Unleashed (The Amoveo Legend) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sara Humphreys (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 1, 2011 | Series: The Amoveo Legend

What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you'd ever imagined...

Samantha Logan's childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans...but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she's one of them...

And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way...

Get swept away into Sara Humphreys's glorious world and breathtaking love story...

"A moving tale that captures both the sweetness and passion of romance."
-Romance Junkies, 5 Blue Ribbons

"A well-written, action-packed love story featuring two very strong characters."
-Romance Book Scene, 5 Hearts

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sizzling sexual chemistry... I really can't wait to see where we go to next." - Yankee Romance Reviewers

"I loved this book. I will definitely be looking for more Amoveo Legacy titles. A paranormal top pick and I'm looking forward to many more in this series. 5 Stars, Reviewer Top Pick" - Night Owl Reviews

"Captivates the reader with action and romance." - Rom Fan Reviews

"The characters haunted my dreams and I thought about this book constantly." - The Long and Short of It Reviews

"A stunning new shifter series that will thrill paranormal fans... A fascinating world... Spectacular. " - Bookaholics Romance Book Club

"A story of dreams and shape-shifters... [Humphreys'] world will leave you wanting more. " - Anna's Book Blog

"A fluffy romantic story in an intriguing urban fantasy world... " - That's What I'm Talking About

"A wonderful debut to a unique and different paranormal series. " - Debbie's Book Bag

"Sweet and passionate. An enthralling story." - Anna's Book Blog

"I love this world that Humphreys created and I would be completely willing to read many more books about it. " - Books Like Breathing

"A fresh approach to shapeshifter paranormal romance..." - Book of Secrets

"A fast-paced paranormal romance with fantastic world-building. I can't wait to read more from this author and in this series. 5 Stars" - The Book Girl

"A fantastic new series by an up and coming author!" - Sizzling Hot Books

"A fresh new interpretation of shapeshifter lore..." - Urban Girl Reader

"Plot twists abound... you will be hanging on every word. " - 39 For the First Time

"A quick read, fast paced and perfect for just about any paranormal romance fan out there. :)" - Rex Robot Reviews

"Humphreys has set up a great world with some pretty awesome people." - Once Upon A Chapter

"Humphreys has done an excellent job in leaving the reader wanting more." - The Romance Studio

"The entertaining story line grips readers... " - Midwest Book Review

"I cannot stress enough about how beautifully this story has been written... Sara Humphreys invites you into a strange and wonderful new world of shape shifters." - Bitten by Love Reviews

"I recommend this book to all shifter lovers and paranormal romance addicts. You will definitely enjoy this new shapeshifting world. " - Book Lovin' Mamas

From the Author

People often ask where I get ideas or how I overcome an uncooperative muse and for me the answers lie in music. When I'm plotting out a book, one of the first things I do is create a soundtrack for it. When I'm at a crossroads with a character or a hiccup in the plot, I listen to the songs I selected and usually it helps trigger and idea. Sometimes, the soundtrack will get new additions. For example, I was driving up to our summmer home in Rhode Island (the backdrop for Unleashed) and the song "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock came on and conjured up all kinds of great images for Samantha and Malcolm. That wasn't originally on the soundtrack for Unleashed but you can bet your butt it was added.  I hope you enjoyed Malcolm and Samantha's story and will want to read more about the Amoveo.

"Sleepwalking to Dreaming"--Amy Petty *used in the book trailer for Unleashed
"All Summer Long"--Kid Rock
"Katmandu"--Bob Seger
"The Way You Look Tonight"--Frank Sinatra
"Don't Stop Believin'"--Journey
"Unwritten"-Natasha Bedingfield


Dream on......
Sara

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402258437
• ISBN-13: 978-1402258435
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sara is a graduate of Marist College, with a B.A. Degree in English Literature & Theater. Her initial career path after college was as a professional actress. Some of her television credits include, A&E Biography, Guiding Light, Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me.

Sara is the President of Taney Speaker Training, which specializes in public speaking, presentation development and communication skills training. She has trained executives at Verizon, Bristol-Meyer Squibb, Westchester County and the United States Navy. Her speaking career began with Monster's Making It Count programs, speaking in high schools and colleges around the United States to thousands of students.

