Book Review: East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4) by Laura Kaye

East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4)
by Laura Kaye
ebook, 368 pages
Published April 22nd 2014 by Entangled Publishing, LLC
Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.

Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.

But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.

For a limited time only $.99

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This is the last book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, and the first one I’ve read. You can read it as a stand-alone, but all the characters from the previous three were in this one and it was a little confusing till I got them all straight in my head. Then there are the spoilers for the first three books…in spite of all that I absolutely loved East of Ecstasy.

Kaye struck gold with the idea of using the Greek Anemoi gods. Clever, clever girl. She created an interesting twist then added those tortured warrior men we love so much to the mix. And she apparently saved the darkest, guilt-ridden and most self-loathing one, Devlin, for last. Viewed as a villain or at the least untrustworthy throughout the series because his father is the crazy evil god of the East Wind and Autumn. Things go from bad to worse when it appears he betrays the Anemoi to his father and it resulted in a much loved character’s death (this is would be the spoiler if you read EOE first).

Anna is human and an artist. She's been getting visions of a terrible battle with death and destruction and she must paint them or the images in her head will drive her crazy. She also has some secrets in her past that even she doesn’t realize adding an OMG twist to the overall plot.

This book hits all my PNR buttons, and that is pretty hard to do. I was completely sucked in not wanting to put the book down, and at a pivotal scene I got teary-eyed. I loved the chemistry between the main couple and when they finally gave in to their passion it was…this pretty much says it all:

“I have long abstained, Anna. And now, I want you too f***ing bad. If I let myself off this leash, I’m going to come at you like a freight train. I will take you over and over again in ways you can imagine and some you can’t…”

“Choo-Choo” Devlin! Who wouldn’t want to ride that train? Yeah, I went there. If you love PNR then this is a must read. I look forward to reading the first three.

4.5 “choo-choo” sheep

Sharon Stogner

For a limited time only $.99
Catch up on the whole series with the Hearts of the Anemoi box set featuring the first three books: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender!

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About the Author:

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Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Release Day: East of Ecstasy by Laura Kaye + Giveaway

You guys! I can’t believe release day for East of Ecstasy is finally here! This is the final book in my Hearts of the Anemoi series, which includes: North of Need, West of Want, and South of Surrender. 

The Anemoi were wind gods the Greek associated with controlling the wind, weather, and seasons. In East of Ecstasy, hero Devlin Eston is the heir to the East Wind which has long been associated with unluckiness, misfortune, and, thanks to Devlin’s father, even evil. Devlin himself has been the victim of father’s evil, and thereby finds himself an outcast among his own divine family. In this scene, heroine Annalise Fallston—who gets visions that she’s forced to paint in order to quiet them in her mind—sees Devlin for the first time. Here’s what she says:

Forcing the chaos in her mind away, Anna dipped her brush into the gray and stepped to the canvas. Motion captured her attention from the corner of her eye.

The Dark Man, the subject of her recent paintings, stood in the doorway and leaned against the jamb.

Anna jumped and her pulse raced, but this time, anger flooded in instead of fear. “I will deal with you on my own damn terms,” she said, taking a perverse amount of pleasure from putting a figment of her imagination in its place. Because that’s all he was.

He didn’t move or speak. Not that he could, since, you know. Figment. Of. Imagination.

Anna rolled her eyes, done with being scared and so pissed to have to do this again that she was nearly out of her mind. “I’m doing your damn painting already. So just leave me alone.” She cut her gaze back to the expanse of white, but the desire to see if his image would still be there if she looked again drove her to distraction.

Finally, she gave in and…he was still there.

Completely still. Blatantly scowling. Totally unfathomable.

Was this a vision? Another image she’d have to paint?

