Feature Friday: Guardians of Vesturon Series

Hey everyone! Welcome to today's Feature Friday.  Yeah, I like names for my features especially when I do them like this.  Today I will be focusing solely on the A.M. Hargrove series The Guardians of Vesturon.  As of right now, this series has three books: 

1. Beginnings: Prequal to the Guardians of Vesturon
2. Survival
3. Resurrection

These books are fantastic, and you can find most at least two of them for free at a couple of different locations: Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.  The third one is relatively cheap, and it is WELL worth the purchase price.  Why am I focusing solely upon this series today, well it goes hand in hand with a post I've got coming tomorrow! If you've been following it, currently there is a cover release tour for the next book in the Guardians of Vesutron series, and I will be revealing that here tomorrow. However, there will be reviews of the first three books in this series, as well as my favorite picture from the A.M. Hargrove Fan Group on Goodreads.com, in the "What does your Guardian look like?" thread.  So, look out for the eye candy coming up in a bit. 

Blurb: You met the Guardians of Vesturon in Survival and Resurrection. Now read about how their parents, Rowan and Annalise met in Beginnings, the novella Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon. Learn more about Rowan and how Annalise unwittingly captured his heart and how his chance meeting of her took him on a journey of forbidden love.

This is a fantastic introduction to this series, providing some back story to Rowan and Annalise's relationship.  This is Ryan Yarristar's history, how his parents met and fell in love.  Annalise worked in the cafeteria and Rowan fell in love with her, he had to save her.  However, being heir to the leadership of Vesturon, Rowan is forbidden to mate with a woman beneath his station and Annalise most certainly is below his station as she is a member of the working class.  Review: Beginnings: Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon

Blurb: "Maybe I was caught between the two worlds. I was having serious trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality."

While on a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, nineteen-year-old Maddie Pearce finds her world has been thrown into a vortex and is madly spinning toward the impossible. Abducted by a mad psychopath, Maddie narrowly escapes with her life. But that is only the beginning. Her mysterious rescuer introduces her to a world that Maddie has difficulty accepting as reality. Will this strikingly gorgeous stranger be the key to her future or will she return to her mundane world, scarred from her experience? Follow Maddie as she is forced to make difficult decisions that carry her to mysterious places.

Book one of the Guardians of Vesturon starts us off into the story of Maddie, who has been abducted by a psychopath, and narrowly escapes.  However, things will not be going back to normal, considering her mysterious rescuer has now introduced her to a world that she can't quite wrap her head around and accept it as reality.  Can Maddie return to the mundane world knowing what she currently knows, and what role does this mysterious stranger hold for her future?  Review: Survival by A.M. Hargrove

Blurb: Rayn Yarrister, the first-born son and Leader of The Guardians, has been imprisoned on Vesturon for breaking their most sacred of covenants. He is suddenly jolted by Maddie's telepathic pleas for help, as her life hangs in the balance. Can he alert The Guardians in time to save his soulmate? Or will he face his trial alone and broken without his one true love? 

In Resurrection (Book 2), The Guardians of Vesturon are facing their biggest challenges as Earth is threatened by an invading species from a distant planet intent on destroying it for its resources. The Guardians, as protectors of the universe, have been assembled to defend not only Earth, but other vulnerable worlds as well. The Yarrister family is threatened by an unknown entity intent on discrediting them. Will they uncover this plot in time to save themselves from ruin? Will The Guardians succeed in stopping the Xanthians, or will Earth be invaded and ravaged by this marauding species?

This is the second (or third depending on how you look at it) book in the Guardians of Vesturon series by A.M. Hargrove, and is just as epic as those that came before it.  There is more Rayn and more Maddie and did I mention more Rayn? Things of course go from bad to worse, what with Earth being threatened by an invading species intent on destroying it for resources.  Guardians now must be assembled to defend Earth but other worlds as well.  Oh, and there is also a threat against the Yarrister family as well, so what's going to happen? Review: Resurrection by A.M. Hargrove

Now, I promised you eye-candy, and you shall have eye candy! These are some of the images that portray "What our Guardian looks like..."

 

These images were gathered from sources around the world wide web, and I do not hold any of the copyrights to these images.  All are sourced to their original owners.  The model in images one and four is Jesse Pavelka, and is omg smoking hot.  

Review: Resurrection by A.M. Hargrove

Title: Resurrection (The Guardians of Vesturon #2)
Author: A.M. Hargrove
Rating:  5/5

Summary:   Earth is being threatened by an alien species, threatening to destroy the planet for its resources.  Also, there has been someone trying to bring the Yarrister family to ruin.  Will they be discredited or will they uncover the plot?  More importantly will Earth be saved?


Review:   This is the second book in this series and I fell in love all over again with these characters.  The progression was something that I loved and the way that the characters came together.  The flow was very natural and organic.  Resurrection picked up right where the first book, Survival, left off.  Maddie needed help, she was seriously injured and the only way to help was to again break all the rules and bring her to Vesturon to be healed.

A.M. Hargrove’s skill at world building is something I absolutely adore, because we get to see more of Vesturon, Rayn’s home. The descriptiveness of the world makes me want to be able to go there and experience the richness of the world myself.  It is such a wonderful place and the overall descriptiveness of the book is something that I enjoyed.

I loved the fact that the character growth continued through this book, and everyone that I loved came back in this book to continue to grow through the different struggles and learn more about themselves.  Also, I adored the fact that the relationship between Maddie and Rayn was not rushed, but allowed to grow naturally and that you could actually feel the connection between them. 

Definitely enough action to keep you entertained and most definitely going to leave you wanting more!

If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com

My reviews can be found here:

http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
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Review: Survival by A.M. Hargrove

Title: Survival (The Guardians of Vesturon #1)
Author: A.M. Hargrove
Rating:  5/5

Summary:   Nineteen-year-old Maddie is abducted by a psychopath, and manages to narrowly escape with her life.  However, her rescuer is an enigma, and opens up Maddie to a world that she has trouble accepting as reality.  She then has some choices to make, to return to the mundane world, or to follow this mysterious stranger who may have some key to her future.


Review:    This book is by far one of my favorites, and it is so full of emotions.  I laughed and cried and laughed again.  It also helps that there are some swoon-worthy sexy men in this story (Rayn and his brothers).  With the amount of well thought out characters in this book, A.M. Hargrove, did an epic job of ensuring that we knew who was speaking and when, especially during the final scenes of this book when the point of view constantly jumped around. 

I fell in love with Maddie as a female lead, she is fun and carefree, but she has her own skeletons to deal with – the death of her parents and keeping her emotions bottled up instead of talking about them. She is one of those characters that are easy to like, however, there were a few inconsistancies with her that I was able to get past for the most part. 

Rayn, how could you not fall in love with him?!  He is sweet and caring and pretty much everything that a girl could want.  I love reading his point of view, his love for Maddie and the conflict that it creates in him, and yet you still know that he would do anything for her.

The different points of view was well managed, and the transitions between the points of view was handled in such a way that there was no confusion. One of my biggest issues was the initial switch from Maddie to Rayn and we had to once more experience everything all over again but from a different perspective.  It however, did nothing ot chance the story or give us new information other than further show us Rayn’s feelings for Maddie, which didn’t need quite so far a trip back in time. 

I have to bow down to A.M. Hargrove for her absolutely wonderful imagery.  The descriptions of the scenery, mountains, and etc, was so very beautiful, and it made me wish that I was there.  The creation of this world made me want to hike again and there is no such place here where I could adequately hike and emerse myself in something as vivid as this world that she’d created.  Her writing style, is definitely one that I enjoyed and kept the flow of the story done quite well.  In truth the only issue I had with this book was the cliff-hanger ending! Seirously?! GAH!

If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com

My reviews can be found here:

http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews

Review: Beginnings: Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon

Title: Beginnings: Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon
Author: A.M. Hargrove
Rating:  5/5

Summary:  Annalise is a member of the working class.  She works in the cafeteria.  Rowan, soon to be leader of Vesturon sees her and falls in love with her.  However, since she is beneath his station he is not permitted to marry her.  This is a fantastic love story that tells the story of Rowan and Annalise parents to Rayn Yarrister.


Review:  This is a heart-felt love story.  Telling the story of how Rowan and Annalise, parents to Rayn Yarrister met.  This is a story of individuals who conquer society’s boundaries, fall in love and ultimately create a family.  It is a fantastic prequel to Survival and Resurrection, the next two books in the Guardians of Vesturon series.  This story inspires hope in fairytale type love, that when you find the right person for you, you will be willing to do anything and everything within your power to be with that person. 

If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com

My reviews can be found here:

http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews

Review: Shadow Moon (Unbidden Magic #4) by Marilee Brothers

Title:  Shadow Moon (Unbidden Magic #4)
Author:  Marilee Brothers
Rating: 5/5

Summary:  Allie is a faerie princess, destined to marry Ryker, and she’s a twin.  After all these discoveries, all she wants is some down time to process it and catch her breath, however, that is not going to be allowed.  Any hope that Allie had of a normal school year is gone, and she has countless levels of unfinished business with the fae, the Tri-Marks and the returned Junior Alvarez, who wants her back in a major way.  This danger filled cross-country journey will provide more twists and turns into Allie’s already convoluted life and hopefully she will find the answers and save everyone she loves.


Review:  Two words: CLIFF HANGER! Dear god, I am restraining myself from tracking down Ms. Brothers and begging for an ARC of book number five that she is working on.  Seriously, I want it that bad.  This book was fantastic, this book was even more of a rollercoaster than the other books in the series.  The adventure and excitement in Moon Spun have NOTHING on the twists and turns of this book. 

The play on government conspiracies, the threat from our own government added to the mix, was something expected yet unexpected.  Something I once thought as filler has become its own full blown storyline, and there was absolutely nothing that I could find fault with aside from the fact that it ends on a cliff hanger and those drive me crazy with want for more.

I seriously had to struggle to put this book down and do other things, like work and tend to household chores.  It was that good, and you cannot look away. She has a twin, and an evil looking fae who pops in and out at the weirdest times.  Also, there is the fae posing as a preacher who has evil motives.  Then we meet Sammie, who Allie has a psychic connection to.  A suspension right before the holiday, Allie is vindicated by Nicole, and this opens up the path to begin searching for her sister.  A unique mix goes along for the ride: Junior, Faye and Sammie.  However, things take a drastic turn and this search soon becomes a fight for Allie and Sammie’s life.

I wish Beck had gotten a bit more page time aside from a phone call every now and then, but perhaps it  is a good thing, because of Beck’s succubus heritage.  Junior has fallen out of favor with me, but he regained a lot of it in this installment, and I’m looking to see what develops between him and Allie in the future installments.  Another beau that is absent in this installment is Ryker, but there are some hints that lead me to believe that there maybe some kin between he and Beck.  However, the hawk feather comes through.

Sammie has become one of my favorites and I love the connection between she and Allie.  One that we do not know how close it is until the very end of the story, and I can’t wait to see more of her.

If you’ve not read this series, it is never too late to start.  There is something in it for everyone, and I am anxious to see what else is in store for Allie and her band of merry misfits. 


If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
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Review: Moon Spun (Unbidden Magic #3) by Marilee Brothers

Title:  Moon Spun (Unbidden Magic #3)
Author:   Marilee Brothers
Rating:  4/5

Summary: Beck is healing a new girl.  Junior and his entourage are back from Mexico.  Mom is now dating Principal Hostetler.  Tri-Marks are still a menace and the pendant has revealed even more mind-boggling powers.  Allie Emerson’s life as the Girl Voted Least Likely To Save The World From Evil has gone from Weird to Super-Charged Super-Weird, and the rollercoaster ride of weirdness is not over yet.  Enter the mysterious Ryker, who can turn himself into a hawk btw, divulges that Allie is a faery princess and destined to be his bride.  Wait, what?! Yeah.  Oh yeah, and the faery land, Boundless, is dealing with a threat bigger than the Tri-Marks and Allie and Ryker gotta save it.


Review:  This one is just as compelling as the first two in the series, but this one has a flavor all its own.  It picks up shortly after where Moon Rise left off, summertime is here and the faeries are out to play.  Beck is in Seattle and with his departure Junior returns.  However, we also have mysterious boy number three, Ryker, who is now after Allie’s heart.

The threat in this book, thankfully is not the Tri-Marks, but in a whole new world, the Faerie Land of Boundless.  Allie’s grandmother needs her help to free the faeries of the forest from the prison they’ve been in for years.  There is a changling who wants to return to Boundless, and oh yeah, if Allie goes to Boundless, the land of her grandmother, she may never be able to return to her home.  Sounds good right?!  We learn more about her heritage in this book, her grandmother is a faerie queen, and her father has a mysterious heritage as well.

Another well written installment to this series, and kudos to Ms. Brothers for creating such a wonderful world and delightful characters – that I adore! Also, I do have to feel for Allie, I mean, the boys keep coming out of the woodworks to woo and protect her regardless of what she wants.  Allie would be just peachy settling down and being a normal teen, but that isn’t in her cards.  I love that we get this glimpse into her grandmother’s world and what it means for Allie’s future.  I love how she is further coming into her own as she bargains and stands up for what she wants.  I am more than ready for the next book in the series to see what twists and turns Allie comes across and if any more woo and protect hotties come out of the woodworks.


If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews

Review: A Story not Wished to be Read by Nicola Black

 Title:  A Story not Wished to be Read
Author:  Nicola Black
Rating: 4/5

Summary:  This is a collection of poetry and the story is hidden amongst the poems that are in the collection.

Review:  This short read, and by short I mean eight pages, is quite a good read for a poetry collection. You read through poems centering on things that everyone can relate to such as faith, love, loss, pain and other emotions, and there is the sense of begging to make the reader understand, to delve into deeper thought concerning the works within. 

This deceptively short read will give you plenty to think about after you’ve turned the final page, and just what exactly was that story that did not want to be read?


If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews