Customer Reviews

Entwined (Eternal Guardians (Love Spell))

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

 

 

I was sucked in from the first paragraph, and read this in one sitting. Zander is exactly what I love in a hero. Uber Alpha, but with a vulnerability. He believes himself to be immortal, yet is tired of life. To avoid spoilers, I will only say he pledges himself to a responsibility none of his fellow Argonauts are willing to take on, which gives him a sense of purpose he has been lacking. Enter the conflict in the form of his soul mate, Callia.

Callia and Zander have terrific chemistry from word one. Their angst filled relationship is funny and heartbreaking. Ms Naughton conveys their longing for each other and their belief that nothing can ever come of it in a convincing way. My heart hurt for both of them. They each take their respective responsibilities very seriously, to the detriment of ever being together. You have to admire their willingness to do the right thing, for the right reasons.

I liked Entwined even more than I did Marked, which I liked a lot. Callia and Zander just zinged off the pages and touched me in ways Theron and Casey did not. The secondary characters in both books are intriguing, and I can't wait to see how the story plays out. Ms. Naughton has created a fascinating world. I have been a fan of hers since the first "Stolen" book, all of which are outstanding. I will wait anxiously for the next Eternal Guardians book!

Descendant of the Greek Gods, the Argonauts are all that stand between the Argoleans and death. Towering males of incredible strength and lethal skill, they bravely risk their lives and traverse the portals of Argolea to Earth in order to combat daemons and the wrath of their leader - one very powerful and pissed off demigoddess known as Atalanta.

The Argonaut Zander is an immortal amongst his kind. He's seen kings come and go and brother Argonauts live and die. Now he wishes to end his infernal existence for he has no family to call his own and after having been cruelly betrayed by his soul mate ten years ago, there's nothing he longs to live for. Even the rise in daemons and the dire threat they pose to the Argoleans and the half-breed Misos on Earth can't sway him. But when the king demands that an Argonaut wed his daughter, Zander finds himself surprisingly raising his hand for the job. For the first time in ten years he feels he's found something to live for, a chance to make himself a worthy guardian again. That is until the king's personal physician asks him to strip...

Over the last ten years, Callia has nearly given up hope of ever being happy. Abandoned by Zander at a time when she needed him most, her persistent craving for him after all that he's destroyed leaves her frustrated and lost. While a distant part of her still hopes for a reconnection with Zander, that fragile hope is effectively squashed when Zander shockingly volunteers to bind himself until death to Princess Isadora. Now it's time to move on with life starting by gathering the tattered pieces of her torn soul and then proceeding, as the King's personal healer and at the behest of his command, to conduct a full physical examination of her one time love. Zander's virility must be ensured for heirs are a necessity in this turbulent time. With the Council looking to overthrow the power of the monarchy, the king will do whatever he must to ensure the survival of their people and with his dying breath he'll see his only legitimate daughter wed.

While making the decision to bind with Princess Isadora finds Zander a new found respect from his Argonaut brothers, it's done nothing to calm the consuming rage that continues to burn in the empty void where his soul should reside. Still clinging to his death wish, Zander continues to place himself in increasingly dangerous situations. After throwing himself into a battle where the odds were stacked sky-high against him, Zander's inevitable and horrific injuries has his Argonaut brothers rushing the best Argolean healer to his side: Callia.

Heedless of the fact that the love her life abandoned her ten years ago and then recently pledged his soul to another, Callia wastes little time before she's running to Zander's side. When a close and prolonged proximity rekindles a flaming desire between Zander and Callia, it becomes apparent that there's still unfinished business between the two. But while Callia is misled by a misinterpreted possibility of reconciliation, Zander is instead looking to just get his rocks off leading Callia to bolt into hostile territory. With hatred and pain once again reignited, things quickly get out of hand but that's not before a painful secret - lie rather - is revealed. Enemies close to their hearts have effectively stolen the most precious gift that their doomed romance was blessed to receive: life.

My Final Thoughts:

ENTWINED, while emotionally tumultuous and complex, is also extremely engaging with a constant bombardment of activity, unveiled betrayals, and healing passion. There are several threads to this plot and while one would think that Naughton has every opportunity to drop one, if not all the balls she's got swirling in the air, delightfully this never happens. Not a single scene is wasted as everything reaches a satisfying crescendo and conclusion with this hero and heroine pairing. Bravo!

