Review: Marek - Felicity Heaton

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Earth, Marek was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai. Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence.

Haunted by a betrayal that shattered him and set him on a dark path of vengeance, Marek closely guards his heart, as determined to keep it safe as he is to wipe the scourge of vampires from the world.
Until a hunt lands him in the presence of a beautiful woman who threatens to steal that heart as she battles his sworn enemy, her graceful moves igniting a passion so fierce and hunger so deep it consumes him.

Caterina’s sole purpose for the last decade has been freeing her brother of the curse of being turned into a vampire. When an alluring dark warrior steps in to help her battle a nest of bloodsuckers, her entire life is tipped off balance. She knows deep in her heart the warrior can help her save her brother, but can she trust a man who is driven to slay every vampire he meets?

When Marek’s enemy emerges from the shadows, and Caterina is pulled down a dark rabbit hole into a dangerous world, will they be strong enough to overcome their pride and their prejudices or will a dark turn of events shatter both their hearts?

Guardians of Hades Series:
Ares
Valen
Esher
Marek

Visit Felicity Heaton's website for more information

Review:
It's been a couple of years since the last book in the Guardians of Hades series was released so while I was excited to dive back into this world I did worry that I might get confused and not remember enough about the previous stories. Luckily Felicity Heaton did a great job of bringing me back up to speed and within a few pages I was just happy to be back with these characters.

Marek is luckier than some of his brothers when it comes to his abilities and they cause less problems for him in the human realm but he has spent hundreds of years caught up on a previous betrayal and spends his time sneaking around hunting vampires when his brothers' backs are turned. It is during one of these attacks that he first meets Caterina who is also hunting vampires but for very different reasons to Marek. Caterina may be human but she's aware of the supernatural so although she doesn't immediately recognise Marek for what he is she does understand that he's not a normal human. The two bond pretty quickly over their mutual dislike of the vampires but Caterina's life takes a very difficult turn when she is targeted by Marek's enemies.

I don't want to say too much about what happens to Caterina but it was definitely shocking and there were some really interesting developments in the ongoing story arc throughout this instalment of the series. As much as I enjoyed the romance between Marek and Caterina I also loved getting to find out more about Calistos and about all of the brothers' backgrounds. Their enemies are building up to something big and I think the action is only going to get more intense in the next couple of books.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Esher - Felicity Heaton

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Water, Esher was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose-to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.

Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Tormented by his past, Esher burns with hatred towards mortals and bears a grudge against Hades for forcing him into their world, condemning him to a life of battling to keep a fragile hold on his darker side-a side that wants to kill every human in the name of revenge.

Until he finds himself stepping in to save a female-a beautiful mortal filled with light and laughter who draws him to her as fiercely as the pull of the moon, stirring conflict in his heart and rousing dangerous needs long forgotten.

Aiko knows from the moment she sets eyes on the black-haired warrior that he is no ordinary man, just as she's no ordinary woman. Blessed with a gift, she can see through his stormy façade to the powerful god beneath, and the pain and darkness that beats inside him-pain she grows determined to heal as she falls deeper under his spell and into his world.

When the daemon bent on turning Esher against his brothers makes her move, will Esher find the strength to overcome his past and fulfil his duty, or will the lure of revenge allow the darkness in his heart to seize control, transforming him into a god intent on destroying the world?

Guardians of Hades Series:
Ares
Valen
Esher
Marek

Visit Felicity Heaton's website for more information

Review:
I love a tortured hero so I've been looking forward to Esher's story ever since Felicity Heaton started the Guardians of Hades series. We never knew much about his background from previous books but we do know he has serious issues and has a bad history with humans in general. His brothers help him keep his powers under control but he definitely has a dark and dangerous side that they're all wary of. We find out a lot more about what actually happened to him in this book and its easy to understand why he's bitter about being given the task of protecting the human realm.

Aiko is probably the softest of the heroines we've met so far but she was just what Esher needed, she's not a warrior like Eva or a healer like Megan but she is aware of the supernatural because of her ability to see ghosts and spirits. She recognises immediately that Esher is a god and that fact never worries her, she just accepts him for who he is and gives him the care and love that he so badly needs. Esher has always kept his brothers at a distance but Aiko gets under his skin and breaks down his protective barriers in a way that nobody has ever managed before. I mentioned that Aiko is the softest of the heroines in this series but don't take that to mean that she's a doormat or incapable of fighting for what she wants. She may not be trained for battle but she has the strength she needs to stand at Esher's side as a partner.

The ongoing storyline with the daemons who have been plotting against the brothers is really hotting up here too so alongside the romance there is plenty of action and lots of new information to unravel. We also get to know each of the other brothers a bit better and I'm really curious to see whose story is up next, I'm actually getting excited about all of them now so I'm sure I'll be happy whoever takes the lead. This series is a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes us next.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Valen - Felicity Heaton

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Lightning, Valen was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.

Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Cursed by Zeus to never know love again, Valen has brought up barriers around his heart to protect it, but with each new barrier he creates, the dark hold his power has over him grows, becoming all he needs.

Until the night he finally crosses paths with the assassin who has been watching him from the shadows, a bewitching mortal possessing the name of an angel and the skills of a devil—a woman who awakens his passionate heart and stirs dangerous desires.

Eva has built a fearsome reputation for herself in Italy’s underworld, but her latest job in her beloved city of Rome has left her feeling that she has stepped into a dangerous world and this mission might end in her death—either at the hands of her mysteriously seductive client or by the blade of the wickedly alluring warrior who is her target.

