Warriors of Poseidon by Alyssa Day -Combined Reviews

Warriors of the Poseidon is a wonderful series by Alyssa Day. Let us start with a description of this series and how Atlantis, which supposedly sunk, but is still there hidden to all; this is an explanation direct from Alyssa Day’s site:

It was the time before the Cataclysm, forced upon Atlanteans by the greed of humanity. In Poseidon’s Temple, in the soul of the seven isles of Atlantis, a group of warriors met with the sea god’s high priest. He divided them into seven groups of seven and assigned each a sacred duty and an object of power – a magic-imbued gemstone. Some were to sink to the bottom of the world, shielded from prying eyes and envious lusts by the waters that nurtured them. Others were to join the lands of humans at assigned locations – all high grounds that would protect the lineage in the event of severe flooding.

All would wait. And watch. And protect.

And serve as first warning on the eve of humanity’s destruction.
 
Then, and only then, Atlantis would rise. For they were the Warriors of Poseidon, and the mark of the Trident they bore served as witness to their sacred duty to safeguard mankind.

Combined Reviews:
Since I have read and written a review on every book in this series, and have loved them all, I decided to do a combined review of the entire series.  Below is a condensed review for each of the books, minus Heart of Atlantis, which will be posted in full tomorrow.

Atlantis Rising – Book 1 (March 6, 2007)
Conlan & Riley
“Atlantis Rising” starts off introducing Conlan, the prince of Atlantis, who just returned after 7 years of imprisonment and torture.  Conlan is the leader of the Warriors of Poseidon, who must protect mankind against vampires and other evil.  He has returned just in time for him to be elevated to King of Atlantis. But he must take his warriors and the high priest to retrieve the stolen Trident, a powerful weapon, which he must reclaim to be able to ascend to the throne. The stolen Trident is in the hands of a group of dissenting Atlanteans, as well as vampires (led by the evil Goddess of Death-Anubisa), who plan on the destruction of humanity.

Conlan, still under the duress of his torture by Anubisa, is confused as he is pulled to rescue a female in danger. Enter Riley Dawson, the female in trouble, being attacked by 3 vampires.  Riley is an empath, and she also feels the mind link to Conlan.  They are drawn to each other, as each was trying to fight off the intense desire felt for each other.  Riley immediately can feel Conlon’s soul, and his torture, making her more sympathetic to him.  Conlon, not having felt such emotions in his lifetime (11,000 years), is torn for his desire for this human empath, which in his world is called ‘Aknasha”, unheard of for Atlanteans for thousands of years.  His high priest warns him of danger, but Conlan ignores Alaric and plans to bring Riley back with him to Atlantis.

This is a fun story, to be able to watch Conlan and Riley discover each other, and the intensity of their feelings.  Only Riley seems to be able to heal Conlan’s broken soul, and as the story unfolds, Conlan, an honorable and loyal warrior to Poseidon, cannot lose Riley, no matter what the cost will be.  Riley is a great heroine, as she is street savvy, spunky, brave, and speaks her mind openly.  In time, the other warriors come to care about Riley, especially for her bravery in helping save them.  She is perfect for Conlan, and their love for each grows with each passing day.  To watch them “soul-meld” is amazing.   The mission to retrieve the stolen Trident, was exciting.  It was just great to watch Riley with the other warriors, and how she wins them all over.  I loved her attitude yelling to the god Poseidon to save his warriors….so funny.     Great book, great romance, excitement and fun all the way

Wild Hearts in Atlantis, in Wild Thing – Book 1.5 (January 6,2009)
Bastien & Kat
This novella is Bastien’s story.  Prince Conlan (our wonderful hero in Atlantis Rising), sends Bastien to Miami to work with a group of shape shifters.  There he meets up with Kat Fiero, a half human and half shape shifter, who is a park ranger. This is not the first time, Bastien has met Kat, as he helped save her two years ago from vampires.  But Bastien has not forgotten the beautiful Kat.  Their meeting was short, but left a mark on both of them.  Kat Fiero is not happy, as she feels cursed with a gift, to be able spread calm and peace around her or to individuals, but she also feels that it prevents her from shifting into her own cat.  Ethan is the Alpha of Kat’s pack, and his girlfriend Fallon hates her.

