The Blood She Betrayed by Cheryse Durrant-Review and Guest Post

The Blood She Betrayed
By Cheryse Durrant
Release Date: July 2013

About the book:

To save her kingdom, she must betray her blood…

Thrust into the technology-driven Earthlands via magical mists, Shahkara is forced to rely on Max McCalden to help find the ancient Elnara death lantern, her homeworld’s last chance of survival against the heart-devouring Taloners.

Max has his own problems, but nothing prepares him for this fugitive warrior’s razor-sharp talons.

Shahkara longs for love, but as deadly enemies attack at every turn, will her heart-lust for Max destroy them both? Or will she find the strength to free both worlds from a threat more horrific than the demons that share her blood?

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REVIEW: The Blood She Betrayed is book one of The Heart Hunters Series by Cheryse Durrant. Travelling through the mists, Shahkara, a half-Taloner princess, is sent to modern day Earth to find the Elnara, or death lantern, which is her world’s only hope to stop the Taloners, which is pure evil that eats human hearts. Thrown into a time where she knows nothing of the world around her, Shahkara comes to rely on Max McCalden, a billionaire’s son who happens to be on the Taloner’s hit list. Max has quite a few issues of his own and it seems that danger follows Shahkara and Nick everywhere they go. But the heart lust that she feels for him is slowly over taking her. Will she be able to stop herself from repeating her past to complete the quest that she has been set on?

Shahkara is a strong-willed warrior princess that will not give up on her mission of saving her world. The reason she is so determined, while touched on lightly, is a heart-wrenching story of love and sadness. The reason is what fuels Shahkara to help her world – her payment for what she has once done. I found Shahkara to be so vulnerable and almost lost in the modern Earthlands, yet determined to achieve her quest. Strong and of high morals Shah slowly allows Max into her heart. Max, while a rich billionaire’s son, was sweet and caring – and someone that you want to get to know better. Shahkara’s interactions with Max while at times comical only increased the bond they built throughout their struggles.

This is a story of legends and of myths. Of mystical worlds and modern nightmares. Culminating in an epic collision of all!. The time honored story of good versus evil – one that will leave you reeling and craving more.

Reviewed by Erin

Copy supplied by the author.

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There is nothing more magical than reading about characters who change each other’s lives.

These are heroes and heroines who have the power – by destiny or nature – to inspire that person on the next step of their journey, whether it’s shaking away a dark past or saving the world from evil.

In my favourite fairytale, Beauty & the Beast, the prince (or Rumplestiltskin, if you’re faithful to Once Upon a Time) was lost to darkness until Belle’s love and selflessness shaped and inspired him in new ways (or exchange these characters for Catherine and Vincent, if you’re faithful to the 1987 or 2012 TV series).
With my debut novel, The Blood She Betrayed, I never set out to create characters who would change one another but from my very first chapters, the dynamics emerged: Max had what exiled warrior princess Shahkara needed to move on from her dark and haunting past, while Shahkara had what the wealthy but directionless Max needed to grow and become the man of his destiny.

In my debut Heart Hunters novel, Max has been living an empty existence since the brutal murder of his mother and brother, and can no longer tolerate his billionaire father’s manipulative ways but sees no way out.

Shahkara has come to Earth to find the death lantern that will save her kingdom, but she is haunted by her past, her half-demon self and the death of her lover.
Their personas and energies are a perfect foil for one another – Shahkara gives Max purpose and something to believe in, a genuine companion in his insincere world, while Max helps Shahkara realise she is still human, and deserves to be loved as a human, despite her demon blood and deadly, flesh-ripping talons.
Like all romantic couples, they face challenges before their Happily Ever After, but it is their character and courage that enables them to fight through these deadly challenges and save their worlds.

Long after I’ve read a book, after the plotline is forgotten, it’s the characters that remain burning in my heart. Sometimes it’s only an image or a quote. Often it’s what that character stands for and how they helped shape other characters in that story.

I hope readers remember this of Max and Shahkara, long after The Blood She Betrayed is collecting dust on a bookshelf or tablet.

“The Blood She Betrayed is unique. Shahkara is one of the most engaging female role models I’ve seen in a long time and the plot is full of ingenious twists, turns and surprises.” – LJ Smith, author of The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle

Shahkara is a splendid protagonist who captured my heart from the first words she spoke – LJ Smith

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*About Cheryse Durrant*

Dead fingers curled around an ancient crypt and a love of Celtic mythology were the two inspirations behind Cheryse Durrant’s /The Blood She Betrayed/, the first book in her young adult, urban fantasy /Heart Hunter/ series. “Shahkara’s half-demon, half-human, and is searching for an ancient artefact to destroy the coven ravaging her world — my stories are a cross between Blade and X-Men, but with strong, gutsy heroines and happy endings.”

Durrant grew up on an Australian cattle farm where she chatted to scrub faeries and an imaginary superhero. She wrote her first story on her aunt’s bedroom wall but it did not attract the literary acclaim she deserved. She has since worked a variety of jobs, with many years spent as a journalist. The coffee/chocolate/strawberry addict has won and placed in a number of writing competitions and lives on the central Queensland coast where she teaches writing through Creative Dragons HERE  and is an avid WriteFest  fan.

Follow Cheryse: Facebook/ Website / Twitter / Goodreads/ Wattpad /Google+

Purchase Links:

Download the first 12 chapters of The Blood She Betrayed from free from Clan Destine Press HERE

October 10.

Paperback: Clandestine Press
eBook: Clandestine Press
Booktopia: HERE