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The Brotherhood #1
Darkness and Lies: A Brotherhood Novel
Explorer Cheyenne Oppenello lives for adventure and has made it her life’s work to seek out the world’s most notorious myths and legends, and she’s determined to make sure that nothing stands in her way. Accompanied by a colorful band of teammates and friends, their most recent hunt has brought them to Iceland where, up on a mountaintop lies a legend so great that, if true, could thrust them into the spotlight making all of their wildest dreams come true. Unfortunately they have no idea that this mission could very well be their last.
Erias is on a mission of his own. And this includes keeping Cheyenne and her teammates from sticking their noses where they don’t belong. Part of The Brotherhood, guardians to The Gate, Erias is charged with protecting the world from creatures bent on death and destruction and he will do whatever it takes to ensure they never see the light of day.
Can Cheyenne’s determination go up against a fierce man like Erias to get what she wants? Or will Erias prove to be the one adventure she wasn’t prepared for?
Erias is on a mission of his own. And this includes keeping Cheyenne and her teammates from sticking their noses where they don’t belong. Part of The Brotherhood, guardians to The Gate, Erias is charged with protecting the world from creatures bent on death and destruction and he will do whatever it takes to ensure they never see the light of day.
Can Cheyenne’s determination go up against a fierce man like Erias to get what she wants? Or will Erias prove to be the one adventure she wasn’t prepared for?
256 pages, Nook
First published September 16, 2011
130 people want to read
About the author
Brandi Aquino
16 books171 followersBrandi started writing poetry, short stories, and novels at a very young age, weaving tales to share with her friends that were geared toward making them laugh. Today her writing habits reflect that, ranging from mystery/suspense/thriller to paranormal and YA romance, and no matter how different her works may be, you can always find a healthy dose of action, romance, and humor. Under the pen name J.C. Valentine, she also writes erotic romance fiction.
A longtime resident of Ohio, Brandi lives with her husband, three children, a dog and five cats that keep her very busy. She holds a degree in Business and has plans to continue her education so she can one day become an editor to authors everywhere. When she isn’t crafting her next novel, toiling away at schoolwork, or hanging out with family, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair with her nose buried in a book.
*Note to readers: I am always willing to give away a free copy of any of my books--generally in ebook format--in exchange for your fair and honest review. If interested, please contact me via Goodreads or email at branflake3083@gmail.com.
A longtime resident of Ohio, Brandi lives with her husband, three children, a dog and five cats that keep her very busy. She holds a degree in Business and has plans to continue her education so she can one day become an editor to authors everywhere. When she isn’t crafting her next novel, toiling away at schoolwork, or hanging out with family, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair with her nose buried in a book.
*Note to readers: I am always willing to give away a free copy of any of my books--generally in ebook format--in exchange for your fair and honest review. If interested, please contact me via Goodreads or email at branflake3083@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 13, 2012
Cheyenne and her fellow explorers Kris, Tabitha, Tim, Cathy, Harold, Sebastian, and Hadley have arrived in Iceland. Every year for two weeks they get together to explore ancient myths and legends around the world. The year before they had gone to the Aegean Sea to hunt for the site of Atlantis. This year they are in Iceland searching for Hell's Gate.
Erias is part of a Brotherhood formed by Persephone to guard the gate of hell. Due to Cheyenne and her friends getting close to their destination, Erias is sent by Persephone to make sure that the group never reaches the gates. Especially, Cheyenne.
When they first get to the gate, they don't get very far before Erias sends they packing back to their rooms. Erias is immediately attracked to Cheyenne and decides he will keep them from the gate with a little seduction, keeping Cheyenne too busy to bother with the gate. However what he doesn't expect are the feelings she's awakening in him.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a real page turner. The ending leaves you hanging and I look forward to reading the next one to see how things turn out. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a little bit of mythology with their romance.
Erias is part of a Brotherhood formed by Persephone to guard the gate of hell. Due to Cheyenne and her friends getting close to their destination, Erias is sent by Persephone to make sure that the group never reaches the gates. Especially, Cheyenne.
When they first get to the gate, they don't get very far before Erias sends they packing back to their rooms. Erias is immediately attracked to Cheyenne and decides he will keep them from the gate with a little seduction, keeping Cheyenne too busy to bother with the gate. However what he doesn't expect are the feelings she's awakening in him.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a real page turner. The ending leaves you hanging and I look forward to reading the next one to see how things turn out. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a little bit of mythology with their romance.
March 26, 2012
Hmm... where to begin. I don't want to rehash the plot, but let's just say adventurous virgin and her band of friends, gates of hell, and 'brotherhood' of (essentially) immortals guarding the gates at the request of the Gods. Overall, I really liked it. Action, hot guys, a dash of romance, a spoonful of bedroom antics, Gods, mythology, adventure, demons... it seemed to have a little of many good things which made it an interesting read. It is more action and urban fantasy based, rather than a bodice ripper. Don't go into this book expecting sweep-me-off-my-feet romance, because that's not what this books is about.
I really enjoyed the depth of the mythology and the past history of the characters. It seemed well researched, and logical about how this urban fantasy 'worked'. There was only one point of contention I found in regard to the mythology of the book. Persephone was the main Goddess (aka B*tch in this book) and one would expect that being the bride of Satan himself. But I seemed to remember in my mythology studies that she only had to reside in Hell a certain number of months out of the year (hence winter months when she was away from her mother.) Unless she has like a split personality and we're only seeing the 'winter' side in this book, it seemed odd to only have Persephone portrayed as a cold-hearted, evil goddess. But in the overall scheme of the story, this is a minor point. Just something that I wondered while reading.
