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Haven #1
Caution: Contents Under Pressure
[Siren Everlasting Classic Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, vampires, public exhibition, sex toys] No good deed goes unpunished. Stavion had only been doing his job as an Enforcer, but now he finds himself the leader of his enemy's old coven. And the position comes with a whole mess of responsibility and stress. Jory can't believe he's finally free of his prison. He has friends, clean clothes, and a warm bed at night. He also has a very big, very intimidating vampire claiming to be his mate. Not only does the man scare the hell out of him, but Jory's not everything he appears to be, and keeping the secret is harder than he imagined. One obstacle after another is thrown in their path to keep them apart. Even Jory seems to be fighting it every step of the way. Stavion isn't about to give up, though. Jory is everything he never knew he wanted, and he's determined to have the last word. ** A Siren Erotic Romance
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2011
6 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Gabrielle Evans
74 books441 followersGabrielle Evans grew up in a small town in southern Oklahoma. We’re talking one red light that may or may not work depending on the day of the week. She married her high school sweetheart and the rest is pretty much history. They have two very active boys and one high-strung wiener dog that keeps her constantly on the go. For now, Gabrielle parks her car in north-central Texas, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
Come chat with me on my new Yahoo Group!
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)erotic romance author
Come chat with me on my new Yahoo Group!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gabriel...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)erotic romance author
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 19, 2015
Total rating : 3.5 Stars
This couple's so adorable,the way they built their relationship is a little bit slow but tempting.They got to know each other while Stavion was sparing a gap between them to contented Jory's mind with ease,and after Jory had been through a lot about slavery and tortue,he deserved this kind of person who unterdstood him wholeheartedly.
Caution: Contents Under Pressure is a book that spin-off from Moonlight Breed and the story was happenned during Softly Spoken Lies.
This couple's so adorable,the way they built their relationship is a little bit slow but tempting.They got to know each other while Stavion was sparing a gap between them to contented Jory's mind with ease,and after Jory had been through a lot about slavery and tortue,he deserved this kind of person who unterdstood him wholeheartedly.
Caution: Contents Under Pressure is a book that spin-off from Moonlight Breed and the story was happenned during Softly Spoken Lies.
October 23, 2011
This series picks up around the time of "Moonlight Breed 4 and 5" is happening.
Stavion is the vampire they meet in bk 3 of Moonlight Breed", and Jory is one of the friends that Willow talks about in bk 4.
There's alot of background info learned in this one, answering some questions and setting up this series.
So if you haven't read that series yet, at times you might get confused, if you read them you will know what is going on.
If you liked the shifter series, I think you will like this vampire series.
Stavion is the vampire they meet in bk 3 of Moonlight Breed", and Jory is one of the friends that Willow talks about in bk 4.
There's alot of background info learned in this one, answering some questions and setting up this series.
So if you haven't read that series yet, at times you might get confused, if you read them you will know what is going on.
If you liked the shifter series, I think you will like this vampire series.
March 27, 2012
2.5 stars.
Caution: Contents Under Pressure is your typical vampire bonding story. Jory was imprisoned and abused by the bad guys until Stavion’s clan swooped in and rescued his friends and him. Cue Stavion claiming that Jory is his mate and conflict arises.
Stavion is a reluctant leader, once a powerful Enforcer, recent changes in his coven have left him in charge; between that and finding his traumatized mate, he’s a man on the edge. His characterization is what I liked most about this novella. Jory, on the other hand, is a little bit harder to define. He’s been abused, degraded, yet still hopes that his mate and he can be together. While I felt sorry for Jory and his situation, his characterization was a little too superficial for me, so I could not connect to him like I did Stavion, which was a shame.
Another issue was that there were too many secondary characters in the novel. I understand they were there to set up their own books in the sequels, but with so many characters, you needed a flow chart to keep up with them. It also took away from time that could have been spent on exploring Stavion and Jory’s relationship, which I felt was a missed opportunity by the author.
While some characterization and plot issues caused my rating to be a bit lower than expected, I could still see potential in this series. The universe Ms. Evans created is fascinating, so while I might not have enjoyed this book fully, I am interested to see what the other installments have to offer as there are five other books in the Haven series so far.
Dark Divas Reviews
Caution: Contents Under Pressure is your typical vampire bonding story. Jory was imprisoned and abused by the bad guys until Stavion’s clan swooped in and rescued his friends and him. Cue Stavion claiming that Jory is his mate and conflict arises.
