Tag: The Guardians

Retro Review: Demon Moon by Meljean Brook

Posted November 1, 2017 by Holly in Reviews | 8 Comments

Retro Review: Demon Moon by Meljean BrookReviewer: Holly
Demon Moon by Meljean Brook
Series: The Guardians #2
Also in this series: Demon Night, Demon Bound, Demon Forged, Guardian Demon, Demon Angel
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: June 5th 2007
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 480
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

No one would call vampire Colin Ames-Beaumont kind, but they would call him unnaturally beautiful. For two centuries his tainted blood has kept him isolated from other vampires, sustained only by his beauty and vanity—bitter comforts, since a curse has erased his mirror reflection, replacing it with a terrifying glimpse of Chaos.

Savi Murray's insatiable curiosity had gotten her into trouble before, but she'd always escaped unscathed. Then came Colin. In the midst of Heaven, he gave her a taste of ecstasy—and of Chaos. Deadly creatures from that realm herald the return of an imprisoned nosferatu horde, and Colin and Savi’s bond is their only protection—and their only passion…

*****As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, we’ll be re-posting old reviews and posts that make us cringe, laugh or sigh all over again.

This review was originally posted on April 27, 2007.

Side Note: There’s no way I can review this book without including spoilers from the first one, Demon Angel. If you haven’t read DA yet, you may want to skip this review. I’ll try to keep the spoilers for this one to a minimum. :End Side Note

As I’ve mentioned several times now, I won an ARC of this on Sybil‘s blog. I was really excited to read it, especially after Demon Angel (and who doesn’t love free ARC’s?).

Although I enjoyed DA, my biggest issue with it was the pacing. It seemed bogged down with info dumps and was often so slow going I felt like banging my head against the wall. Although it took me ages to read this, it wasn’t because of the pacing. It was just my own busy life intruding on my reading time. The pacing issues were totally cleared up. Way to go, Meljean.

When I heard Colin the Vampire was set to be the hero of this book, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Though I truly enjoyed his character in Demon Angel, I thought he seemed shallow and vain and…almost immature? But MB did an amazing job of showing us the different sides of him. Yes, he was shallow and vain about some things, but the truth is, he was just as tortured as Hugh. Watching him struggle to battle his personal demons and his attraction to Savi was just..amazing.

As for Savi, well, I loved her. Plain and simple. Like, I totally have a girl-crush on her. Where Lilith was in-your-face strong, Savi’s strength was more internal, but no less amazing. I think she was a more personable heroine. The kind you’d like to be friends with. I loved her wit and humor and her general approach to life.

We saw the same characters. Michael and Selah, the Guardians. Lilith and Hugh. Auntie. Sir Pup. And we were introduced to several new characters. Mostly vampires. But they stayed in the background and the main focus was on Colin and Savi. We learned more about their time together in Caelum, Colin’s past and his link to Chaos, Savi’s family and just who they were period. In DA I often felt like, just when the exchanges between Hugh and Lilith were getting intense, the focus would shift to something else. It didn’t feel that way at all in this novel.

Although there are other things going on around them. A rogue demon, a cult of vampires and pressure for Colin to lead the vampire community. I love the world she’s created. This isn’t your typical vampire story. There’s still the battle for good vs. evil and the different realms. Plus, Chaos. That was creepy. And different.

The conflict between Savi and Colin, and the major thing that threatens their HEA was perfectly done. I don’t want to spoil it, but it was very believable. A lot of times authors don’t create a credible reason for why the H/H may not end up together. I was on the edge of my seat with this one. And the end? Awesome. I even cried a little.

I think the only issue I had with the book was…the sexual tension. Normally I lurve me some sexual tension, but this went on WAY too long. I mean, come one. Every single time they were about to get it on, something would happen. I was about to pull my hair out. Luckily once they finally get to doing the dirty it makes up for all the previous tension. But I have to tell you, I was hurting there for awhile. g

One last thing. On her blog, Meljean mentioned someone else reading this book and saying it could standalone. I completely disagree. I think had I not read Demon Angel first, I’d have been completely lost. As it was, there were several times I had to go back to DA to reference something. IMO, they should be read together.

I’m anxious to read the Wild Thing anthology, which contains Selah’s story. If you’re interested, Gwen from over at Sybil’s blog reviewed it. It sounds great.

Overall this book was amazing. Savi and Colin were wonderful characters and I can’t wait for the next installment.

4.5 out of 5

This book is out June 5, so be sure to bump it up to the top of your wish list. In the meantime? Go visit Meljean’s site. I really like it. And BONUS! She has excerpts up. 😉

four-half-stars


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Retro Review: Demon Angel by Meljean Brook

Posted February 8, 2017 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Retro Review: Demon Angel by Meljean BrookReviewer: Holly
Demon Angel by Meljean Brook
Series: The Guardians #1
Also in this series: Demon Night, Demon Bound, Demon Forged, Guardian Demon, Demon Moon
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: January 2nd 2007
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 432
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

For two thousand years, Lilith wrought vengeance upon the evil and the damned, gathering souls for her father's armies Below and proving her fealty to her Underworld liege. Bound by a bargain with the devil and forbidden to feel pleasure, she draws upon her dark powers and serpentine grace to lead men into temptation. That is, until she faces her greatest temptation—Heaven's own Sir Hugh Castleford...

Once a knight and now a Guardian, Hugh spent centuries battling demons—and the cursed, blood-drinking nosferatu. His purpose has always been to thwart the demon Lilith, even as he battles his treacherous hunger for her. But when a deadly alliance unleashes a threat to both humans and Guardians in modern-day San Francisco, angel and demon must fight together against unholy evil—and against a desire that has been too long denied...

As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, we’ll be re-posting old reviews that make us cringe, laugh or sigh all over again.

Man, I miss Meljean Brook. Per her website, she’s still writing, but things are going slooow. We haven’t had a new release from her in way too long. Demon Angel isn’t my favorite Brook novel, but it sets up this world so beautifully I had to repost this review. I feel a series re-read coming on.

This review was originally published July 15, 2013

The world building was imaginative, sensual and amazing. I was pleasantly surprised by the way Brook drew me into her fierce battle for souls and the fight between good and evil. I was also drawn in by the two lead characters, Lilith and Hugh. Though they came from two different worlds (literally) and were on opposite sides of an eternal battle, their connection to one another came across as not just sexual, but very emotional as well, which made their constant conflict all the more believable.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters and the relationships they had with Lilith and Hugh. Colin, the vampire they both befriended despite themselves; Sir Pup, Lilith’s hellhound; Savi, Hugh’s roommate and even Auntie, the woman who once took Hugh in, were fabulous characters, and while they played a large part in the overall story, they in no way intruded on the focus of the main story.

There were too many questions left unanswered, I think. Part of the appeal of this book is it really makes you think. Nothing is tied up in a nice, neat little bow, there are questions left unanswered and things you have to figure out on your own. Which was good and bad. I felt there were a few too many things left unexplained. However, because this is the first book of a series, I’m willing to wait for the next book before passing judgment.

I really struggled with the pacing. As much as I enjoyed this book, it was very slow moving. At times, the pace would pick up and I’d be sucked in, unable to set it down, and then it would get bogged down again and I’d have a hard time giving it my full attention. I understand that a lot of the information imparted was important for the story and the basis of the world Brook created, but at times there was Too Much Information. I think, in all honesty, the story could have been 100 pages shorter and been better for it.

Overall, I adored the storyline, the world building and the characters. I can’t wait for Demon Moon. I do hope, however, that the pacing will work better than it did in this one.

I think I’m going to give this one a solid:

4 out of 5

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This book is available from Berkley Sensation. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

This review was first published at Sanctuary’s Finest.

four-stars


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Review: Guardian Demon by Meljean Brook

Posted September 18, 2013 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Guardian Demon by Meljean BrookReviewer: Holly
Guardian Demon by Meljean Brook
Series: The Guardians #8
Also in this series: Demon Night, Demon Bound, Demon Forged, Demon Angel, Demon Moon
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: August 6th 2013
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 576
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

The new novel in the Guardian series from Meljean Brook, bestselling author of the  Iron Seas novels...