Another surprise: generally speaking, the use of The Big Misunderstanding in plots is a supreme source of frustration for me but with ENTWINED, all my developed stereotypes flew out the window. It all worked so well here that I'm finding myself rethinking my stance on The Big Mis. ... Maybe. :) But honestly, it did work well and I think it's because while vitally important, it wasn't the only driver propelling this story. I've seen it used before as the sole momentum for the plot and in those cases, I'm pulling my hair out. Thankfully I retained all my hair with this read. :)

And finally with regard to the world building, while complex, it in no way distracts from the romance nor is it so over-the-top that a new reader can't dive in with this second series installment. I for one had no trouble diving in and taking off with this thrilling read making ENTWINED a good candidate for paranormal readers that don't enjoy heavy world building.

ENTWINED is everything that paranormal romance lovers want in their reads: rockin' action, fluid world building, evil villains and most importantly, page burning passion that leaves you panting for more. Enjoy!

I was a bit hesitant to purchase due to a couple of the reviews, however, I am very glad I did. I read the first book "Marked" and enjoyed it as well but I have to say this was my personal fave of the two by a slight margin. There is real anger and tension between HH which did carry on quite way through the book. I felt the author did not over do it in that department. It really had me sympathizing greatly with these two. I read this in one sitting, because once I came to a certain part of the story, there was no way I could wait to see how it all played out. To be honest, this isn't my favorite genre and would not have purchased if the first book wasn't free. But I am so very glad I did. I would feel confident to say - If you like this type of book normally that you would really enjoy the storylines that this series is building.

Zander is a descendant of Achilles. It is said that he is immortal and can't be killed. But he must have some kind of weakness. Everybody has at least one. Being an Eternal Guardian, Zander is the protector of his realm and of Earth. Everyday the danger grows -- he must stay on the course and not have distractions. That was his game plan until Callia walked back into his life.

This was an enjoyable read for me. Entwined is intense, action-packed and has sizzling hot scenes. I liked Zander quite a lot, he's definitely an interesting character. The kind of character I enjoy reading about. He is feared and a bit of a bad ass, I think that will appeal to a lot of readers. There were a few times in the beginning that the story dragged for me, but otherwise it was a good read. If you are a lover of Alpha heroes and Greek mythology you are gonna really enjoy this book and series.

3 stars = good read

Great book series! Well written and exciting. Of course the men arent too shabby as well :)
Recommend this author. Thanks for reading my review. Hope it was helpfull.

OMFG, this book was simply AMAZING! I don't know of any other adjectives that can accurately describe this story. Zander & Callia fell in love and discovered that they were soul mates 10 yrs ago. Then they were torn apart by deception, lies & betrayal -this book is about their way back to each other & to finally love again.

This was such an emotional book. At the beginning both Zander & Callia are filled with such anger & bitterness towards each other BUT you also see the remnants of the love they once shared for each other, it has never died. Their story is one of the most beautiful & heart-wrenching that I've ever read. They are filled with so much hurt & loss and feel as if the other has completely shunned them. When they uncover the truth, the scenes are simply stunning and will I was left breathless & with tears streaming. To realize all that has been done to them and that they were able to find their way back to each other, the journey was oh so worth it and one I'd take again & again. There was a lot of other content & story line that filled the pages of this book. Again the suspense & mystery that kept the story arc moving was exceptional, just as in the MARKED. However what struck me most was the relationship between the H/h, Zander & Callia & once you read it, because *sending a subliminal message to you* YOU WILL GO AND BUY THESE BOOKS AND READ IMMEDIATELY, you will understand why. I bow to the greatness that is Elisabeth Naughton and her amazing ability to write and exceptional Paranormal Romance series!

Favorite Quotes
"As for this?" He nodded down to where he still held her tight against him. "It's not at all what you think it is. It's eight hundred years of searching for you and then trying to live without you. It's being close to you and wanting something I can't have. And that's not sex, Callia. That's you. Just you. The only thing I've ever wanted."
-Zander

"We're linked together, you & me. This goes deeper than the fact that I love you. It's more than just you being my soul mate. This is about us and the reason I've never been able to let go of you either." He moved in closer, and warmth closed around her as she felt her heart beating in time with his. "There's more, thea. No matter what happens today, tomorrow, there's more ahead for us. You are my life. This story doesn't end here. Not unless we let it."
-Zander

one of my fav. books of all time!!! if you read twilight and need a good book to read this is it :)

I have read all of Elisabeth Naughton's books and plan on leaving this same 5 Star rating for each. Well written and entertaining. Characters are fun, identifiable and endearing. Action is logical but not predicable. Never a dull moment, nothing repetitive and always new and exciting twists and turns in every chapter. Good versus bad and the good always win. I love the books and E.N.'s style of writing. Enjoy!

