Customer Reviews

The Daystar (Templar Vampire Series, Book 2)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a new chapter in the Templar's road to redemption and what a ride it has proven to be.

We already met Lex in The midnight sun, sensing something is different about her and this is where the story in The daystar starts. Something is changing in Lex and as she's trying to figure this out it is Constantine that holds her attention. He's dark, dangerous, lethal and in no way ready for Lex or what she is. Still as the Templar's get a grasp on what she is, the feelings between Constantine and Lex have progressed and when Lex needs to travel to England it is Constantine that travels with her.

This story rendered me breathless again, it is not the suspense in this novel that keeps me on the edge of my seat, it is love. Constantine with his dark, tortured past is incredibly well developed by Rene Lyons, she has woven his past and present allowing the reader to fully understand him which enhances his character and the impact of his story. With Lex she adds compassion, strength and courage wrapped in a bit of vulnerability to keep the balance between her and Constantine.

I opened this book and was unable to put it down, I was that eager to find out what happens to Lex and Constantine. Every level of this story is well developed, from main to secondary characters, from love story to the suspense that is weaved throughout it. The passion is sizzling and with Constantine's nature it adds a hint of darkness to it. I missed the wicked bantering between the Templar's a bit and certain open storylines from The midnight sun weren't picked up by The daystar. But, this was replaced by two emotionally gripping characters that needed just about every page to tell their story.

With The daystar Rene Lyons maintained her quality in storytelling with a blend of romance and suspense. The ending of this novel made the romance soar to greater heights and gave me blurry eyes in the end. This almost becomes a signature for Rene Lyons Templar novels. The path to redemption has never been more intriguing as in the end a soul screams for the darkness that tries to claim him.

Rene Lyons keeps me spellbound with her Templar's!

Courtesy of Realms on our Bookshelves

Lexine "Lex" Parker is a human amongst vampires. And not just any vampires, either, but vampires who are part of the legendary Knights Templar! Constantine Draegon is one of the most dangerous of the vampires in the Templar, a vampire tortured by the memories of his past and certain he is more monster than man. Lex finds herself drawn to him as she feels something different inside her, something changing. Can Lex heal Constantine's wounded soul? And just what is the secret behind Lex's changes?

Rene Lyons weaves a magical tale in which the past and present events flow together seamlessly. In fact, the events of the past pack a strong emotional punch that make the present day persona of Constantine likable. The agony of Constantine's upbringing as he is constantly rejected, demeaned, and yes, even tortured, is heartbreaking. The flashbacks help ease the abrupt manner Constantine displays as it is easy to see that that he still bears emotional scars.

THE DAYSTAR is the second in a series featuring the vampires of the Knights Templar. It can be read as a stand alone although the plethora of characters and their prior history can make the initial pages of THE DAYSTAR a bit confusing. As the story progresses, the pieces begin to come together but it is somewhat frustrating at first to not understand how all of the characters are related to one another. Also, readers should note that this is a continuing series so there are some ongoing threads from book to book.

Rene Lyons puts a new spin of vampires with her tales involving the Knights Templar. The power and mystery behind THE DAYSTAR is intriguing and I hope she continues to write more in this vein. I look forward to seeing where this series goes. THE DAYSTAR is easily recommended for vampire fans.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Rene Lyons has done it once again with her Templar Vampires! The second book in the series pulls no punches and rocks the hell outta you! Im eagarly awaiting the next in the series!

Dark, tormented bad boy vamp Constantine, AKA `Dragon', is in the spotlight in Lyon's second entry in her Templar Knight Vampire romance series. If you are unfamiliar with the series, it centers around five of the former Templar Knights who were tortured and burned to death in the Friday the 13th purge that targeted all the monk warriors of their order. Of all the Templars, these five had souls so stained by what they did in God's name, that they were cursed to walk the night as a vampires and only by earning redemption during their undeath, can they reclaim their souls and avoid eternal damnation.

Constantine is the most dangerous of the 'brother' Knights, an angry solitary man behind the scowl and goth clothing. Constantine's heroine Lexine yearns for him even as he avoids her and tries deny the attraction between them -- Constantine is drawn to Lex because she is everything that he is not and everything he feels he doesn't deserve. Lex who is as light and pure as Constantine is dark and stained, offers him salvation through her trust and love. But with the potential fatal destiny that hangs over Lex's head and with dangerous enemies who covet the mysterious power that is growing within her, Constantine knows he will do whatever it takes to protect her, even it means an eternity in the fires of Hell.

The Daystar is worth reading for Constantine alone, Lyons does an excellent job of bringing his character to life. Through flashbacks of the life that was every bit as horrific as his death, we learn how Constantine earned his scars, both mental and physical, to become the powerful formidable knight who is still tormented by the nightmares of his past. The moments shown from Constantine's youth really help us to understand him and how the depth of his determination gained him the strength necessary to finally escape his suffering. I generally dislike flashbacks, but the ones here were well done and placed so as not to break the action in the present. His romance with Lex, along with the brief bit at the beginning showing the interrelationships between the Knights and Lex's friendships with the others were just gravy to add a bit more flavor to the story. I would have liked to have seen just a bit more of the other cursed Templars in the story, but I guess that just means that I need to read the next book. I already have Tempting Darkness, but hopefully Lyons has more in the works because that still leaves two more cursed warriors to find their redemption. Hopefully, she won't make us wait too long for their stories.

