Tag Archives: Epic Fantasy

Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World #9 by Dianna Love

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Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World #9 by Dianna Love

 

 

 

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Description:
The final book in New York Times Bestseller Dianna Love’s explosive Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador™ World series is a thrilling rollercoaster ride to an unexpected ending.

Daegan is given an unconscionable task to execute before he’ll be told how to find the last grimoire volume. Casidhe jumps at learning the truth of her bloodline only to discover a deadly surprise. While running solo, Reese angers the Imortik master who sends two possessed Beladors to drag her to him. Human military lock on Evalle and her Belador team racing to stop preternatural threats. With one last hope of surviving, Cathbad goes all in and encounters a battle he never planned on. The Imortik master escalates his plans sooner than anyone expected.

Everything comes down to this moment and Daegan is not ready.

 

 

Review:

Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World by Dianna Love is the 9th and final book in this arc.  I have to say that this book was the best one yet, and I loved everything about it. It was simply great, forcing me to finish it in one day. Well done, Dianna.

Refresher: Daegan and his team are attacked by Immortiks, who were supposed dead many years ago. They are racing against time to find the missing ‘grimoire volumes, before the Immortiks are all released to take over and destroy the world. Daegan and his team are all involved in various dangerous situations along the way.

Daegan and Casidhe are now together and bonded, but both are still stubborn when not wanting either of them to be in danger.  Casidhe learns who and where she came from, and we get to see what she can do.  Casidhe later finds that she has some amazing powerful abilities, which will also enable her to shift into something very unique, and help battle the enemies with Daegan and Tristan.   They did turn out to be a great couple, as they are wild and crazy about each other; it was nice to see them totally trust each other. 

Reese, very much pregnant, has an immortik invading her body, and Quinn is having a hard time trying to protect her, as everyone (including Reese)  are trying to keep him away from her, since the Immortik is too dangerous should it invade Quinn.    With Quinn only concentrating on Reese and their unborn child, Daegan makes Evalle the new maister, and she organizes all the Beladors to come forward to help save some of their own, as well as find a way to stop the Immortiks.  Isak has been helpful attacking the Immortiks, as he worries about Adrianna, who is slowly recovering.

Daegan gets a surprise visitor (Brynhild), who will join hands with him to fight against the Immortiks, as she now knows that Daegan was innocent all those years ago. As we knew in the last few books, Queen Maeve was the one who faked the Red Dragon at the Dragoni War.  There are a number of shocking surprises, that come forth to help Daegan; and some evil ones who need to die.

Cathbad, who is truly bad, is determined to kill Queen Maeve, so that he can take over Taur Medb, as well as regenerate his powers; he tried to use Macha, as well as Maeve, but hopefully justice comes to him.     

The last half of the book was extremely tense and exciting, with so many twists and surprises.  This final book was an edge of your seat suspenseful story, that had me unable to put the book down; I needed to know what will happen next.  I do not want to tell too much more, as you need to read this book to see how it all ends; not to mention who survives and who doesn’t. Dianna Love outdid herself with this fantastic finale. I think I might have to read the last half again.  Very well done.  I am very happy and satisfied with this wonderful conclusion.  If you love paranormal, urban fantasy, suspense, romance, wonderful characters, then you should be reading Dianna Love.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep – Dual Review

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Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep – Dual Review

 

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Description:
Gemma Ripley has a reputation for being a pampered princess who is more interested in pretty gowns, sparkling jewelry, and other frivolous things than learning how to rule the kingdom of Andvari. But her carefully crafted persona is just an act to hide the fact that Gemma is a powerful mind magier—and a spy. 

Gemma is undercover, trying to figure out who is stealing large amounts of tearstone from one of the Ripley royal mines when she encounters Prince Leonidas Morricone of Morta—her mortal enemy. Gemma tries to steer clear of the handsome prince, but when she finds herself behind enemy lines, she reluctantly joins forces with Leo. Also coming to Gemma’s aid is Grimley, her beloved gargoyle.

Despite the fact that Andvari and Morta are old, bitter enemies, a dangerous attraction sparks between Gemma and Leo. Further complicating matters is Leo’s murderous family, especially Queen Maeven Morricone, the mastermind behind the infamous Seven Spire massacre.