The battle of wills between Cheyenne and Erias was epic. Both attracted to each other, but both seemed to fuel some sort of fire of malice as well. Instead of the seduction Erias initially had planned, they are literally fighting like two betas stuck in the same bowl. There was an odd love/hate thing going on with them.
The past history between Cheyenne and her friend Kris- he still holds a torch for her- at times was nice because it added another level of depth, but also at times was difficult because it felt like a love triangle was trying to be forced upon the story as well. I know that sounds confusing, but sometimes I liked it and other times I was just ready to stop hearing about how bad Kris felt about ruining his chances with her. And the set-up of Cheyenne and her friends seeing mythological sites and having yearly adventures... I did not fully 'buy' their story. It just seemed like added drama that was unnecessary, in my opinion.
Finally, while there is no mention (that I can find)about this being the first book in a series, it certainly reads that way. And after the ending... no HEA here, there darned well better be a book two. If there is, I will most definitely read it. If not, I will be spitting mad like Cheyenne was with Erias at first. While I try to look past grammar/spelling/formatting errors in eBooks, there was so much that even I couldn't help but notice it. Missing words, wrong character name at one point, it didn't detract from my enjoyment but was impossible to fully ignore.
A beefed-up version of this actor is what I had pictured in my head for Erias:
I really enjoyed the depth of the mythology and the past history of the characters. It seemed well researched, and logical about how this urban fantasy 'worked'. There was only one point of contention I found in regard to the mythology of the book. Persephone was the main Goddess (aka B*tch in this book) and one would expect that being the bride of Satan himself. But I seemed to remember in my mythology studies that she only had to reside in Hell a certain number of months out of the year (hence winter months when she was away from her mother.) Unless she has like a split personality and we're only seeing the 'winter' side in this book, it seemed odd to only have Persephone portrayed as a cold-hearted, evil goddess. But in the overall scheme of the story, this is a minor point. Just something that I wondered while reading.
The battle of wills between Cheyenne and Erias was epic. Both attracted to each other, but both seemed to fuel some sort of fire of malice as well. Instead of the seduction Erias initially had planned, they are literally fighting like two betas stuck in the same bowl. There was an odd love/hate thing going on with them.
The past history between Cheyenne and her friend Kris- he still holds a torch for her- at times was nice because it added another level of depth, but also at times was difficult because it felt like a love triangle was trying to be forced upon the story as well. I know that sounds confusing, but sometimes I liked it and other times I was just ready to stop hearing about how bad Kris felt about ruining his chances with her. And the set-up of Cheyenne and her friends seeing mythological sites and having yearly adventures... I did not fully 'buy' their story. It just seemed like added drama that was unnecessary, in my opinion.
Finally, while there is no mention (that I can find)about this being the first book in a series, it certainly reads that way. And after the ending... no HEA here, there darned well better be a book two. If there is, I will most definitely read it. If not, I will be spitting mad like Cheyenne was with Erias at first. While I try to look past grammar/spelling/formatting errors in eBooks, there was so much that even I couldn't help but notice it. Missing words, wrong character name at one point, it didn't detract from my enjoyment but was impossible to fully ignore.
A beefed-up version of this actor is what I had pictured in my head for Erias:
January 26, 2013
I think that the uniqueness of this book is what really got me. Everything has a twist. The plot was also quite exciting. I cannot believe how quickly I was hooked. These are adventurers on the adventure of a lifetime. There is a very intriguing love story. Throw in some Greek mythology put into the present day and you have it!
The main characters in this story are quite well developed. You get to know about their history, their personalities, and their quirks. They are easy to relate to because of this. I love the fact that even the supernatural characters are relatable. Although they are by definition larger than life, it is quite easy to see where they came from, why they are who they are, and that they are still human (to some extent anyways).
Salazar’s descriptions are very catching. She uses the time that the characters are travelling between locations to fill her readers in on where they are, what it looks like, and what’s happened. She manages to do so in a manner that keeps up with the fast pace of the story as a whole. It is so easy to lose yourself in the story because her writing flows easily from one part to the next.
The twist that Salazar put on the Persephone/Hades myth really caught my attention. She stuck true to the basis of the myth but changed everything just a little bit. It was close enough to the original myth that you are not looking for holes in the story, but far enough away that you are not looking for holes in the mythological aspects of it. This led to a brilliant backdrop for this adventure (aka rescue mission) and for our fact seeking travellers.
The main characters in this story are quite well developed. You get to know about their history, their personalities, and their quirks. They are easy to relate to because of this. I love the fact that even the supernatural characters are relatable. Although they are by definition larger than life, it is quite easy to see where they came from, why they are who they are, and that they are still human (to some extent anyways).
Salazar’s descriptions are very catching. She uses the time that the characters are travelling between locations to fill her readers in on where they are, what it looks like, and what’s happened. She manages to do so in a manner that keeps up with the fast pace of the story as a whole. It is so easy to lose yourself in the story because her writing flows easily from one part to the next.