Thanks to her sister, Lex has become a part of the world of the Vampire Knights Templar. She is not a vampire, much less a knight, but she is among the few who is trusted with their secrets and allowed to hang out with them. For one, Constantine, aka, the Dragon, she is more, much more. She is a constant source of temptation. Moreover, she is also the keeper of the power of the Daystar, and that means every evil vampire in the world will want to use her. The time is fast approaching when she will have to go through a trial in order for the Daystar's power to be made manifest. That will either end her life or change things forever. In the time she has left, Lex wants to share her love with Constantine, but can he get past the horrors he lived through centuries ago?

**** Ms. Lyons is most adept at building a complex fantasy world and keeping it interesting. Her version of vampirism has much in common with tradition, yet adds new aspects that make it wonderful. There are elements to the plot that remind me of Buffy, but they are things that should have been explored in that show and were not, so I am delighted to see them, in some way, given treatment here. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews.

The first novel was a struggle to get through and had I not purchased this one in a package deal--I would not have bought it at all. That would have been a shame because this one is better on many levels--character development is MUCH stronger for all the males, there is a little more common sense exhibited by everyone around--almost. My biggest problem is the female lead--a powerful, telepathic, paranomal female in her own right allows herself to be pushed around like a 1950's freshman at her first school dance. No spine--lost interest completely. To the used book store with this one and no more from this author. Boo Hoo!

This is the second book I have read in this series and they are terrific! I can not wait for additional novels in this series!!
These rate right up there with Christine Feehan's Carpathian novels, Sherrlyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series and JR Wards Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
I did not think I would find another series to compare to the other's but it is here, keep them coming please!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! For putting it on kindle! I had been waiting(for what seemed like forever) since it was not available to purchase (unless you wanted to pay ridiculous prices from private sellers) and now I was able to finish the series and was so satisfied! Thanks Rene Lyons for another great story! I was so hooked after the first of the Templar series and glad I held out for this, 2nd in the series, before reading the 3rd book. Can't wait to read about further Templars!

I was so excited when I read the first book in this series, Midnight Sun. I looked forward to this second book, and can't believe how disappointing it was. To be fair, I'm not sure how much of this is due to poor editing versus poor writing (maybe the first book had much better editing??) but whatever.

This series has a unique plot in building the story of the Knights Templar as damned vampires trying to regain their souls and redemption. So when I find something intriguing like this by a new author, I tend to be generous in overlooking errors like typos, grammatical mistakes, etc. But it was almost impossible to overlook the sheer quantity of this kind of error throughout the book. Between these and repetitive phrases, it was a struggle to finish.

To be fair, I read the ebook version, which might be different from the print version. But the storyline just wasn't as compelling as in the first book, and there were some outright silly and laughable points that had me rolling my eyes ("all virgins bleed the first time").

I'm definitely going to read the 3rd book because I want to see if this book was just a fluke. I'm sorry this author seemed to have given up on writing after these three, because I think she has some really strong points in her favor. I'd hate to think that poor mentoring, indifferent editing, and slacker marketing ended a writing career that otherwise could have blossomed.

The Templar Knights became so feared that they returned to their homes not as heroes, but as hunted men. They were imprisoned, tortured and finally burned to death in front of, and by the very people who sent them on their holy mission. That would not be the end for a few of these feared men. Some would be allowed to redeem themselves, reclaim their souls. These mean are Sebastian, Lucian, Constantine, Raphael, and Tristan. And The Daystar is Constantines's story.

When Constantine first saw Lex, she was standing on the stairs of a church he could no longer enter. The feelings that she stirred within him had his beast roaring to take her in all the ways a woman should be taken. As soon as he realizes whom he lusts for he shuts down all of those desires. Fearing that he will soil the light, the warmth, which radiates from her. Feeling that he has no right to her goodness. Constantine however will not be able to stay away from Lex as he had hoped, for fate has other plans for these two star crossed lovers. The search for the Daystar is over, and no one is more shocked then both he and Lex as to the roles they will play in this charpter of the Templar's history. As they are thrust together they will find that their destinies take them to England, a place Constantine swore he would never return to.

As the demons from Constantine's past threaten to destory him, Lex will try to help heal what she can only guess is tomenting this gentle giant. She will give all she can offer him, and as she gives her body and opens up her soul she can only hope Constantine will allow himself the gifts she offers. All she needs is a little more time, but time is not something they have a lot of . As the Daystanr grows stronger, will it be it's power that destorys their hope for a future together, or has Constantine's past done that already?

WOW!!! Hold on and don't let go as Rene Lyons takes you on another instalment of the The Templar Vampires quest for redemption, with her second story in the series, The Daystar. This book gives you more insight into the Templar's World, and what their oath to God an their Redemption means. It takes you into Constantine's dark and tormented world, and the battles he faces everyday within himself just to survive. When you read the atrocities that he suffered through as a young boy, you will weep at his suffering, and be in awe at his strenght to continue. Constantine is the epitome of all that is dark and brooding, so if that is your type of hero, The Daystar is the book for you. I hope that you too will find this story as stirring as I did. All the stories in this series can be read as stand alones, but I do recommend that you read them in order.