The closer Gemma gets to the stolen tearstone, the more deadly plots she uncovers. Everyone is trying to capture the crown, but only one queen can sit on the throne…

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BARB’s Review:

Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep is the 1st book in her new Gargoyle Queen series that is set in her previous Crown of Shards series. We meet our heroine, Gemma Ripley, who is a princess of Andvari; where she is considered a sweet but pampered princess.  What people do not know is that Gemma is also a spy, much to the dismay of her father and grandfather. 

She sets out in disguise, acting like a miner, in her search for who is stealing tearstone from the Ripley mines; she brings her guard/friend Topaca and her, lovable gargoyle, Grim.  When she befriends one of the female miners, she ends up helping to bring a wheelbarrow of tearstones to a dangerous man, who wants the tearstones for leaders of Morta, enemies to Andvari.  Trying to keep quiet, she notices a former frenemy from the Seven Spire Massacre days (Crown of Shards- now many years ago), Prince Leonidas (Leo) Morricone of Morta, being held prisoner.  When those who kidnapped him try to kill him, it will be Gemma who will save his life, and help heal him.

Things will turn when Gemma herself is almost killed, only to have Leo find her and save her life.  But he decides to take her to his home in Morta, to get healers to fix her.  At first, she is upset to be in enemy territory, which if they recognize her, would endanger her life.  Leo introduces her as someone who was robbed, and privately tells her he can take her back to where she came from, but Gemma decides this is a good opportunity to spy on their enemy.  She is welcomed and meets Queen Maeve (our enemy from Crown of Shards), Delmira (Queen’s daughter), and later the evil heir to the throne of Morta, Milo (Maeve’s oldest son; who plans on a takeover of the throne). She ends up attending a party and a ball, dressed in Delmira’s wonderful finery, and at the same time try to find out information, as well as keeping her identity a secret.

Gemma and Leo begin to work together to see what Milo is planning, especially why he needs all those tearstones.  A slow build attraction escalates between them, but though Leo has been great, she remembers his betrayal from all those years ago, and still does not totally trust him.  When all hell breaks loose, Gemma is shocked when her identity is revealed, and she becomes a prisoner; unable to call Grim for help. Milo takes center stage, trying to prove he will do things his way, and take over the crown; though his powerful mother is still very much in charge.  Leo, though upset, knows his family will hurt Gemma, he pleads with his mother not to kill her, but Gemma feels he betrayed her. We watch in horror, how Milo begins to torture Gemma, that had me holding my breath, as she suffered badly. 

What follows is an exciting, tense, wild last half of the book that had me on the edge of my seat.  Gemma was an amazing heroine (she was a mind mage), and finally realizing that she needs to use her full power in order to survive. The wild crazy climax was a thrill a minute, with all their lives in danger and me holding my breath to see if she would survive. At one point near the end, Gemma rises up and shows her strength threatening the enemy, with me cheering her on.

Estep has created a wild web of deceit, mystery, betrayal, espionage and filled with magic; as well as a slow burn romance that I expect we will see more of in future books.  I did love Gemma and Leo together, but so much stands in their way.  Beware of the torture scenes, they are strong.  Jennifer Estep once again gives us an amazing start to a new series that has me waiting impatiently for the next book. Capture the Crown was so very well written by Estep, which is no surprise, as I love all her books. If you enjoy fantasy, you need to start reading The Gargoyle Queen series, especially this fantastic first book, Capture the Crown.

 

SANDY’S Review: CAPTURE THE CROWN is the first instalment in Jennifer Estep’s GARGOYLE QUEEN fantasy series –a spin off from the author’s CROWN OF SHARDS series. The Gargoyle Queen trilogy focuses on the secondary characters introduced in the original series. This is twenty-nine year old, Andvari Princess Gemma Ripley, and Mortan Prince Leonidis Morricone’s story line.