Her heart tripped into a sprint, and she couldn’t look away from him. Like the compulsion that forced her to paint these images, Anna couldn’t help but return his stare and memorize his masculine features. The sharp angles of his face, the harsh set of his mouth, the dark shadows around his even darker eyes. Black eyes. Blades of black hair hung low over his forehead and just touched the hooded shirt he wore under his short, scuffed leather jacket. He’d crossed his arms over his chest, and the position caused his biceps to bunch up under the worn leather. In fact, everything about him appeared worn—the coat, the threadbare jeans, the scuffed boots. None of it struck her as the kind of shabby chic you could buy in some upscale store for a small fortune, either. The whole effect was rough. Dangerous. Deprived.

Deprived? What a strange way of describing him. But as Anna’s gaze swept over him again, the thought stuck. For his height, he seemed thin, with his lean hips, clad in old black jeans, a trim waist, and pronounced cheekbones. Her fingers twitched around the nearly forgotten paintbrush. What would it feel like to cup that harsh face in her hand?

Anna gasped and tore her gaze away. She had to blink to pull herself out of the haze of thoughts. Frustration surged through her and tensed the muscles of her shoulders and neck. She didn’t want to be working on another of these paintings as it was, so the last thing she needed was to lose a bunch of time daydreaming. Or would it be daynightmaring?

As she stared at the blank canvas, the image of the shackled man behind the prison bars filled her mind’s eye.

Definitely the latter.

Curiosity pulled her eyes to the left again. The doorway was empty.

So, did you have a favorite line from the excerpt? Thanks for reading!
Laura

East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4)

By Laura Kaye

The final chapter in the award-winning and bestselling Hearts of the Anemoi series…

She’s the only one who can give him the strength to save them all…

Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she's been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don't speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.

Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father's plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he's been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.

But Devlin's love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever...or lost. 

For a limited time only $.99
 Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

For a limited time only $.99
Catch up on the whole series with the Hearts of the Anemoi box set featuring the first three books: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

About the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Newsletter SignUp
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Cover Reveal: East of Ecstasy by Laura Kaye

Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.

Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.

But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.

Releases: April 22, 2014

pre order now
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catch up on the series today!

About the Author:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Newsletter SignUp
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in paranormal and contemporary romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Sheep Interview: Laura Kaye + give aways

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Today we have the lovable and apparently lusty (her words, not mine ;) Laura Kaye! She just released the second book in her Hearts of the Anemoi series, West of Want (and you will want). Stay with us till the end and enter to win an ecopy of West of Want or a West of Want t-shirt!

Sharon: So excited to have you here Laura! Have some moon pies and kool aid *hands Laura a glass shaped like a male torso* It is fun to lick the condensation off the abs <G>

Laura: LOL Thanks Sharon! *slurp* Mmm, tasty. Oh, and thanks for having me here!

Sharon: So I guess we should start with the basics…WTH is an Anemoi?<G> I am thinking not a creature that lives in the sea?

Laura: No! That’s an anemone! Totally different book…*winks* The Anemoi were wind gods the Greeks associated with the weather and seasons. There were four Cardinal Anemoi (north, west, south, east) and lots of ordinal Anemoi (i.e., northwest, southeast, etc.). And they have a great mythology full of power plays, fraternal feuds, lost loves and betrayals!

Katie: Sounds like my kind of story!

Laura: *goofy grins*

Katie: Have you ever written a romance scene that made even you have to stop and fan yourself?

Laura: Uh, yes. Definitely. The consummation scene in my vampire book In the Service of the King is DEFCON-5 hot! And I have a scene in an as-yet unpublished book that melts me! After all, they do say the mind is our largest sex organ… *winks*

Sharon: *innocent blink* What is she talking about Katie?

Katie: Oh my sweet, sweet Sharon.*pats Sharon's head* Don't you worry about it my dear.

Sharon: Got to know how you came up with such a clever idea for your series,using the N,S,W,E. Does this mean there will only be 4 books in this series?

Laura: I found the mythology of the Anemoi after I started writing the first book in the series, North of Need. I thought the hero in that story, Owen, was simply a snowman come to life. But when I tried to write it that way he would not cooperate! He insisted he was a snow god who simply manifested through the snow man, and then I went a-researchin’! Turns out many traditions have attributed the weather and seasons to supernatural entities, but the Greek mythology of the Anemoi captured my imagination in part because they were four brothers, and all of a sudden a series idea was born. Originally, there were only going to be four,but a new character emerged in West of Want, and he just might be demanding his own book!

Sharon: So what you are saying is there are all these sexy men gods running around in your head?...would you mind if we took a look? *sound of bone saw in background*

Laura: Meep! Step away from the bone saw! I die. They die!

Sharon: So be honest…which way does your compass prefer to point? This is a smarty pants way of asking which of the 4 do you like most.

Laura: I think I’m torn between the North and the South (Owen versus Chrysander) – can’t I have them both???

Sharon: how about you take N & S, cause you kind of created them…and Katie and I get E & W?

Katie: But I like the up and down parts!

Laura: Trust me, Zeph has up and down parts like you read about…

Katie: In the PNR world why do you think vamps are such a hit?

Laura: I think vamps are still so popular because they are the ultimate paranormal bad boy—they’re deadly, powerful, mysterious, immortal, and animalistic, and that triggers so many of the reasons people love reading paranormal romance. I also think it’s because their mythology is so flexible—people have offered so many variations on the classic vampire, and that means you can read story after story and not find exactly the same thing twice. Plus, you know, THEY’RE AWESOME!

Katie: Yes, yes I do know that. Le sigh. One day I'll finally capture one in my vampire net trap. I'll show you later how it works.

Laura: Oh, yay, toys!

Sharon: You mention in your bio a “bad dog”. Do tell… 

Laura: I totally have a bad dog, just a good thing he’s so cute! Jackson’s a German shepherd-collie mix we got from the animal shelter a little over 10 years ago. He’s the best dog evah! even when he’s being bad, which includes copious counter surfing, the ability to open and pilfer the pantry,and stealing stuffed animals, among other offenses. *winks*

I think she is telling stories about this cutie!

Sharon: Counter surfing? That is the first time I have heard it called that <G>. Our dog is a wastebasket raider…she is too short to reach counters and she likes to eat money! The paper kind…

Laura: Oh, Jack likes the trash cans, too. And do you know how hard coffee grounds are to clean up???

Sharon: What was the first paying job you ever had?

Laura: When I was 15, I got a job at a mall restaurant called the Orange Bowl, which served pizza, sandwiches, and desserts, but no oranges, interestingly… And I totally developed a crush on a mall security guard, too. LOL

Sharon: men in uniform…even at a young age, women can’t resist.

Laura: Even really tacky uniforms, le sigh…

Katie: If a book could become reality what fantasy world would you want to be sucked into?

Sharon: *makes sucking noises*

Laura: LOL! I’m not even hesitating here: the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. My absolute favorite paranormal series!

Sharon: *wipes drool from Katie’s chin*

Katie: No, the drool won’t stop! I want V and Z at the same time.Then John for dessert. Just saying.

Laura: Z is MY male! That is all.

Sharon: Your husband works for the White House, so can you tell us any secrets?

Katie: Yeah but she may have to kill us….

Sharon: But that would be bad PR: “author kills bloggers!”

Laura: *snickers* That might depend on the author or blogger involved! Every secret you need to know you can find in the National Treasure movies… *winks*

Sharon: I knew it!!!

Laura: Stick with me, Sharon, I’ll hook ya up every time.

Sharon: During the zombie apocalypse (cause we all know it is coming) which fictional character would you like to have at your back?

Laura: ROFL! I’ll go with the BDB’s Rhage, cause he could turn into his dragon and eat those mofos!

Sharon: Squee! He is my favorite brother!

Katie: Mmm Hollywood….

Laura: Mmmmmm, Rhage…oh, what? I’m sorry, what were we talking about? I think I was daydreaming for a moment there… *wipes drool away*

Sharon: *hands Laura bib* we go through a lot of these…

Sharon: If every time you entered a room a theme song/music would start playing, what would you want yours to be?

