Review: Great start to a series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2012
This was my first Stephanie Rowe read and I was damn impressed. Stephanie is a very talented lady.Darkness Awakened is the first story in the Order of the Blade: Primal Heat Trilogy and it is the perfect start to what I know will be a truly captivating series.The Calydon warriors are a unique band of brothers. A great mix of strength, brutality, loyalty and uber sexiness and I was disappointed to read that this series was only going to be a Trilogy. I am salivating, eager to learn about all the warriors that Stephanie took the time to weave into the first story and I know three books won't be enough to sate my hunger.Darkness Awakened is the story of Quinn Masters, a Calydon Warrior set on protecting his race by destroying rogue teammates....until one of his blood brothers falls, then he will stop at nothing to save him.Grace Matthews is an Illusionist, a woman shunned and hunted because of her powers and the kicker is - she doesn't know how to control them.When Grace's sister goes missing and starts killing off Calydon Warriors, Grace has no other choice than to go to Quinn - a complete stranger - for help.The part I loved most about this story was the immediate connection between the two. From miles away Quinn can smell the scent of his sheva the one woman he is destined to be with but also the one destined to destroy him. From their first moments together the heat is set to a slow simmer and doesn't stop. They are drawn to each other, constantly desiring an intimacy that can never last due to the history of his race.Everything about this world was fantastic, each twist and turn thoroughly thought out. From the tattooed weapons the Calydon's have etched into their skin (that become real when needed), to the elements of Grace's abilities, to the history of the people. It was a fresh approach to the paranormal genre, one that left me guessing with its unpredictability.The only reason it didn't make a full fledged 5 star rating was probably a side effect to my self diagnosed ADD. At times I felt the story was a little too in depth and my attention span started to wane. I like my stories sharp and snappy and although this definitely was, I also feel that there was a bit of information that could have been edited out.All in all I would definitely recommend this to paranormal romance fans. It has all the aspects of a great story - Hot, hunky, alpha warriors, heart palpitating romance, continuous action and a set of side characters that are just as exciting and entertaining as the main protagonists.****Additional note - I just received an email from the author 'you will be happy to know that the Order of the Blade is launching with the Primal Heat Trilogy, but there will be more books in the series afterwards, but each will be a standalone. The trilogy was just a special deal to launch the series!'WOOT WOOT. Very happy to hear it!!****