WARNING: Due to the graphic violence in the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person perspective (Gemma Ripley) CAPTURE THE CROWN follows twenty-nine year old Andvari princess Gemma Ripley, sixteen years after Queen Maeven killed several members of the Andvari family. Princess Gemma Ripley is living and working undercover in enemy territory, in Morta, investigating the disappearance of large amounts of mined tearstone but Gemma is surprised to be targeted by the people in charge, finding herself at death’s door when she discovers the who and how of the missing stone. Rescued and now recuperating in the Mortan castle, Gemma must now focus on the how and why of her would-be rescuer. Enter Prince Leonidas Morricone, Queen Maeven’s son, and persona non-grata in the Mortan kingdom. As Gemma, along with Leonidas begin a search for the truth, betrayal will once again find Gemma struggling with her magic, her life, and her inability to trust.

Sixteen years earlier, Gemma Ripley lost everything including the ability to control her magic the day Queen Maeven declared war on her family. Fearing another loss of control, Gemma battles between head and heart when she needs her magic the most. Gemma’s ‘mind magic’ is dangerous and deadly but Gemma quickly discovers that she is not the only royal heir to wield her magical talent. Leonidas Morricone knows his time within the Mortan castle is limited. Not only does his brother wish for his death, but his mother’s guards have placed a target on his back. Leonidas Morricone plays both sides of the battle but Gemma does not know if Leo can be trusted, or if he is the ultimate enemy in a war between Kingdoms.

CAPTURE THE QUEEN is a story of family, betrayal, vengeance, power and control. A story of elemental magic (of a sorts) and anthropomorphic others including gargoyles, strixes, and dragon shifters. The slow building premise is detailed and complex; the characters are numerous and energetic; the attraction between Gemma and Leo is an enemies to ‘friends’ destroyed by issues of betrayal and trust- there was no discernible attraction between the leading characters.

For fans of the author’s Elemental Assassin series, and the previous Crown of Shards, the similarities are numerous. Once again, Jennifer Estep’s signature story line components are front and center such as elemental magic, violence against the story line heroine, and the big baddie name Maeven.

The world building is intricate but the author uses real world details and modern day vernacular that distracts from the overall fantasy impression. Also, there are some issues of redundancy and repetition as it pertains to the use of ‘color’. Morta is a world/Kingdom of purples including eye color (used 90 times), and lilac (17 times)- the constant reminders were a little much.

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Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World #7 by Dianna Love

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Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World #7 by Dianna Love

 

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Description:
Book 7 in New York Times Bestseller Dianna Love’s explosive Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador™ World series continues with more surprises, fast action, and unexpected reveals.

Casidhe followed her conscience. It cost her everything and she now faces Herrick’s wrath for deceiving him. After a disastrous trip to the Caucasus Mountains, Daegan has no mercy for another enemy, then discovers important information about his past from an unlikely source. He’s running out of days to locate the second grimoire volume on his own and enters a hostile Tribunal where Loki demands the return of Sen in one day or Beladors will pay. Reese has to choose between saving millions, including Quinn, from a demon invasion and giving up her baby. Adrianna sees an opening to save herself and Sen, but nothing is ever as it appears when dealing with monsters. Locked away by the Imortik master, Renata discovers friends imprisoned with her, who need her to escape, but she doesn’t trust the dangerous plan. Daegan is forced to make an agonizing decision to find the next grimoire volume, setting changes into motion which can’t be reversed.

Atlanta is pulling apart at the seams and Imortiks are breaking through rifts in other countries. Nonhumans in the alliance are fighting on all fronts to protect humans and their own as more predatory supernaturals pour into the city, including a goddess bent on revenge.

 

 

Review:

Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World by Dianna Love is the 7th book in this 9-book arc.  Refresher: Daegan and his team are attacked by Immortiks, who were supposed dead many years ago. They are racing against time to find the missing ‘grimoire volumes, before the tribunal kills some of their Beladors held in captivity. All of Daegan’s team are each involved in various dangerous situations along the way.

