Flora Reviews... Ares (Guardians of Hades #1) by Felicity Heaton

Flora Reviews...

Ares (Guardians of Hades #1) 

by Felicity Heaton

 

Read: 24^th – 26^th November 2016

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is the first book in Felicity Heaton’s new paranormal romance series - Guardians Of Hades. This new series is about the sons of Hades, the Greek God of the Underworld, and his Goddess wife, Persephone; Ares, Daimon, Esher, Valen, Keras, Calisto and Marek. Each son has been charged with guarding one of the seven gates to the Underworld - which are located here on Earth - from the daemons who want to use them. 
As the title suggests, this book features Ares who is the guardian of the New York gate. It is a full length novel of 115,000 words and is set in our world, at this time.   

Now as my regular followers will know, I never post any spoilers or reveal plot twists in my reviews, so this is what the official blurb says:

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Fire, Ares was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.

Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Caged by the manifestation of his power, held apart from those he loves by his own fire and starved of physical contact, Ares lives a cold existence driven by duty and the desire to return to his world.

Until his world collides with a daemon who steals his power and a mortal female who shatters the ice around his heart and awakens the true fire within him—a soul-stirring passion both dangerous and seductive.

Megan has wandered far from her home, driven from everyone she loves by the devastating realisation that she is different to them all. Unsure who to trust in the world, she keeps to herself, until a fateful stormy night brings a temptingly handsome warrior crashing into her life and into her heart—a warrior who seems to hold powers more frightening and marvellous than her own.

When the New York gate comes under threat, and Ares is put to the test, will he choose his duty and regain the power he needs in order to save his world or will he choose the desires of his heart and sacrifice his fire so he can be with the woman becoming his whole world?

As with most of Ms Heaton’s work, this book contains material of a sexual nature and some graphic violence and as such is only suitable for adults.

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC in digital form for free from the author in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you Ms Heaton.

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I am already a big fan of Ms Heaton’s other series and love her writing style! Her world building is amazing; it is her mix of fantasy and reality that captures my attention right from the start. Her characters are never black or white, good or evil but a complex mix of positive and negative traits and emotions which they either have to embrace or overcome; Ares and Megan are no exception.

I have already mentioned in previous reviews how I love the way Ms Heaton makes the most explicit sexual scenes very romantic – I think she’s a very talented writer because, for me, a story is only really erotic if I’m emotionally connected to the characters involved, Ms Heaton gives her characters such depth that they do become real, but it’s not just her main characters, I find all of her characters complex, multifaceted and completely believable due to their very real human virtues and foibles even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings.  We have been introduced to all the Hades sons in this book as well as Hades and Persephone themselves and learned a bit about them all; I am looking forward to getting to know them all throughout this series.

This story made me giggle, gasp in shock and shed a tear or two. Of course, I got caught up with the passion (who wouldn’t *blush*) but the tender insights into both Ares’ and Megan’s doubts, their feelings of “relationship unworthiness”  and the growth of their trust in each other’s love was heart-warming to read.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Absolutely nothing! (Hence the 5 star review) ;-)

This is the first book in a new series, and as such, you must expect a cliffhanger or two. However, for those of you like me who HATE huge cliff-hangers, rest assured, Ms Heaton doesn’t leave us hanging. Yes, there are main story arc questions that are left unanswered but the paranormal romance aspect between our two main characters is happily concluded in Ms Heaton’s signature style.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really loved this paranormal romance tale. It was a great read that made me smile, cry and feel all warm & fuzzy inside with well written erotic thrills, heart pumping fight scenes and tons of romantic gestures. 
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading stories about the battle between one’s duty and heart, inner strength, the lengths we go for our siblings or those we love, and of course, it's a must for those of us who adore tales about soul saving love. 

So, has my review of ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) on Goodreads.com

Buy ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) in paperback or for your Kindle on Amazon.co.uk or through Amazon.com

(Of course, Ares is also available to download in e-book format from other online sites including: iBookstore, nook, KOBO, Google Play and All Romance eBooks.)

Visit FELICITY HEATON ‘s own little corner of the web

Flora Reviews... Uprising (Vampire Federation #1) by Scott G Mariani

Flora Reviews...

Uprising (Vampire Federation #1) 
by Scott G Mariani

Read: 28^th – 30^th August 2016

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This book is a vampire horror story with an action thriller theme based in the here and now over approx 483 pages.  At the time of writing this review, Uprising is the first book in a two book series.

The official blurb says;

A new war is dawning…

For millennia, the vampires walked the earth undetected, feasting on humans in keeping with ancient tradition.
 
In the Information Age, vampires realised they must be more careful to avoid detection. In the late 20th century they created the global Vampire Federation to police vampire activity, with special agents like Alex Bishop authorised to hunt down her own kind who break the laws. 
The old traditions are history.

But not all vampires bow down to Federation rule. When rebel vampire Gabriel Stone declares war against them, Alex and her team are plunged into danger.

Police inspector Joel Solomon, haunted by a secret terror of vampires, discovers a series of corpses left behind by Stone's bloodthirsty gang. As he and Alex are drawn together in an unlikely alliance between human and vampire, the race begins to destroy the evil Stone before his uprising tears their world apart.

...So, what did I like about it?