Stavion is a reluctant leader, once a powerful Enforcer, recent changes in his coven have left him in charge; between that and finding his traumatized mate, he’s a man on the edge. His characterization is what I liked most about this novella. Jory, on the other hand, is a little bit harder to define. He’s been abused, degraded, yet still hopes that his mate and he can be together. While I felt sorry for Jory and his situation, his characterization was a little too superficial for me, so I could not connect to him like I did Stavion, which was a shame.
Another issue was that there were too many secondary characters in the novel. I understand they were there to set up their own books in the sequels, but with so many characters, you needed a flow chart to keep up with them. It also took away from time that could have been spent on exploring Stavion and Jory’s relationship, which I felt was a missed opportunity by the author.
While some characterization and plot issues caused my rating to be a bit lower than expected, I could still see potential in this series. The universe Ms. Evans created is fascinating, so while I might not have enjoyed this book fully, I am interested to see what the other installments have to offer as there are five other books in the Haven series so far.
Dark Divas Reviews
August 27, 2014
Cute. I liked it better than the Moonlighter series (but to be fair I only read to book 3, then I gave up).
Jory and his friends were sweet. Would have liked to have seen more from Jory's "self". What else is there besides the sauna?
Jory and his friends were sweet. Would have liked to have seen more from Jory's "self". What else is there besides the sauna?
November 27, 2014
2014 Re-read:
This author certainly is one who improves over time. The most recently published one her books that I read recently was significantly better than this one, and this one is significantly better than the one that began the original series.
In short, I liked it.
It’s definitely fluffy in the safest of ways, although somewhat incomplete, due to the fact that it appears to share its plot with a book from another series and they more than just intersect.
I have no intention of reading that other book, so I guess I will never find out the minutiae of what actually happened here, or, for example, why the entire problem surrounding Malakai was even possible to begin with. No coherent explanations given how things work, alas, or why the request for a contract cannot be denied for this particular vampire, yet apparently those rules do not apply to the others. I dunno. Maybe they explained it in the original series, or in that book I am not going to read.
Without a doubt, though, Stavion’s incredible stupidity and lack of respect in keeping the situation from those it concerns most – which is what truly creates the bulk of the problem – can’t be excused, as far as I am concerned. It’s just a totally moronic move solely inserted to generate plot.
Ah, well. The protagonists are still a little more interesting than a lot of the fluffy ones I’ve come across lately.
I like how Stavion means well and flounders more than a little in his role as a leader, and I definitely go for the gentle way he treats Jory. (Mind you, he tends to give up way too fast, albeit only temporarily. Not exactly a good writing detail.)
And in Jory I appreciate that he’s not automatically a doormat, but actually shows a lot of egotism. Not something I admire usually, but these are very different circumstances. The changes in him feel gradual as well, not too sudden as so often happens with abused waifs in stories.
That said, there really is a lot that seems incongruous with things stated in this same book. However, because so much is relating to an older/crossover series it became really difficult to keep track of what is an actual inconsistencies, and what’s merely a misunderstanding on my part based on lack of knowledge of said other series. (Beyond the first few books, anyway. I tossed them away in irritation back then.)
So this book is not great, but the author does have an appeal even at this stage of the her development, and so the reading was easy and fun.
2012 Review:
Huh. Yeah, this one was sweet too. But I need to backtrack.
It became obvious almost immediately that this series is in fact a spinoff (one of several) from that atrocious thing I read a while ago that disgusted me so much that I quit reading it. All the –on named guys appear in this one too, and we get a few more ending on –n even, although with the sheer volume of characters it’s less stupefying.
Obviously, the writing and plotting and just about everything have improved, so I may have to go back and finish that series after all. Bleh. There are lots of couples and a few triads and one of them even has their story happening in the backdrop of this book. I am sure they’re having their own volume in another series at the same time, or something, but it was pretty detailed even so. The good part here is that it made what I just finished feels like a complete book, without missing bits, despite basically joining in the middle of a longer web of stories. And yet it never got into the other story in a personal way, other than how it affected the main characters here, so if I ever decide to read that threesome’s book it should feel fresh regardless.
Not that I am terribly tempted. Triads, well… Never mind.
So all of these are set in much the kind of world you usually find in shifter or other paranormal books. The ways things work here, some of them are confusing (this is where joining in the midst of things might actually be detrimental), some make little sense, some are kind of silly, and pretty much everyone turns out to be gay, but all of these things I am used to and I can suspend my disbelief while I am reading. I don’t have to take these books all that seriously.
Mind you, this was a nice story.
When done right, I have a weakness for the whole “little, abused, traumatized man, rescued” theme and it was pretty decent in this case. Jory certainly fit the traumatized bill. XD Okay, so he was not as adorable as, say, Whitley in the book I read earlier today. But he definitely had the scared senseless bit down pat which made his recovery so much nicer to watch.