The story continues, with Casidhe desperate to get away from Herrick, and despondent that Daegan believes her to have betrayed him.  She manages to escape, with Herrick and his men trying to find her, and now she has a powerful weapon to help her fight.  Casidhe meets with Oracle again, but is told that she and Daegan need to bring what she needs together, in order for them to learn where to find the second grimoire volume.  But Daegan with help from Tristan, refuse to do anything, until Lanna explains they need to help each other to get what they want.  Daegan does not trust Casidhe, but she constantly tries to explain, with him fighting off his wanting to believe her.

Macha, is determined to get revenge on Daegan, and is using the tribunal to believe her lies.  With Sen and Adrianna captured, the tribunal wants Sen back, and are pushing Daegan to find him. Daegan is being pushed from every angle, and no matter where he turns, there is an enemy lurking’ but he is still determined to the get the grimoire volume and save the lives of imprisoned Beladors.

Quinn, Reese, Evalle, Carter are in the middle of a war with the demons and Immortiks, as they can’t handle the influx, even with Isaac’s help. They are all desperate to find Adrianna and save her, as well as protect Reese and her unborn child.

What follows is so much action constantly on so many levels, that I find myself wanting to blow all the villains away; I disliked them all, Macha, Cathbad, the new entity, Demons, Immortiks, Herrick, Brynwilde, and the tribunal (as well as Sen).  I want them all dead, as it is getting too intense with such evil all around, and our heroes losing ground.  I am not going to tell too much more, since I do not want to give spoilers.   As I have said previously, this is a 9-book series arc and you truly do need to read these books in cohesion.  If you love paranormal, urban fantasy, suspense, romance, great characters, you should be reading Dianna Love.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

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The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper – a Review

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The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper – a Review

 

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Description:
Raised from childhood to be weapons, Sentinels spend their lives fighting the monsters that prey upon humanity. Their hands will shape the world, and their swords will seal its fate.

As war looms, Sentinel Branwyn seeks military aid from the High Council, attracting interest from its youngest member, Zelen Varengir. He’s intrigued by Branwyn but can’t risk helping her cause. Instead, he must learn all he can about the intriguing newcomer—especially who’s behind framing her for the murder of the High Lord and threatening to tear apart the world as they know it…

 

 

 

Review:

The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper is the 2nd book in her Stormbringer series. Refresher: This is an epic fantasy adventure series filled with magic, sword fighting, epic battles, monsters and an evil god.  Sentinels, who start training as a young child, protect the world against a traitor god and his minions who threaten to destroy the world.

The Nightborn begins where the last book left off. We get to see briefly, Darya and Amris (heroes of the first book), with other Sentinels and warriors fighting the monsters created by the evil traitor god; who they temporarily defeat, knowing soon there will be more.  Branwyn, our heroine, is another very good Sentinel, and she also has a Soulstone Sword, Yathana (former deceased warrior becomes the sword tied to the Sentinel to help fight in battles). 

Branwyn is sent to Heliodar to meet the High Council for help to fight the war against the traitor god. The council members are undecided if they want to join the battle, and tell Branwyn they will decide in two weeks.

One of the newest members of the council is Zelen Verengir (our hero), who decides he wants to know more, and makes it his business to spend some time with Branwyn; Zelen’s family also tells him to get some information about her.  Slowly they become friends, and in time fall for each other.  When the High Lord of the council is murdered, as well as his wife, Zelen knows that Branwyn is being framed, and needs to find out who and why.  This will lead him to a shocking discovery, and with the help of some of his people, he makes plans to stop those working for the traitor god, and save Branwyn along the way.

What follows is a wild, nonstop action filled battles that has you on the edge of your seat the entire book.  Branwyn and Zelen work closely together to use their experience and magical skills, along with Yathana (soulstone sword) to fight the demon/mages planning to help the traitor god destroy Heliodar and everything else. I said this in the first book, that the women in this series are strong powerful warriors/sentinels, who are equal to the men.  I really liked Branwyn and Zelen together, as they made a great couple.

The Nightborn is another exciting and well written story by Isabel Cooper, with great characters, excellent fantasy adventure, with was nonstop action. I once again look forward to seeing where Cooper will take us next.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden – a Review

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Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden – a Review

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Description:
The battle has been won, but the war is just beginning.

Although at long last Razia Khan has found peace with herself and love with her prince, Arjun, her trials are far from over. In order to save her prince and his city from certain destruction, Razia made a deal with the devil–her father, the Sultan of Nizam. Now the bill has come due.

Razia must secure the province of Zindh, a land surrounded by enemies, and loyal to a rebel queen who has survived her father’s purge. But when her old tormentor Prince Karim invades her new home and forces her into a marriage alliance, Razia finds herself trapped in the women’s quarters of a foreign palace, with her beloved Prince Arjun exiled from her side.

Now, in order to free herself, and her province, from Karim’s clutches, she must call upon all of her training as a royal princess, a cunning courtesan, and a daring thief to summon new allies and old friends for a battle that will decide her fate, and the fate of an empire.

 

 

Review:

Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden is the second book in her Stealing Thunder fantasy duology.  I am happy to say Gifting Fire was another excellent read.  Razia Khan, continues to be the wonderful heroine in this story.  When we left off in Stealing Thunder, her father, placed Princess Razia, to lead the province of Zindh, with her love Prince Arjun and her two sisters, joining her.  Soon Razia finds herself with new allies, such as Hina, whose brother was murdered by Razia’s enemy Karim.  Hina brings all her girls and their zahhaks to help Razia, and hope to defeat Karim, who she wants to kill for murdering her brother.   In a short time, things drastically change when Razia’s father comes and brings with him Karim, as they have agreed on an alliance; Razia to marry Karim.  Despite her desperation and deviance, she will agree in order to save her sisters, as well as Arjun. She manages to get Karim, with her father’s insistence, to allow her sisters to join her, as well as Hina and her maidens (who are warriors in their own right).

They travel back to Karim’s home, where Razia is trapped and pretending to be willing to marry Karim, especially with his evil parents watching her every move.  She works closely with Hina, to find a way to get help to rescue them, and playing safe for now.  We learned in the first book how smart and cunning Razia was, with her amazing ability and skills to create ways to win these wars.  Will she survive Karim and his family?

What follows is an exciting and at times tense story, with Razia using her climbing ability to get free during the wee hours to send messages to possible allies; and get back in time before she is discovered.  I really hated Karim, his mother and father, as they were truly evil.   At the same time, Boyden gave us some fantastic secondary characters that I loved, such as both of her two sisters, Hina, Arjun, as well as all those allies who were willing to risk their lives to fight the enemy.  I loved her wonderful dragon, Sultana, who was amazing, and the other zahhaks.  To tell too much more would be spoilers, and you really need to read and enjoy the wild and climatic ending.  

The last half of Gifting Fire was very exciting, tense, nonstop action, with flying dragons, aerial battles, and a heroine who stood up to the challenge.  This was also a sweet romance, as I really liked Razia and Arjun together.  Alina Boyden did a great job writing this wonderful fantasy.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

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The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence – Review & Giveaway

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The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence – Review & Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
On the planet Abeth there is only the ice. And the Black Rock.

For generations the priests of the Black Rock have reached out from their mountain to steer the fate of the ice tribes. With their Hidden God, their magic and their iron, the priests’ rule has never been questioned. But when ice triber Yaz challenged their authority, she was torn away from the only life she had ever known, and forced to find a new path for herself.

Yaz has lost her friends and found her enemies. She has a mountain to climb, and even if she can break the Hidden God’s power, her dream of a green world lies impossibly far to the south, across a vast emptiness of ice. Before the journey can even start, she has to find out what happened to the ones she loves and save those that can be saved.

Abeth holds its secrets close, but the stars shine brighter for Yaz and she means to unlock the truth.

 

 

Review:

The Girl and The Mountain by Mark Lawrence is the 2nd book his Book of the Ice series. I loved Lawrence’s Book of Ancestor series, and did enjoy the first book of Book of the Ice series, The Girl and the Stars. Though I did enjoy much of this 2nd book, I did have some mixed feelings. 

