Wednesday, December 23, 2009

REVIEW: Darkness Unleashed by Alexandra Ivy


ISBN 978-1-4201-0297-0
Series: Guardians of Eternity, Book 5
(c) November 2009, Zebra, Kensington Publishing Corp
Alexandra Ivy's website

Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

"Alexandra Ivy has me hooked on this series, craving it like I would the finest chocolates."

Alexandra Ivy created a winner with this combination of sexy, gorgeous hero, a courageous heroine who's more than a match for him, sly humor, action, magic and hot passion guaranteed to sizzle a page or two.

Regan, kidnapped and abused from young, is a pureblood Were who was finally rescued from her kidnapper, Culligan. However, when Culligan escaped, she vowed not to rest until she has him in her grasp and exacts her revenge. However, she didn't account for Jagr, a smokin' hot vamp who fired her blood the moment she set eyes on him.

Sexy, gorgeous, muscled, virile hero (really, any other description for a hero, anyone?) Jagr, a reclusive vampire who had been tortured for centuries, is sent to bring Regan back home to her sister in Chicago. However, he understood her need for revenge, having undergone the same thing himself years ago. Attracted and unable to help himself, he joined forces with her to track down her ex-kidnapper.

Ms. Ivy's world is one wherein demons (referring to vamps, weres, imps and just about anything non-human) live under the humans' noses in disguises or passed themselves out as humans. I think the premise here is that the humans generally don't know that the demons live among them, except for some special people, such as those who had been in the service of the demons for years as caretakers, housekeepers, etc. Vamps belong to clans and weres to packs, and there exist a sort-of harmony/peace between the two tribes, but it only takes for something to happen and an all-out war would flare between them. There are other demons, of course, such as imps, trolls, gargoyles, etc. Nothing new in this nor in the way both main characters fight their attraction to one another, but the story has more twists and turns than a labyrinth which surprised me in a pleasant way.

There are lots more things I love about this book. There's the strong heroine and her humor and the real issues Regan brought to the relationship. There's the way Regan's character grew and developed over the course of the story, in the way meeting Jagr changed her and the way she suddenly realized how her priorities have changed. There's the way Jagr opened up a bit about himself to Regan early on in the book (about 100 pages into the book) and it is as a result of this that they have their first intimate moment. All too often in some books, sex happened for no reason other than that it's time to have a sex scene. And there's the way Jagr oozed all those protective male testosterone... *melts* He's utterly yummy.

And regarding the descriptions, we have an insight into the way each character viewed the other party toward the middle of the book. Yes, they're still attracted to the other's physical attributes, but there's something more, something deeper.

Regan on Jagr: Icily aloof and yet so terribly vulnerable. Strong and yet tender. Raw, ruthless power with the soul of a scholar.

Jagr on Regan: His tiny Were, with the soul of a warrior and the innocence of an angel.


Apparently, like all the heroines in the series, I also like Levet! I'm sure I'm not the only reader with this sentiment. He provided comic relief, and I'm certain there was once or twice when he stole the scene completely from the main characters. I'm eager to read the other books, if only for Levet, but that's not the entire reason. Ms. Ivy has me absolutely hooked on this series.

I'm happy to say that this book is a standalone and it's not necessary to read the other books in order to understand it, since this is my first Guardians of Eternity book as well. But I'm getting the other books while I wait for Salvatore's story.

Rating: 5 stars

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble
Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

6 comments:

Carole said...

Great review, Silver! I'm tempted to read this.

Anonymous said...

I love this book! I like your comment about chocolates. They're addicting, just like Alexandra Ivy's books!

Silver @ TRR said...

@Anonymous Thanks! Yeah, they're addicting all right. I've read a second book, Embrace the Darkness, and I may hunt for her other books when next I go to the bookstore.

Allie said...

Just dropping by. Great review and sounds interesting though I'm really not a fan of vampires.

Alexandra Ivy said...

Thanks so much for the wonderful review!! It's brightened my holiday season! I LOVE this site :)

Silver @ TRR said...

Hi Alexandra, thanks for dropping by! I love your books! I'm going through your backlist while I wait for your next one. Keep writing! I don't want the adventure to end. :)

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