As the threat from the daemons escalates and more than just the Rome gate becomes their target, will Valen be strong enough to face the fears in his heart and the ghosts of his past to claim everything he desires or will they lure him deeper under their spell and into the darkness?

Guardians of Hades Series:
Ares
Valen
Esher
Marek

Visit Felicity Heaton's website for more information

Review:
Valen is the second book in Felicity Heaton's Guardians of Hades series and I have to admit I wasn't sure what I'd make of Valen because he wasn't exactly the nicest of the brothers in the previous book. I know Felicity is brilliant at changing my minds about her characters though and she proved that again here, I think I actually ended up loving Valen even more than Ares!

Valen's ability revolves around controlling lightening which makes him a powerful enemy to have and someone you definitely want at your back in a battle. He also has a curse that we weren't aware of before though, one laid on him by Zeus before the brothers were exiled to earth to protect the gates to the Underworld. I don't want to talk much about what he did to earn the curse or what the curse actually entails but once you know the details and start to see the way it effects him it makes it much easier to understand why he's so standoffish compared to the others. I didn't really notice in the first book that the brothers all treat him differently to the way they treat each other but it kind of broke my heart seeing how on the outside he always was around them.

Eva is an assassin who was initially hired to track Valen's movements and report back to her employer but the requests he makes of her have started to become more and more strange and she's now really worried for her own safety if she doesn't follow through on what she's promised. She had no clue about the supernatural creatures around her and now she's caught up in the middle of a battle that has been going on for centuries. As a normal human she doesn't stand a chance against gods and daemons but she has a few skills up her sleeve and most importantly she has the will to survive so she'll do whatever it takes to make sure she comes out on top, even if it means allying herself with the man she was initially sent to kill.

I thought Valen and Eva were great together and what I loved most was the way Eva was willing to stand up to Valen's brothers on his behalf. She saw things about Valen that none of the others have ever noticed and she really gave them a few much needed home truths about the way they treated him. They had brilliant chemistry but they also made great partners in battle and even though Eva isn't as physically powerful as Valen she fights by his side and always has his back. We get to see plenty of the other brothers too and as much as I loved Valen I'm practically dying of curiosity about Esher now. I'm so excited that his book is next and I can't wait to read it!

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Ares - Felicity Heaton

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Fire, Ares was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.

Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Caged by the manifestation of his power, held apart from those he loves by his own fire and starved of physical contact, Ares lives a cold existence driven by duty and the desire to return to his world.

Until his world collides with a daemon who steals his power and a mortal female who shatters the ice around his heart and awakens the true fire within him—a soul-stirring passion both dangerous and seductive.

Megan has wandered far from her home, driven from everyone she loves by the devastating realisation that she is different to them all. Unsure who to trust in the world, she keeps to herself, until a fateful stormy night brings a temptingly handsome warrior crashing into her life and into her heart—a warrior who seems to hold powers more frightening and marvellous than her own.

When the New York gate comes under threat, and Ares is put to the test, will he choose his duty and regain the power he needs in order to save his world or will he choose the desires of his heart and sacrifice his fire so he can be with the woman becoming his whole world?

Guardians of Hades Series:
Ares
Valen
Esher
Marek

Visit Felicity Heaton's website for more information

Review:
Seven brothers, Princes of the Underworld and children of Hades and Persephone who have been tasked with guarding the gates between our world the theirs - meet the Guardians of Hades. In Felicity Heaton's brand new paranormal romance series you'll get to know all these brothers and watch them fight to protect our world from a disaster that was prophesied by the Moirai.

Ares is able to control the element of fire, it makes him a powerful warrior but it comes with a very dangerous side effect. He runs at a much higher than average temperature which makes it impossible for people, even most of his brothers, to touch him and if he loses control he sets fire to anything around him. For the two centuries he has been on earth protecting the gateways his powers have isolated him from the people around him, just imagine a life where you can't even shake people's hands without giving them third degree burns. He has closed himself off from everyone apart from his brothers and just wants to do his duty by protecting the gates and fighting against the daemons who want to fulfil the Moirai's prophecy.

The last thing Megan expected to happen when she takes a shortcut home one night is to get caught in the middle of a battle between two superhuman warriors. She doesn't get a chance to run for safety and when one of the warriors is injured while protecting her she has to do what she can to heal him. Megan has been alone for a long time thanks to a secret ability she has been hiding from everyone and after seeing Ares fight she thinks he might be the only person who can answer her questions about where her power came from.

Drawn together by a common enemy Ares and Megan must work together to try and figure out what the daemon has planned for them. Ares' powers have been stolen and for the first time in centuries he is able to touch and be touched but unless he can get his powers back he can't protect the gateway and the world as we know it could be destroyed.

This is a fabulous start to a new series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment. Felicity Heaton always creates such brilliant heroes and she's done it again with Ares and his brothers! The seven men each have different abilities and personality quirks and I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better. I'm struggling to decide who I like best which is great as I think I'm going to enjoy all of their stories. The romance between Ares and Megan is hot and steamy in all the best ways and I enjoyed seeing Megan learn to adapt to his world. I did think their relationship got serious a little too quickly but I was easily able to ignore that because I was enjoying the characters and the rest of the story so much. This series has definitely left me wanting more and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Valen's book next year.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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