Shelley Bradley - His Lady Bride

He was a legend on the battlefield, but Aric Neville, known throughout England as the White Lion, had had his fill of intrigue and bloodshed. So he threw down his sword and walked away, to live a solitary life, cultivating a reputation as a sorcerer. But his prized tranquility was shattered when the villagers brought him a bride. 
Gwenyth de Auburd was a raven-haired beauty too impudent to ignore and too tempting to resist. When the war raging around them sucked Aric into his past again, he also fought a losing battle against his undeniable desire for the luscious, willful maiden . . . only to learn that he had come to cherish as his wife.

Comment: One of my favorite tropes in romance is the enemies-to-lovers and all its subdivisions. This book in particular would feature a couple that besides not being very fond of one another when they first meet would also get on with the forced marriage plot, another one of my preferences if done right. Since this book was published in 2000, I was not expecting a lot of wit and uniqueness often seen in nowadays releases, but I suppose it can be complicated to add a lot of innovation in historical stories without making them unlikely or silly.

In this story we meet Aric, a warrior who is also an earl and someone tired of fighting and innocent people dying because of the more powerful and their ruling. After being disappointed with his king, at the end of yet another battle, he decides to let go of his past and becomes a sort of hermit at an isolated cottage.

The problem is that nearby the most important figure faces the consequences of a drought, which is compromising the harvest and the economy of the villagers. To find a way, he forces his niece to wed Aric, because he got a reputation of being magical after domesticating a wolf. In comes Gwyneth, and they can't seem to see eye to eye when they meet. 

With some adventures and politics in the way, will they find enough common ground to fall in love and be each other's strength?

This is another book that has been in the pile for around 10 years... it was written by an author mostly known as Shayla Black.

I must say some elements in this book were really silly and almost comical. Thankfully, the author did try her hand on seriousness by finding a medieval point in time that isn't often seen in romance (Richard III reign) and used several details to give depth to her story. I'd say the problem is that there's isn't enough balance in the plot to make it strong from start to finish and probably there was a slight under use of the possibilities that, emotionally, could have made this something even better.

The way the relationships are portrayed are a little too superficial. Especially the secondary characters don't seem to go beyond the most expected circumstances and a role to be played. The main couple has interesting situations between them but I was a little disappointed with the heroine who, realistically thinking is quite likely to have existed (being cocky of her position in life at times and vulnerable at others) but looking at how she behaves from the POV of this being a romance story, it was very difficult to like her.

I can understand this was even more stressed for her change of heart to be more obvious but I don't think the author paced the heroine's evolution well.

It seemed there wasn't much character development. The characters ended up doing what the reader has always known to be the right choices and although there's some comfort in this, it wasn't special enough for the story to feel more intriguing.

I'd say some of the best prospects were when the opposed couple had to go to Aric's family estate and that is when Gwyneth found out the truth about him. I thought things could become seriously intricate and emotionally more complex with the add-on of Aric's insecure younger brother and his ex fiance turned stepmother to the relationship he had with his wife. 

The problem is that the potential issues or alliances that could have arisen from this weren't given focus point. Instead, we had to keep seeing both Aric and Gwyneth mope around about what they thought they should do and why they thought the other one was in the marriage for something else not love, while indeed they were already in love with each other. Well, or so they said, as I don't think we actually saw a believable falling in love relationship.

My favorite aspect of the book was how Aric's ethics were a key element of the whole thing. It was quite good I could cheer for the hero and his position in life but his more "negative" actions as a fighter were clearly not highlighted... still, it's always good that the personal doubts the hero has can be linked with his personality and not there just to fill a gap. So sad he was counterbalanced with such a childish (in behavior and some thinking) heroine.

All things considered, this was not a bad novel and I did feel interested in several moments to the point of not wanting to let go of the book for other chores. But thinking about it as a whole, I wouldn't say it went beyond average for me nor when compared with other historicals I preferred.

Grade: 5/10

TBR Challenge: Shayla Black - Embrace Me at Dawn

Anka MacTavish lost everything when Mathias D’Arc captured her, shattered her bond with her mate, and broke both her body and spirit. Determined to heal her bleeding soul, she joins the Doomsday Brethren’s fight to vanquish the evil wizard and seize her revenge. But becoming a magical warrior will require close contact with her former mate, the love who’s never left her heart, Lucan. And she’ll have to explain why she left him and fled to the arms of another lover…
Lucan’s world crumbled when Anka escaped Mathias and sought protection from his long-time rival, Shock. Now she has returned, and Lucan must train her to confront a new and terrible danger that threatens magickind. With every punch, blow, and parry, Lucan discovers that Anka isn’t the demure wife he once knew, and his growing desire for this woman is a need he can’t control. He vows to do whatever it takes to reclaim her heart and make her his once more. But when the Doomsday Brethren are forced to make an unlikely alliance, it will test Anka’s resolve like never before. To survive, she and Lucan must rely on one another, face their deepest fears…and expose the dark secrets that threaten to destroy everything, including their love.

Comment: I've had this book to read since august of last year and I've picked it for the challenge just to change genres a bit, as I don't foresee paranormal in the challenge in the upcoming months.

This is the 5th story of the Doomsday Brethren by Shayla Black. It's a world of wizards, witches and magic in a classic battle between good and evil. 

Lucan and Anka, they have been mates for a long time until the day the bad guy kidnapped Anka and raped her, severing the mate bond wizards have with the women they love. It was a cruel thing and the mental shields of the two of them broke and Anka forgot about her former life for a few months. At the same time, Lucan experienced pain and craziness in his mate-mourning, even more so because when Aka was released from captivity she went to Shock, a childhood friend and the double spy of the god guys, also a bit the enemy of Lucan. However, the feelings between them never changed even if in a hiatus for a while. Now, after a long time seeing each other again, dreading seeing the other exchanging energy with somebody else (wizards and witches recharge their energy and magic levels through sexual contact), they are teaming up to fight the bad guys and still trying to get their common life again.

I've been a fan of this series since book #1 although it only got better at book #2. I liked this idea of a special mate for each wizard and witch, but as Shayla Black also has erotic books, this series despite being paranormal, also has a bit of sexual importance here, especially in the characters need to have sex to increase their magic levels, otherwise they would waste away. In a way, it's an interesting topic, I've seen it in other series out there, but in here it's done in a good way too. 

In the previous books this idea of sharing that experience with others was meant as a friendly task, also a pleasurable one. But once mated, usually the characters would stick to their mates, except in special cases. Anyway, I was eager to see Anka and Lucan sharing that again, but unfortunately this was ruined by one or two situations I didn't think were that well done by the author and which caused this book to feel weaker than the previous three to me.

Anka has suffered abuse and rape in the hands of the bad guy and never really recovered. Now she wants to fight to battle not only the wizard that raped her but her own fears. A bit like a cathartic move on her side. This idea has merit but since her awful experience, her never mentioned before submissive needs have come to the surface and she wants a bit of control in her sexual relationships to let own frustration and fear. Also understandable. But I can't help feeling this was a bit too handy, the character never showed any of this needs and now here she is, an almost perfect Sub. Hummm....I wasn't convinced of this, but I let it aside. 

Lucan has suffered immensely when Anka was kidnapped from their house and abused. Their mate bond was severed and he had trouble to recover and seeing her with an enemy was too much, but as he never stopped loving her, he put it aside to love her again as show her. Once again, it was quite handy he welcomed the idea of controlling her sexually despite it never had happened. I mean, it was an interesting change, and surely people are different after an abusive ordeal, but there was something about it that I don't think it was that special about the whole situation, although I knew this series had a strong sexual side. I guess only by reading someone gets the point..despite many readers have welcomed this "healing" for the main couple. I liked seeing them mending their relationship, but it didn't have to be like this, I think.

Apart from this was the plot subject f teaming up with the bad guy to find an object. Of course the good guys were the winners of that meeting but I can't help thinking that it was a bit shocking to see them working together after so many awful deeds by the villain. In the end he got what he deserved and I'm happy with it, but still...

The secondary characters play a special part in the book too, many scenes had their presence and I think it's always a good thing, to make the reader see the bond between people, to see them working together, being part of something, not there just to fill space. I'm curious over the next characters having a book, which I hope they will, because the author is now self publishing this series and I fear this might mean lateness...I just hope she doesn't stop before writing the books of the two final main characters.