The twist that Salazar put on the Persephone/Hades myth really caught my attention. She stuck true to the basis of the myth but changed everything just a little bit. It was close enough to the original myth that you are not looking for holes in the story, but far enough away that you are not looking for holes in the mythological aspects of it. This led to a brilliant backdrop for this adventure (aka rescue mission) and for our fact seeking travellers.
October 13, 2011
This story was a journey from beginning to end. Cheyenne is a feisty adventurist young beauty looking to make a mark in life. Armed with a slew of characters, she heads on a journey, looking for the gates of hell. That alone makes for a great story.
The group soon is stopped from success by Erias, the gatekeeper. He is one tough man who has his own plans. And those plans include keeping her from making it to the gates. Little do either of them know they soon are going to be battling it out. And I mean literally and figuratively. Two head strong people are never going to see eye to eye on anything.
Just when you think Erias couldn't be anymore of a creep, he finds a way to wriggle into your heart. And its effortless at times the way he does the same to Cheyenne. The connection the two share made my heart melt, and then I was left pleading and begging that everything turned out just the way I wanted.
This story will not dissapoint. The characters all have so many colorful personalities and the imagination that was put into writing this story shines! Never have I been so disgusted in a good way by the horrific things I was reading. It makes for one great story, with all the elements that I like in a good book : humor, love, action, and a sprinkle of sadness. Brandi you did a beautiful job.
The group soon is stopped from success by Erias, the gatekeeper. He is one tough man who has his own plans. And those plans include keeping her from making it to the gates. Little do either of them know they soon are going to be battling it out. And I mean literally and figuratively. Two head strong people are never going to see eye to eye on anything.
Just when you think Erias couldn't be anymore of a creep, he finds a way to wriggle into your heart. And its effortless at times the way he does the same to Cheyenne. The connection the two share made my heart melt, and then I was left pleading and begging that everything turned out just the way I wanted.
This story will not dissapoint. The characters all have so many colorful personalities and the imagination that was put into writing this story shines! Never have I been so disgusted in a good way by the horrific things I was reading. It makes for one great story, with all the elements that I like in a good book : humor, love, action, and a sprinkle of sadness. Brandi you did a beautiful job.
January 31, 2012
REVIEWED by Karen for Between the Covers blog:
A search for the mythical “gates of Hell” leads Cheyenne, an adrenaline junkie and chronic virgin, to Iceland and into a world of demons and mythology.
Erias is the guardian to the gates of Hell, the leader of the Brotherhood: warriors who trade their soul to Persephone, wife of Hades (i.e., Satan, the devil, the angel of darkness, get my drift?), in return for vengeance for their deaths. Virtually immortal, the Brotherhood serves Persephone in the mortal world. When Cheyenne and her group of hikers actually stumble upon the entrance to the gates, Persephone dispatches Erias to handle the situation.
When Erias meets Cheyenne they feel an immediate attraction, yet they can't seem to have a simple conversation without pissing each other off. Erias finally succeeds in scaring off the team because they think he is some kind of crazed serial killer. But he feels that the stubborn woman warrants watching, since he doesn't believe that she's really given up on the expedition yet - at least that’s what he tells himself. It couldn’t be because he is interested in her. So Erias enlists the help of his fellow Brotherhood member, Behr, to guard the entrance while he checks up on Chy and her group. Erias has always been a kind of “I got mine, you get lost” kind of lover, and he is confused by the attraction he has for Cheyenne. His bungling attempts to befriend and seduce her only lead to more distrust and anger, but he can't ignore the desire he feels for her.
Cheyenne tells her companions about Erias, mistakenly believing that he intended to attack and rape her. Kris, her cheating ex-boyfriend who is still hung up on her, confronts Erias, but Erias convinces him that Chy just misunderstood what had happened and that she had been drinking. Cheyenne is angered and hurt by her friends’ apparent betrayal, and she rushes off towards her room, when she encounters Erias in the hallway and confronts him. They inevitably end up in yet another argument, and just when you think they'll never get their act together, they finally *hallelujah* have sex.
Behr, in a fit of jealousy that Erias can love again, spills the beans about Erias' feelings for the “human” to Persephone, who isn't amused since she considers all the Brotherhood to be her possessions. When she confronts Erias, he lies and says that Cheyenne means nothing to him in order to protect her from Persephone. Cheyenne overhears the conversation and believes that Erias is a cheating ratfink. But Persephone disappears with Chy, and dumps her in Tartarus - literally the pits of Hell, where she is tortured repeatedly.
Behr regrets his betrayal and in an effort to regain Erias’ friendship agrees to accompany him and Kris on a quest to obtain the “Helm” - an artifact that will ease their passage into Tartarus - and rescue Cheyenne. Erias makes a deal with Hades in order to obtain the Helm, swapping the rest of his soul for Cheyenne's freedom.
This book was well written, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their interaction. The ending of the book was a classic cliffhanger: a basic no-ender, but with the promise of more. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find even a mention of a follow-up book, though this reads like the first of a series. I eagerly anticipate that there will be a sequel, and hope that the next book will resolve Erias and Cheyenne’s relationship, and also feature Behr, the smart-assed guardian sidekick, and Kris, the ex-lover who may yet have redeeming qualities - two characters that wormed their way into my head and won't leave.
NOTE: As with many ebooks, I noticed several grammatical errors in the manuscript that spell-check would miss, but hopefully were caught by an editor before publication.