Stavion? He was okay. I have no problem with him as the big, strong he-man. What I found amusing was his constant struggling with his position as the leader and how stressed out he became when things just kept piling up and going wrong. It made sense and we don’t often get to see this side of leadership (the helpless, stressful one) in series such as this.
So yeah. Really not bad.
It’s difficult for me to compare this with other, similar series. Mostly because I’ve taken a bit of a break from some of them, but also because my mind feels fuzzy (always a good excuse, but I really am sickish). Not sure how to make my point. Maybe I already made it! Hm.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this and the author has returned into my good graces, even if she does not write top-notch. :3 After all, I don’t really expect that from most authors these days. It often is so much more relaxing to coast along with the silliness, grammatical and spelling errors and casual speech notwithstanding.
I plan to go on with this series now, since the theme seems to continue and also since I don’t feel like going back to when the author wrote total crap. Maybe after I am done with this; who knows.
This author certainly is one who improves over time. The most recently published one her books that I read recently was significantly better than this one, and this one is significantly better than the one that began the original series.
In short, I liked it.
It’s definitely fluffy in the safest of ways, although somewhat incomplete, due to the fact that it appears to share its plot with a book from another series and they more than just intersect.
I have no intention of reading that other book, so I guess I will never find out the minutiae of what actually happened here, or, for example, why the entire problem surrounding Malakai was even possible to begin with. No coherent explanations given how things work, alas, or why the request for a contract cannot be denied for this particular vampire, yet apparently those rules do not apply to the others. I dunno. Maybe they explained it in the original series, or in that book I am not going to read.
Without a doubt, though, Stavion’s incredible stupidity and lack of respect in keeping the situation from those it concerns most – which is what truly creates the bulk of the problem – can’t be excused, as far as I am concerned. It’s just a totally moronic move solely inserted to generate plot.
Ah, well. The protagonists are still a little more interesting than a lot of the fluffy ones I’ve come across lately.
I like how Stavion means well and flounders more than a little in his role as a leader, and I definitely go for the gentle way he treats Jory. (Mind you, he tends to give up way too fast, albeit only temporarily. Not exactly a good writing detail.)
And in Jory I appreciate that he’s not automatically a doormat, but actually shows a lot of egotism. Not something I admire usually, but these are very different circumstances. The changes in him feel gradual as well, not too sudden as so often happens with abused waifs in stories.
That said, there really is a lot that seems incongruous with things stated in this same book. However, because so much is relating to an older/crossover series it became really difficult to keep track of what is an actual inconsistencies, and what’s merely a misunderstanding on my part based on lack of knowledge of said other series. (Beyond the first few books, anyway. I tossed them away in irritation back then.)
So this book is not great, but the author does have an appeal even at this stage of the her development, and so the reading was easy and fun.
2012 Review:
Huh. Yeah, this one was sweet too. But I need to backtrack.
It became obvious almost immediately that this series is in fact a spinoff (one of several) from that atrocious thing I read a while ago that disgusted me so much that I quit reading it. All the –on named guys appear in this one too, and we get a few more ending on –n even, although with the sheer volume of characters it’s less stupefying.
Obviously, the writing and plotting and just about everything have improved, so I may have to go back and finish that series after all. Bleh. There are lots of couples and a few triads and one of them even has their story happening in the backdrop of this book. I am sure they’re having their own volume in another series at the same time, or something, but it was pretty detailed even so. The good part here is that it made what I just finished feels like a complete book, without missing bits, despite basically joining in the middle of a longer web of stories. And yet it never got into the other story in a personal way, other than how it affected the main characters here, so if I ever decide to read that threesome’s book it should feel fresh regardless.
Not that I am terribly tempted. Triads, well… Never mind.
So all of these are set in much the kind of world you usually find in shifter or other paranormal books. The ways things work here, some of them are confusing (this is where joining in the midst of things might actually be detrimental), some make little sense, some are kind of silly, and pretty much everyone turns out to be gay, but all of these things I am used to and I can suspend my disbelief while I am reading. I don’t have to take these books all that seriously.
Mind you, this was a nice story.
When done right, I have a weakness for the whole “little, abused, traumatized man, rescued” theme and it was pretty decent in this case. Jory certainly fit the traumatized bill. XD Okay, so he was not as adorable as, say, Whitley in the book I read earlier today. But he definitely had the scared senseless bit down pat which made his recovery so much nicer to watch.
Stavion? He was okay. I have no problem with him as the big, strong he-man. What I found amusing was his constant struggling with his position as the leader and how stressed out he became when things just kept piling up and going wrong. It made sense and we don’t often get to see this side of leadership (the helpless, stressful one) in series such as this.
So yeah. Really not bad.
It’s difficult for me to compare this with other, similar series. Mostly because I’ve taken a bit of a break from some of them, but also because my mind feels fuzzy (always a good excuse, but I really am sickish). Not sure how to make my point. Maybe I already made it! Hm.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this and the author has returned into my good graces, even if she does not write top-notch. :3 After all, I don’t really expect that from most authors these days. It often is so much more relaxing to coast along with the silliness, grammatical and spelling errors and casual speech notwithstanding.
I plan to go on with this series now, since the theme seems to continue and also since I don’t feel like going back to when the author wrote total crap. Maybe after I am done with this; who knows.
December 4, 2015
They're looking for missing people they think are on the estate grounds. They tell each other over and over to check the silos, which they do. They've been there at least weeks if not months. Now apparently there is a cabin they should check. They've all seen it but dismissed it, it didn't even occur to them to check it. Are they complete imbeciles?
Oh dear. "Spaz" wasn't an ok epithet to use decades ago when I was a kid. This book was published within the last few years.
So weird. This is a story from a previous book in another series told from another perspective.
First said the lost preters were all men, but now they're men and women. I hope that's the case. These people all talk about having shifter moms yet we never see women.
Joey is so much like a child in this one, and treated as such, it's getting creepy.
How tiny is this guy? His erection presses against Stavion's belly and the latter is able to rub his cheek against the top of Jory's head. Is he a gnome?
Ok, that hand thing was sweet. This and this are because of this. Awww.
They claimed each other right after the other rather than only the penetrator!
"Two guys and a chick." Nice. Yeah. Moving on.
Lesbians!!
Decent peril. For once a stronger ending than the story was. I prefer that over the opposite.
Standard fare. I'm glad not much of previous story was repeated. Most of that was off page and this was just what was in between times. The little boy feeling was a bit unsettling. Near the end, though, he became more of a man even if on the last chapter his mate thought of him as a runt. Yes, romantic.
3.25 stars
Oh dear. "Spaz" wasn't an ok epithet to use decades ago when I was a kid. This book was published within the last few years.
So weird. This is a story from a previous book in another series told from another perspective.
First said the lost preters were all men, but now they're men and women. I hope that's the case. These people all talk about having shifter moms yet we never see women.
Joey is so much like a child in this one, and treated as such, it's getting creepy.
How tiny is this guy? His erection presses against Stavion's belly and the latter is able to rub his cheek against the top of Jory's head. Is he a gnome?
Ok, that hand thing was sweet. This and this are because of this. Awww.
They claimed each other right after the other rather than only the penetrator!
"Two guys and a chick." Nice. Yeah. Moving on.
Lesbians!!
Decent peril. For once a stronger ending than the story was. I prefer that over the opposite.
Standard fare. I'm glad not much of previous story was repeated. Most of that was off page and this was just what was in between times. The little boy feeling was a bit unsettling. Near the end, though, he became more of a man even if on the last chapter his mate thought of him as a runt. Yes, romantic.
3.25 stars
November 10, 2011
A spin-off from the Moonlight Breed series which I wasn't expecting when I started reading, so the beginning was a little confusing with all the unfamiliar names. Fortunately that passed rather quickly.
It's a fun and entertaining look into the making of a new coven. The story is well plotted with a smooth flow, it has good descriptions and characters with interesting personalities. There are twists and turns interspersed throughout to keep a reader's attention and plenty of action near end that draws in both old and new characters. I love Jory. He's a sweet and lovable guy that deserves to find happiness and watching him come out of his shell is fun to watch. That he gets to find love and home only makes it better. I hope to see more of him in future releases.
It's a fun and entertaining look into the making of a new coven. The story is well plotted with a smooth flow, it has good descriptions and characters with interesting personalities. There are twists and turns interspersed throughout to keep a reader's attention and plenty of action near end that draws in both old and new characters. I love Jory. He's a sweet and lovable guy that deserves to find happiness and watching him come out of his shell is fun to watch. That he gets to find love and home only makes it better. I hope to see more of him in future releases.