I haven’t read anything by this author before and I must say I found his writing style very easy to read, his story development easy to follow and his characters very believable.

I loved the way that the story kept me guessing; the twists and turns, the mystery and intrigue, it’s a real action thriller. Although most of our main characters are vampires, this is not another paranormal romance; the Vampires here are top predators - humans are food, not equals.  The detail and background that Mr Mariani gives to all of the characters that we meet along the way in this tale adds depth and realism to the whole story without slowing the pace.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

No, not really. The only reason that it didn’t get a 5 star rating from me was due to the ending. The battle may have been temporarily won in this story but the war is far from over and we’re left wondering what happens next to some of our main characters.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really enjoyed this book; I can see it making it onto the big screen!  It’s a suspense thriller with as many twists & turns as The Da Vinci Code with the killer vampire battle feel of Blade! I’ve already added Book 2 “The Cross” to my wish list. I haven’t read many horror/suspense thriller books in this vein (excuse the pun) so the only book I can compare it to is William Massa’s “Ice Shadows (Occult Assassin #2.5)” which I loved too.

So, has my review of UPRISING (Vampire Federation #1) sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See UPRISING (VAMPIRE FEDERATION #1) on Goodreads.com

Buy your own copy of UPRISING (VAMPIRE FEDERATION #1) on Amazon.com or through Amazon.co.uk

Visit Scott Mariani ‘s own little corner of the web

Flora Reviews... Fractured Immortal by E.L. Wicker

Flora Reviews...

Fractured Immortal (The Bearwood Series #1)

by E.L. Wicker

Read: 20^th – 22^nd August 2016

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This novel is the first of E.L. Wicker’s two book Bearwood Series and is a paranormal romance story of approx 412 pages that features vampires, a shape shifter, witches and a couple of Immortal Guardians. As my regular followers will know, I don’t put any spoilers in my reviews, so here’s what the official blurb says;

After a terrifying vampire attack in 1810, Ilia Rose spends the next two centuries hunting Sol, the man responsible for turning her and her friends into vampires.

When Ilia discovers he’s run to the one place she’s running from, she’s forced to face her most painful memories back in her hometown, Bearwood.

There, Ilia finds herself face to face with Nathaniel, an insanely hot vampire, and despite the evidence he’s working for her enemy, Ilia can’t fight her attraction to him, especially when he seems to show up whenever she needs him most.

But Nathaniel is keeping secrets and as they begin to unravel, instead of running away from him, Ilia finds herself falling for him. When his last secret is revealed Ilia’s past comes together in a way she never imagined and she’s left with only one option: trust Nathaniel to help her kill Sol, or risk relinquishing her new found strength thus causing catastrophic and devastating consequences for her and everyone she loves.

Ilia begins a gut-wrenching battle to save her life and the lives of her friends, a battle which not everyone will survive.

A vampire tale like none other, love, pain, devastation and revenge, all weave together to create the first in a dark and unmissable new adult series.

Due to sexual content, this book is intended for readers age 18+

When I originally downloaded this book from Amazon UK back in June 2015 I got it for free - what a bargain!! Although, it’s not free anymore, it’s still reasonably cheap considering it’s length.

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I was very impressed with Ms Wicker’s first attempt at a published novel; her writing style and how she crafted her story. I felt that her tale’s timeline was easy to follow (even when our main character flashed back to the 1800s) and the locations used throughout this story were beautifully described; utilising all of the senses.

I understand that Ms Wicker has studied Social Science at university meaning that she understands our human society, social relationships and the implications of the myriad of interaction and choices we make every day. This may be the reason why the characters felt so real to me; the deep platonic friendship/bond between Ilia and Lucas, her valued friendship with Lana, the emotional turmoil between Ilia and her first love, Kyle and Ilia’s unrelenting obsession with hunting down and killing Sol.

Please be warned, there are a few very traumatic, violent scenes in this book that some readers may find disturbing but I think that Ms Wicker handles them very eloquently, giving us enough graphic detail to shock us with the horror of each situation but then balances that out with expressive prose to convey our heroine’s viewpoint and her emotional state of mind.

This story made me smile, cry, growl in frustration, blush and kept me turning the pages.  

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Honestly, not much.

The final chapter in this book is a “present day epilogue” which does leave us with a bit of cliffhanger ending. Now as my regular followers will know I HATE big cliff-hangers, however, this isn’t what I call a life threatening cliff-hanger, e.g. “our heroine is running through the wood to escape her captors when suddenly she falls off a cliff…” or “…comes face to face with her enemy, who’s pointing a gun at her…” because those sort of endings leave the story up in the air and are very frustrating.  In this case, however, a bit of a cliffhanger was not unexpected as it is only two book series after all.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

This paranormal romance story gripped me from the very first chapter; it’s got tears, angst, fighting and pain but it’s also got love, passion and laughter. Although Ms Wicker is a huge fan of Young Adult (YA) fiction and is labelled an author in this genre, I feel that Fractured Immortal has more “gritty/explicit” scenes than the average YA novel which some younger YA readers may feel uncomfortable with.

So, has my review of FRACTURED IMMORTAL sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See FRACTURAL IMMORTAL on Goodreads.com

Buy FRACTURED IMMORTAL on Amazon.com or through Amazon.co.uk

Visit E.L. WICKER ‘s own little corner of the web