Book Review: Vampire Collection: Brink of Eternity and Embrace the Dark (Dawn of Ascension and Blood Rose Series Book 1) by Caris Roane

Vampire Collection: Brink of Eternity and Embrace the Dark (Dawn of Ascension and Blood Rose Series Book 1)

by Caris Roane

Length: 186 pages

Paranormal Romance
Welcome to Caris Roane's vampire collection, two very different novellas that track the journey of two powerful vampires. In entirely different ways, both BRINK OF ETERNITY and EMBRACE THE DARK, explore the sexy mystique of the warrior vampire, each over-burdened by the responsibilities of his job and in need of the love of a good woman.

BRINK OF ETERNITY follows the tradition of the Guardians of Ascension and introduces the Militia Warrior aspect of Second Earth. First published in July of 2011, the story features Warrior Gideon and his Mortal Earth lover, Elise Jordan, as she answers her call to ascension. BRINK OF ETERNITY launches a novella series called, Dawn of Ascension. The second novella, THE DARKENING, releases on Valentine’s Day, 2014. But the world is the same, and the Warriors of the Blood often show up as well as the magnificent Endelle.

EMBRACE THE DARK takes you into the world of the Blood Rose series, in which the blood-needs of a master vampire can only be met by one gifted woman. First published in May of 2012, EMBRACE THE DARK explores the Nine Realms of North America, a world inhabited not just by vampires, but by the fae, by charming trolls, and the evil Invictus pairs that prey on the weak of the realm. But ruling each realm, and more powerful than any other creature in the land, is a Mastyr Vampire. Our beleaguered Mastyr Vampire, Gerrod, suffers from chronic blood starvation and can only be sated by a phenomenon called a blood rose. But how can he accept Abigail as his blood rose, when she’s a mere human?

This is a fun box set of two novellas for a great price. If you're new to the Guaradians of Ascension series, then reading the tale included will give you a nice taste of what's in store. I'm a big fan of Caris and the sexy alpha warriors she's created. Their world is action packed, filled fill love and loss. Battles of epic proportions and steamy romance that heats up the pages. New and fresh, that's what you get with Caris. She's got a talent to write and works it like the best of them!

Embrace the Dark is another novella that takes the reader in to a darker realm of vampires and lore creatures. Written with twists and myths that pump some fresh blood into what can become a stagnate world. How many paranormal writers stretch their minds and come up with new and incredible characters? I'm not sure but I damn well know that Caris does! Hats and pants off to her for taking a big leap and letting readers hang on for the ride.

If you like paranormal romance with sexy men and their strong female counterparts, action, adventure, love and tenderness all mixed to a HEA beat...then grab this box set and dig your claws in!

Getting 4 Sheep

KD

About the Author:

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Hi, Everyone! Caris Roane here! I’m a USA Today Bestselling Author and I write super-sexy paranormal romance fiction designed to be as much an adventure as a soul-satisfying experience. With every book I write, I try to give a taste of real life, despite the fact that I’m writing about hunky vampire warriors. You’ll come away engrossed in the lives of my vampires as they wage war, as they make love, and as they answer the tough questions of life in terms of purpose, eternity, and how to raise a family! I began my career with Kensington Publishing writing Regency Romance as Valerie King. In 2005, Romantic Times Magazine honored me with a career achievement award in Regency Romance. I’ve published fourteen paranormal novels to-date, some self-published and some for St. Martin’s Press! I’ve also branched out into Contemporary Romance with A SEDUCTIVE PROPOSITION!

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Today our featured author is PNR author Caris Roane! She writes those sexy winged vampire warriors that Katie loves so much! She has a new series based on her Guardians of Ascension called Dawn of Ascension! You can check out our reviews of both of the new novellas.
Brink of Eternity (Dawn of Ascension, #1)
The Darkening (Dawn of Ascension, #2)

About the Author:

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I confess I've had a love affair with vampires for several years now, especially warrior vampires, the kind found in the books of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian and JR Ward. Though I've been published in Regency Romance under the pseudonym Valerie King--and yes one of my Regency Novellas features a vampire--one day I woke up knowing I had to create my own contemporary world of the warrior vampire.

For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!

Caris Roane

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Book Review: The Darkening (Dawn of Ascension, #2) by Caris Roane

He thwarted connection of any kind…
Fearing that his newly emerged grayle power will kill innocent ascenders, Samuel Daman struggles to keep his distance from beautiful Vela Stillwell. But the breh-hedden has struck and her light floral scent tears at his restraint. When the enemy draws them both into the darkening, a place of secret travel for Third ascenders, will Samuel learn to control his power, or will he destroy what he desires most?

She hid from grief…
Vela Stillwell wanted a new life, away from Militia Headquarters, away from the reminder of all she’d lost when her husband died five years earlier. Seeking a more reclusive occupation, she finishes her last day of work only to have Samuel Daman and the infamous breh-hedden sweep through her life. Though trying to disconnect from her new emerging power and from Samuel, the call of the darkening pulls Vela into an adventure that both terrifies her, yet reveals the truth about her deepest desires. Will she succumb to the breh-hedden, or will her fears prevent her from living life to the fullest?

The Darkening, the second novella in Caris Roane's new Guardians of Ascension series, is a fast-paced, action-packed, sexy ride that will leave readers new and old wanting more.

Warrior Samuel has two big problems, the first being that his newly emerged, but deadly powers have been discovered (by whom?). The second is that the breh-hedden (a kind of bonding that begins with the affected pair being able to scent each other) has struck and is slowly taking over his thought process. He is the type of hero that really makes a romance thrive; the battered soul who, on the outside is deadly and fierce, but on the inside is lonely and unsure.

