Review: A fine start . . .
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 26, 2013
Undying Destiny by Jessica Lee(Book #1: The Enclave Series)Source: NetgalleyRating: 4/5 starsDear reader, you know I loves me some vampires and so, I am very pleased to be reviewing Jessica Lee’s Undying Destiny, the first installment of The Enclave Series.  This book has all the things I love: super-hot warrior vampires, a one and only soul mate and, an on-going fight against a super-evil big bad.  Here we go . . .Kenric St. James has been a vampire for three centuries and it is a life he never chose.  He was turned against his will, kept captive for years, and, used for his body and blood by the bat-sh*t crazy vampire who sired him.  In the years since his escape, Kenric has built a small army of loyal and fierce vampires known as the Enclave who work tirelessly to fight, not only his sire but any vampire that threatens the vampire world and humans alike.  Though small in number, the Enclave is mighty and highly successful in their endeavors.  There is very little that can seriously threaten the Enclave.Emily Ross is an accomplished nurse who thrives on the fast-paced adrenaline-fueled environment found in the ER.  She is very good at her job and with no distractions in her personal life, is able to focus all her attention on her job and her patients.  Since (mostly!) extricating herself from an abusive relationship, Emily has determined she will never let a man again control her life and her choices.  As a result, Emily avoids personal entanglements and generally keeps to herself.And then, two worlds collide . . . .During what should have been a routine patrol, Kenric finds himself dangerously injured and in need of immediate rescue.  Lucky for Kenric, Emily Ross is on her way to work and generally unable to resist helping a person in need.  At the end of her shift, Emily makes the fateful decision to check in on her patient one last time and wakes up in his bed in his compound the next day.  WOW!!  That was one hell of a check-up   As you might suspect, Emily is completely freaked out and Kenric is one scary bastard who is extremely hot and completely healed of all his extensive injuries. . . WTH??  Which is exactly what the rest of the Enclave warriors are thinking when they discover Kenric has a woman in his room.  WTH????After a considerable amount of explaining and more than a little proof, everyone begins to believe everyone else and can then move forward to handle the problem at hand.  The problem?  Kenric’s bat-sh*t crazy sire is back and has “acquired” a considerable amount of power; a power well beyond her age.  Furthermore, she is once again interested in Kenric standing by her side as they rule the world and she knows about Emily.  Oh good, nothing can go wrong here.  Except for everything that does go wrong including, lots of casualties, one of the Enclave going rogue and, Emily being captured.  And then there is the teeny tiny complication of Emily and Kenric discovering just how important they are to the other.  If they both survive the crazy, they may just have a shot at a real future together.The Bottom Line: While I am not jumping around like a fool over this read, I did thoroughly enjoy it and have already purchased the second book in the series.  I can’t put my finger on anything specific in the negative category just like I can’t put my finger on any elements that would push this read to a 4 or even 5-star read.  In a lot of ways, Undying Destiny is a very typical first-in-a-series book with a lot of groundwork being laid and a lot of preparation for the continuation of the series.  In some ways, I feel like the preparation for the future took something away from the actual read.  With this being said I see a lot of potential in this series and truly hope it gets better with each succeeding installment.