The book is full of interesting things, the writing is fluid and good, the settings and descriptions aren't boring or too informative and I liked it. Despite this and that, things I wish could have been done differently, this book was god, not as the others, but still in par with the usual feel of the series. I finally caught up with it and now can't wait for the next one, which I hope it's better than this one.

Shayla Black - Entice Me at Twilight

Dangerously handsome Simon Northam, Duke of Hurstgrove, and his uptight barrister brother hardly get along, but crashing Mason’s wedding and stealing his fiancée take sibling rivalry to a new level. Duke’s family knows nothing of his magical prowess or the Doomsday Brethren, so how can he explain that mankind’s fate lies with the beautiful, tenacious bride he longs to seduce for himself?
Felicia is an Untouchable, a rare human whose presence disables magic -- even the impenetrable forces surrounding Morganna le Fay’s tomb. The evil witch’s malicious powers could propel nefarious wizard Mathias to ultimate world domination . . . if he can resurrect her. To conceal herself, Felicia must heed her simmering desires to mate with Duke, but he risks binding his life -- and sanity -- to a lover whose loyalty may be forever torn. He faces a terrible choice: betray his brother for ultimate survival . . . or lose the woman who tempts him beyond control.

Comment: This is the 4th book in the Doomsday Brethern series.
Duke is going to be late to his half-brother's wedding but he's not that worried because he's attracted to his fiancé. Felicia isn't really marrying Mason for love, only because he's safe, but when Duke shows up saying she's in danger and kidnaps her, her world changes.
Duke has always been a bit mysterious, not the most lively character in the series, or with the most obvious behaviour, but I was curious about him. He's loyal and trustful and I liked him from the start.
Felicia has had a brutal past. She was an orphan and had some bad experiences in foster care, besides she saw her foster sister comite suicide over a broken heart, so she decided not to the same and when she accepts Mason's proposal it's because they're friends. However, Mason surprises her on the wedding day, saying he's in love with her so when Duke kidanps her, she's afraid, but in a way, relieved she can postpone Mason's hurt.
I liked seeing these two together. They both have to overcome their fears and embrace the idea they're destined to be together, soemthing Duke realizes as soon as they kiss.
Both are afraid to hurt Mason, because they both love him and don't want to "betray" him, but as a wizard, Duke needs Felicia and ciscunstances force them to mate because Felicia proves to be a key character to the plot. Still Duke doesn't tell her what would happen when everything is over and she can renounce him.
Felicia has some trust issues to overcome, she has to learn to see Duke through different eyes, but when it happens, it's believable she loves him.
The plot also goes forward, some new things happen and we're not very clear on how the bad guy "survived" the battle in the end of the book.
I like this world a lot, like I said before, the writing flows, which makes the story alive and easy to read.
Next book is about Lucan and Anka, can't wait to see them renovating their bond.
The author also said she planned writing Shock's and Bram's story for sure. Let's hope she doesn't take too long.

Shayla Black - Possess Me at Midnight

As a mysterious dark cloud drains the life of her beloved brother, Doomsday Brethren leader Bram, Sabelle Rion can think of little else. Still, every time she meets Ice Rykard's intense green gaze, her body aches with need for the sexy warrior. Their attraction is explosive, incredible -- and forbidden. As dangerous as he is unpredictable, Ice is her brother's sworn enemy. But as Bram weakens, a more sinister force is gaining power.
Evil Mathias and his ruthless Anarki army are on a bloodthirsty hunt for the Doomsday Diary. Sabelle must guard the potent book with her life -- and Ice vows to protect the beautiful witch with his. Duty demands that Sabelle deny her lover's fiery call of possession and mate with a man who can sway the magical Council against the impending rebellion. With the fate of magickind hanging in the balance, will she forsake the burning desires she can't ignore or turn her back on her people for the courageous man she can't resist?

Comment: When knew the 5th book in the series was only going to be released in 2012, I stopped my reading frenzy because I didn't want to be so long without a new book. So, finally I decided to read the remaining two books I have because the 5th one is close be released.

This book is #3 in the series and I loved it. I remembered why I enjoyed the other so much and how hopeful I am that this will remain a great series.
This is the story of Ice and Sabelle. He comes from a family not very proper so no one really welcomes him and if not for the fight against the Anarki, perhaps even in the Doomsday Btrethern he wouldn't be accepted. But he is wiht them and has feelings for Sabelle, one of the most important females in the Privileged families. It's a clear case of difference in the social status, btu from the moment they kiss, Ice realizes she is the one for him.
Sabelle feels the attraction and, with time, finds the feelings too but she has the fate of the magickind to consider because her mating might be part of the solution to help others understand how dangerous Mathias is and how deceitful he is acting.
The best think like about these books is how fluid they go, and how easy is to keep reading. I've had difficulties reading some books because things didn't seem to evolve from one point to another but in this case, I think this is well done and makes the story easier to go through. Congrats on the writing style.
About the story itself, I liked seeing Sabelle and Ice together and how well they suited each other. It's not so much a matter of chemestry, they have it yes, but it's the whole situation, the fact they seem so different...I can't explain it, but if makes sense to see them together.
Besides, the story moves along, we see some politics taking place but all in a very clear way and we also see Ice making up with Bram, yay. The bad guy keeps being awful and I can't wait to see him being defeated.
We also get glimpses of other characters, old and new and little tidbits that might be important for future books.
All in all, a great book. an't ait for more. It's not the best series in the world, no, but it delivers and I'm very happy with the way things are.

Shayla Black - Seduce Me in Shadow

Ex-Marine Caden MacTavish has shunned his magical heritage all his life, but he will do anything to heal his desperately ill brother, a Doomsday Brethren warrior in mourning for his missing mate. Posing as a photographer, Caden must convince firecracker tabloid reporter Sydney Blair to reveal the source of her recent exposé on a supernatural power clash. Unfortunately, keeping his hands off the sizzling redhead proves as hard as getting them onto the potent and mystical Doomsday Diary he discovers at her bedside. A bloody rebellion led by an evil, power-hungry wizard is imminent. If Sydney divulges the book’s existence, she will jeopardize magickind’s most deeply guarded secrets and become the ruthless wizard’s number one target. Caden has never trusted magic’s cruel and dangerous powers, but he will protect Sydney with his life and magic—even if it means risking his heart.

Comment: I was quite surprised with this book. The first one in the series wasn't amazing or anything, but this one...it seems everything worked perfect to me in this book: the plot without too much useless information, or too little to make the story advance, the characters acted in a more realistic way and the purpose semed much more better accomplished that what one felt while reading the first one.

In this second book new things happen and new characters appear. It seems to me this a world to keep the eye on because it's getting great.

Next month I'll be reading book #3, let's hope it's as good as this one!

Tempt me with Darkness - Shayla Black

He's an immortal knight hungering for satisfaction....
As soon as Marrok sees Olivia Gray's dark windswept hair and burning violet eyes, he's sure they've met in eons past. He's felt her soft gentle curves writhing in pleasure beneath his own hard powerful body...Morganna! For centuries, towering Marrok, once the mightiest of King Arthur's warriors, has endured a terrible curse cast upon him when he spurned the witch.
She's a modern woman about to discover ancient magic....
Olivia shares a mystical — and irresistible — connection with brooding Marrok. Soon after the sexy warrior appears in her erotic dreams, he abducts her, demanding she uncurse him. Their intense passion is more powerful — and intimate — than either of them has ever known. Olivia may be the key to unlocking the diary that will break Morganna's hold on his life. But in the wrong hands, the book also holds the power to destroy all magickind. As they search for answers, a ruthless wizard returned from exile is building an army of evil. When he discovers Marrok and Olivia have the diary, only their love — with the help of a powerful group of magical Brethren — can save them.

Comment: I must confess I wasn't expecting much from this book. Things from the Arturian legend don't really appeal to me, but I wanted to see for myself if I was wrong.
Well, I wasn's completely wrong. The book is good but I'm not in love with the story. And I think it is worth more due to the characters than the actual plot.
I wished more authors would create more familair/friendship liasions betweeen characters. I wish this author had. I mean, obviously we get things because they are there, but in order to focus things in that couple, all the others can't have a central position. Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews, for instance, do it beautifully.
Anyway, the plot didn't surprise me much, the villains are bad but must be defeated someday and thr writing isn't very special.
The characters, like I said, are the strongest part and I was happy to meet several interesting characters. Now I'm more eager to know what's happening to them, with whom they're mating, than anything else.
So, I hope the following books are better in all the aspects.