Laura: Bwahaha! Hmm…well, it wouldn’t beMadonna’s “Like a Virgin”… Ooh, I got one! Bruce Hornsby’s “The Show Goes On”

Sharon: *looks around uncomfortably* TMI, Laura, TMI…

Laura: If it’s TMI that this 40-something-year-old woman isn’t a virgin, I don’t know what kinds of women you hang out with!

Sharon: Of the 7 deadly sins, which was the last one you committed?

Laura: I was very lusty yesterday. Take that how you will…

Sharon: TMI LAURA!! <G>

Katie: Again, we shall talk more on this later Laura. Sharon and her virgin ears.

Laura: I am very suspect of these virgin ears… ‘Sall I’m sayin’.

Rapid Fire Round!

Sharon: Raindrops on Roses or Whiskers on kittens?

Laura: Whiskers on kittens! (I originally typedWhiskey on kittens—that too!)

Katie: Coke or Pepsi?

Laura: Coke!

Sharon: *sob!*

Katie: Baaahahahaha Don't hate. Coke is always the clear choice.

Laura: Damn tootin’.

Sharon: wall flower or social butterfly?

Laura: Sadly, wall flower.

Katie: Talking duck or talking monkey?

Laura: I’m going with the duck.

Sharon: AFLAC!

Laura: OMG, yes. AFLAC!!

Sharon: sweet nothings or dirty talk?

Laura: Dirty talk every day of the week and twice onSundays.

Sharon: O_o I’ll let Katie take this one ;)

Katie: lol

Laura: Katie, me doth think the lady protests too much…

Katie: War Hammer or Mace?

Laura: LOL I’ll go with the hammer.

Sharon: *thinking about Thor’s hammer*

Laura: *thinking about Chris Hemsworth* Thud.

Katie: *helps Laura up* Don’t worry, that happens here often…

Sharon: strong arms or strong legs?

Laura: Do I have to choose??? Oh, okay. Strong arms.

Katie: Glory of Love or On the wings of love?

Laura: I’ll go with the glory!

Sharon: school’s in or school’s out?

Laura: Schooool’s out for summer! Schooool’s out forevah!

Sharon: wedding in a castle or in a barn?

Laura: Aw, a castle would be lovely!

Katie: Aye! Aye!

Giveaway!:

One commenter who leaves their email will win anebook of West of Want! Open to international!
A second commenter wholeaves their email will win a West ofWant t-shirt (sizes L and XL available). U.S. only!

Don’t miss the West of Want in the Wild (thru 8/24) giveaway events, too!
"Laura Kaye's captivating writing and vibrant world-building will have readers hooked on the gods of the Anemoi. WEST OF WANT is steamy, spellbinding, and a must-read for all romance fantasy fans." ~Elisabeth Naughton, author of the Eternal Guardians series

Betrayal is all he's ever known, but in her, he'll find a love strong enough to be trusted...



When Marcella Raines' twin brother dies, she honors his request to be buried at sea, never expecting the violent storm that swamps her boat. Though she's gravely injured--and still emotionally damaged from her recent divorce--Ella fights to survive.



Zephyros Martius is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring, but being the strongest Anemoi hasn't protected him from betrayal and loss. Worse, he's sure his brother Eurus is behind it. When Zeph's heartbreak whips up a storm that shipwrecks a human, his guilt forces him to save her.



Ella is drawn to the vulnerability Zeph hides beneath his otherworldly masculinity and ancient blue eyes. And her honesty, empathy, and unique, calming influence leave Zeph wanting...everything. When Eurus threatens Ella, she and Zeph struggle to let go of the past, defend their future, and embrace what they most want--a love that can be trusted.

About Laura Kaye:
Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of over a half-dozen books in paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with all things paranormal. A published non-fiction author, Laura’s work as an historian and training as an archaeologist help her create vivid and accurate portrayals of other times and places. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
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