King Tomb (Forever Evermore #3) by Scarlett Dawn-a review

King Tomb (Forever Evermore #3) by Scarlett Dawn-a review

King Tomb

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 8, 2014

Queen Shifter, Lily Ruckler, has found solace in brutal warfare. Her bloodied fists and bared fangs fill the holes left in her memory, the blank spaces that leave her soul aching and empty. Her only pleasure is in blood; her only salvation is the relationship she has with her infant child, the baby of unknown origins who brings her solace and stability.

When Elder Harcourt summons Lily and her protector Antonio back to the United States, Lily thinks nothing unusual about the change of location. But a standard reconnaissance mission leaves her trapped inside King Zeller’s private quarters, and at his mercy. Surprise attraction rapidly turns to a battle of wills and an intense power struggle that leaves no clear victor but plenty of resentment.

They are not allowed to nurse their wounds. In order to win the war against the Commoners, the King Vampire and Queen Shifter must work together. It should be easy. The war is turning, the battle is deadly, and both Lily and Ezra love the cold cleanliness of combat. But their chance meeting has led to more than an unlikely alliance. Secrets have a way of surfacing, especially on a torn-up battlefield, and Lily and Ezra are about to re-learn all they cannot remember. If they can’t control their emotions and responses, it will be to their own ruin and the destruction of everything around them.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: KING TOMB is the third instalment in Scarlett Dawn’s new adult, paranormal ‘first’ Forever Evermore Trilogy. Told from first person POV (Lily) King Tomb is the conclusion to Lily and Ezra’s story-one that began as adult students in King Hall-where Lily (wolf shifter) and Ezra (vampire) were trained to one day take over as King of the Vampires and Queen of the Shifters. KING TOMB sees Lily and Ezra fighting a war against the Coms (commoner/humans) all the while fighting the knowledge that their minds have been wiped and there are black holes where memories were once stored. The storyline advances the series twelve to eighteen months.

The focus of KING TOMB finds Lily embroiled in her own personal war –a new mother who has no recollection about the past-a past that directly affects her daughter and her own mind. Returning to the United States, she will be placed in direct contact with the man who once called to her heart but missing pieces of information and lost memories feed the hatred and ambivalence she now feels towards the vampire she used to love. While Lily and Ezra work to stop a war with the humans, the Elders work towards a peaceful reconciliation between their King and Queen. But magic is at work and the Elders are having a difficult time extrapolating the truth.

There is an immediate attraction between Ezra and Lily-one that does not go unnoticed by the Elders and one that is born out of a previous love. But when the mind is wiped clean of the past, no one is sure where they stand and whose side they are on. The one constant and important tie is a small three month old child whose DNA cannot deny her heritage or her parents.

The secondary characters drive a good portion of the storyline and there are new revelations and declarations of love from an unlikely source but a love that has lingered for years. We get an up close and personal look at Lily Ruckler and Ezra Zeller’s fathers-a trio of men whose own lives are becoming more complicated.

As for secondary characters, throughout the first two instalments King Jack (Mage) and Queen Pearl (Elemental) were a fixture in the storylines-best friends with Lily and Ezra-but two characters whose existence or presence in King Tomb was almost negligible until the end. They appear to have been forgotten or pushed aside.

KING TOMB is the final instalment in this trilogy. The storyline ends with a hint of more to come but one that does not necessarily focus on Lily and Zeller. There is a quick resolution to this story-a rush to the finish-one that left me questioning what happened and why. As Lily and Ezra travelled back in time-there is no real explanation as to how and why. This particular part of the storyline came out of nowhere, seemingly unquestioned by most of the people involved and one that left me with mixed feelings about the ending. There is a HEA but not necessarily one for this reader.

Reading Order
1. King Hall
2. King Cave
3. King Tomb

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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King Hall / King Cave (Forever Evermore 1 & 2) by Scarlett Dawn-a review

King Hall/ King Cave (Forever Evermore 1&2) by Scarlett Dawn-a review

Forever Evermore

King Hall
Forever Evermore #1
by Scarlett Dawn
Genre: New Adult, contemporary, paranormal, urban fantasy
Release Date: August 2013

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King HallAbout the book: Release Date August 2013

King Hall — where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing — The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace — her burgeoning friendships with the other three Prodigies: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realises the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the revolution.