Zander has lived for a very long time, and fears that he will never die. He is a great guardian protecting a hidden world and half-breeds out in the human world. But he also feels that he has nothing to live for after his soul mate left. He is hurt deeply. And now demons are hunting in the human world and the half-breed colonies are under attack as the goddess Atalanta is trying to take over. And she wants the guardians dead, together with the rest. But then he meets his soul mate again.

I liked the mythology in this one. Atalanta has taken twisted humans that turns into demons out of Hades. She attacks half-breeds, one parent human, the other Argolean who lived in this closed off realm. For protection they have the guardians who all are descended from the Argonauts. There is magic there and they live for a long time. And of course the Greek gods are all true. Now that I like.

Zander who is descendant from Achilles has lived for over 800 years and he is tired of it. He is protective, strong, and he loves deeply someone who turned away. Here we learn why. She, Callia is a healer, also very protective and strong. And I wonder what happened, but just gotta read on. They obviously want each other.

There is also a sidestory with a kid, Maximus who is in Atalanta's grip.

There is some ass-kicking, they do want to kick those demon butts back to the underworld. And then there is the troubled love affair between two people who love each other and are so angry at each other at the same time.

I shall not forget the court intrigues since the king is having trouble from the council and wants the princess to marry an Argonaut, and there again I wonder who it will be. It looks to be an interesting book 3, I assume she will be the heroine, and as for the man, well read on.

Cool side characters too, like what's the deal with Orpheus? He seems interesting, but do I trust him? In the end, an interesting paranormal romance.

Zander is an Argonaut, born of the guardian class descended from the greatest heroes in all of ancient Greece. Known as an Eternal Guardian, he must protect the half-breed race Argoleans. Zander is sick of fighting and would love nothing more than to give in. But as the famed descendant of Achilles, he must continue to put up a good fight against the deamons that want to destroy the half-breeds.

Callia is the dying King of Leonidas's personal healer who rules Argolea. With the king dying and his enemy, Atalanta, roaming the human realm waiting for the right time to cross into Argolea to exact her revenge for being cast out of the Argonauts, times are very dangerous. Things become even more taxing when Leonidas proclaims that his daughter Isadora will marry an Argonaut and beget an heir. Isadora doesn't want to marry anybody, least of all an Argonaut, and when Zander volunteers to be her husband, Callia feels as if her heart has been ripped apart. Zander is her soul mate, but after not seeing him for ten years, the hurt between them is still strong. Zander almost hates Callia with the same passion he once felt for her. Only he knows she did something so horrible that he can never forgive. Callia feels that Zander has betrayed her even though she still yearns for him. But Zander refuses to forgive Callia until the truth about the circumstances of their relationship come to light and all the deceit and lies are forced out into the open.

Entwined is heavy on Greek mythology with a tortured hero and heroine who have been betrayed by those they loved. Elisabeth Naughton relies heavily on the angst and the build up of passion between Zander and Callia. These two ache for one another but through confusion and miscommunication they are separated due to things they weren't aware of. Zander's anger toward Callia is very much alive on the pages and there is a point where you think these two will never work things out. Callia tries to work things out with Zander, who treats her with disdain and almost disgust.

The cast of characters that round out Entwined are very rich in personality and spirit. Isadora is a fighter and refuses to be a victim of circumstance. She makes a deal that could very well destroy her, but with an individual who is not what he seems. I was more interested in Isadora and her path than with Zander and Callia. Those two just had too much rage and hurt between them. It really made for difficult reading. I felt more of an observer and didn't have any emotional attachment what so ever to them.

Elisabeth Naughton is a good writer, but something about Entwined didn't keep me interested. I simply wasn't engaged enough and almost couldn't make it through. There were some nice fighting scene and moments of passion between Zander and Callia, but overall, this was a read that just didn't stay with me and was quickly forgotten once I finished reading.


Katiebabs

Marked (Eternal Guardians)