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Warriors For Light #2
Dragon Child
In war and love danger lurks at every turn.A fire-breathing dragon, Moira O'Neal, was exchanged at birth for a Fae princess. Escaping Otherworld, she joins forces with the sexiest wereleopard on Earth. She fights the urge to mate as they battle a master of the black arts who covets their power.Major Steve Taylor, a wereleopard in the Army For Light, recognizes Moira as his mate, leaving the man at war with his cat. They partner in the middle a dangerous mission where failure means both their deaths.Cross Action Adventure/Urban Fantasy 90,000 wordsAdult MaterialSensual 4.5 out of 5
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 23, 2011
Wereleopards, and Dragons, and Fae! Oh, My!
Switched at birth with the daughter of the Fae Queen Graciela, the struggling Moira, who has always felt more like a warrior yearning for battle than a Court Lady, is grief-stricken when her spying uncovers the truth: she is not the Fae princess she always thought she was, and her "mother" the Queen has known the truth all her life. As if that deception isn't enough to shake her to her foundations, Moira not only doesn't know who she is, but as the war between Light and Darkness continues to build and rage in Earth, and her uncanny but confusing gifts of becoming invisible and fighting with sword and fire start to become more and more apparent, not knowing what she is troubles her even more.
Well...that and the disturbing and traitorous reaction that her body has whenever she catches the scent of wereleopard Major Steve Taylor...like she wants to stretch out and lick him when he gets close enough. And that's just not acceptable. She's tricked her mother...and just about everyone else...to get a taste of freedom from her home in Otherworld and join Steve in the quest of finding the queen's birth daughter and two granddaughters, and she's not about to let some odd sexual yearning turn her from her path.
Steve doesn't know what it is about Moira that makes his inner cat purr, but he's got a mission that doesn't allow for keeping time with kids who think they're warriors, no matter that said kid smells like...like...well, like his...and is over a hundred to his mere forty years. He's got to find and terminate an evil dark mage, former senator and current head of the Humans First hate group, Carlson, then he's promised to coordinate the search for the Fae queen's missing progeny. All in a day's work for a warrior fighting to save Earth and Otherworld from the Dark Lord.
But good Goddess, the purring!!
One headstrong, independent, and very wily...whatever she is...and one stubborn, controlling, alpha-of-all-alphas wereleopard together on the path of warriors and battles for the Goddess and Light? Oh yeah...someone's gonna lose an eye, or at least a heart or two.
Picking up shortly after the events of Warrior's Rise, L.J. DeLeon has catapulted herself and her series over the dangerous pitfall of the sophomore slump and created a story that was tighter and more cohesive, with a greater sophistication and polish, better editing, and all around stronger writing technique. With characters familiar from their introduction in the first book and the groundwork and worldbuilding that was set up there, I wouldn't suggest missing Warrior's Rise. In my opinion, it's not quite as strong a book, but there isn't much in the way of exposition in Dragon Child, and not much put into reaffirming the events that have come before. New readers might feel a little lost and a lot of the emotional impact of this book would be missed. In fact, Dragon Child hits the ground running and expects the reader to keep up in the same fast-paced and slickly dangerous style familiar from its predecessor, while managing to be an all-around better, more entertaining read that worked very well in so many different ways.
The heart of that leap in my esteem comes from Moira and Steve. I loved them. Especially Moira. She embodies just about every single one of my preferences for female characters. She's strong, independent, smart, sly and wily, and while she may not know what she is, she definitely knows what she wants and what she doesn't, and fights for it, standing up for herself, her needs, and the needs of the people and beliefs that matter to her. I admired her as an individual and was very impressed that DeLeon managed to perfectly blend ferocity, sensuality, and a strong code of honor with tendrils of uncertainty and sheltered naivety that fit perfectly for Moira's backstory and character. I thoroughly enjoyed her.
I also loved Steve, though I'm far less picky about my male lead characters and I had already liked him from the first book. Still, he added a dimension of light humor and a ton of alpha-male idiocy (always fun for a laugh when pitted against a truly strong female) that was missing in the first book, and as that sort of thing always makes me grin, I found myself captivated and enchanted with him and the relationship between him and Moira. And not for nothing, but there were some smoking hot sex scenes in this book that were extremely well written and totally sexy.
Maybe it was the fact that so much of the groundwork had already been laid, but I loved how the plot arc of the war between Light and Dark was more a subplot in this book. The narrower focus of finding and ending the evil senator (redundant, I know) kept the plot more tightly contained and allowed for a much stronger romance plotline to evolve throughout the book. That, too, is much more my preference than the too-quickly formed relationship that Deva and Padraig had in the first book.
That was another source of appreciation for me, as well, because while the book had a narrower focus, the plot still maintained a satisfying depth with the various plot threads and layers, most notably the continuing evolution of Sabina that I so admired in Warrior's Rise. I found myself doubly impressed, because that sort of tightening of the plot often leads to a shallower, less satisfying read, and that wasn't the case at all here.
There were still a few issues - far fewer than the previous book, of course. There were some pacing issues and abrupt bursts of development in the first few chapters of the book, where Moira goes from sheltered princess to warrior woman in mere pages. I was a little jarred by the characterizations of Moira and Graciela in the first chapters, too, because they didn't resemble the characters introduced in the first book, and character inconsistency between books is a pet peeve of mine. Graciela, in particular, who seemed the epitome of poised Fae monarch in Warrior's Rise was virtually unrecognizable at the start of this book.
The book isn't about Graciela, though, and I liked Moira so much in this book she was an improvement over the glimpse of her I had in the previous one, so that helped.
One of the few issues that exist in both books is the tendency towards almost too-easy resolutions to some issues or too-convenient information falling into place at just the right time. In the first book, that happened all too frequently just about every time the very present Goddess of Light helped or guided Deva. It got on my nerves then. In this book the situations were different and it wasn't as glaring or noticeable, but it did happen occasionally. Another issue in this book was the too-quick about face that Steve had about not wanting a mate, then wanting Moira.
And again, none of those issues could take much away from the compelling story. Once into the book, it was almost like I was driven to finish, and my investment in the story and the characters had a grip on me that wouldn't let go until I read all the way through to the end...missing several hours of sleep in the process. All for a good cause, I say, as I not only completely and thoroughly enjoyed this book, but have now become a bit addicted to the series. The third book is due out in May, if what I read at the end of this book is correct, and frankly, with some of the nifty new developments and twists in this book, I can't wait to get my hands on it.
I'm hooked.
Disclosure: This book was provided to me free of charge by the author for the purpose of an honest review. All ratings, thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own. Getting me hooked on the series, though, is totally the author's fault.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
Switched at birth with the daughter of the Fae Queen Graciela, the struggling Moira, who has always felt more like a warrior yearning for battle than a Court Lady, is grief-stricken when her spying uncovers the truth: she is not the Fae princess she always thought she was, and her "mother" the Queen has known the truth all her life. As if that deception isn't enough to shake her to her foundations, Moira not only doesn't know who she is, but as the war between Light and Darkness continues to build and rage in Earth, and her uncanny but confusing gifts of becoming invisible and fighting with sword and fire start to become more and more apparent, not knowing what she is troubles her even more.
Well...that and the disturbing and traitorous reaction that her body has whenever she catches the scent of wereleopard Major Steve Taylor...like she wants to stretch out and lick him when he gets close enough. And that's just not acceptable. She's tricked her mother...and just about everyone else...to get a taste of freedom from her home in Otherworld and join Steve in the quest of finding the queen's birth daughter and two granddaughters, and she's not about to let some odd sexual yearning turn her from her path.
Steve doesn't know what it is about Moira that makes his inner cat purr, but he's got a mission that doesn't allow for keeping time with kids who think they're warriors, no matter that said kid smells like...like...well, like his...and is over a hundred to his mere forty years. He's got to find and terminate an evil dark mage, former senator and current head of the Humans First hate group, Carlson, then he's promised to coordinate the search for the Fae queen's missing progeny. All in a day's work for a warrior fighting to save Earth and Otherworld from the Dark Lord.
But good Goddess, the purring!!
One headstrong, independent, and very wily...whatever she is...and one stubborn, controlling, alpha-of-all-alphas wereleopard together on the path of warriors and battles for the Goddess and Light? Oh yeah...someone's gonna lose an eye, or at least a heart or two.
Picking up shortly after the events of Warrior's Rise, L.J. DeLeon has catapulted herself and her series over the dangerous pitfall of the sophomore slump and created a story that was tighter and more cohesive, with a greater sophistication and polish, better editing, and all around stronger writing technique. With characters familiar from their introduction in the first book and the groundwork and worldbuilding that was set up there, I wouldn't suggest missing Warrior's Rise. In my opinion, it's not quite as strong a book, but there isn't much in the way of exposition in Dragon Child, and not much put into reaffirming the events that have come before. New readers might feel a little lost and a lot of the emotional impact of this book would be missed. In fact, Dragon Child hits the ground running and expects the reader to keep up in the same fast-paced and slickly dangerous style familiar from its predecessor, while managing to be an all-around better, more entertaining read that worked very well in so many different ways.
The heart of that leap in my esteem comes from Moira and Steve. I loved them. Especially Moira. She embodies just about every single one of my preferences for female characters. She's strong, independent, smart, sly and wily, and while she may not know what she is, she definitely knows what she wants and what she doesn't, and fights for it, standing up for herself, her needs, and the needs of the people and beliefs that matter to her. I admired her as an individual and was very impressed that DeLeon managed to perfectly blend ferocity, sensuality, and a strong code of honor with tendrils of uncertainty and sheltered naivety that fit perfectly for Moira's backstory and character. I thoroughly enjoyed her.
I also loved Steve, though I'm far less picky about my male lead characters and I had already liked him from the first book. Still, he added a dimension of light humor and a ton of alpha-male idiocy (always fun for a laugh when pitted against a truly strong female) that was missing in the first book, and as that sort of thing always makes me grin, I found myself captivated and enchanted with him and the relationship between him and Moira. And not for nothing, but there were some smoking hot sex scenes in this book that were extremely well written and totally sexy.
Maybe it was the fact that so much of the groundwork had already been laid, but I loved how the plot arc of the war between Light and Dark was more a subplot in this book. The narrower focus of finding and ending the evil senator (redundant, I know) kept the plot more tightly contained and allowed for a much stronger romance plotline to evolve throughout the book. That, too, is much more my preference than the too-quickly formed relationship that Deva and Padraig had in the first book.
That was another source of appreciation for me, as well, because while the book had a narrower focus, the plot still maintained a satisfying depth with the various plot threads and layers, most notably the continuing evolution of Sabina that I so admired in Warrior's Rise. I found myself doubly impressed, because that sort of tightening of the plot often leads to a shallower, less satisfying read, and that wasn't the case at all here.
There were still a few issues - far fewer than the previous book, of course. There were some pacing issues and abrupt bursts of development in the first few chapters of the book, where Moira goes from sheltered princess to warrior woman in mere pages. I was a little jarred by the characterizations of Moira and Graciela in the first chapters, too, because they didn't resemble the characters introduced in the first book, and character inconsistency between books is a pet peeve of mine. Graciela, in particular, who seemed the epitome of poised Fae monarch in Warrior's Rise was virtually unrecognizable at the start of this book.
The book isn't about Graciela, though, and I liked Moira so much in this book she was an improvement over the glimpse of her I had in the previous one, so that helped.
One of the few issues that exist in both books is the tendency towards almost too-easy resolutions to some issues or too-convenient information falling into place at just the right time. In the first book, that happened all too frequently just about every time the very present Goddess of Light helped or guided Deva. It got on my nerves then. In this book the situations were different and it wasn't as glaring or noticeable, but it did happen occasionally. Another issue in this book was the too-quick about face that Steve had about not wanting a mate, then wanting Moira.
And again, none of those issues could take much away from the compelling story. Once into the book, it was almost like I was driven to finish, and my investment in the story and the characters had a grip on me that wouldn't let go until I read all the way through to the end...missing several hours of sleep in the process. All for a good cause, I say, as I not only completely and thoroughly enjoyed this book, but have now become a bit addicted to the series. The third book is due out in May, if what I read at the end of this book is correct, and frankly, with some of the nifty new developments and twists in this book, I can't wait to get my hands on it.
I'm hooked.
Disclosure: This book was provided to me free of charge by the author for the purpose of an honest review. All ratings, thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own. Getting me hooked on the series, though, is totally the author's fault.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
February 2, 2012
As the youngest of the Fae queen Graciela’s children, Moira O’Neill had perfected the art of snooping and eavesdropping on the older members of her family, a family of tall, blonde, silver eyed, beautifully regal Fae. Moira never questioned her short stature, her brown eyes or red hair and it always made her feel special when her mother called her the "Daughter of her heart". Now after spying on her mother and the wereleopard Steve Taylor, she knows the truth. She was switched with the true daughter and no one knows where she came from or exactly what she is, but Moira is determined to find out. Major Steve Taylor, future Felix of Earth’s wereleopards is sworn to protect the Cáidh Arm, not babysit a spoiled princess looking for trouble in the middle of a deadly war. He’s as surprised as anyone when his cat marks Moira as his mate.
Yeee haaaa! Another winner in the Warriors of Light series. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, it's not too late. Continuing from book one, the battle with the Dark Lord is heating up and casualties on Earth are piling up. But everything, no matter how random, has meaning and great impact in this book. I just love that. You can't skim pages or walk away, the action is too fast and the story is too liquid. Moira the heroine, while extremely young in Otherworld time, is in actuality an adult and knows deep down what she is destined to become.... a warrior. Steve is the one who needs to change perspective when he looks at Moira. His predatory instincts to protect and defend do not work in his favor with the strong willed Moira.
The women rule the day and the plot in L.J. Deleon's world, although it takes some of the menfolk a while to catch on.(bless their little macho hearts) In this book we are exposed to much more of the were culture and the Humans First villains. A prejudiced, ignorant mob can be every bit as deadly as a demon or Dark Lord. The reader also gets some very big hints about future books and what direction we can expect in the upcoming war. (hint: the first Cáidh Arm, Grace) The relationship between Moira and Steve had a very animalistic and explosive tone which
just made my palms sweat. There were absolutely NO punches pulled in this arena so be forewarned. The erotic content in this book, while not overwhelming, is extremely HOT. I have a very bad feeling that L.J. DeLeon will not be able to keep up with the demand for this series. She would need to have the superpowers of one of her Supes.
Yeee haaaa! Another winner in the Warriors of Light series. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, it's not too late. Continuing from book one, the battle with the Dark Lord is heating up and casualties on Earth are piling up. But everything, no matter how random, has meaning and great impact in this book. I just love that. You can't skim pages or walk away, the action is too fast and the story is too liquid. Moira the heroine, while extremely young in Otherworld time, is in actuality an adult and knows deep down what she is destined to become.... a warrior. Steve is the one who needs to change perspective when he looks at Moira. His predatory instincts to protect and defend do not work in his favor with the strong willed Moira.
The women rule the day and the plot in L.J. Deleon's world, although it takes some of the menfolk a while to catch on.(bless their little macho hearts) In this book we are exposed to much more of the were culture and the Humans First villains. A prejudiced, ignorant mob can be every bit as deadly as a demon or Dark Lord. The reader also gets some very big hints about future books and what direction we can expect in the upcoming war. (hint: the first Cáidh Arm, Grace) The relationship between Moira and Steve had a very animalistic and explosive tone which
just made my palms sweat. There were absolutely NO punches pulled in this arena so be forewarned. The erotic content in this book, while not overwhelming, is extremely HOT. I have a very bad feeling that L.J. DeLeon will not be able to keep up with the demand for this series. She would need to have the superpowers of one of her Supes.
April 29, 2011
Review by Ollie For bittenbyparanormalromance
Dragon Child is LJ DeLeon's second book in the Warriors For Light series and the action and heat level continues from book 1. I loved book 2 and I feel the author found the right combination of action, intrigue and sex to make this book a real page turner where you can't wait to read the next page. If your haven't read book 1 I highly recommend that you read it first before you read this one otherwise you may feel a little lost with the plotline.
The story revolves around Moira, the Fae princess to the royal court and Major Steve Taylor, a wereleopard who is dedicated in leading the Army of Light and in battle against the evil plaguing Earth. There is so much happening and so may twists and turns occurring that you find yourself wondering what is going to be revealed next. It is difficult to talk about the storyline without spoiling it because this is one that you need to discover. What I can say is there are lots of surprises and the book ends with another cliffhanger that has me anxiously waiting for book 3.