The Girl and the Mountain picks up where the first book left off, with our heroine, Yaz waking up back on the ice, Abeth, with the evil priests imprisoning her and determined to change her to their rule and the Hidden God.  With some of her friends having risen to the top, in a short time she is rescued and despite meeting the evil Hidden God, and learning the truths, she will go to find the sea and the land of green.  With Quell and Zeen deciding to stay behind in their homes on the ice, Yaz, Maya, Erris, Quina and Thurin go on their way to a wild, dark, dangerous trek, with so many dangerous creatures and evil to battle all along the way.  They learn more about the other clans, including the Missing, the evil Gods, etc; and meet new friends, such as Mali and Zox. 

This was an exciting non-stop action filled story, but my mixed feelings are based on the so many details, which got confusing at times, especially with a lot of changes in the lands and evil beings. Everyone was trying be a step ahead of the enemies, who were constantly trying to kill them, with Yaz being pulled away from her friends a lot.    What I did love about the story was Yaz being a great heroine, and her fabulous friends that we spend a lot of time with.

This is a difficult review to do, since there is so much that happens from start to finish, and to tell too much more would be spoilers.  As I had noted previously, The Girl and the Mountain was a fantasy in a different kind of world that is beyond normal.  The cruel conditions, the dangerous people, the constant battles and the need to survive keeps us engrossed into this story.  I will say there is sort of a cliffhanger at the end.  If you enjoy fantasy, you can never go wrong with Mark Lawrence. I suggest you read The Girl and the Mountain.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Mark Lawrence’s publisher is graciously offering a Hardcover copy of the first book in this series, THE GIRL AND THE STARS to (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World 6 by Dianna Love

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Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World 6 by Dianna Love

 

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Description:
Trapped waist-deep in a flooded tunnel, Casidhe faces a new threat when Cathbad finds her, forcing her to gamble with her unpredictable sword. After Skarde attacked the gryphon village, a furious Daegan is no longer willing to show mercy to ice dragon shifters. Quinn, Reese, and the Beladors go after the demon-maker flooding Atlanta with predators, which backfires when Reese is faced with an unimaginable choice. Adrianna tries to work with Sen to escape their imprisonment, but he snubs her offer a moment before he shouldn’t have. Herrick’s seer discovers the secret he hides in his lair and that a major problem he doesn’t realize. Daegan’s hunt for the other half of his sister’s ring takes an encouraging turn until he discovers where Casidhe is and his world turns upside down.

 

 

Review:

Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World by Dianna Love is the 6th book in this 9-book arc.  Refresher: Daegan and his team are attacked by Immortiks, who were supposed dead many years ago. Some of his Belador team are being held prisoners, with the threat of death if Daegan can’t find the missing ‘grimoire’ volumes. All of Daegan’s team are each involved in various dangerous situations along the way.

As the story continues, Casidhe is in deep trouble, first with Cathbad, and then with Herrick, as she now knows that the reason of his hatred of the Red Dragon (Daegon) is false.  Will Herrick believe her?  When Daegan finds out that Caside was heading for his enemy, and possibly his sister, he believes she betrayed him.  After Skarde (Herrick’s brother) attacked the gryphon village, a furious Daegan is no longer willing to show mercy to ice dragon shifters. Daegan recaptures Skarde, and makes plans to use him to find his sister.  Daegan with Tristan, plans to try to reason with Herrick, and they needed help from Lanna; who is slowly becoming a force to reckon with.

While Daegan and Tristan are busy, Evalle, Storm and Reese are in a battle against demons, and are desperate to rescue Adrianna, who was captured with Sen.  They are blindsided by so many demons trying to kill them. 

I always enjoy spending time with all my favorites throughout each arc. What follows is a non-stop action filled, pulse pounding, wild and exciting adventure.  I am not going to tell too much more, since I do not want to give spoilers, as these are short stories and saying too much would be too revealing. As normal, this book ends with another cliffhanger; involving everyone, with us holding our breaths as to who will survive.  As I have said previously, this is a 9-book series arc and you truly do need to read these books in cohesion.  If you love paranormal, urban fantasy, suspense, romance, great characters, you should be reading Dianna Love.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

 

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The Queen’s Weapons by Anne Bishop – Review & Giveaway

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The Queen’s Weapons by Anne Bishop – Review & Giveaway

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Description:
They are Warlord Princes, men born to serve and protect. They are the Queen’s Weapons, men born to destroy the Queen’s enemies–no matter what face that enemy wears.