March 14, 2012
typical gabrielle evans serial romance. nothing fantastic, nothing so bad it can't be finished. what is typical gabrielle evans? imagine a shorter harlequin romance but with no t&a (see, i was going to write no surprise pregnancies, but... yeah.).
out of sheer laziness, i will be using this as my template for all books by :
sunny day
lynn hagen
stormy glenn
scarlett hyacinth
carol lynne
gabrielle evans
unless otherwise noted. i'd apologize, but i'm not sorry. i figure it's about as much time as they put into their books. dammit! well, i made it all the way to the end being rather moderate in my assessment. that's a win.
out of sheer laziness, i will be using this as my template for all books by :
sunny day
lynn hagen
stormy glenn
scarlett hyacinth
carol lynne
gabrielle evans
unless otherwise noted. i'd apologize, but i'm not sorry. i figure it's about as much time as they put into their books. dammit! well, i made it all the way to the end being rather moderate in my assessment. that's a win.
October 22, 2014
As a leader I didn't expect Stavion to be perfect but I expected better for sure. He was just so damn cudly all the time and he never yelled or got angry. Huh. Must be exhausting to be him 24/7. Also...he was kind of a screw up. Both times he had to act like a leader and he failed pretty badly. Not enough to actually damage things permanently but close. He's not much of an alpha at all. I expected much more from him as a coven leader and a former Enforcer. Kind of disappointed after his growly presence in other books. Don't get me wrong, I liked his "human" side just fine but there was a little too much of it for my peace of mind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2013
I love the creativity of this author. I like that she can take something that has been done over and over again and make it her own. It keeps her series interesting and fun to read.
This book is just one example. Yes, we've all read the sexy vampire books, but the added twists, characters, and races of beings is what makes this story so unique. It's a very fun, not angsty, refreshing read. I love Jory's journey through his pain and Stavion's patience and guidance. It's a wonderful opening to this series.
This book is just one example. Yes, we've all read the sexy vampire books, but the added twists, characters, and races of beings is what makes this story so unique. It's a very fun, not angsty, refreshing read. I love Jory's journey through his pain and Stavion's patience and guidance. It's a wonderful opening to this series.
October 22, 2013
Same Old Same Old. I kinda thought it would be a whole new world but sadly it was the same world as the moonlight breed which wouldn't have been so bad if this book didn't pretty much revolve around the characters in the other series. This was a chance to branch out and create a whole new world with different challenges, a different scenery, etc. but it didnt deliver. Its a shame because in my opinion there aren't a lot of really good simple m/m vamp series out there.
November 23, 2011
A spin off of the Moonlight Breed series, which I like the first 3 books of, but not the most recent ones...and since this one takes place right around books 4 and 5 with overlapping scenes and characters...well, it's just not going to be my favorite book either.
October 16, 2011
it's getting bored to read a series if it's related or a distant related to another series.
so many names and names were mentioned as if readers are supposed to know them.
in the end, i stop reading half away.
so many names and names were mentioned as if readers are supposed to know them.
in the end, i stop reading half away.
September 6, 2015
Nice read. I admit sometimes I was lost as I haven't read all the previous series. I still enjoyed the characters and Jory's growth in the story. I loved how everyone came together in the end to fight against the threat to Haven.
January 14, 2012
It's good. It gets 3 STARS because there are so many other books that are better.
NOTE: Read the Moonlight Breed series first. Actually, I would read Moonlight #5 and Haven #1 simultaneously. The stories run concurrently.
NOTE: Read the Moonlight Breed series first. Actually, I would read Moonlight #5 and Haven #1 simultaneously. The stories run concurrently.
March 29, 2018
I have been rereading this book for years...
All the. characters in this series are fun and wonderful! I am especially fond of Raven who I don't believe ever got his own story. This is my favorite of the series. Werewolves and vampires, how romantic!
All the. characters in this series are fun and wonderful! I am especially fond of Raven who I don't believe ever got his own story. This is my favorite of the series. Werewolves and vampires, how romantic!
October 18, 2011
I can already tell with just one book that I'm going to love this series!!!
October 27, 2011
enjoy a tad bit more the brac pack
not-for-me
October 17, 2011TBNT I just don't like this author
October 18, 2011
I like this "spin off" of the Moonlight Breed serie. I liked how Stavion has the patience to wait and guide his mate Jory out of his horrible past.
October 30, 2011
3.5 stars
May 10, 2012
Currently a DNF for me. I definitely did not love the writing style. I may come back to this book but I'm not sure.... (Update - went back and finished. Review to come)
July 4, 2012
I finally understand why I was lost in the last moonlight breed book after reading this one.
March 6, 2013
Just couldn't get a super into it. .. kind of felt on the outside the whole time. I don't think I felt connected with the characters.
Read
March 30, 2013It was sooooo boring for me, I could't finish this one and I read only a chapter first's part no more...
November 27, 2014
Do I regret buying it no. Will I reread it no.
February 28, 2016
2016 Re-read: 3.5 stars
April 14, 2015
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews