Review: Needed more Jason, but I do enjoy this series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2012
This was a good followup in the Warrior Book series, I loved the first book! The end of Initiation left me heartbroken with Jason being out of the picture and Rachel being so distraught. Their romance kind of just stopped dead in it's tracks, and I was dying to see them back together!! I tore right into Driven hoping to see so much more of them in the midst of the chaos their world was in, but it wasn't at all what I expected...Driven starts out with Rachel back to living at Genesis, only now they've built a tent camp Upwards thanks to the vampires finding their way underground with the humans. The warriors are constantly on alert with the increased attacks, and they know they will need more help if they're going to survive. Rachel, still getting over her heartbreak while Deacon and Chad both try to win her heart, is determined to help keep the vampires away from their people. She and Chad are sent back into the wilderness on a mission to visit another establishment, in the hopes that they can get help in their own fight. Along the way, Rachel finally admits her feelings for Chad and allows herself to start moving on with him, not knowing what lies ahead for them once they reach Liberty. Before they make it there, they stumble across something they never expected, and they are captured by vampire-worshipping humans. Just when she thinks it couldn't get any worse, Rachel sees the boy who stole her heart is also one of their victims, and she is forced to decide his and his family's fate for them. She can save them, but what will it do to her heart when she has to face Jason?There are a lot of twists in Driven, and secrets are revealed about the the vampires and the evil werewolves. Rachel doesn't catch a break throughout the entire story, there are constantly enemies around her and difficult decisions to face. None of the humans are safe, and Rachel is getting fed up with always being on the defensive. She's determined to find a way to stop the evil that is taking over, but every path she takes seems to lead to another dead end.I was disappointed again that more detail wasn't put into the fight scenes, as there were plenty of them. I think some of the unnecessary and ill-fitting 'Rachel love' coming from every male she comes across should have been cut out so that we could get more of what we really needed in the details. There were way too many guys falling all over themselves for her (and she's STILL thinking to herself how unattractive she is, which got on my nerves), it got to the point where it was eye-roll inducing. A love triangle was enough, we didn't need the extra 3 or 4 guys swooning or admitting they were "turned on" by her.I have to admit, I was so disappointed and irritated that Jason was missing from so much of this story. I absolutely loved his character, with his animalistic possessive love for Rachel consuming so much of the emotion in the story in Initiation. When he was removed from the equation, I was like a stubborn child, stomping my feet and refusing to accept anyone replacing him. So, the first half of the book was challenging to read! When we finally learn why Jason hadn't waited for Rachel all those months ago, it suddenly all makes sense but Rachel refuses to forgive him. After all, she's just professed her love to Chad and he's been there for her all along. But a series of events throws them back together, and Jason is determined to prove to Rachel that she's still his mate (*sigh, swoon*). Will she be able to forgive him and let him back in her heart, or is the hold that Chad has on her too strong?I won't give away the ending because there are some pretty big twists involved, but there are some serious game changers that will take things in a completely different direction in the next book. I like the way Royce handled the love triangle, I think it made sense and it will hopefully clear up some of the "too many love interests" issues for the rest of the series. Hopefully, because I can't wait to see a LOT more of Rachel and Jason!!