After a terrifying encounter in Hell destroys her trust in Michael, the Guardians’ powerful leader, former detective Andromeda Taylor is ready to call it quits as one of the angelic warriors and resume her human life again. But when demonic forces threaten her closest friends and she uncovers a terrifying plot devised by Lucifer, Taylor is thrown straight into Michael’s path again…

To defeat Lucifer, Michael needs every Guardian by his side—and he needs Taylor more than any other. The detective is the key to keeping his own demonic side at bay, and Michael will do anything to protect her and keep her close. And when Taylor manifests a deadly power, her Gift might tip the scales in the endless war between Heaven and Hell…or it might destroy them both with a single touch.

 

This is the book I’ve been waiting for. Though the leader of the Guardians hasn’t always been my favorite character, I have to admit he’s intrigued me from the beginning. I meant to re-read the series to prepare for this book, but once I received it I couldn’t wait and dove right into it. Though I’d forgotten many of the details of the previous books I felt Brook did a credible job of bringing me up to speed without bogging the story down. I would say this is a book best read as part of the series.

This novel is split into two stories. Story One is that of Taylor and Michael. Not just their romance, but the growth and changes they experience as individuals. Taylor is still trying to come to terms with her new life as a Guardian, and Michael’s betrayal of her in Hell makes her adjustment that much harder. As she struggles to find her new sense of self, she grapples with the decision of whether or not to continue on as a Guardian or go back to being human; not a decision to be made lightly.

For thousands of years Michael has held the esteem of his fellow Guardians. To have lost that, along with Taylor’s good opinion of him, sends him reeling. Plus, he was more attached to Taylor than even he realized. When she rejected him it caused more damage than he could have predicted. He wants to have what time he can with her, because the final battle their faced with will probably destroy him. But it’s hard for them to get quality time together when she’s terrified of him.

Story Two is that of the final confrontation between Lucifier, Belial and his demons and the Guardians. Brook’s world is so intricate. There are a million threads leading a million different place. She pulls them all together here and it culminates in an epic battle between the good, the evil and the lesser evil. One of the most fascinating things about this series is the gray area. The gray area is what made this book so emotionally compelling. Good is good and evil is evil..except when evil is good. This multi-faceted and three-dimensional world held me firmly in its grip until the very last page, and beyond.

I laughed, I cried, I broke out in a cold sweat.

Though I’m sad to see the series end, I have to admit this was the perfect way to close it. Michael didn’t disappoint. As much as I enjoyed the romantic aspects of the story, I was really drawn in by the final battle between the Guardians and the Demons. A dramatic and stunning conclusion to the series.

5 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

five-stars


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Guest Review: Guardian Demon by Meljean Brook

Posted August 14, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance

12739450Tracy’s review of Guardian Demon (Guardians #8) by Meljean Brook

After a terrifying encounter in Hell destroys her trust in Michael, the Guardian’s powerful leader, former detective Andromeda Taylor is ready to call it quits as one of the angelic warriors and resume her human life again. But when demonic forces threaten her closest friends and she uncovers a terrifying plot devised by Lucifer, Taylor is thrown straight into Michael’s path again…

To defeat Lucifer, Michael needs every Guardian by his side—and he needs Taylor more than any other. The detective is the key to keeping his own demonic side at bay, and Michael will do anything to protect her and keep her close. And when Taylor manifests a deadly power, her Gift might tip the scales in the endless war between Heaven and Hell…or it might destroy them both with a single touch.

Andy needed to recover after putting Michael’s soul back in his body. After that she find that her thoughts on being a Guardian have changed. She is so pissed at Michael she can hardly see straight and wants nothing to do with him. Since Andy is a novice once again, now that she’s no longer carrying Michael around in her head, she has to train. Andy just wants to Fall – be a human again. She thinks this Guardian stuff sucks and wants nothing to do with it. Of course Lilith tells her that she’ll be under the tutelage of Michael. Gah! Andy being Andy she lets her temper flare and then once she’s vented she’s over it. There’s too much to do.

A politician that is a friend to the Guardians shows up on a video exposing Special Investigations (the Guardians) and then is killed on tape by a vampire. The Guardians know that it was a demon in the politicians skin but they have to find out what happened to the real guy and the reasons behind it all. This leads them to the realization that Lucifer is on the war path – more so than normal. They have reason to believe that Lucifer will break through into Chaos from Hell and then open a portal to Earth. The Guardians must stop him in his tracks.