Kat is the one who must work with Bastien, as he will share her house with her.  She automatically feels the attraction again, but does not want to get hurt, as she thinks that Bastien does not feel the same.  Bastien, fought off his attraction before, as he knows that Poseidon has long ago forbidden relationships between the Warriors and shape shifters. The warriors are trying to stop the shape shifters from an alliance with the vampires, and prove to Ethan that the vampires are the ones behind the recent death of shape shifters. The romance of Bastien and Kat is very good, and it is fun to watch them give into their feelings (with some hot scenes), and to see both of them discover that they are soul mates.

Atlantis Awakening – Book 2 (November , 2007)
Ven & Erin
This is Ven’s book, and he is one of the warriors I loved the most, as the story of Warriors of the Poseidon began.  Ven, the King’s Vengeance and second in line to the throne, was sent to make an alliance with the witches to help defeat the vampires.  Lord Vengeance was to meet Erin Connors, who represented the Seattle Circle of Lights (a coven of witches), to work out the arrangement in forming an alliance together. Ven was immediately attracted to Erin when she walked into the bar that was their meeting place, as he was overwhelmed by his desire for her.  Erin is a powerful young witch, who can call powerful magic at her will, but is afraid to use some of her magic, as she was told by her superiors that it was against the rules.    Erin is a perfect match for Ven, and makes a great heroine.  I really loved Ven & Erin together, as their romance was just wonderful to watch.

Erin has spent years ten years planning her revenge against the evil vampire Caligula.  She lost her entire family to Caligula, and has recently learned that her sister Deirdre is still alive. Erin asks Ven for help in saving her sister, and avenging her family’s death. But Deirdre is now a vampire, and has been tortured by Caligula all those years. Ven knows that Caligula is also after Erin, and because he fears for her safety, he agrees to help her, but whisks her off to Atlantis. There, Erin learns she has powers she never even suspected. She is a gem singer, which is a rare and has been lost to Atlantis for centuries.  With her song and the jewels in the Temple of Nereid, Erin manages to use her newfound powers to heal Riley and her unborn child. But it is only temporarily, as Riley’s body is rejecting her pregnancy, and to keep them both safe, they have to find a lost ruby called the Nereid’s heart. Ven, knowing that without this jewel, Riley and her unborn child will die, agrees to take Erin back and look for the ancient ruby, which is hidden deep within Caligula’s lair, and they must also defeat Caligula to save themselves.

This was a great story, with adventure, excitement and surprises, but it was the hot and sexy romance between Ven and Erin, which was blended nicely into the story, that made this even better.  Using the gem-singer theme, where the gems sing to Erin, and she sings with all those passions spiraling around them, or against the evil, was so well done. Their love for one another, and their soul-melding was, as I said before great.  The ending was exciting, filled with emotion, action, and surprise twists, as well as a sort of cliffhanger.

Shifter’s Lady – Book 2.5 (March 4, 2008)
Marie & Ethan
“Shifters Lady” is the second and last novella by Day for Warriors of the Atlantis. This story is about Marie, whom you learn more about in “Atlantis Awakening”.  Marie is Bastien’s sister, and is the first maiden of the temple of Nereid. On a visit to Miami, she meets the Alpha shape shifter, Ethan.  When Ethan lays eyes on her, he is lost. Just hearing her voice, her laugh, looking at her beauty, her dark hair,,causes his panther to go wild.  So of course, he runs away. Lol  But Bastien is called away on a mission, and Kat has to go to work as a park ranger, so Ethan has to watch over Marie.  You can’t help like Marie, she is a nice person, sweet, a loyal to Atlantean, and has some powers of her own.

