Liviania’s reviews of Books 4 (Dark Crusade) and 5 (The Hellhound King) of the Unbound Series by Lori Devoti
Paranormal romance released by Silhouette Nocturne

I first learned about Lori Devoti through a contest right here on TGTBTU, before I was a duckie.  When I saw there was a new book in her Unbound series, I quickly snatched it up.  Just as quickly I realized that I hadn’t read the book before it, so I snatched that one up too.  Reading the books together worked well, since the character Marina plays a big part in both.

Dark Crusade (Book 4)
Released 1 Apr 09

Dark Crusade follows immediately after the events of the second Unbound novel, Guardian’s Keep, and tells the story of Kerr, the leader of the exiled garm.  (The third book, Wild Hunt, continued the hellhound storyline and left the fate of the garm-in-exile unknown.)  Unfortunately, I read Guardian’s Keep in June 2008 and couldn’t remember a thing about the book.  (My mind, she ain’t what she used to be.)

This one didn’t work as well for me as The Hellhound King.  Kerr, the hero, is a good enough guy.  He’s loyal to his men, who have been imprisoned by the elves.  He’s also loyal to Heather, once he falls for her.  But Heather is a witch, and the elves kill witches, and Kerr is pretending to be loyal to the elves so that he can find his men and get them out of prison.  While Kerr may be the leader, his plans never work. It’s surprising that people continue to let him be in charge.

Heather lacked Kerr’s affability, to me.  I understand that she’s worried about dying and would like to get out of the dimension where a lot of people want to kill her.  Who wouldn’t?  At the same time, she never seems to get why Kerr is torn between helping his men and helping her.  Apparently compassion and loyalty are difficult concepts instead of things you should look for in a man.

Overall, both the plot and romance take awhile to move.  Heather is clearly special, but Devoti waits until the book is almost over to reveal why.  Dark Crusade isn’t bad, but it is average.  I like Devoti, but she has trouble with consistency.

Grade: C-

Summary:
Exiled rogue shapeshifter Kerr Vik once saw being transported to Gunngar as a fresh start. Until the one person he most regretted leaving behindcaptivating witch Heather Moorestumbles through the portal…and finds herself right in the middle of a witch hunt. Heather has courageously come to Gunngar to redeem herself. But Kerr knows that if she braves it alone…she will die. He must somehow send her back through the portal. And it’s not long before a collision of truth, love and duty complicates Kerr’s mission by forcing him to choose sides: should he save this forbidden love or protect his honor?
Read an excerpt here.

The Hellhound King (Book 4)
Released 1 Feb 10

In Dark Crusade, Marina was the leader of the elves who go around killing witches.  In The Hellhound King, she’s the heroine.  I don’t want to give anything away, but Devoti does an excellent job of redeeming Marina and turning a crazy villain into a compelling heroine.

When Marina goes home to the unexiled elves, she is followed by Raf, a garm.  She also discovers that the political situation in Alfheim is unstable, to say the least, and she’s the heir to the throne.  An heir who must factions would prefer to keep as a puppet.  Marina has to keep herself alive and protect her little sister.

I liked the balance Devoti played with in Raf and Marina’s relationship.  Both of them are competent and strong and both of them quickly learn to trust each other, but only in the most simple ways.  In practice, they don’t respect each other’s ability to handle difficult situations.  They have to learn to deepen their trust, or the relationship won’t survive.

I love reading about political maneuvering, and The Hellhound King has just enough to be interesting without taking away from the hero and heroine. There are also a few subplots that I hope will return in future Unbound novels – namely, the bounty hunter and Amma the super-witch.  The Hellhound King is Devoti working on all cylinders.

Grade: B+

Summary:
All Raf Dolg wanted was revenge. Marina Adal–part witch, part elf princess–had betrayed him once, condemning the handsome hellhound to an elfin dungeon. But once the lithe and seductive Marina is in his hands, Raf realizes that the long-haired beauty is also a victim of betrayal–a pawn in the plans of a cruel elf lord and of the destiny tying her to the throne of Alfheim. Together they face the treachery that nearly tore them apart as well as their own divided souls. Bound by their love, the two outcasts must band together if their passion is to stand a chance….
No excerpt found.

I think this series still has legs.  My opinions of the individual books may be varied, but overall I like the world and the Norse-based mythology.  I look forward to seeing what Devoti will do next with the Unbound cast.

Liviania’s review of Unbound (Unbound, Book 1)

Liviania’s review of Guardian’s Keep (Unbound, Book 2)

Sandy M’s review of Wild Hunt (Unbound, Book 3) by Lori Devoti
Contemporary paranormal romance published by Silhouette Nocturne 1 Jun 08

This was the book in this series I’ve been waiting for, probably like a lot of you. I was waiting for that reunion between father and son and I knew it would be bad before it would be good, and while I liked the book and the story, I’m slightly disappointed in the reunion.

Venge is still carrying around the hatred for his father, Risk, the hellhound who beat him in battle and then left Venge at the mercy of Lusse, who had held them in captivity for years. Now that he has been summoned by the call of the horn to start a new Wild Hunt with other hounds, his plan to destroy his father is closer than ever. Once he gets his hands on the horn he will lead the hunt straight to his father and revel in his revenge. Standing in his way, however, is Geysa, a woman who also calls to him, one he wants as he’s never wanted anything before in his miserable life. Only she and his desire to cut his father down makes his freedom worthwhile.

But Geysa is a Valkyrie, a sworn enemy of the hellhouds. She doesn’t want to be attracted to Venge, but there’s just something about him and about herself when she’s with him that doesn’t give her any choice in the matter. Learning to trust Venge is difficult, and even after being in his arms and his bed, he gives her reasons again and again why he can’t be trusted. So why keep trying? Especially when she finds out why he wants the horn. She can’t understand why he would want to destroy his father when her own experience with family is something she cherishes. But when things begin to go wrong and secrets come to light, she can only hope she’s not too late to let Venge know how she feels and it’s not too late to help him escape the clutches of the Erlking and the Wild Hunt.

The storyline of the hellhounds is still a great read and Ms. Devoti keeps you glued to the page with complexities of the Valkyrie/hellhound relationship, the search for the horn, the history of the hunt, and of course the growing love between Venge and Geysa that goes through so many different changes. What I wanted more of, more emotion from was the reunion between Risk and Venge. To me there should have been more than what we got because Venge’s hatred is so deep-seated, it’s been his one purpose for so long.

I felt a little shortchanged in those scenes between them. I mean, there wasn’t even a scene with just the two of them to talk to each other, to maybe shed a tear or two and give a couple of hearty back slaps. I know it’s a relationship that has to grow over time because of what they’d been through, but I was hoping for a tad more initial emotion from them. It’s just that their history is so fraught with a myriad of emotions that it would seem we’d still get more when they finally reunited. I was also surprised there wasn’t more emotion from Venge when seeing his infant brother for the first time.

However, as much as I wanted that and didn’t get it, it all didn’t take away from the book and the romance we did get. If there are any further books in the series, I will still anxiously await their release. It’s a series worth taking the time for.

Grade: B

Summary:

Natural enemies–hellhound and Valkyrie–their alliance made them more powerful than anyone could anticipate…
Alongside his hellhound brethren, Venge Leidolf was summoned to start the Wild Hunt anew. But in this dreaded pursuit of souls, Venge sought to free himself from his infernal bondage–by claiming the heart of a fierce Valkyrie…

Geysa never questioned the alluring gifts that set her apart from the other Valkyries, or her hatred of hellhounds–until Venge fell under her spell. Drawing the alpha hellhound so close made Geysa doubt her every instinct. To stop the Hunt, the two blood-born enemies would need to cast aside old vows and allegiances. Only then could no one question the strength of their union…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Liviania‘s review of Guardian’s Keep (Unbound, Book 2) by Lori Devoti
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Silhouette Nocturne (Harlequin) 1 Jan 08

Kol Hildr, a garm (wolf shapeshifter of sorts), guards the portal located in the bar Guardian’s Keep. Based on the events of Unbound, the Garm Council feels Kol may no longer be the best guardian. The fact witch Kelly still snoops suspiciously around the bar, during a time of concentrated attacks, deepens their misgivings since Kol seems to do nothing about her presence. Kol will not act because he does not want to believe Kelly is his enemy due to his attraction.

Unsurprisingly, Kelly is not his enemy. She’s being manipulated by Aesa, a woman who claims her son went missing due to the activities at Guardian’s Keep. The rebel garm, who want portals of their own, quickly realize she is Kol’s weak spot. They easily manipulate the lovers because Kelly continues to be as dumb as she was in Unbound and Kol tends to descend to her level. It’s sad this is a romance focused on those two because there is some very interesting politics going on.

The most powerful garm, Fenrir, was long ago betrayed and trapped on Lyngvi. The gods feared his power and wanted him out of the way. It may just be that the Garm Council had a hand in his betrayal. After all, Fenrir does not seem like a menace. When he encounters Kelly and Kol, he helps them to survive. Fenrir and Aesa’s story caught my attention far more than that of Kol and Kelly. I wish the book could have given them more screentime. Aesa’s a strong female who sometimes makes bad choices due to her desperation. Many mysteries were left unsolved about the garm’s history and the future of Fenrir and his son, which left me disappointed. Those aspects of the book drew me in the most and I wish they were given more resolution. (That is not to say I did not love the bit of resolution they were given, which was quite sweet and showed Aesa’s determination.)

Another excellent aspect of the story is the relationship between the misfits that frequent the Guardian’s Keep portal and Kol. They show how good Kol is at his job and why he was assigned to such an important location. It’s an important part of his life for Devoti to illuminate since he tends to make rash decisions under the influence of Kelly. Actually, I did expect there to be more revelations based on the Garm Council’s efforts to keep Kol in their employ. The emphasis on his importance to them seemed like it would should go somewhere.

While Guardian’s Keep disappointed me, I am still going to read Wild Hunt. I hope the lack of Kelly will allow it to equal or surpass Unbound. I also hope to learn more about the hellhound society, even though the politics of the garm were interesting. Devoti has established an interesting world and writes entertaining action scenes. For now I will choose to consider Guardian’s Keep a fluke.

Grade: C

Kol Hildr had spent the last century battling hellhounds and warlocks who sought to usurp his portal’s magic. A mighty shape-shifter with the ability to change into wolf form, Kol made accessing the powerful gateway nearly impossible–unless you were a witch of Kelly Shane’s talents. She had a score to settle and would do anything to close the portal that led to her unearthly prison. Though an alliance with her compromised Kol’s purpose, something about the little witch overwhelmed his fierce, battle-worn soul. But when he learned Kelly’s life might be in jeopardy, could Kol put aside the one thing he thought he valued most–the portal–to journey to the other side and rescue her?
read an excerpt

Liviania‘s review of Unbound (Unbound, Book 1) by Lori Devoti
Paranormal romance released by Silhouette Nocture 1 Jun 07

This was my first category, ever. Okay, I cracked a Suspense once but I didn’t make it farther than three pages. Therefore it does not count. This was my first category to finish. I really had a fun time with it. Kara is a young woman searching for her twin sister – even braving the strange bar known as the Guardian’s Keep. Outside she is attacked by a dog, which is in turn attacked by another dog . . . when she wakes up she is in the home of the attractive Risk Leidolf.

Hellhound Risk has been ordered to bring Kara back to his employer Lusse so she can steal Kara’s power. Kara does not know she is a witch, although her sister realized they were. He is reluctant to betray Kara after he captures her because he feels a connection. Risk holds onto his humanity rather than giving into his animalistic side. He desperately tries to find a way to save her and his son Venge, who is also under the control of Lusse. He’s the whole package: brains and brawn. Even Jormun, the exiled Norse god, respects his strategizing.

Did I mention the mythology of the story is based on the Norse tradition? Because it is. And that is sexy.

So is Venge. I wanted his story right after I finished, but alas I still have not bought Wild Hunt. (He’s a redhead. I have a weakness for red hair. He had other endearing qualities, but that gave him a foot in the door. He’s a kicked puppy, who wouldn’t like him?) I did buy Guardian’s Keep, which alas features Kelly. TSTL Kelly. She ignores the garm bartender’s warnings, gets a friend killed, and puts herself and her sister in mortal danger. She also tries to convince Kara not to trust Risk despite the fact he’s obviously twenty times smarter than she is. Kelly dragged a good book down.

Unbound was a good choice for my introduction to categories. It had two solid leads, a fast-paced plot, interesting world-building, and a few cool side characters who let the main characters have center stage. I bought Guardian’s Keep instantly because I enjoyed Unbound so much. Many a single title paranormal romance has satisfied me less. Yes, I could have done without Kelly, but she does not show up until the end. Until that point I breezed through the story. Once she appeared she managed to cause minimal trouble, mainly because Kara possessed common sense.

