Where the fairy tale ends, destiny begins.
As Commander of Trinity's elite warriors, Finn O'Connell isn't used to having his authority challenged. He doesn't know whether to punish or protect the infuriating young woman in his custody. When he discovers the Dark Fae want to use Elizabeth's abilities to control the source of all power in the universe, he'll risk everything to help her.
At the mercy of Trinity and enslaved to the Dark Fae, Elizabeth finds herself alone on the wrong side of an Irish myth thousands of years in the making. Refusing to be a pawn in their game, Elizabeth has to fight her way back to the man she loves, but to do so, she must wage her own war against the magic that binds her.
Excerpt One:
It happened
so fast, I barely had time to breathe. One moment I was standing in
front of Finn and the next moment his hands gripped my shoulders, his
lips pressed against mine. The blood rushed in my ears, and my heart
pounded as he deepened the kiss. Every nerve in my body fired with
desire as he drew me closer. I sank in to him for a brief second,
letting the heat of his skin draw me in, but then I remembered who he
was, his oaths, his allegiances.
With a cry
of protest, I wrenched myself free, panting and heaving, trying to
ignore the hot ache settling in my abdomen. God, I wanted him. Stupid
Elizabeth. Stupid.
He stared
at me in shock, his fingers on his lips, as if he wasn’t quite sure
what had just happened.
I took that
moment of confusion to swing my hand around and slap!
His
head jerked back, and a palm print bloomed bright on his cheek.
“What the
hell are you doing?”
He took a
deep breath and paced the room. “I-I’m sorry,” Finn stammered,
straightening his jacket and retreating to the door. “I don’t
know what came over me, I—”
“You
should really ask first, you know?” I bit my bottom lip. In spite
of the stinging sensation in my hand, a part of me felt drawn to
Finn, a hot, spellbinding gravity luring me to him. I took a step
forward.
“I’m
sorry.” Finn fumbled with the doorknob. “I’ve made a horrible
error in judgment. Please forgive me.”
I snorted.
“You know, if kissing me is so terrible, why do you keep doing it?”
Finn
whirled around. “That’s not what I mean, Elizabeth. Your kiss
is…perfect. You’re beautiful, you’re…”
Beautiful?
I took two
steps forward, caging him in. “Then what is it?”
Finn’s
warm breath brushed my cheek. “I can’t…I can’t control myself
around you,” he said in a strained voice.
“Is that
what you want?” I raised my eyes to meet his dark gaze. “Control?”
I traced my fingers against the back of his neck, my hands seeking
his scalp. Finn’s body relaxed, his invisible armor crumbling
beneath my touch. Heat emanated from his body as I moved in closer.
“Elizabeth,” he said. “We shouldn’t.” But his voice was
soft, and his lips brushed my ear, and I tangled my hands in his
hair, silky strands running through my fingers.
“Kiss
me,” I whispered against his jaw.
“Elizabeth—!”
I pushed my
hips against him, and he groaned low in his throat.
“Do it.”
“No!”
“Ye—”
But I didn’t even finish the word as his mouth covered mine, hot,
wet, and hungry. His arms slid down, and he grabbed my waist, his
fingers traveling down the whispering green silk until he pulled my
hips against him. His tongue darted between my teeth, shifting his
weight so I could feel his desire through his trousers.
“Oh, God,
you’re not…you’re not dead inside…” I said, my fingers
grasping onto his suit jacket.
“Do you
feel that?” He thrust again. I gasped, my knees growing weak until
I thought I would collapse to the floor.
“Yes…”
I am so in love with this book!! I really wasn't sure how I feel with the blurb but the story, it's fantastic and creative and fresh and oh so unique. The world building here is phenomenal, with the different races and their groups and the rules they've made and how some are more evil and others just are. Elizabeth has a very big obstacle in front of her. She is just supposed to be a normal girl but she had no idea how not so normal she really was.
Elizabeth is one of those leading ladies that makes your heart break with her decisions and yet you cheer her on because you know she would never do something stupid or rash. And though it seems like it, she overcomes all the terrible circumstances thrown at her. Be prepared for great romance, beautiful sex scenes and absolutely horrible torture. Yep, there is no extreme this girl didn't have to go through. And though she's powerful at the end, that does not make her invincible. She will still get her heart broken, she will still have scars, she will still have to make the tough choices to save more than just herself.
Finn is magnificent. At first I thought he was a jerk, until I realized he was fighting every feeling Elizabeth gave him. Being with her is a death sentence and at first he wasn't prepared to risk that. But then something changed. And I won't lie, I really thought he would be the knight in shining armor and rescue her... Well he singer knight, but she rescues herself and she lets him go, to be the knight he needs to be. Yeah I know in confusing you but I can't tell you so I will use references lol.
And it's not just Finn and Elizabeth that stand out. I must say this author is phenomenal at character building. There's some from each group I absolutely loved and some from each I truly hated. The characters brought so much emotion to the whole story. And the writing is wonderful. I could not put this book down for a second. I was completely captivated by every word because it was too good to let go. There's so much going for it, the mystery and the intrigue, the betrayals, the lies, the fantasy world, the wonderful characters, the great romance and over all, the great writing. I loved how each faction of the secret societies have adapted to the modern world yet they are still stuck in their very old ways. There's the fantasy elements with the faerie magic but there's some very cool Irish myth following as well. And the twists in modernized things, like a vampire which isn't really a vampire- I'll let the author explain, but it was too cool. I am absolutely dying to get my hands on book two and I need to know that it's not all going to end like that. No it's not a cliff hanger, I'm just devastated. Lol so 5 PAWS!!!
About the author:
As a child, Colleen Halverson used to play in the woods imagining worlds and telling stories to herself. Growing up on military bases, she found solace in her local library and later decided to make a living sharing the wonders of literature to poor, unsuspecting college freshman. After backpacking through Ireland and singing in a traditional Irish music band, she earned a PhD in English with a specialization in Irish literature. When she’s not making up stories or teaching, she can be found hiking the rolling hills of the Driftless area of Wisconsin with her husband and two children.
Connect with Colleen Halverson
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