Ethan must fight to save his pack against a threat to his leadership, as well as his and Marie’s life.  Kat does come back, and brings the were-tiger Jack to help.  But the romance and soul-meld between Marie and Ethan is the best part of the story.  Some funny scenes, where they are making love, and she loses control of her powers, and the rain comes pouring through the room….Cute.

A lot was left open, even what happens to Ethan and Marie, as they know Poseidon will not allow shape shifters in Atlantis. Marie has to go back to Atlantis soon, to resume her duties in the temple.    My guess, somewhere in the future, allowances will be made to allow them (Bastien/Kat-Marie/Ethan) to come home.

Atlantis Unleashed – Book 3 (June 29, 2009)
Justice & Keeley
At the end of Atlantis Awakening, Justice, after keeping the truth of his birth a secret all his life, offered his life or his soul to Anubisa to save his brother, Ven & Erin, as well Conlan & Riley, and their unborn child.  “Atlantis Unleashed” is Justice’s story.

This book picks up with the warriors trying to find Justice, who has been imprisoned in the Void by Anubisa for four months. Justice, who is a fierce Atlantean warrior, has been dreaming of a beautiful woman, while in imprisonment.  It is this vision, that keeps him sane throughout whatever torture Anubisa has done to him, as well as his inner conflict, of having  two souls…Atlantean & Nereid.  Justice is constantly fighting off the Nereid soul, who wants total control.  Just about when he feels he is losing his sanity, he attempts an escape from the Void.

Keeley McDermott is a well known feisty archaeologist. What Keeley has kept secret to everyone, is her ability to touch objects, and be able to read and feel everything about it. By touching these objects, it triggers events related to the object, and those visions take its toll on Keeley.   She never really knew what she was, until Atlantis came looking for her. Conlan and his team knew Keeley was an object reader, and they needed her to help them.   Keeley, years before during one of her expeditions, found a fish carving, which gave her a vision of a beautiful warrior, with blue black hair.  She dreamed of this warrior for years.

Almost the minute Keeley arrives in Atlantis, she sees the image of Justice trying to escape the Void through a portal.  Justice sees Keeley, and recognizes that she is the woman who has kept him sane.  He sees no one else, as he fights his insanity to get through the Void to Keeley. Justice is a pretty scary site for Keeley, as he comes through and grabs her away.

But Keeley, though scared at times, was the perfect person for the damaged Justice.  She was a strong character, has courage, compassion, and great sense of humor.  Once she was able to see into Justice’s mind, as well as Justice into her mind (for her bad childhood), Keeley was the one who would mend Justice back together.  Despite her own difficulties, she was able to calm him, and pull him out of his insanity. In time, Keeley was the only one, who could heal him and blend his two souls together.  When Justice looked at Keeley, he could feel her light to take him out of his darkness. Loved their romance, even early on, when they were in the cave unable to get out, and she was scared.  Loved his intense love for her, the way he clung to his sanity for her sake, to protect Keeley in fighting off the more dangerous Neirid.. made it more intense.  Though at times, he was bit arrogant, as it seems all of the warriors are in the beginning.  But Keeley was his savior, especially when she got to know Justice better, and knew how to handle him. She brought him out of this dark place…with her love for him.

The last 1/3 of the book was very exciting, as Justice (& Neried) worked with Keeley to find the Star of Artemis, which was needed to add to the Trident.  Something that is necessary for Atlantis to eventually rise.  Keeley in one of her visions told Conlan and Ven, they cannot try to bring Atlantis up, unless they get all the jewels of Trident, otherwise Atlantis will be destroyed.  Another part of the story I really enjoyed, was Keeley falling for the little orphaned girl, whom she met in the village in South America, where they had to help them fight off the vampires. I really enjoyed this book, and loved Justice and Keeley together.

Atlantis Unmasked – Book 4 (July 7, 2009)
Alexios & Grace
“Atlantis Unmasked” is the story of Alexios and Grace, and wheras, this was the same concept of  the Warriors fighting off the vampires, finding the jewels that will save Atlantis, the love between the them is different then previously.  This book starts off with lots of action, and Alexios meets up again with Grace, the fearless leader of the rebel forces, against the vampires and their allies. Grace is a friend of Quinn, whom we really do not see in this book.