Sara has been a lover of both the paranormal and romance novels for years. Her sci-fi/fantasy/romance obsession began years ago with the TV Series STAR TREK and an enormous crush on Captain Kirk. That sci-fi obsession soon evolved into the love of all types of fantasy/paranormal; vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and of course shape shifters. Sara is married to her college sweetheart, Will. They live in Bronxville, New York with their 4 boys and 2 insanely loud dogs. Life is busy but never dull.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Original and Engaging October 15, 2011

By LAS Reviewer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The characters within this story will be running through my mind indefinitely. Unleashed is the type of story you think about months and even years later and decide you must read it again.

Amoveo's are like shape shifters but much more. With the paranormal romance industry booming, it can be difficult to find a story that distinguishes itself from the thousands of others, but this story has done so. I tried to think of other stories to compare it to, and I could not think of one. This attribute alone would have been enough to keep me interested, but that was not the only thing that kept the pages turning.

Samantha is unique -- the first human amoveo hybrid -- and that can't be easy. There is something to be said about her composure when so much is thrown at her. Her life is turned upside down when she decided to move back home, but then she finds about a secret race and that she is part of it, yet she still never looses who she truly is. That is one tough woman that anyone might feel threatened by. The subtle strength that she demonstrates throughout this story is what really makes her remarkable.

Malcolm is everything you want in a hero of a paranormal romance story. He has brute strength, is drop dead gorgeous, a little arrogant, and has a huge heart. I had to check to see if I was drooling a few times because he was just perfect in all ways that matter.

The conflict was another fascinating aspect of this story. It created mystery and excitement. I keep trying to pinpoint who exactly was targeting Malcom and Samantha, but every time I tried to figure it out, I came up with more questions than answers, which I loved. Up until the very end the author kept me on high alert while trying to figure out who the antagonist could be.... With all the buildup I was expecting an extremely climatic ending, and that is exactly what I got.

Unleashed earned its Best Book rating in spades because I can't wait to reread it and am dying for the sequel. The characters haunted my dreams and I thought about this book constantly. I am recommending this story to everyone I know.

originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews Read more ›

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sara Humphreys - Unleashed October 9, 2011

By Raonaid Luckwell

Format:Mass Market Paperback

New to me author and I got the privilege to read the ARC. The beginning starts out slow but this is to be expected for the first book in any series. Sara does a complete and wonderful job of setting up the background of The Amoveo. Then the story gains it's momentum, drawing you in to read more about Malcolm and Samantha.

This book is for anyone who loves animal shape-shifter stories. The history of The Amoveo is important, so do not try to skip or skim those parts. Else you would not get a clear and deep understanding of the characters.

Malcolm - In the beginning I was struck by how different he was from the other Heros I read about. Clueless how to interact with Samantha's human side, I like the fact that he was patient with Sam. The way he approached the matter in the beginning of their relationship, the mindset, that though he was impatient and wanted his mate, HER feelings and opinions mattered.

This endeared me to the hero BIG time. It was found to see such an arrogant man flounder in our social customs.

Sam - Her character I did connect with. She was easy to like. I gave her kudos for how she handled her past relationship before Malcolm. Here we have a heroine that has some self doubts about her appearance. This made her human to me, able to connect.

Will I read more in the Amoveo series? Oh yes! Unleash whetted my interest and I'm anticipating the next book. Really stink at reviews(

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Slightly Too-Familiar Refrain February 10, 2012

By Tracy TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Aspiring artist Samantha Logan gave New York City her best shot, but she knew when it was time to pull up stakes and return to her Nonie and her childhood home on the coast of Rhode Island. It isn't just the apparent lack of interest in her art, though, that prodded her to pull up stakes. There are also the dreams...

She dreams of a man who touches her like he knows her, who feels like he belongs to her, and who is telling her it's time to come home.

Malcolm Drew is already suffering from his lack of a mate, a curse of for his kind that first limits their power and abilities, then kills them if they don't bond with the other half of their soul. Finding his Samantha in the dream realm fills him with such anticipation and need that he reels with it. He knows she's coming back to the home in which she was raised, and he is anxious to see her in flesh, to court her, and to have her.

Not that he's entirely certain on how to go about doing the courting part. Samantha is a rare and unique woman. Her mother was human, her father one of Malcom's kind, the Amoveo, shapeshifters with a rich clan-like history and special abilities. His problem, Samanatha has no knowledge of her heritage. She was raised by her grandmother in the human world after the death of her parents when she was just a child. Malcolm has never been with a human woman before, or even one raised as human. He has so much to teach her, so much to tell her, and so little time to woo her. But the stakes have never been higher.