Rating: 4 stars
A search for the mythical “gates of Hell” leads Cheyenne, an adrenaline junkie and chronic virgin, to Iceland and into a world of demons and mythology.
Erias is the guardian to the gates of Hell, the leader of the Brotherhood: warriors who trade their soul to Persephone, wife of Hades (i.e., Satan, the devil, the angel of darkness, get my drift?), in return for vengeance for their deaths. Virtually immortal, the Brotherhood serves Persephone in the mortal world. When Cheyenne and her group of hikers actually stumble upon the entrance to the gates, Persephone dispatches Erias to handle the situation.
When Erias meets Cheyenne they feel an immediate attraction, yet they can't seem to have a simple conversation without pissing each other off. Erias finally succeeds in scaring off the team because they think he is some kind of crazed serial killer. But he feels that the stubborn woman warrants watching, since he doesn't believe that she's really given up on the expedition yet - at least that’s what he tells himself. It couldn’t be because he is interested in her. So Erias enlists the help of his fellow Brotherhood member, Behr, to guard the entrance while he checks up on Chy and her group. Erias has always been a kind of “I got mine, you get lost” kind of lover, and he is confused by the attraction he has for Cheyenne. His bungling attempts to befriend and seduce her only lead to more distrust and anger, but he can't ignore the desire he feels for her.
Cheyenne tells her companions about Erias, mistakenly believing that he intended to attack and rape her. Kris, her cheating ex-boyfriend who is still hung up on her, confronts Erias, but Erias convinces him that Chy just misunderstood what had happened and that she had been drinking. Cheyenne is angered and hurt by her friends’ apparent betrayal, and she rushes off towards her room, when she encounters Erias in the hallway and confronts him. They inevitably end up in yet another argument, and just when you think they'll never get their act together, they finally *hallelujah* have sex.
Behr, in a fit of jealousy that Erias can love again, spills the beans about Erias' feelings for the “human” to Persephone, who isn't amused since she considers all the Brotherhood to be her possessions. When she confronts Erias, he lies and says that Cheyenne means nothing to him in order to protect her from Persephone. Cheyenne overhears the conversation and believes that Erias is a cheating ratfink. But Persephone disappears with Chy, and dumps her in Tartarus - literally the pits of Hell, where she is tortured repeatedly.
Behr regrets his betrayal and in an effort to regain Erias’ friendship agrees to accompany him and Kris on a quest to obtain the “Helm” - an artifact that will ease their passage into Tartarus - and rescue Cheyenne. Erias makes a deal with Hades in order to obtain the Helm, swapping the rest of his soul for Cheyenne's freedom.
This book was well written, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their interaction. The ending of the book was a classic cliffhanger: a basic no-ender, but with the promise of more. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find even a mention of a follow-up book, though this reads like the first of a series. I eagerly anticipate that there will be a sequel, and hope that the next book will resolve Erias and Cheyenne’s relationship, and also feature Behr, the smart-assed guardian sidekick, and Kris, the ex-lover who may yet have redeeming qualities - two characters that wormed their way into my head and won't leave.
NOTE: As with many ebooks, I noticed several grammatical errors in the manuscript that spell-check would miss, but hopefully were caught by an editor before publication.
Rating: 4 stars
May 17, 2013
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
I hate giving less than 3 stars as a rating and I'm probably among the few readers who did not find this book amazing. Sorry about that, but there were just so many issues that took away from my enjoyment of what started out to be such an exciting premise.
First of all, the Kindle version I downloaded had tons and tons of formatting issues, typos, missing words or half-missing words, and, worst of all, in my opinion, name changes. Cathy suddenly became Cheryl at one point and, while I'm flattered that my name appeared in the book, I was stopped dead in my tracks trying to figure out where this new character had come from. Then, when Erias was supposed to be speaking--and about Behr, of all things--the speaker's name was Behr! I found the transitions from scene to scene were not very fluid or flowing, and I often wonderered how we suddenly ended up in a totally different place than the paragraph before. This book could definitely have used a good editor who would have caught a lot of these issues before it was ever published.
Now, on to the story and characters themselves...
While Cheyenne was an attractive, feisty, adventurous young woman, I really couldn't understand what her big appeal was to nearly every male in her vicinity who all panted after her in unrequited lust. Even jaded, cynical Erias, who, for centuries, had treated beautiful women like disposable sex toys, could not resist Cheyenne's questionable charms and beauty and ended up falling madly in love with her after one glance. Huh? Sorry. That also sounds jaded and cynical, but this type of insta-love/lust stretches the limits of credibility, in my opinion. In addition, Cheyenne was supposedly a very smart woman, spending a lot time researching and exploring myths and legends. However, what intelligent woman would crawl into the same bed with a total stranger after falling for his lame story of a mix-up in room assignments? Why didn't she just leave her room and bunk in with her two female friends, Cathy/Cheryl and Hadley???
On the plus side, I really liked Behr, far more so than I did Erias. Behr had one of those snarky senses of humour that appeals greatly to me. Persephone was delightfully wicked and evil. We saw little of Cheyenne's friends after the first few opening scenes, so I couldn't really connect with any of them, especially when they seemed so unconcerned and blase about what was happening to Cheyenne. Kris, while a bit of a jerk at times, seemed like he genuinely loved Cheyenne and wanted to protect her. The descriptions of the pit of Hell, Tartarus, and its horrifying tortures were quite well done and was one of the few highlights of the book for me.