Alexios, was the battle scarred Atlantean, who was one of Prince Conlan’s must trusted and loyal warriors. He too, was tortured physically and mentally by Anubis, the evil goddess of Death. Alexios is drawn so powerfully to Grace, but fears opening himself up to the pain of love and loss, as he has taken up celibacy as a way to cleanse his soul, but that will change when he falls for Grace.  Alexios is also concerned about hurting Grace, if his dark side should come through.  Though he tries to avoid going anywhere near Grace, he has been forced to go back and work with Grace in training the rebel recruits, and to steal the Vampire’s Bane from the possession of the most powerful vampire yet (Vonos).

Grace, besides being a kick-ass warrior, is also a descendant of Diana (The Goddess of the Hunt). Like Diana, Grace uses her bow and arrow as her weapon of choice, and her aim is always perfect.  Once Alexios sees Grace again, he is lost.  She is it for him, and he loves that is not only beautiful, but an amazing warrior.  This is where this book is totally different then the first three.  Alexios, loved everything about Grace, as much as he worried about her, and wanted to always protect her….he knew she was a warrior..he could not change her.  So he loved her enough to accept what she was, and let her be what she was meant to be.  I loved how Grace was a great tough heroine, with a soft sand funny side, and how Alexios did not try to change her, or force her to do things his way.  They were a team, and they were better for it.

I did not expect to love this couple like I did the others, but I really enjoyed their romance: the way Grace was fighting off her feelings for Alexios, because she feared there was no future, since he would live forever and she as a human would grow old and die.  Her love for him showed when she looked at him, not caring about his half scarred face, just loving him as he was. His total and unconditional love for her, his ability to reason, keep his cool, and willingness to force himself to allow her space, made him perfect for her.

What I really enjoyed very much in this story was that we also get to see Riley have her baby, as Alexios and his Atlantis mates are quickly summoned home for the birth of the royal heir, Prince Aidan.  Very nice to see most of them together, the warriors and their women. It does help make them appear as your family.

The fight to find the jewel…Vampire’s Bane, both Alexios and Grace, fighting first Vonos, then Anubis, was good.  The ending has an exciting climax, but only time will tell what effect it really had.  Alexios and Grace were fun characters to read about, as well as some hilarious moments throughout.  Grace meeting her descendant, Diana near the end has a number of surprises.  Another interesting tidbit, we learn more about the question as to what happens to the human women that mate with the warriors.  It does answer some questions.

Atlantis Redeemed – Book 5 (Mar 2, 2010)
Brennan & Tiernan
“Atlantis Redeemed” is Brennan’s story, and I did not expect to like them, but once again Day managed to surprise me…I loved Brennan and Tiernan.  In the previous books, we were introduced to Tiernan, an investigative reporter, and I thought then she would be an interesting character.  I knew from Brennan’s reaction then, that he was meant for Tiernan.  But I never suspected that I would love them together.

Brennan in the early days (two thousand years before), was a young warrior, who at the age of 19, loved to drink, and enjoy the women available to him.  A raging Poseidon punished Brennan for his cavalier behavior, and blamed him for the death of a young girl and her unborn child. Though it was unjust, as the girl refused to accept Brennan’s offer of marriage. Poseidon cursed Brennan with feeling no emotion.  To make matters worse, Poseidon told Brennan that one day he will meet his soul mate, and after all these years of no emotion, he will explode with those emotions that have been buried, and each time he and his soulmate separate, he will fail to recognize who she is.  This will go on over and over, every time he loses sight of her, he will forget her and it starts again.  Only until his soul mate dies, then he will remember her and all those emotions will remain with him forever.

Tiernan, as the investigative reporter, has been working with the Atlanteans, since Alexios helped save her, and brought her to Atlantis to meet with Prince Conlan.  Now Tiernan is trying to get information, to help destroy the vampires who are trying to take over the world, using scientific measures to force enthrallment on shifters and eventually humans.  Enthralling destroys their minds, resulting in their eventual deaths.  Tiernan also has another reason to want to expose this evil group, she lost a friend to this group, and she wants revenge.

When Brennan is forced to work with Tiernan, the attraction turns deadly, as his curse is shattered when he meets her and in the space of a few moments, 2000 years of emotions bombard him in an unbelievably torturous way. He knows that Tiernan is his soul mate, and he is able to fight and control the raging emotions enough to be in control.  Though Tiernan was scared at first, when Brennan came crashing into her room, she is a headstrong, courageous and tenacious young lady.  She being a woman with an eye for the truth…another lost Atlantean art….a Truth Teller.  Tiernan is a human lie detector, and knows when people are lying to her.  Having that ability, allowed her to calm down and give Brennan the chance to explain his over zealous reaction to her.  She quickly becomes attracted to the gorgeous sexy Brennan, and at the same time tries to help him realize that the curse was unjust and he needs to not blame himself.  Of course, she also offers to talk to Poseidon for him, once this mission is over.  Lol

Brennan and Tiernan are a terrific pairing, as Tiernan is able to deal with Brennan and his curse.  She is the only who is able to calm his emotions, but whenever she is in danger, Brennan goes into his berserker mode, that is almost impossible to control. They are both strong, and dedicated characters, and the sparks do fly explosively when they do allow their passion for one another finally connect.  During the soul-meld, Tiernan sees her future with Brennan, and backs away from him, thereby hurting him.  But eventually she realizes they will work on their future together, as she loves him, and he loves her.

The story is constantly filled with action and excitement.  Another great ending, and Poseidon does come forth again and Tiernan does try to talk to him. lol  There is lots of humor throughout, and that is fun to read. We get to see a lot of the other characters that have been part of our Warriors of Poseidon adventure…..Prince Conlan and Riley, Alexios and Grace, Alaric and Quinn (finally), Jack and Daniel with Diedre.

Atlantis Betrayed –  Book 6 (Sept 7, 2010)
Christophe & Fiona
In “Atlantis Betrayed” Christophe is the hero, and I have not really liked him at all.  I ended up loving him in this book, loved him with Fiona….and I think he is now my favorite…just goes to show that until you read their stories….you will never know.

Christophe has from the beginning a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder. He openly hates humans, and doesn’t care about saving them, but as a loyal warrior for Poseidon, he does what is expected of him.  But as he is hanging around London, planning to steal the Jewel Siren for the Trident, his life is about to change…..he accidentally meets the ‘Scarlet Ninja’.

Fiona Campbell is another of Day’s great heroines.  Seems they are all different and unique on their own, and Fiona turns out to be one of the best ones.  Loved her.  As the ‘Scarlet Ninja’, Fiona is a thief, who is the Robin Hood of her time;  she steals to use the money to give to the needy.  Fiona is in actuality a famous writer of children’s books, is rich on her own, and has a mansion to boot.  She uses her own money to help charities.  Of course, having read the previous stories, you know Fiona has some kind of power.  Seems she is distant Fae (but possibly royal Seelie Fae), and has the ability to make herself invisible.

While out scouting the vanquish sword (which includes the siren jewel), Fiona accidentally runs into Christophe, who is looking to steal it.  Christoph is immediately attracted to Fiona, as she is to him.  He blackmails her to keep her identity a secret, if they become partners in the quest for the jewels.  Their adventure to steal the jewel, as well as to prevent the vampires from using the jewel to enthrall the shifters is very exciting and fun.

It was wonderful to watch Christophe fall in love with Fiona, marvel at the new emotions he was feeling, and to see him loosen up, and actually joke around.  His constant grinning, playfulness was so infectious, you find yourself falling in love with Christoph.  Fiona was the perfect match for him; she was smart, a crusader, spunky, sexy, and a real lady.  The romance between the two of them was not only hot and steamy, it was fun.