A half-breed is virtually unheard of for his people, but she may be the key to their very survival as their existence teeters on a razor-thin wire. Their numbers are dangerously low and mates are growing increasingly harder to find.... Being able to mate with humans of special abilities may save their race from extinction.

He will do whatever it takes to have her, to love her, to cherish her, and to keep her safe from the human hunters who stalk his kind and have killed so very many of his kin. Including Sam's own parents.

~*~

I wanted to love this book. I really did. Paranormal romance is my reading bread and butter, my favorite romance subgenre. Problem is, Unleashed didn't bring anything new to the table, and what it did bring trod such a well-worn road that the ruts are chasms by now. Everything from the Amoveo's history, to their special abilities beyond shape-shifting into their spirit animal, to their need for mates, to the bond between mates being mystical in nature, to their threatened extinction, to their mortal enemies being a human family intent on wiping them from the earth - just about all of it has been done so many times it's rote.

But here's the catch: it wouldn't be rote if it wasn't such a profitable and commercially appealing formula. See, my problem isn't that the elements of the world being introduced here are so common, paranormal romance wouldn't be my favorite subgenre if that was the case. It's that the commonality was ponderously evident because nothing else about the read was otherwise noteworthy to me.

The characters were okay. Malcolm had that urbane otherwordliness going for him. Personally, I think the author missed an opportunity by not making his attempts at romancing a human more adorably inept to add some levity to it all, but how an author chooses to write her books is her decision. For my tastes, though, Malcolm didn't wow me with his appeal, and he was less alpha male than I like my lead heroes to be. He was...fine, I guess. Nothing about him bothered me, but nothing about him really cranked my engines, either.

Sam was more of a problem, but again, that's a very common issue I have with female leads in paranormal romance. She was a bit too much of a victim, had too many moments of stupidity, or at least thoughtlessness, and wasn't too good at looking around and really seeing the world around her. On a far more positive note, her character did evolve into a far more palatable heroine by the end, but it was a rocky journey.

As a romantic pair, I felt they were, again, okay. They had some chemistry, both physically and emotionally, but it was hampered by how late in the book Sam is brought into awareness of her heritage and identity. Between the ex-boyfriend bully and the stalking predator after her and Malcolm, there were plenty of opportunities for increasing tension and heightening emotion that went unrealized or were underutilized simply because Sam didn't know about it.

The book did have some bright spots, things that added appeal to the read. Some of the secondary characters added a nice bit of color to the tale, especially Sam's best friend and her art dealer. There were also a couple of other Amoveos who peaked my interest. One aspect of the book even gave me hope for subsequent novels.

Despite the fairly predictable and lackluster plot throughout most of the book, the ending had a few twists I really appreciated, hinting at the positive potential for the series as a whole. Once Sam embraced her abilities, once nefarious plots were revealed and secrets uncovered, I was able to smile a bit more about the whole of it. The best parts of the book, for me, were the final few chapters. There was still the patina of familiarity, but the other elements came together in such a way that the patina felt more comfortable than confining.

It's always a good thing when a book ends on a high note. Being the last thing a reader remembers, it goes a long way in making up for what precedes it. Unleashed really needed to knock it out of the park to balance out the lack of sophistication in the narrative, which tended towards repetition in places, the pedestrian worldbuilding and plot, and the prosaic main characters. While I can't say I felt it entirely accomplished that particular goal, it did manage to get on base. There was at least enough there for me to be willing to see how the second book in the series plays out.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing May 6, 2012

By elizaduckie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

From reading the many glowing reviews I was expecting a more expertly crafted book with an innovative and interesting plot line. While the book has a lot of pages, I found them tedious to read, completing the book was a trial. Although there might be promise here, too much of it goes unrealized. The book needs a good edit but I'm not sure that would save it. The writing is stilted and too much is explained, leaving little to the imagination. Attempted tension between the main characters, which might have made this book interesting, was overworked and trite. The plot is predictable and seems an awkward cobbling together of other author 's far more successful works. While I don't mind well written fanworks, this one simply annoyed me. Sadly, the reviewes were better written, and in some cases were actually more interesting, than the book.