Tag: Immortal Brotherhood Novels

Guest Review: Immortal Defender by Lisa Hendrix

Posted October 27, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Immortal Defender by Lisa HendrixReviewer: Tracy
Immortal Defender by Lisa Hendrix
Series: Immortal Brotherhood #4
Publisher: Berkley, Intermix
Publication Date: October 18th 2016
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Return to the realm of the Immortal Brotherhood with a new paranormal romantic adventure featuring a crew of Viking warriors condemned to live out eternity as were-creatures...

In her Defender's strong arms, she has no defense...

Part of a band of Viking warriors cursed by an evil sorceress, Torvald has searched for years for a magic that can free him from his fate—to live forever as a were-creature, a man by night, a stallion by day. While studying with the alchemist to Queen Elizabeth, Torvald meets the lovely widow Josian Delamere and hopes she might be the one woman who can save him.

Unwilling to give up the independence of her widowhood, Josian expects to become merely lovers, but Torvald's tender seductions make her yearn for more. Just as she’s poised to surrender her heart, a hidden enemy reveals Torvald’s secret to her—and she flees the dark magic that surrounds him, in fear for her very soul.

The proud warrior can win any battle, but he cannot surmount the pain of losing Josian. Yet when her life is threatened, he will risk it all to come to the defense of the one woman who means more to him than his own salvation...

Torvald is a Viking warrior who was cursed long ago, alone with many others, to live a life of half man, half stallion.  By day he is man but when the sun sets he turns into a white stallion.

He is in London staying with a friend when he meets Josian Delamere.  They find a mutual desire in each other and some months later he heads to her home and they begin a tryst.  Unfortunately, not long after they begin Josian comes across Torvald and his friend Ari at sunset and sees Torvald turn into a stallion and Ari turn from a raven to a man.  She leaves her home and runs to her family’s estate.

Her brother-in-law is losing his mind and he decides to head to London to spout his ravings about the queen and his disloyalty to her.  Of course if one of the family is disloyal that means the entire family is disloyal as well, right?  So the entire family gets hauled off to the Tower – including Josian as she was staying with them.

Torvald feels responsible for her being there but he also finds himself falling for her. He works to get her freed from the Tower but once he does Josian is determined to find the papers that will prove the rest of her family is innocent of any wrong-doing and is loyal to the crown.  Torvald, Ari and two other cursed Vikings all help Josian in her quest and while they are together Josian finds herself falling in love with Torvald.  Could she be the woman who could break his curse?

I have to say I waited a darned long time for this fourth book in the Immortal Brotherhood series.  It’s been five years since book 3 was released but I really liked the series back then so thought I’d give this one a shot.  It was hard to remember all of the characters but I soon got into the story.  The first part of the book was slow for me.  I picked it up and put it down several times until I finally got into it – so be warned.

Torvald was a great hero.  He was strong and caring, conscientious and protective.  When Josian first sees Torvald changing she thinks he’s a demon and continues with her disdain through a goodly portion of the book.  I didn’t care for that but it didn’t sway Torvald or his feelings toward her.  He just did his best to help – not matter how Josian felt about him personally.

Josian was a bit much to take at some points in the book.  It was hard for her to deal with the whole changing thing but once she saw how her cousin dealt easily with the changes she opened herself to hearing what the men really were.  Imho that took too long into the story as I would have loved to have seen Torvald and Josian together for longer but that didn’t happen.

Overall it was a good story and definitely was interesting once Josian and her family were arrested.  I will definitely be reading the next in this series as I like the concept so much.  Hopefully we won’t have to wait another five years. 😉

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars

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Guest Review: Immortal Champion by Lisa Hendrix

Posted February 21, 2011 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 3 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance

Tracy’s review of Immortal Champion (Immortal Brotherhood #3) by Lisa Hendrix

Part of a cursed Viking crew, Gunnar the Red must toil through eternity as a half-man, half-beast. Only the magic of true love can release him. Though she is betrothed to another, could Lady Eleanor de Neville be his salvation?

Lady Eleanor is only 14 when she is saved from certain death by fire by Gunnar the Red. She is immediately smitten and sees Gunnar as her champion. Though she waits impatiently for his promised return it’s another four years before she lays eyes on him again. Gunnar isn’t planning on staying at Westmorland’s estate but he arrives when there is a tourney going on and decides to enter a game that ends up putting him right back in Eleanor’s presence. Eleanor is once again love-struck but Gunnar is a bit more wary until he see’s the comb that adorns Eleanor’s hair – a woman riding a bull.

You see, Gunnar is part of a Viking crew that was cursed 600 years before. Each man lives half of his day as a man and half as an animal of some sort. For Gunnar that animal is a bull so when he views Eleanor’s comb he is sure that his feelings that are increasing by the day are because of the fact that Eleanor is the woman for him – that one woman who can love him for who he truly is and can break the curse. Even though they want to be together there are roadblocks in their way – the main one being Eleanor’s father and the fact that she was betrothed when she was 14 and not to Gunnar! When Eleanor’s father finds that his daughter might be sharing her body with Gunnar he sends her off to the nunnery until she can be married to her betrothed. and tells Gunnar that she went willingly.

Gunnar, having once been betrayed once by his previous wife, believes the wretched man until one of his friends talks him in to going after her. But alas they are too late and Eleanor is already married. How will the two ever be together with Eleanor married and Gunnar not trusting in her love for him?

Once again Lisa Hendrix has written a great book.The interesting characters and an engaging and realistic story really drew me in and kept me there. The medieval story with the paranormal and magical elements really made for a good read.

Gunnar – like his bull – is incredibly stubborn. The man has little faith that anything good can come to him and trusts few people. Even when he knows he loves Eleanor and he knows she loves him he is still doubtful and distrusting. It got a bit much at times but he was written so well I had to be the one that had faith that he’d stop being such a…such a…man! (They can be frustrating) lol But I also felt so sad for Gunnar and Eleanor as they are constantly pulled apart from each other as the book spans a period of 19 years (including epilogue). It truly was a tale of star-crossed lovers. Luckily this one had a happy ending.

Like the first two book in this series we got the chance to see and visit with other members of the cursed Viking crew and as usual Ms. Hendrix put an extra little twist in the book with one of the Vikings, Ari, and his visions which I loved. She’s always adding something to each story that makes me want to read the next book but not in a way that it’s blatantly set up for the next story and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

The series:
Immortal WarriorImmortal Outlaw (Immortal Brotherhood)Immortal Champion (Immortal Brotherhood)

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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Guest Review: Immortal Outlaw by Lisa Hendrix

Posted June 26, 2009 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 4 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance
Tracy‘s review of Immortal Outlaw (Immortal Brotherhood Novels, Book 2) by Lisa Hendrix

For centuries he’s hidden in the woods. Now a maid has come to lead him out…

It’s been four centuries since Steinarr the Proud was cursed by a wicked sorceress—along with the rest of his Viking crew—to live for eternity as half man, half beast. By day Steinarr is like any other man—by night he is a lion. He has taken refuge in the woods of Nottingham, England, and there he encounters two young travelers, Robin and Marian.

Painfully aware of the danger he presents when the moon rises, Steinarr refuses to help guide them on their search for a special amulet. But a kiss from Marian awakens his desire. How can he protect the maid he so desperately wants to ravish? With motives of his own, Steinarr finally joins their quest, while the sorceress Cwen gathers her dark magic to destroy them. As a legend spreads of an outlaw in the woods, their band is joined by others. But it is Steinarr who has the most to gain and the most to lose—if he is ever to be free of the curse and free to love as a man…

Since being cursed Steinarr has pretty much kept to himself. He travels with another one of his brotherhood, Torvald, who is horse by day, man by night. He wants nothing to do with anyone else. He’s more or less a bounty hunter and that’s how he earns money to feed and clothe himself and Torvald. When Steinarr comes to the aid of an old man who is set upon by thieves he unwittingly puts himself in the path of Robin and Marian.

Robin and Marian say that they are cousins and are on a pilgrimage (although Steinarr knows that there are lies in there). They ask for Steinarr’s assistance in getting to their destinations but Steinarr refuses. He is too taken with Marian and wants to get far away from her. When Steinarr is asked to capture Marian and Robin – whose real names are Matilda and Robert – and will be paid more money than he can make in 5 years, he’s all over it. Steinarr finds Marian and Robin and is determined to do exactly what he’s paid to do; return Marian to her cousin, Guy, and make sure that Robin doesn’t darken Guy’s door again. But as Steinarr finds out, there are two sides to every story.

It turns out that Robin is the bastard son of Marian’s father. In order to inherit his father’s title and land Robin must decipher riddles and go to different places to get new riddles – a treasure hunt. They are searching for a treasure that Marian’s father and King Edward have hidden. Robin has 40 days after his father’s death to find the treasure and get it to King Edward to claim his title. If he fails then Guy inherits. But during their first find, Robin falls from a tree and breaks his leg –forcing Marian to go alone to find the treasure…eventually along with Steinarr. During the time that Steinarr and Marian are together a relationship develops and love blooms.

Immortal Outlaw is a great second installment in the Immortal Brotherhood series. I have to say that I was slightly leery to read the book when I saw that names Robin and Marian – thinking that Ms. Hendrix had gotten the two legendary figures separated. But as it turns out it is more or less the beginning of the tale as interpreted by the author. I think Ms. Hendrix did a great job bringing characters into the story and making them useful.

The relationship that Steinarr and Marian build is a good one. I think that although not every word that the couple spoke was written, it was implied that they talked more than was shown – but don’t get me wrong, many conversations between the two were shown. Even though Steinarr couldn’t be with Marian at night he always made sure that she was safe and looked after her the best way he could. For someone who had pretty much been a loner I think he did a wonderful job of adjusting…but not so well that it was unbelievable.

So far I’ve enjoyed this series and look forward to the next book. You can read my review of the first book, Immortal Warrior, here.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Book CoverBook Cover

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

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