Daemonar Yaslana knows how to be bossy yet supportive–traits he shares with his father, the Demon Prince, and his uncle, the High Lord of Hell. Within his generation of the family, he assumes the role of protector, supporting his sister Titian’s artistic efforts and curbing his cousin Jaenelle Saetien’s more adventurous ideas. But when a young Eyrien Queen, someone Titian thought was a friend, inflicts an emotional wound, Daemonar’s counterattack brings him under the tutelage of Witch, the Queen whose continued existence is known only to a select few.

As Daemonar is confronted by troubling changes within and around the family, he sees warnings that a taint in the Blood might be reappearing. Daemonar, along with his father and uncle, must uncover the source of a familiar evil–and Daemon Sadi, the High Lord of Hell, may be forced into making a terrible choice.

 

 

Review:

The Queen’s Weapons by Anne Bishop is the 11th book in her fantastic Black Jewels series. I am a huge fan of Anne Bishop, as I have read all her series.  Black Jewels has always been one of my favorite all time series, and every time Anne gives us a new book, I cannot wait to savor it.  The Queen’s Weapons was such a fantastic read, I could not put the book down, as this was a masterpiece similar to book 2 and 3 of the initial trilogy. 

Daemonar Yaslana, Lucivar’s son, who is now old enough to join his father and uncle in protecting their family against any enemies.  When he is approached by a young queen with threats of sexual obedience, a red flag arises and he tells his father, who in turn alerts Daemon. Hundreds of years have passed when the war against the evil female enemies from Terreille were destroyed, but some things are beginning to reappear, and they go on alert. 

Jaenelle Saetien, Daemon and Surreal’s daughter, wants to go the same school that her cousin Titian is going to learn art; another young Queen (Zoey), very well liked, and has become close to Titian will also attend. In a short time, Jaenelle befriends some of the girls, who are not very nice, but she finds herself wanting to be part of their group, and keeps her distance from her cousin and Zoey.  I will say that in this entire story, I did not like Jaenelle Saetien, as she became very much like her new friends, a b***h. Her treatment of her mother, Surreal was terrible, and Janelle thought nothing of being nasty, and pushing her mother away, and just about alienating everyone, accept her new friends. Daemonar, worried about his sister at the school, decides to enroll, so that he can protect her. 

What follows is Daemon, Lucivar, Surreal and Daemonar begin to investigate what is happening, and become centered on Jaenelle’s friends, both girls and boys, and the danger escalates, especially after Jaenelle defends them as doing nothing wrong.  Zoey, who is destined to become a major Queen, is very much in danger by this group that is called the Coven of Malice. But to get to Zoey, the coven push Jaenelle to have a party bringing everyone together, and be friends; which is far from the truth.

The last half of the book was sensational, exciting, intense, with heart shattering moments that do not allow you to put the book down, as you become totally enthralled.  I will say I absolutely loved seeing our favorites come forth to fight a new battle, as it was great to not only have Daemon, Lucivar, Surreal, Tersa, Marian, but I also loved seeing Karla play a bigger part, especially Jaenelle (Witch) to help them, and of course, the return of kindred. It has always been a joy to spend time with these wonderful strong characters written by Bishop.

The battle to destroy the evil that is rising, was an amazing race to the finish that I held my breath throughout.  They all join hands to stop the destruction, and it is Daemon, as the High Lord of Hell, who will make them pay their debts. How far will he go?  To tell too much more would be spoilers, and I do not want to ruin it for you, as this is a must read. I loved that the last few chapters gave us a look at what happens to those who survived, and what the future holds for all of them.

Anne Bishop not only creates such wonderful leading characters, her secondary characters continue to be to be equally memorable. Black Jewels has always been one of my top favorites, especially all those people we loved, and Anne Bishop continues to bring joy to our lives with these fantastic characters. Bravo to Anne Bishop for giving us another masterpiece in this series.  I want more.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Anne Bishop is graciously offering a Hardcover copy of THE QUEEN’S WEAPONS to TWO (1) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe.    

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