Grade: B-

Risk Leidolf is a hellhound—a legendary, otherworldly creature who is both man and beast. For centuries, he’s been bound to do the bidding of an immortal witch. But after being ordered to destroy novice witch Kara Shane, the man within him rebels. And the beast within him is held at bay—for now.

Fiercely drawn to each other, Risk and Kara soon form a passionate alliance as they set out to find her missing sister—and the key to his salvation. For the power unleashed by the twin witches could free him from the immortal witch’s bondage. But that freedom comes at a steep price. For the fierce battle will put more than one soul at stake…and two hearts on the line.

Click on the Unbound series tag for more reviews and information.

We have the winners for the “Hunt is On” contest!!

Some of our lucky winners are going to win a copy of Wild Hunt, the third book in the Unbound trilogy, and others will win the first book, Unbound.

The copies of Unbound go to:

• acdaisy77
• Phyllis Lamken
• Liviania
• Tez Miller
• Deirdre

The copies of Wild Hunt go to:

• Ashley
• Jody W.
• Azteclady
• Wendy

• Crystal GB

Congratulations! Please email your contact info to redwyne (at) gmail (dot) com and put “Lori Devoti Contest” in the subject line.

…for some Reader/Reviewers!

Wild Hunt, the third book in the Unbound trilogy by Lori Devoti will be released by Silhouette Nocturne in June 2008. Read the blurb and excerpt, then read on to find out about the contest!

Natural enemies–hellhound and Valkyrie–their alliance made them more powerful than anyone could anticipate…

Alongside his hellhound brethren, Venge Leidolf was summoned to start the Wild Hunt anew. But in this dreaded pursuit of souls, Venge sought to free himself from his infernal bondage–by claiming the heart of a fierce Valkyrie…

Geysa never questioned the alluring gifts that set her apart from the other Valkyries, or her hatred of hellhounds–until Venge fell under her spell. Drawing the alpha hellhound so close made Geysa doubt her every instinct. To stop the Hunt, the two blood-born enemies would need to cast aside old vows and allegiances. Only then could no one question the strength of their union…
Read an excerpt here.

You can find find out more about the Unbound world here. The previous two books in the trilogy were reviewed and enjoyed by Sandy, and I’ve read numerous recommendations.

Book 1: Unbound Read the blurb and excerpt here Read Sandy’s review

Book 2: Guardian’s Keep Read the blurb and excerpt here Read Sandy’s review

Have we piqued your interest? I must admit to being interested in finding out more about the hellhounds. Don’t think I’ve read any hellhounds…that’s refreshing. Lori Devoti is giving away ten copies of Wild Hunt and ten copies of Unbound to twenty lucky readers residing in the US or Canada. But such a bounty does not come without a price. If you win, you are obligated to review, discuss or mention the book somewhere on the ‘Nets. On your blog, myspace page, website, where ever. Them’s the rules. Think about your karma.

Now, to enter the contest I want you to answer the following question:

What is the most unusual supernatural creature you’ve seen featured in a paranormal?

Contest will end on Saturday, May 3 at noon. Go, ponder, comment, and keep your fingers crossed!!  *Closed*

Sandy M’s review of Guardian’s Keep (Unbound, Book 2) by Lori Devoti
Contemprorary paranormal romance released by Silhoutte Nocturne on 1 Jan 08

I’m fast becoming a Lori DeVoti fan. I fell in love with her shape-shifting hellhounds in Unbound, the first book in this series, last year. Her wolves now have me captivated, and we’re left wide open at the end of this book for more in her world of the garm.

Kol is a garm – half-human/half-wolf protector of portals – and he has protected his portal for hundreds of years. We met him originally in Unbound, and now Kelly, a twin witch, is back at Kol’s bar to make him pay for the death of a friend when. Kol is protective of Kelly from the beginning, although neither of them stop to think about why. Trouble is brewing and Kol feels it, knowing he has to be constantly on guard; therefore, he doesn’t need a pretty, but nosy, witch in the middle of things.