What also made this story different were two secondary characters that were a big part of the story.  Fiona’s brother, Declan, a computer geek, who helps her with her other life, is cute and very likeable.  It was great to watch his relationship with his sister and to Christoph. The other was her butler, Hopkins, who saved her and Declan, after her father was killed by vampires, years before. You can tell how much he loves them both, and he also helps her with her double life.  He is an enjoyable character, who intermixes with Christophe and the warriors who show up, which is funny.  Atlantis Betrayed was a great book, very entertaining, lots of fun, sexy, plenty of action and an exciting ending.  Best of all, the total change of Christophe was amazing to see

Vampire in Atlantis – Book 7 (June 7,2011)
Daniel & Serai
“Vampire in Atlantis” is Daniel’s book, and the story picks up with Daniel now ready to give up on life, and face the dawn.  Daniel’s whole existence has been about atoning for his early years of being a vampire when he was all about killing and maiming. He spent 9000 years underground to stop himself from continuing the bloodlust. He returned to join hands to help the Atlanteans working undercover against the vampires.  But his futility and being alone has forced him to finally give in to ending it all.

Serai is an Atlantean princess, who was one of a groupof young maidens, who agreed to be placed into a magical stasis to ensure the future of the Atlantean race, and be saved for a future King of Atlantis. This was 11 thousand years ago, when Atlantis went under the sea.  Serai has now awakened, as something is wrong with the Emperor jewel, which protected all the maidens in the stasis.  The Emperor jewel is also one of the jewels needed for the Trident, to help Atlantis rise.   Serai uses her magic to help her escape.  She wants no part of Atlantis, that seemed to have forgotten her, and calls the portal to run. But she knows she must find the missing jewel to save the other maidens who are still locked away from a sure death.

When Daniel is walking into the sunlight, he is suddenly pulled away and lands at Serai’s feet. He shockingly recognizes her, and she does too, but her mind is still in a state of confusion.   11 thousand years ago, Serai was Daniel’s first and only love.  But circumstances and timing tore them apart, as Atlantis was shortly ready to disappear.  Serai was visiting the jewelry shop where Daniel worked, and as it was attacked, he shoved her into an underground hiding place. When Serai came back up, Daniel was near death and she made a fast decision to save his life.  She allowed a nightwalker mage to change Daniel. This was how he became a vampire. Serai returned home intending to check up on Daniel soon, but her father who felt Daniel was not worthy of her, lied to her and Daniel was dead.  Atlantis shortly went under the sea and she was one the “lucky” maidens placed in stasis, for a few years (which ends up to be 11 thousand years).

Serai’s goal is to find the person who is misusing the power of the Emperor jewel, as it is killing her and her sisters. But Daniel is not going to let Serai go now that he has found her, even if that means they die on this mission together.  This story is about a wonderful love story of two people who though separated for thousands of years, have never forgotten one another.  This was their second chance to rekindle their romance.  At the same time find the missing jewel that threatens to destroy them, as well as Atlantis. The majority of the story takes place in the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. Their true love is more emotional then in the previous books, and it is also a chance for the redemption Daniel needs.  It was great to watch them rediscover their love, her see a world that has totally changed, and for Daniel to finally have what he has always wanted…someone to share his life with and to love with passion.  When they reached the soul-meld, it was very emotional, as Daniel now knew he did indeed have a soul.

The story is also filled with lots of action and danger.  It was great to see Riley, Erin, and Keeley helping to try to save the maidens.  Then at the end to see all of the couples together (Riley/Conlan, Ven/Erin, Justice/Keeley, Alexios/Grace, Brennan/Tiernan, Christophe/Fiona) come together to help save Daniel and Serai.  Also fun to see Poseidon again.  There are also some interesting revelations in this book.  Some have to do with Daniel and Serai, but another was confirmation that we have suspected before….Serai tells them that priests do not have to be celibate, as they are stronger magic users when they have been through the soul-meld…Great news for Alaric and Quinn

Heart of Atlantis – Book 8 – (December, 2012)
Alaric & Quinn
Full review tomorrow (December 5^th)

Reviews by Barb