Very Much Alive: True Destiny, Book 1 [Kindle Edition]

Dana Marie Bell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Her destiny rests in their hands...

True Destiny, Book 1

Kiran Tate and Logan Saeter have been on the run from Oliver Grimm for so long they've forgotten what it's like to be free. Ending Grimm's power games won't be easy, but this time they have an ace in the hole. PI Jordan Grey, Guardian Investigation's resident hot shot—and Grimm's step-granddaughter.

Jordan Grey has her doubts when Logan and Kir show up in her office with a tall tale of how her step-grandfather has framed them for murder. And to top it all off, they're claiming that they're really the ancient Norse gods Loki and Baldur, and that Grimm is Odin!

When the two lovers see the sexy detective for the first time, stopping Grimm suddenly takes a back seat to seducing her into their arms. But Grimm never rests, and when his anger spills over onto Jordan, it sets them all on a collision course with a destiny that will rock their world...

Warning: This book contains explicit sex, graphic language, some violence, and hot male/male/female action. In fact, it could be considered a religious experience.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 200 KB
• Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (February 17, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002A4MIDQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,237 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Dana Marie Bell wrote her first short story when she was thirteen years old.
She attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts for creative
writing, where freedom of expression was the order of the day. When her
parents moved out of the city and placed her in a Catholic high school for
her senior year she tried desperately to get away, but the nuns held fast,
and she graduated with honors despite herself. She's now a best selling
author with Samhain Publishing.

Dana has lived primarily in the Northeast with a brief stint on the US Virgin
Island of St. Croix. She lives with her soul-mate and husband Dusty, their two
maniacal children, an evil ice-cream stealing cat and a bull terrier that
thinks it's a Pekinese. She's been heard to describe herself as "vertically
challenged" and "a lapsed brunette." Dana also suffers from osteoarthritis,
and can be seen walking with a cane or tooling around in her mobility
scooter. Her condition was the inspiration for Belle's hip injury in Steel
Beauty.

You can learn more about Dana at:

http://www.danamariebell.com
http://danamariebell.blogspot.com

You can join her newsletter at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/themagicandmayhemnewsletter/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bypass this series, November 24, 2010

By 

Rare Reviewer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Very Much Alive: True Destiny, Book 1 (Kindle Edition)

I really looked forward to enjoying another one of Dana Marie Bells' book since reading all of the Halle Puma & Shifter series several times over because they were that good. Unfortunately, this book was a huge disappointment - I had to force myself to finish it. Many times I stopped reading, went on to another book that I actually enjoyed and then forced myself to go back to it with the hope that it would improve to only be more disappointed. I just could not get interested in the story or characters.

The main characters, Kiran and Logan are really the Norse Gods, Loki and Baldur. A major problem for me in the first half of the book was that I simply could not keep straight which character was which god and had what supernatural powers. I have read Federal Tax Laws that were clearer. While the Norse Gods concept was unique, it was also very confusing to the reader unless one was very knowledgeable about Norse mythology in the first place. The Norse mythology was also a little too much for such a short novel because it forced the author to find a way to introduce the different Norse Gods, their different powers and relationship to each other which just led to MAJOR bewilderment. Many times things were not clear until much later in the book when the reader was fed a little more background on the Norse mythology which then made a much prior passage make sense, somewhat, sometimes. The story might be interesting if reread after a "cheat sheet" concerning Norse mythology is made by the reader but quite frankly I still do not think I would be any more interested in the characters or story than I was the first time around.

As for the "hot sex" scenes that another reviewer mentioned - maybe explicit but that did not make them "hot". To me, the scenes were more of a "throw in" because that's what is expected in a book that is supposed to be an erotic romance and I had long stop caring whether there was any romance between the characters.

Note to Author: Please Dana - return back to the Halle Shifter series and let this series stay in the past like Norse mythology.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Much Alive, October 26, 2009

By 

M. Nix - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Much Alive: True Destiny, Book 1 (Kindle Edition)

Living life on the run has become second nature for Kiran Tate and Logan Saeter. As the years go by the man they are running from, Oliver Grimm, gets closer and closer to catching and ultimately destroying them. Determined to end the battle between them and Grimm, Kiran and Logan search out Grimm's step - granddaughter and private eye Jordan Grey to help them. When they meet Jordan they find they have two tasks at hand; convincing her that they are Norse Gods on the run from Odin who was framing them for murder and who happens to be her step-grandfather but more importantly than that is convincing her that she belongs in their bed.

Jordan doesn't know what to make of the two gorgeous men that walked into her office, but from the moment she met them they turned her world upside down.

Very Much Alive is a very eclectic story, with gorgeous shapeshifting Norse Gods, hot sex and a plot that carries over centuries, but it wasn't enough to hold my interest. I found the characters to be very irritating especially Kir and Logan and Jordan's siblings. However I did like Jordan, she was the saving grace of this story. I think the author was going for quirky, tongue and cheek with this story but it didn't come across very well. Men shape shifting into cars to drive their lovers around just didn't work for me. Although Very Much Alive was not my cup of tea, it could be a fun story for others.


Ley
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great character interaction, April 26, 2011

By 

Catherine Winterfox (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Very Much Alive: True Destiny, Book 1 (Kindle Edition)

I do agree with another reviewer: if you aren't up on your Norse mythology, this book is hard to follow. There are a lot of characters crammed into a small space, and there's way too much assumed knowledge on the part of the author. That's the bad bit.

So why four stars? Because I found the interaction between the three main characters: Logan (Loki), Kir (Baldur), and Jordan to be just wonderful. Bell is great at creating distinct characters that shine through their actions. Paranormal romance is often bogged down with melodramatic dialogue. Bell's conversations are delightful--they are the kind of laughing interactions I have with my own friends (er, minus the sex). Additionally, there was a great sweetness to the romance that was a treat to read.

So here's my tip: if you want to really enjoy this book, read a quick primer on Norse mythology first. It will be worth it. I know I'll be reading up a little before the second installment.