Vela Stillwell's plans for her future have been completely blown apart. On her last day at work the breh-hedden comes for her and the last thing she wants or needs is another warrior in her life. Widowed five years before, all she wants is a quiet, peaceful life away from men and the war that claimed her husband. She may seem like a quiet, reclusive female but she's more than willing to step out of her self-imposed exile if it means saving lives. She's gutsy, strong, and intelligent. Vela's strong reaction to Samuel is frightening to both of our leading characters, and with both Samuel and Vela fighting the breh-hedden, The Darkening adds an element of angst to action and romance.

What was truly enjoyable about this novella is that, like in the previous one, Brink of Eternity, there are a lot of details and there's a real story development in The Darkening. The pace of the story is fast but thorough, something that I've rarely found in novellas. Readers get a real sense of Caris Roane's style and are able to better judge if the full length novels are for them or not. In the past I have read and liked novellas by certain authors, only to be disappointed when I purchased a book by that author. Such is not the case here and that is something to consider when looking at these series.

As a new reader (this is only my second foray into the world Roane has created) I still found the terminology a little confusing but because I already knew the dictionary was located at the end of the book, reading went a little smoother. Still it is a little hard to keep up with the names of previous characters so I recommend reading the previous books before picking this one up.

Because Caris Roane has definitely piqued my interest with how detailed and complete her worlds are, I will (hopefully) be picking up all her previous books soon.

4 Sheep

Guest Reviewer: Adria
Adria's Romance Reviews Among Wildlings
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About the Author:

website-fb-twitter-blog

I confess I've had a love affair with vampires for several years now, especially warrior vampires, the kind found in the books of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian and JR Ward. Though I've been published in Regency Romance under the pseudonym Valerie King--and yes one of my Regency Novellas features a vampire--one day I woke up knowing I had to create my own contemporary world of the warrior vampire.

For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!

 

  

Book Review: Brink of Eternity (Dawn of Ascension, #1) by Caris Roane

Brink of Eternity (Dawn of Ascension, #1)(Guardians of Ascension #2.5)
only $.99 for the kindle

Guardians of Ascension novella, tracks vampire Militia Warrior Gideon, who is on the brink of becoming an elite Warrior of the Blood. The Militia Warriors strive to keep the peace on Second Earth while battling death vampires whenever they can. Brink of Eternity gives a glimpse into the Militia Warrior world as Gideon breaks all the rules to protect his ex-girlfriend, Elise, during her rite of ascension, a process that puts her directly in the path of a dozen lethal enemies.

I've never read Caris Roane's books before but I must say the idea of winged vampire warriors was intriguing. Brink of Eternity is a Guardians of Eternity novella, however it isn't like any novella I've ever read. While most seem to speed through details and tend to leave this particular reader unsatisfied, this was completely different.

Though it does fall into the novella category, Brink of Eternity has enough details to give readers a taste of what a full-fledged novel by Caris Roane is like. Gideon is strikingly handsome (though for some reason I kept picturing him as a dark haired hero even though he is clearly a blond, go figure), as well as fierce, deadly, and stubborn. He tries not to form attachments to anyone because of his job as a warrior, though once he starts to love, he doesn't do it in half measures. Elise is one of those silently strong heroines, meaning her strength isn't as obvious as the hero's but when it's tested, she more than matches up. She's a reasonable but not malleable female and that's a definite plus.

Readers meet Gideon and Elise about a month after they've broken up and it's immediately clear that these two characters are not over each other. Caris Roane definitely doesn't hold back on the sexual tension or sex just because it is a novella; this is definitely a mature, adults-only book.

There's quite a bit of action packed into the story and it keeps Brink of Eternity from becoming stale and ordinary. I enjoyed the overall pace and plot of the story, and the characters definitely worked for me. While marked as a paranormal romance, it contains elements of science fiction and fantasy as well and the story works to make everything more believable and exciting.

There was only one point of contention for me throughout the story, and that was the immense amount of terminology used. Caris Roane definitely uses a lot of descriptive phrases and that's fine, but when it comes to a new reader picking this up, well, at times I was left a little befuddled and slightly disoriented. Words like breh-hedden and cadroen are a bit difficult to remember on top of all the other specialized terminology used. Another terminology problem for this particular reader is that words like "folding" don't mean what you might think; it's slang for dematerialization. So a good memory would be advisable unless you're a long time fan of the series then you've already got everything memorized.

Overall, Brink of Eternity was a very good read, with a strong story line, brisk pace, and steamy scenes. If author Caris Roane could just include a "For Newbies" type chart/dictionary at the end I'm sure that would help new readers a lot. As it stands, there is only a dictionary at the end which helps a lot, but I didn't know it was there until I finished the book. I would like to have had a bit of a primer on Mortal Earth, Second Earth and Third Earth for starters but I'm pretty sure that since I plan on picking up more of her books, I'll learn the differences in time.

3 and 1/2 Sheep

Guest Reviewer: Adria

Adria's Romance Reviews Among Wildlings
Facebook-Twitter 

About the Author:

website-fb-twitter-blog

I confess I've had a love affair with vampires for several years now, especially warrior vampires, the kind found in the books of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian and JR Ward. Though I've been published in Regency Romance under the pseudonym Valerie King--and yes one of my Regency Novellas features a vampire--one day I woke up knowing I had to create my own contemporary world of the warrior vampire.

For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!