I really wanted to like this book. I love mythology and stories about gods and goddesses, but the many editorial issues and Cheyenne and Erias' bizarre, volatile relationship curtailed a lot of the pleasure I was hoping to get out of this story.
I hate giving less than 3 stars as a rating and I'm probably among the few readers who did not find this book amazing. Sorry about that, but there were just so many issues that took away from my enjoyment of what started out to be such an exciting premise.
First of all, the Kindle version I downloaded had tons and tons of formatting issues, typos, missing words or half-missing words, and, worst of all, in my opinion, name changes. Cathy suddenly became Cheryl at one point and, while I'm flattered that my name appeared in the book, I was stopped dead in my tracks trying to figure out where this new character had come from. Then, when Erias was supposed to be speaking--and about Behr, of all things--the speaker's name was Behr! I found the transitions from scene to scene were not very fluid or flowing, and I often wonderered how we suddenly ended up in a totally different place than the paragraph before. This book could definitely have used a good editor who would have caught a lot of these issues before it was ever published.
Now, on to the story and characters themselves...
While Cheyenne was an attractive, feisty, adventurous young woman, I really couldn't understand what her big appeal was to nearly every male in her vicinity who all panted after her in unrequited lust. Even jaded, cynical Erias, who, for centuries, had treated beautiful women like disposable sex toys, could not resist Cheyenne's questionable charms and beauty and ended up falling madly in love with her after one glance. Huh? Sorry. That also sounds jaded and cynical, but this type of insta-love/lust stretches the limits of credibility, in my opinion. In addition, Cheyenne was supposedly a very smart woman, spending a lot time researching and exploring myths and legends. However, what intelligent woman would crawl into the same bed with a total stranger after falling for his lame story of a mix-up in room assignments? Why didn't she just leave her room and bunk in with her two female friends, Cathy/Cheryl and Hadley???
On the plus side, I really liked Behr, far more so than I did Erias. Behr had one of those snarky senses of humour that appeals greatly to me. Persephone was delightfully wicked and evil. We saw little of Cheyenne's friends after the first few opening scenes, so I couldn't really connect with any of them, especially when they seemed so unconcerned and blase about what was happening to Cheyenne. Kris, while a bit of a jerk at times, seemed like he genuinely loved Cheyenne and wanted to protect her. The descriptions of the pit of Hell, Tartarus, and its horrifying tortures were quite well done and was one of the few highlights of the book for me.
I really wanted to like this book. I love mythology and stories about gods and goddesses, but the many editorial issues and Cheyenne and Erias' bizarre, volatile relationship curtailed a lot of the pleasure I was hoping to get out of this story.
June 21, 2012
Awesome story! Loved it and can’t wait for the next one! Bring it on!
Darkness and Lies: A Brotherhood Novel
By Brandi Salazar
24 Chapters
Mature YA
Paranormal Romance with a touch of Mythical
Main Characters:
Erias – male god!
Cheyenne – virgin female in her 20’s
Supporting Characters:
Kris, Tabitha, Tim, Cathy, Harold, Sebastian, Hadley
Persephone, Alastair, Behr
Story takes place somewhere in Iceland where the gate of hell is supposed to be located. Cheyenne is the leader of a small expedition group that gets together once a year and travel to a location to locate some type of myth. Erias is over 2000 years turned by Persephone to be her guardian after he prayed to her to help his family and has been at her beck and call sin 950 BC. Erias has had several women during his life but not one has made him feel the way he feels with feisty Cheyenne. Loved the moments they have together although a little unrealistic in the beginning more like the second meeting with his lame excuse as to why he was in her room. I could picture the journey into hell, all the torched soals and the demons causing it. I loved the romance between the two and can’t wait to see what happens to Erias, Behr and Cheyenne. I recommend this book to those that enjoys a good romance novel with a little hand to hand action; rescue the damsel in distress sort of thing but this damsel is hard to break. Thank you Brandi for the copy of the eBook and the chance you allowed me to read your amazing story and write a review.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Lies-B...
Darkness and Lies: A Brotherhood Novel
By Brandi Salazar
24 Chapters
Mature YA
Paranormal Romance with a touch of Mythical
Main Characters:
Erias – male god!
Cheyenne – virgin female in her 20’s
Supporting Characters:
Kris, Tabitha, Tim, Cathy, Harold, Sebastian, Hadley
Persephone, Alastair, Behr
Story takes place somewhere in Iceland where the gate of hell is supposed to be located. Cheyenne is the leader of a small expedition group that gets together once a year and travel to a location to locate some type of myth. Erias is over 2000 years turned by Persephone to be her guardian after he prayed to her to help his family and has been at her beck and call sin 950 BC. Erias has had several women during his life but not one has made him feel the way he feels with feisty Cheyenne. Loved the moments they have together although a little unrealistic in the beginning more like the second meeting with his lame excuse as to why he was in her room. I could picture the journey into hell, all the torched soals and the demons causing it. I loved the romance between the two and can’t wait to see what happens to Erias, Behr and Cheyenne. I recommend this book to those that enjoys a good romance novel with a little hand to hand action; rescue the damsel in distress sort of thing but this damsel is hard to break. Thank you Brandi for the copy of the eBook and the chance you allowed me to read your amazing story and write a review.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Lies-B...
