Friday Hot Spot: Rebecca Zanetti's Dark Protectors Series

Happy Friday my crazy book cohorts!! I've been down for a bit so I have tons and tons of stuff to catch up on, and just as many books to tell you about!  Let's start off with how I found this lovely lady.    I had heard so much about AAD that when it finally came close enough, I was determined to go and go I did!  I had a blast and met so may wonderful bloggers and authors!!  One of those lovely ladies was none other than Rebecca Zanetti.  We got to talking about paranormal romance after one of the classes and she asked me what my favorite paranormal was.....I had to tell her (because you all know me best) hands down it was demons..and her reply was...Oh.  Unusual huh? I giggled and asked about the hesitation, and she replied...Well my demons are the bad guys.  I joked and wiggled my eyebrows and said aren't they always?  And she said no...they really were bad.  So we began discussing the series in detail and she asked me if I had read any of her books.  I replied no but I did receive book 1 in my welcome bag and it looked really great.
Sooo...I got home from AAD and my bootie from the convention was attacked.  One of my friends called dibs on Fated and shuffled it out.  I wasn't worried...I knew it would come back to me.....But I didn't realize it would be for Christmas..lol.  
So my groups and I did Christmas cards and a few of us exchanged presents.  One of the more interesting ones came from one of my fellow bookies and it came late :)  I was coming home from dropping off my daughter at school and came home to a big wrapped box with a bag on top of it.  On the bag was a note that read:  Thank you so much for the amazing read!!  I had to return the favor.  Inside the bag was my autographed copy of Fated.  Inside the box was the rest of the series that was available in print :)      And I can definitely tell you this:  Once I hit book 2 I was completely sucked in.  I will say this about the series:  You can read them out of order but I strongly suggest you don't...You miss the development of key characters in the series.

Marry Me! Cara Paulsen does not give up easily. A scientist and a single mother, she's used to fighting for what she wants, keeping a cool head, and doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter Janie. But "whatever it takes" has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous-looking stranger with an attitude problem.  Or Else! Sure, the mysterious Talen says that he's there to protect Cara and Janie. He also says that he's a three-hundred-year-old vampire. Of course, the way he touches her, Cara might actually believe he's had that long to practice.

Review:

This book had some great world-building and scenario setting.  You get introduced to the ruling family and the lifestyle they lead.  There are key factions that are always being introduced throughout the series (which is one of the aspects I love) but this book sets up the ground work and the main divides between the different species.  This book starts with the ending of a very long period of peace within the Realm.  The focus in this series is the head vampire family, which consists of 5 brothers and their hot friends who may as well be considered blood!  Book one is about hunkie Talen who sweeps in and saves the day, but can't be made the favorite character (or brother) because the heart stopper in this book is only 4 years old with some tremendous abilities.  But any mom will melt all over Talen with the way he handles Janie and makes Cara (who is the mom) feel like a woman for the very first time.  It was an amazing read and I was so glad I could slip right into the next book.  I loved Talen, but he wasn't the brother for me.....My heart was lost later on...lol....much later on.

A Daring Rescue Emma Paulsen is a geneticist driven by science. But she's also a psychic, so when a dark, good-hearted vampire frees her from the clutches of the evil Kurjans, she realizes he must be the man who's been haunting her dreams. But with a virus threatening vampires' mates, Emma may discover a whole new meaning of "lovesick". 

A Deadly Decision As King of the Realm, Dage Kayrs has learned to practice diplomacy. Still, it's taken three hundred years to find his mate, so he'll stop at nothing to protect her—even if it means turning his back on his own kind.

Review:

Dage came so close to stealing my heart.  I have a thing for tortured beings, and Dage meets the requirements quite nicely..lol.  In this book the author splits Dage into two separate beings and focuses on the differences between the two parts that make him whole.  I absolutely loved this aspect of the book and you get such a wholistic grasp of the complexity of this character.  He has such a fathomless depth and is my favorite character in this book and almost the brother of my heart.  He searches far and wide for Emma, not knowing her name, just a face he has sketched for close to 300 hundred years.  A face he knows, almost as well as his own. 

This book was powerful and if you weren't completely captured by book 1, this one will absolutely seal the deal.  The war is on and alliances are being made as well as being broken. Another interesting aspect of this book is how the brothers are more defined as individuals and in their roles as main players in this diverse game.  It was an amazing book and quite captured me.

1/2

Moira Dunne is a witch - the quantum physics kind. Time and space are her playthings. Which might explain why her one-night stand from a hundred years ago has turned up to "claim" her - and request her family's assistance with the war he's brewing. But the more she learns about Connlan Kayrs, the more she comes to think this is normal behavior for him...When Conn and Moira tumbled on the moonlit grass, Conn hadn't meant to mark her as his mate for all time. She was only twenty! But it wasn't easy to wait for her. It was even harder to forget her. So when he finally returns for his wicked-hot witch, he's ready to let the sparks fly. Even if he burns up in flames.

Review:

I loved loved Moria!!  She was one kick ass heroine and topped my list as one of my favorite mates in this series.  Her personality made this book electric and the chemistry between her and Conn was off the charts.  I laughed out loud several times of this book.  You get flashed back and you glimpse first hand their rather unique introduction.

Conn is the perfect solider.  Everyone in the Realm strives to be just like him in battle. He is perfection on the battlefield but unfortunately not when it comes to battling his mate.  Moria has 100 years of anger and hurt shored up inside and is looking for a bit of revenge for a lot of lonely nights.  The battle lines are drawn between a powerful enforcer and the world's perfect warrior.  Who will win?  This book was explosive and sex was incredibly hot. Conn was the very definition of an alpha male who could melt any girls panties clean off...but...he wasn't the brother for me.....but we are getting closer.

1/2

Sometimes You Mate For Life

Katie Smith is the best of her class, part of an elite hunting force trained to eliminate werewolves from the hills of Western Virginia. She's good at it because she has the kind of focus and drive that won't back down no matter how steep the odds. Call it southern sass. Whatever it is, there's no denying her willingness to risk everything for the only man she's ever cared about--a man on the verge of losing his very humanity. . .

Sometimes You Mate To Stay Alive

For the past ten years Jordan Pride has dedicated his life to protecting his people from a deadly shifter virus. But in a rare moment of distraction, Jordan's guard drops just long enough for his fate to take an irreversible twist. Unless the woman he loves surrenders everything to him, again and again, under a full moon rising. . .

Review:

This was an absolutely phenomenal read!! We take a break from our vampires and shoot about 10 years into the war.  I find it interesting that the author chose that large of a gap.  Jordan is Conn's best friend and has just become a walking casualty in this messy war. A virus that has affected several female shifters and has killed or turned many male shifters, has just found its way into our lion alpha.

I don't want dwell on the dynamics between Jordan and Katie because it gives away too much of the plot.  What I do want to talk about is the overall effect the book had on me.  This is by far the most emotional and gripping one of the series yet to come.  It had a little bit of everything in it and is guaranteed to take you on an amazing roller coaster ride straight from page one until you finish. I could not put this book down.  It was gripping and absolutely a must read.

A TIME FOR WAR…

A casualty of the war between the demons and the vampires, Jase Kayrs has been missing for six long years. His older brothers want answers—but they’re going to have to get them from an unlikely source. For when Kane Kayrs tracks down Amber Freebird, what he finds is a blonde, vegan pacifist who has no intention of using her skills in his war…

A TIME FOR LOVE…

Amber enjoys her life of chaotic freedom and has no intention of falling in line just because a sexy-as-sin vampire insists on order. Unfortunately, he discovers she may be the only hope they have of finding his brother, and there’s no way he’s going to let her go—even if it means mating her to gain her cooperation. The two are as different as can be, yet when the dominant Kane and the untamed Amber finally unite to rescue Jase, they just may find that opposites really do attract…

Review:

So if you read ahead and skimmed the plot lines, your probably thinking..ahh...Nikki is in love with Jase.  He has been tortured to the point of no return before and had darkness in him BEFORE being tortured.  Well if you were one of these people, you could not be more wrong.  It was in fact Kane that I fell hard for.  I know...your thinking Kane???  Anal, intellectual, calm, controlled, everything in his place Kane???  And my answer is OMG yes.  Sexy in mind and body...cocky.....and above all focused.  When that man focusing completely on something or someone they had better watch out :) Out of all the men, this is the one I would want in my bed!

I enjoyed Kane's little mate Amber.  She brought a new weapon to the arsenal and once she learns to use her powers will be very useful to the war with the demons.  Even more interesting is her grandmother Hilde.  She brings a few dark secrets of her own to the table and her sense of humor and love of life add splashes of laughter throughout the book.  

Jase Kayrs was the fun brother. The warm, charming, easy-going brother of the vampire leaders. Until he was taken and tortured by demons with their evil mind tricks for nearly five years. Upon his return, he’s dark, violent, and not the man they all thought they knew. Not the man he once was. He’s haunted that the only reason the demons would have let him live was to use him as a weapon against his family—but he can’t figure out when or how he’ll explode. Plus, once again the demons are after Jase with a vengeance…or rather, a female demon he rejected is out to destroy him.

Then the king asks Jase for a favor…a big one. To mate with one of their allies in order to save her. She’s everything that’s good and light in the world…while he’s at home with darkness. Yet he agrees…knowing mating may be the only chance to save them both.

Review:

With the horrific damage that demons can do and the decapitation feed, I wondered if there would be a book about Jase.  Thank goodness for that tendon, even though I had my suspicions as to why they left him with a chance to regenerate.  It was tricky.  You may also have figured out from book 4 just who Jase's mate is and I was glad to see that Bren finally getting some luck thrown her way.  Once Jase works through his own issues, can he push aside the past and make a fresh start with Bren?  This book is completely worth reading about just to answer that question!!!

The thing I loved about this series is that each story always has a part for the other couples.  So if your favorite mating pair happens to be Talen and Cara?  You kept in the loop with their lives and in the lives with all the brothers and some of our villains.  Janie is also a focus in ALL the books.  That little girl is going to have a stellar book.  I am eagerly anticipating her book with equal parts excitement and dread.  I have a horrid feeling that her book maybe the last.  I have so enjoyed visiting this world, even though the last will be amazing, it will be so sad to say goodbye!!