole scenario is made more ridiculous by the fact that she is COMPLETELY unfazed by the fact that he is a dragon. This is where my sense of realism is stretched beyond it’s brink. Marina isn’t afraid of anything. She waltzes right into a natural cataclysm of mythical proportion, challenges a dragon several sizes bigger and far more ferocious than herself, falls in love with him, crosses dimensions for him (him who she has known less than 36 hours by best approximation), finds that she’s a wealthy member of the royalty, ignores social protocols, gets everything she wants, adopts her own assassin, and expects to win a challenge after training for one week when her opponents have trained their entire lives.  It’s simply too much. Marina is too brash, to fearless, and too loyal to a man she just met…wait she’s willing to throw her whole life away to be with Koen but falls in love/lust with Daniil too. Seems a little weak-willed to me. But still it’s entertaining enough if you just roll with the punches.

Honestly, even though she is largely too much of just about everything she is also really funny. This kept me reading even when I wanted to yell ‘yeah right they would let you get away with that!’ or ‘Oh, how convenient for you.’ Koen is noble, but you don’t see much of his personality. It is too buried in being honourable and duty bound, but Daniil and Nikolai are fabulous side kicks. They made the book worth reading.

I was even willing to ignore the book’s desperate need for an editor, because though noticeable it wasn’t all that distracting. What I was not willing to overlooks is the fact that it ends on a cliffhanger…no that isn’t right. I don’t consider it a cliffhanger. Yes, the final page of the book is ultra suspenseful, but it isn’t an ending. Marina is literally halfway through the quest she set out on. The book ends as she rushes headlong into the first challenge, the challenge that half the book builds up to. That’s not a cliffhanger, that’s half of a book! Yes ,Smolder is appropriately long, at roughly 250 pages, but it’s only half a story. When did this become the accepted norm? It pisses me off. If I take the time to read 250 pages I expect some sort of conclusion as a payoff before having to wait for the second instalment. I didn’t get that here and I am not a happy camper. Still, I want to know how the story ends so should the second one (Burn) come out before I forget about having read this one I will pick it up.