October 13, 2011
This story was a journey from beginning to end. Cheyenne is a feisty adventurist young beauty looking to make a mark in life. Armed with a slew of characters, she heads on a journey, looking for the gates of hell. That alone makes for a great story.
The group soon is stopped from success by Erias, the gatekeeper. He is one tough man who has his own plans. And those plans include keeping her from making it to the gates. Little do either of them know they soon are going to be battling it out. And I mean literally and figuratively. Two head strong people are never going to see eye to eye on anything.
Just when you think Erias couldn't be anymore of a creep, he finds a way to wriggle into your heart. And its effortless at times the way he does the same to Cheyenne. The connection the two share made my heart melt, and then I was left pleading and begging that everything turned out just the way I wanted.
This story will not dissapoint. The characters all have so many colorful personalities and the imagination that was put into writing this story shines! Never have I been so disgusted in a good way by the horrific things I was reading. It makes for one great story, with all the elements that I like in a good book : humor, love, action, and a sprinkle of sadness. Brandi you did a beautiful job.
The group soon is stopped from success by Erias, the gatekeeper. He is one tough man who has his own plans. And those plans include keeping her from making it to the gates. Little do either of them know they soon are going to be battling it out. And I mean literally and figuratively. Two head strong people are never going to see eye to eye on anything.
Just when you think Erias couldn't be anymore of a creep, he finds a way to wriggle into your heart. And its effortless at times the way he does the same to Cheyenne. The connection the two share made my heart melt, and then I was left pleading and begging that everything turned out just the way I wanted.
This story will not dissapoint. The characters all have so many colorful personalities and the imagination that was put into writing this story shines! Never have I been so disgusted in a good way by the horrific things I was reading. It makes for one great story, with all the elements that I like in a good book : humor, love, action, and a sprinkle of sadness. Brandi you did a beautiful job.
September 8, 2016
The book description and a few reviews I read got me really curious. One reviewer said, "this is the closet you'll get to a horror story without actually reading one" and another said "never have I been so disgusted in a good way by the horrific things I was reading". Well, for sure I was hooked. I had to read it to see what they meant.
For starters, I know there are readers out there who don't particularly care for typos/grammar errors. Well, in my kindle version there were lots. However, for me, that did not distract from the story. I still plowed a head. The book is a quick read and I can see why some might think that there are parts in the book that resemble a very mild horror novel and I actually enjoyed the writing for these part. However, there were other things about the story that I didn't quite enjoy or thought was not realistic. I know, I know, it's fiction but still you want the believable parts to be believable.
SPOILER ALERT! (don't continue to read, if you rather not know parts of this story)
The hero, Erias, is a 900 year old immortal given the task of protecting the gate that leads to Tartarus aka: Hell by Persephone. The heroine, Cheyenne, is a smart and witty women. A very head strong individual. I loved the hero. I did not find him scarey. He had a dark side which made him very attractive. The heroine, while I didn't love her, I liked her. I liked that she was head strong. Her group of friends, on the other hand I didn't care for much. She and her group of friends (8 of them all together) travel the world to explore ancient myths and legends. They travel to Iceland, climb the slopes of a mountain, head straight into a cave and they have no local guide. Maybe it's just me but I thought even an experienced adventurer would want some one familiar with the area to accompany them on their expedition. Also, it was never said what exactly they are searching for on this mountain. But I got the jest of it because I knew Erias was there to stop them.
After Erias and Chey met, he seems to convince her that the lodge overbooked the rooms and the staff put him in her room. Now as smart as she is, she doesn't think.."oh I have 3 other girl friends who have their own rooms, maybe I can stay with one them till we get this straightened out in the morning." No she lets him stay and sleep in her bed with her.
So in the middle of the night she wakes to take a shower. Erias can't fight his attraction for her so he jumps in with her and tries to kiss her. Well, she screams bloody murder, becomes violent and accuses him of trying to rape her. He tries numerous times to explain to her that he wasn't trying to hurt her but she is so hysterical that she refuses to listen. So for half of the book she goes around accusing him of rape. The author portrays her very well for some one who thinks she was about to be rape. On the flip side, Chey was so believable that I was disappointed with her friends reactions. They didn't believe her. They believed a stranger, Erias, over her. Her girlfriends took a back role and not one of them stood up for her. Her friend Kris believed at first but was later convinced from the story Erias gave him, which was that they had a night's worth of heated passion and thus gave up her virginity. Yes, she a virgin.
Eventually Chey falls for him and does give him her virginity. In the mean time, Persephone finds out, snaps her away and deposits here in Tartarus. Erias and his immortal friend Behr make plans to travel to Tartarus to save her. Now her friend Kris who is also her childhood friend and ex-boyfriend thwart their plans and insist on going into Tartarus with them. Now how a mere human can out wit and overcome two immortals trying to tie him up for his own safety was very exasperating. They fold and take him along. I felt Kris held them back and his presence on this rescue mission was really unnecessary.