The main premise of the story deals with Moira and Steve, along with the other regulars introduced in book 1, who are continuing their battle to destroy the leader of the evil uprising. In the midst of the war Moira is trying to unravel the mystery surrounding her identity and how it plays an importance in the battle for the Light. This doesn't mean that all the action is on the battlefield. We see action in the bedroom as Steve realizes Moira is his mate and the combustible passion between them makes some very hot and steamy scenes. One of the key parts in the story is can Moira accept this component in her life. With a hunk like Steve it is hard to believe that she needs to think about it.
I really enjoyed both characters and felt a connection to them especially to Steve. His love, passion devotion and loyalty makes him such a lovable character that at times I actually got upset with Moira and her inability to commit to him and to give in to such a prize like him.
This is one book you need to pick up as will be glued to the pages for it has everything to seduce readers: love, passion, action, heartache and a hunky guy who you would love be called his mate.
Dragon Child is LJ DeLeon's second book in the Warriors For Light series and the action and heat level continues from book 1. I loved book 2 and I feel the author found the right combination of action, intrigue and sex to make this book a real page turner where you can't wait to read the next page. If your haven't read book 1 I highly recommend that you read it first before you read this one otherwise you may feel a little lost with the plotline.
The story revolves around Moira, the Fae princess to the royal court and Major Steve Taylor, a wereleopard who is dedicated in leading the Army of Light and in battle against the evil plaguing Earth. There is so much happening and so may twists and turns occurring that you find yourself wondering what is going to be revealed next. It is difficult to talk about the storyline without spoiling it because this is one that you need to discover. What I can say is there are lots of surprises and the book ends with another cliffhanger that has me anxiously waiting for book 3.
The main premise of the story deals with Moira and Steve, along with the other regulars introduced in book 1, who are continuing their battle to destroy the leader of the evil uprising. In the midst of the war Moira is trying to unravel the mystery surrounding her identity and how it plays an importance in the battle for the Light. This doesn't mean that all the action is on the battlefield. We see action in the bedroom as Steve realizes Moira is his mate and the combustible passion between them makes some very hot and steamy scenes. One of the key parts in the story is can Moira accept this component in her life. With a hunk like Steve it is hard to believe that she needs to think about it.
I really enjoyed both characters and felt a connection to them especially to Steve. His love, passion devotion and loyalty makes him such a lovable character that at times I actually got upset with Moira and her inability to commit to him and to give in to such a prize like him.
This is one book you need to pick up as will be glued to the pages for it has everything to seduce readers: love, passion, action, heartache and a hunky guy who you would love be called his mate.
March 12, 2012
I liked Dragon Child much better than Warrior’s Rise. It was a nice steamy story with a good plot and well-developed characters. The lust was believable and made me ready for the romance to happen when it did. I enjoyed not having to keep up with so many different kinds of demons in this story, there were just enough fights to keep my interest throughout. The author did a good job of pulling me in and making me care what happens in the next book.
Moira is a character that is easy to like, because of her believable frustration and anger at her circumstances. The way she deals with it is quite realistic. She loves easily after a short internal fight, which made her endearing to me as a reader. I found her to be a much more likable character than Deva (heroine in book 1). I’m not sure why, maybe because Deva’s powers were just assigned (it seemed) willy-nilly by the Goddess so they didn’t seem as believable or hard-earned as Moira’s.
Moira is a character that is easy to like, because of her believable frustration and anger at her circumstances. The way she deals with it is quite realistic. She loves easily after a short internal fight, which made her endearing to me as a reader. I found her to be a much more likable character than Deva (heroine in book 1). I’m not sure why, maybe because Deva’s powers were just assigned (it seemed) willy-nilly by the Goddess so they didn’t seem as believable or hard-earned as Moira’s.
February 8, 2012
Dragon child is much more entertaining than the first book was. I am glad I decided to read the second one because I felt this Series has shown much promise and I just couldn't write it off because of the first book.
Moira is a red head beauty that has a temper to match. Steve is funny, headstrong, and very very male. Perfect combination.
I have more of a detailed review of this book and the first one at: www.readtomyhearts.blogspot.com
I definitely think you should try this book. It has all the supernatural creatures we have come to love and yearn for.
Moira is a red head beauty that has a temper to match. Steve is funny, headstrong, and very very male. Perfect combination.
I have more of a detailed review of this book and the first one at: www.readtomyhearts.blogspot.com
I definitely think you should try this book. It has all the supernatural creatures we have come to love and yearn for.
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July 20, 2016NOR
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