While all of this is going on Andromeda (that’s how Michael refers to her) and Michael are getting closer and closer as they work together to solve the puzzles. Michael loves Andromeda but doesn’t believe that she loves him. This is why when he knows he won’t be around for much longer he doesn’t believe she will grieve – boy would he be wrong. Lots of problems need solving and all the Guardians have to work together to defeat Lucifer.

Where do I begin? I can’t tell you too too much about what happens in the story because it will just spoil it and finding out new info on each page is half the wonder of this book. The other wonder is Meljean. She is freakin’ amazing. I’ve loved her books since I started reading her work but this one? This one takes the ultimate cake. I loved every word and couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to just sit and read with no interruption but unfortunately life didn’t work that way but even reading if over time didn’t diminish the impact of this book and that is a true testament to how well this woman writes. Her characters have a depth to them that we don’t see all too often and I love the humor and the humanity she puts into these paranormal characters. I could go on and on but I’ll stop. lol

The story was amazing. Andromeda and Michael were awesome – whether they were at loggerheads or falling into each others arms they were individuals that made their lives and the lives around them even better when they were together. I thought they were truly perfect for each other and though I didn’t that with the books leading up to GD, Brook made me an absolute believer.

The secondary characters, the love, the fight scenes – everything was so well done, I just can’t say that enough. I cried a couple of times during the book as it was so emotional and that’s not something I do easily.

Let me just say that if you haven’t read this series yet, why the hell not? Get on it NOW! If you have been reading the series over the years let me be honest (and loud) with my opinion – this is a book that you DO NOT WANT TO MISS – READ IT!

Rating: 5 out of 5 (I’d give it a 10 if I could)

The Series:
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You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This title is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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Guest Review: Demon Blood by Meljean Brook

Posted July 23, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance

Tracy’s review of Demon Blood by Meljean Brook.

Long before she was transformed into a Guardian and trained to fight demons, Rosalia knew darkness all too well. Raised by a demon, Rosalia learned to guard her heart–and her soul–until she found a man worthy of her love.

Once, she thought that man would be the powerful vampire, Deacon…until he betrayed the Guardians.

After losing everything to the lies of a demon, Deacon lives only for revenge–and is taken aback when Rosalia offers to help. A vampire who has nothing–who is nothing–isn’t worthy of her attention. But Rosalia wants to do more than just look, and the explosive need between them can’t be held in check. And when Deacon’s vengeful quest creates a dangerous alliance of their enemies, she will be his only hope…

Deacon has issues. He screwed over the Guardians in the last book rather than asking for their help – but he truly felt that they couldn’t do anything to save his vampire community. Now that his community is gone he’s on a rampage to kill every demon on earth. He wants them gone but he really doesn’t care whether he lives or dies. On top of that no other vampires, or Guardians for that matter, want anything to do with him. While he was previously a respected leader he is now less than nothing to the vampire communities in Europe.

Rosalia is on a mission as well. She’s determined to kill all the demons on earth, sound familiar? Only she needs Deacon’s help to do it. But Rosalia has an ulterior motive when it comes to Deacon. She feels that she needs to pay him back for a kindness that he doesn’t even remember from 90 years earlier. Rosalia manages to appeal to Deacon in a way that he agrees to work with her but it’s not all a bed of roses. Rosalia is a manager. She loves to manage people and she has a hard time letting go of control. Though Deacon hates being managed he is having a hard time thinking that he’ll eventually have to let go of Rosalia.

As usual Meljean Brook gives us a great story. Demon Forged (the previous book in the series) had a huge amount of information in it but it was done so incredibly well that at no time did you ever think it was just too much. With Demon Blood Meljean has continued the story but in this book she focused more on the romance between the h/h.

While I didn’t really love either character to death I saw good in both of them. Rosalia might have been a manager and control freak but she was absolutely brilliant. Planning the demon and nephilim destruction down to the minutest detail. Deacon was a bit harder to appreciate but his strength and the small views of kindness were worth reading about.

The climax of the story was a bit of a disappointment for me I must admit. I’m not sure if it was because of the build up prior to it happening or what but I was a bit let down that it wasn’t more. More what? I’m not sure I can say.

Now from reading my thoughts on the characters and the climax you may think that I didn’t like the story – not true. Meljean Brook has an amazing way with words and I found myself turning pages as fast as I could so I could just read more. Demon Blood is a very good book that I definitely recommend.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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