MAJOR SPOILER REGARDING THE ENDING:
If you're looking for a HEA ending, you won't get it in this book. I will give the story this much, I was so engrossed with the description of Tatarus and the torture Chey and another immortal was suffering while being held captive in Tartarus that I wasn't paying attention to the progress bar on my kindle. Before I knew it, the end had come. Erias recuses her, she opens the gates to exit Tartarus but Erias doesn't go with her. Now there is more to the story on why he doesn't go but it would only lengthen my review. I was quite surprised that it ended just like that. He was left in Tartarus alone to battle the monsters while his friend Behr whisks her back to his pad in Chicago to protect and care for her. Chey was so distraught and boy was I distraught with her. I was shocked and disappointed that it ended just like that.
Maybe I am being too picky. If so, I am sorry but sometimes the smaller details make a difference. However, with all that being said, there is also much more to this book then I could mention. There's more on some of the other characters. Persephone makes more appearances then the one time I mentioned above. There's background to how Erias ended up guarding the gate. Hades even makes an appearance. There are other things I loved and other things not so much. I did love the concept of the story, the hero and the other men in the Brotherhood. I would like to see Erias and Chey's story continue and see other story lines with any of the other men in the Brotherhood. I am hopeful that the next story will be even better because there is a lot of potential with what the author has created. So I plan to continue reading the series when and if the author puts out another story.
For starters, I know there are readers out there who don't particularly care for typos/grammar errors. Well, in my kindle version there were lots. However, for me, that did not distract from the story. I still plowed a head. The book is a quick read and I can see why some might think that there are parts in the book that resemble a very mild horror novel and I actually enjoyed the writing for these part. However, there were other things about the story that I didn't quite enjoy or thought was not realistic. I know, I know, it's fiction but still you want the believable parts to be believable.
SPOILER ALERT! (don't continue to read, if you rather not know parts of this story)
The hero, Erias, is a 900 year old immortal given the task of protecting the gate that leads to Tartarus aka: Hell by Persephone. The heroine, Cheyenne, is a smart and witty women. A very head strong individual. I loved the hero. I did not find him scarey. He had a dark side which made him very attractive. The heroine, while I didn't love her, I liked her. I liked that she was head strong. Her group of friends, on the other hand I didn't care for much. She and her group of friends (8 of them all together) travel the world to explore ancient myths and legends. They travel to Iceland, climb the slopes of a mountain, head straight into a cave and they have no local guide. Maybe it's just me but I thought even an experienced adventurer would want some one familiar with the area to accompany them on their expedition. Also, it was never said what exactly they are searching for on this mountain. But I got the jest of it because I knew Erias was there to stop them.
After Erias and Chey met, he seems to convince her that the lodge overbooked the rooms and the staff put him in her room. Now as smart as she is, she doesn't think.."oh I have 3 other girl friends who have their own rooms, maybe I can stay with one them till we get this straightened out in the morning." No she lets him stay and sleep in her bed with her.
So in the middle of the night she wakes to take a shower. Erias can't fight his attraction for her so he jumps in with her and tries to kiss her. Well, she screams bloody murder, becomes violent and accuses him of trying to rape her. He tries numerous times to explain to her that he wasn't trying to hurt her but she is so hysterical that she refuses to listen. So for half of the book she goes around accusing him of rape. The author portrays her very well for some one who thinks she was about to be rape. On the flip side, Chey was so believable that I was disappointed with her friends reactions. They didn't believe her. They believed a stranger, Erias, over her. Her girlfriends took a back role and not one of them stood up for her. Her friend Kris believed at first but was later convinced from the story Erias gave him, which was that they had a night's worth of heated passion and thus gave up her virginity. Yes, she a virgin.
Eventually Chey falls for him and does give him her virginity. In the mean time, Persephone finds out, snaps her away and deposits here in Tartarus. Erias and his immortal friend Behr make plans to travel to Tartarus to save her. Now her friend Kris who is also her childhood friend and ex-boyfriend thwart their plans and insist on going into Tartarus with them. Now how a mere human can out wit and overcome two immortals trying to tie him up for his own safety was very exasperating. They fold and take him along. I felt Kris held them back and his presence on this rescue mission was really unnecessary.
MAJOR SPOILER REGARDING THE ENDING:
If you're looking for a HEA ending, you won't get it in this book. I will give the story this much, I was so engrossed with the description of Tatarus and the torture Chey and another immortal was suffering while being held captive in Tartarus that I wasn't paying attention to the progress bar on my kindle. Before I knew it, the end had come. Erias recuses her, she opens the gates to exit Tartarus but Erias doesn't go with her. Now there is more to the story on why he doesn't go but it would only lengthen my review. I was quite surprised that it ended just like that. He was left in Tartarus alone to battle the monsters while his friend Behr whisks her back to his pad in Chicago to protect and care for her. Chey was so distraught and boy was I distraught with her. I was shocked and disappointed that it ended just like that.
Maybe I am being too picky. If so, I am sorry but sometimes the smaller details make a difference. However, with all that being said, there is also much more to this book then I could mention. There's more on some of the other characters. Persephone makes more appearances then the one time I mentioned above. There's background to how Erias ended up guarding the gate. Hades even makes an appearance. There are other things I loved and other things not so much. I did love the concept of the story, the hero and the other men in the Brotherhood. I would like to see Erias and Chey's story continue and see other story lines with any of the other men in the Brotherhood. I am hopeful that the next story will be even better because there is a lot of potential with what the author has created. So I plan to continue reading the series when and if the author puts out another story.
March 4, 2012
Originally posted at http://ufreview.com/2012/03/04/darkne...
Review:
I got a copy of this from the author for a fair and honest review, so here goes. Cheyenne and a group of her friends travel to a different destination each year looking for truth in the world of myth and legend. This year they traveled to Iceland looking for the gates of Hell and this year they found it. Erias is a member of the Brotherhood an immortal charged with keeping the Gate both secret and secure. The Brotherhood answers to the Greek Goddess Persephone, who helps run Hell and she is a total bitch. In keeping Cheyenne and her friends away from the Gate Erias and Cheyenne develop feelings for each other, but Persephone ever the jealous goddess doesn't approve so she sends Cheyenne to Hell to keep her from away from Erias. Erias and company must rescue Cheyenne from Hell.
The blurb from the back cover or would be the back cover if it wasn't an ebook and some good reviews got me interested and I thought the story had promise. To be honest , it was a lot like Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series only not as well done. Bitchy goddess, immortal guy and a forbidden love interest...sounds like a Dark Hunter novel right. The romance between Cheyenne and Erias kinda fell flat for me, I understand not liking each other but being attracted cuz there's got to be some tension but she accused him of trying to rape her and then she gives him her virginity...seriously? On that note the whole idea of making the heroine in a romance novel a virgin just drives me nuts, in this day and age...not so much. That is my issue though and not the fault of the author, although the virgin thing is done to death!
It is a fairly quick read I finished it in a day it is paced really well and the world the author created I will say was well done and pretty cool. Persephone was an absolute bitch but she does run Hell with her husband, the devil so you pretty much have to be to survive. The minor characters, like Behr who was my favorite were interesting in their own right. Alex was a total douche but he was supposed to be so that worked well. The trip to Hell was the most interesting part of the book. But...the ending, the ending was a cliffhanger with no mention of a second book or if this was a series. It certainly felt like the first book in a series and if there is a second I will grab it to see what happens. On the whole I did like the book and if you are a big fan of Paranormal Romance novels you should give it a try.
3/5 Worth a look.
Review:
I got a copy of this from the author for a fair and honest review, so here goes. Cheyenne and a group of her friends travel to a different destination each year looking for truth in the world of myth and legend. This year they traveled to Iceland looking for the gates of Hell and this year they found it. Erias is a member of the Brotherhood an immortal charged with keeping the Gate both secret and secure. The Brotherhood answers to the Greek Goddess Persephone, who helps run Hell and she is a total bitch. In keeping Cheyenne and her friends away from the Gate Erias and Cheyenne develop feelings for each other, but Persephone ever the jealous goddess doesn't approve so she sends Cheyenne to Hell to keep her from away from Erias. Erias and company must rescue Cheyenne from Hell.
The blurb from the back cover or would be the back cover if it wasn't an ebook and some good reviews got me interested and I thought the story had promise. To be honest , it was a lot like Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series only not as well done. Bitchy goddess, immortal guy and a forbidden love interest...sounds like a Dark Hunter novel right. The romance between Cheyenne and Erias kinda fell flat for me, I understand not liking each other but being attracted cuz there's got to be some tension but she accused him of trying to rape her and then she gives him her virginity...seriously? On that note the whole idea of making the heroine in a romance novel a virgin just drives me nuts, in this day and age...not so much. That is my issue though and not the fault of the author, although the virgin thing is done to death!
It is a fairly quick read I finished it in a day it is paced really well and the world the author created I will say was well done and pretty cool. Persephone was an absolute bitch but she does run Hell with her husband, the devil so you pretty much have to be to survive. The minor characters, like Behr who was my favorite were interesting in their own right. Alex was a total douche but he was supposed to be so that worked well. The trip to Hell was the most interesting part of the book. But...the ending, the ending was a cliffhanger with no mention of a second book or if this was a series. It certainly felt like the first book in a series and if there is a second I will grab it to see what happens. On the whole I did like the book and if you are a big fan of Paranormal Romance novels you should give it a try.
3/5 Worth a look.
March 14, 2012
I like the plot. I love the characters. Some of the characters reminded me a little of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but not too much. The book has some typos. It is nothing to big, but they are there. Sometimes I wasn’t sure about how much time has passed in the book I kept asking myself, has it been days or weeks. Also, the book has some parts where it goes slow. Other than that, I like that I could feel how the characters were feeling at the moment when I was reading. I think that was good. The ending was sad. I said it before; I’m a sucker for the happy endings. But I also felt that it was more of a cliffhanger than an ending. I’m hoping that there is a second book with a continuation to this story. If and when the next book comes out I will definitely read it. Because I’m like that, I need to know what happens next.
February 7, 2012
Darkness and Lies starts with action and ends in action. This story has you hooked from the first chapter and then throws you into the pits of hell where you watch in agony as creatures suffer. Erias is one of the main characters and is just the right mix between a sweetheart and an erogant jerk to have you loving him. The detail in this story will knock your socks off and make you wonder if the author has ever visited hell to describe it at such depths. This is the closest you'll get to a horror story witout actually reading one! Now that I'm hooked, I only hope that ther will be another!
October 12, 2012
Salazar definitely has talent as a writer but her characters are schizophrenic.
Full review, with spoilers, here.
Full review, with spoilers, here.
February 15, 2013
review to come - It was ok - I liked it.... didn't rock my world, but it was ok
owned-to-read
January 1, 2014*won a copy during the Bad Boys of Romance Hop
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