Today I welcome Indie author, Melissa Crowe, back to the blog as part of The Beast Within blog tour. Check out the details for the first three books, then read my thoughts below.
The Beast Within Genre: Paranormal Romance
Karina's world is turned upside down when she meets the sexy and mysterious Xavier. Something powerful and sensual is unlocked from inside her that she cannot explain and seems to have little control over.
With Xavier's help, Karina discovers she is a Tuatha De Danann, celtic faeries long thought to have been eradicated. Xavier's insistence on making her believe troubles Karina, what dangerous secret is he keeping from her? Can her ex partner Ian save her before it's too late?
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Haunted Genre: Paranormal Romance
Karina has now discovered her abilities, but this only puts her in further danger. With a 600 year old lycanthrope thirsting for her blood, Ian must summon the help of his brother Ronan. The keeper of the Spear of Victory, a treasure sacred to the Tuatha De Danann.
Can the two Guardians protect Karina, or will her secret ultimately bring destruction upon them all?
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Genre: Paranormal Romance
Ian has been summoned by the Goddess Danu to the Otherworld, and Karina will not let him go without a fight.
With a Tutha De Danann that is unable to cross water, getting from Australia to Ireland will make for an interesting journey. Supernatural beings, sworn enemies and the full moon are only half of the risk as they try to cross three continents. Drug smuggling, guerrilla kidnapping and lycans on the prowl will hamper their travels.
Davarus, self-proclaimed King of the lycanthropes is building an army and on the move. Danger faces these forbidden lovers at every turn.
Would you travel to the ends of the earth for the one you love?
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I am from Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. I have been a lover of Paranormal and strong powerful women all my life and now am lucky enough to put the two together and share it with the world. In 2009 I started writing and have not looked back.
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My Reviews:
The Beast Within
Karina is at a crossroads in her life, and she decides she needs time away from her boring, mundane boyfriend, Ian. She meets Xavier, a random stranger, and they have a bit of a fling. Xavier knows things about Karina, and at first I thought it was all a little convenient, but everything came together in the end and I understood why he had this knowledge. He tells her she is a Tuatha De Danann, or celtic faerie. Karina's reaction isn't much different from Sookie's, but she places her trust in Xavier—which isn’t such a good idea—and Ian turns out not to be so boring after all.
I don’t know much about the Tuatha De Danann, so all the twists and turns in this novella took me by surprise. Throw in some mean werewolves (or lycanthropes) and there's a good mix of reality and fantasy.
The Beast Within was a short, fast paced read with an intriguing plot, but I was left with some questions that I’m hoping will be answered in the next book.
Haunted
Haunted begins about a year after The Beast Within, and it’s hard to review this novella without giving away plot spoilers for the first book.
I will say that the pace is again fast, and we’re introduced to some new characters, but I felt the plot was somewhat predictable. It seemed to be a case of the same thing happening but with a few different people. Still, I enjoyed it and it had the same charm as the first book.
I really liked Ronan and thought he was very interesting, and I’m wondering what part he will play in the next instalment. We get to see Karina develop more as a character, and Haunted answered a few of my questions. Karina's powers are something I’m looking forward to seeing more of as well.
Journey
The title pretty much sums up the plot of the third book in The Beast Within series. Karina and Ian set out on a journey to reach the Otherworld after Ian suffers a mild possession. They meet a few 'people' along the way, some who help them and some who don't so much. Karina faces several obstacles since she can't travel across water and needs to get from Australia to Ireland.
There's plenty of action—more so than in the first two books—and surprisingly no sex (the first two novellas had some steamy sex scenes). Karina really comes into her own. She is determined and strong, and doesn't let anyone push her around. Ian's loyalty is unwavering and the prospect of him not being able, or allowed, to be with Karina is heartbreaking.
There wasn't much more detail about the four gifts that the guardians guard, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about them in future parts of this series. The ending to Journey has left me hanging on the edge of my seat as it stops in a place that leaves more questions than answers, and I'm eager to find out what happens.
For me this series has been an up and down roller coaster, and Journey is by far my favourite of the three so far. Maybe it's because the plot was different to the first two and brought something new to the table.
Overall this is a great series with an interesting and fast paced story line. I recommend it for those who like anything paranormal, and characters that don't mind getting their hands dirty.
Due to some sexual situations I recommend this series for readers 18+
K x
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