REVIEW: KING HALL is the first instalment in Scarlett Dawn’s contemporary, new adult paranormal Forever Evermore series focusing on a group of four ‘Mystical’ prodigies (vampire, shifter, mage, elemental) who have been blessed or ‘cursed’ by bloodline or connection to take their rightful places as the ruling Kings and Queens of the paranormal world. As the final year of school comes to an end, our foursome will be thrown into a war, not of their making. The Commoners (humans) want to rid the world of the Mysticals (supernatural beings) and they will start with the destruction of King Hall on graduation night.

Scarlett Dawn pulls the reader into a storyline that follows four twenty-something adults as them embark on a year of vigorous training, magical manipulation and mind numbing studies. We watch as strangers become friends and with it the realization that without one another they are lost. Working together, they are a powerful combination and in the end, it will be the individual losses and heartbreaking truths that will bring them closer together.

KING HALL is labeled a new adult storyline but reads similar to many YA (young adult) stories and series. There is a familiarity about the premise ala House of Night and even a little Harry Potter thrown in for good measure. Our foursome will encounter discrimination and retribution from humans while struggling with their own identities as future rulers in a world on the brink of war.

There were a few plot points that felt unnecessary including the opening sex-ed for supernatural beings-it was uncomfortable and felt forced-as thought the author was trying too hard. There were many humorous and funny as well as some heartbreaking moments in the storyline. Their mentors and current Kings put our foursome through some pretty tough tests but in the end, there were not prepared for hell that rained down on their happy celebration.

As a new author, Scarlett Dawn has written a wonderful and seductive storyline that will be sure to please the paranormal fan in all of us. The sexual heat is minimal-most of the action is implied or after the fact- and in this it reads closer to YA. There is a bit of a cliff hanger-one that has our foursome on the run- and in this you know, that together they will survive everything and everyone that is thrown their way.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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King Cave
Forever Evermore #2
by Scarlett Dawn
Genre: New Adult, contemporary, paranormal, urban fantasy
Release Date: January 1, 2014

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King CaveABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 1, 2014

The safe, comfortable world of Lily Ruckler and her fellow Mystical Kings and Queens is rocked to the core by the attacks at King Hall. Not only does Lily have to kill the Commoners attacking her people, she also has to assume the mantle of leadership, and bring the surviving Mysticals to King Cave.

It should have been too much, but she is not alone. Ezra becomes her rock, her best friend, the one person who understands. As Pearl and Jack struggle with inconsolable loss, Ezra and Lily work to keep the Mys community safe in their new home, and plan a deadly retaliation.

Their friendship saves them both…but it also draws attention. Whispers. Judgment. It’s not normal for Shifters and Vampires to be friends, and when a horrifying truth is revealed, their relationship morphs from unusual to unspeakable. Lily is good at keeping secrets that could get her killed. Is she willing to risk Ezra’s life as well?

REVIEW: KING CAVE is the second instalment in Scarlett Dawn’s contemporary, new adult, paranormal, UF series-Forever Evermore. The primary focus of this instalment is on two Mysticals –Shifter Queen Lily and King Vampire Ezra –and the upcoming war between Comms (Commoners) and the Mys (Mysticals). It is believed that breeding between the species results in beasts of unknown powers, and therefore the Comms are going to war to prevent the supernatural powers from ‘infecting’ the human race.

As with all supernatural and paranormal societies, there are rules and regulations about interacting with other species or breeding outside of the group. In this, the storyline takes on a dark and foreboding premise. Lily and Ezra’s relationship will become tabloid fodder for the Elders and the reigning Kings, but a relationship that is about to put everyone at risk including the couple themselves.

Scarlett Dawn pulls the reader into a storyline of heartbreaking sorrow and shredding grief. No one is safe when death comes looking for a fight-a fight that death wins over and over. This is an adult storyline, with adult images and adult pain and suffering. There are moments of humor that are offset by betrayal and hatred to be followed by the horror of death and everything it has to offer.

KING CAVE is a well-written, amazingly detailed and energetic story about prejudice, stereotyping and speciesism. Ancient and archaic rules once meant to protect will throw the new generation of ruling factions into a war with the humans and among themselves. Lily and Ezra will be caught between love and duty and, in the end, everyone will lose when the final spell is cast.

The secondary characters are a necessary and colorful addition to the storyline with well-developed roles that add suspense, cruelty and questionable behavior.

Scarlett Dawn blends the paranormal with the mundane resulting in an imaginative storyline that is as dramatic as it is intense. This is a story of betrayal and pain; heartbreak and sorrow; prejudice and hatred; love and loss. Lovers of both the paranormal and urban fantasy will be pulled into a story where love and hatred ride a very fine line where one misstep results in the staggering realization that maybe it was never meant to be.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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