Kelly does have a legitimate cause that brings her back to Kol’s door. Her revenge is something she can wreak on him in the process, especially when she finds out he’s allowed children to be transported through his portal. Her current client is the mother of a kidnapped eight-year-old boy, taken as a pawn to use over his father, Fenrir, the most powerful garm there is. Trying to discover the secret to opening the portal is her first priority in rescuing the child, but Kol never leaves it unguarded.

The more these two are thrown together, the more their attraction grows. The emotion in the book also grows when both Kol and Kelly will do anything to save the other. The scenes that take place on the other side of the portal are quite intense.

Kelly is a strong woman, just like her twin. She knows how to harness her power and doesn’t hesitate to use it. Kol is definitely an alpha character, but I enjoyed how he let Kelly do her thing when they had their backs against the wall. As much as he’d love to coddle her and send her home out of harm’s way, he knows she can hold her own. I like these two together and the other regular patrons of Kol’s bar are an interesting lot – it’s fun to see them a little more in this entry.

While I like this book, I enjoyed Unbound more – the more tortured the hero the more I love their story and Unbound‘s Risk was seriously tortured. But Keep is action-packed, full of tension and suspense, betrayal, love and romance, too.

So far this is a great series, and I’m really looking forward to June 2008′s Wild Hunt, the story of Risk’s son, another very tortured hero.

Grade: B+

See my review of Unbound here.

From the back cover:

Only the strongest guard the portals and gateways to other realms

Kol Hildr had spent the last century battling hellhounds and warlocks who sought to usurp his portal’s magic. A mighty shape-shifter with the ability to change into wolf form, Kol made accessing the powerful gateway nearly impossible—unless you were a witch of Kelly Shane’s talents. She had a score to settle and would do anything to close the portal that led to her unearthly prison. Though an alliance with her compromised Kol’s very purpose, something about the little witch overwhelmed his fierce, battle-worn soul. But when he learned that Kelly’s life might be in jeopardy, could Kol put aside the one thing he thought he valued most—the portal—to journey to the other side and save her?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:
and coming in June 08, Venge’s story (Book 3), Wild Hunt

Sandy M’s review of Unbound (Unbound series, Book 1) by Lori Devoti
Paranormal romance published 1 Jun 2007 by Nocturne (Harlequin)

For some reason he just couldn’t turn Kara over to the witch and that wasn’t like him. When Risk finds out Kara is a twin, he begins to plan his escape from Lusse, his captor. Twin witches are rare and very powerful, a power that he can use. For so long he hasn’t cared about anything or anyone, so what’s the destruction of a couple of witches to him? But when he discovers how innocent and unaware Kara really is about her power, when he discovers he can’t get enough of her, his plans change to saving Kara and Kelly instead, even if it means his death. He doubts Kara would still want him anyway when she learns what he is.

Kara is grateful Risk offers to help her search for Kelly. She’s run into so many dead ends that she’s totally frustrated and doesn’t know where to turn next. She’s always been the more timid sister, letting Kelly take care of her in urgent situations, but once Kara finds the lead she’s been looking for and survives unbelievable events to finally get to Kelly, she’s not the same person any longer. But the final straw is when it looks like Risk was never on her side at all. Will he betray her even after all they’ve shared?

These Nocturne books are good! I’ve only read a couple of others and thoroughly enjoyed them, and this book has made me a total convert.

Unbound is full of mystery and suspense, love and deception, adventure, and it has a great villain in Lusse, the immortal witch who has owned Risk for 500 years. I hated her, but, boy, she’s fun to read. And Risk is a very tortured hero, one you feel for immediately, one your heart breaks for when Lusse uses her ultimate weapon against him, something he had no knowledge of and now has to protect from her evilness just get to him. It’s also great to watch Kara grow into a confident and proud woman, ready to take on the fights she always avoided before.

A very satisfying read with a great plot and wonderful characters. What more can you ask for?

Grade: A

Blurb:

Risk Leidolf is a hellhound – a legendary, otherworldly creature who is both man and beast. For centuries, he’s been bound to do the bidding of an immortal witch. But after being ordered to destroy novice witch Kara Shane, the man within him rebels. And the beast within him is held at bay – for now.

Fiercely drawn to each other, Risk and Kara soon form a passionate alliance as they set out to find her missing sister – and the key to his salvation. For the power unleashed by the twin witches could free him from the immortal witch’s bondage. But that freedom comes at a steep price. For the fierce battle will put more than one soul at stake – and two hearts on the line.

Read an excerpt.