Invincible

Haven #5

by Gabrielle Evans

[Siren Everlasting Classic Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, vampires, HEA] Aslan is used to everyone considering him to be flighty, clueless, and confused. That doesn't mean it's true, but the constant cacophony of voices inside his head makes it kind of hard to pay attention to anything else around him. Torren Braddock has his hands full as a new elder, trying to clean up the mess the former Council members left for him. Adding a mate to his agenda is the last thing he wants to do, but he can't deny the way Aslan draws him in like a moth to a flame. Torren is meant to be his champion, his protector. Aslan is sure of it. When the voices in his head grow louder and more demanding, he realizes something big is coming, something that has the potential to destroy everything—and he'll need his new mate at his side if he hopes to survive it. ** A Siren Erotic Romance

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Shapeshifters, Gay, Fantasy, Romance

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2012

About the author

Gabrielle 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!
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

Reviews

[adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly do not care enough to even finish this book, something that has rarely ever happened to me. Convoluted plot and just...dull.

[Phaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

2014 Re-read:

Great again. And once more I am too sick to go into details. I think my previous review probably still holds, anyway.

Yes, I did chuckle at the Christine Feehan-like paragraph. And yes, I shook my head of the silly inconsistency of Aslan being Torren’s mate not immediately meaning he is his Infinity, whereas Kieran being Lynk’s mate automatically means that.

Well, and I am of two minds regarding the whole reincarnation thing. This series has been fairly good at letting love develop over time, even between fated mates, but this now goes the opposite direction. Ah well.

I am sick and hurting so this is it for now.

Oh, one more thing? The first chapter ended on one of the best hooks possible. <3


2012 Review:

Oh boy. Another good one. This seems to be a consistently enjoyable series. It has silliness and funny moments but there’s also a certain amount of seriousness.

There was one paragraph that sounded suspiciously like that litany used in the in Dark series by Christine Feehan. Made me boggle, blink, and grin a little. Thankfully that’s the only connection.

Not sure how I feel about the reincarnation thing, it certainly adds a new and different twist to the relationship and thus keeps the series from being too repetitive, strong man with sweet little guy theme notwithstanding. On some level it’s cool and special, on another it seems to maybe take away a bit from the present incarnation by bringing up all those past lives together.

Mostly though, my slight irritation stems from a logical flaw in this.
If those thirteen lost parts of their souls, which then were locked into other people, creating their Infinity for them, who act like a soul-mate to them, what was that about “I heard you found your mate” thing about? Why didn’t Torren immediately know if this guy is his mate he must be his Infinity? And if that was not a given, that means there are mates too for all of them. So what happens if they meet them and their Infinity? Uneven threesomes? Did these thirteen witches even have mates (found or not found) at the time their souls split from them? What happened to those people?

Just doesn’t add up. And this series has been fairly decent so far with handling its inconsistencies. Sure, they exist, but the wind tends to be taken out of my sails regarding those because someone will intelligently pose the same question about them that I would. There may not always be an answer but at least the irregularity is acknowledged which somehow makes them easier to accept as just “magic” or something.

It’s funny, but also inconsistent, that when Lynk later is claimed by Kieran, Torren immediately realizes that this must mean Kieran is Lynk’s Infinity. If it is that clear, why did he not realize as soon as he knew Aslan was his mate that with that he was his Infinity?

Meh. It’s not a big deal in the end.

It was a good book and took the love theme seriously. And yes, tiny bottom and commanding top, but this time what changed the equation was that the love did not have to develop. While usually I would not like that, here it had meaning and a sense of past experiences.

It helped that I mostly liked Aslan a lot. Okay, he was not quite as amazing as I had been hoping, but my hopes had been vague anyway, so nothing could ever have matched them in reality. Torren turned out nice too, especially with his gooey devotion to Aslan, though I suppose that is usually the point in all of these stories: that the big, tough man goes to mush over the tiny, frail one he loves.
*shrug* It’s all good because it worked.

I now have only one book left, although I suspect new ones may be released in time. Naturally this means I could go back and try to tackle the series that led up to this one… but really. Do I need to torture myself so?
And yet I feel sad about having to leave this nice atmosphere soon.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...

Invincible is book 5 of Gabrielle Evan's Haven series. Each book is a continuing story but can also be read as a stand story without difficulty. The story revolves around one of the elders of the paranormal creatures set in an alternative Earth. Torren is elder of Magiks. He's a witch and finds in Aslan his infinity, or soul mate. Drama ensues as they deal with coming together, discovering their past lives with each other, and dealing with Aslan's ability as a threshold of the dead.

The book is excellently written; it flows well overall, and is highly engaging. I had no trouble sympathizing with either of the main characters. There's good symmetry with powers, abilities and the rules of the world. The supporting characters are strong and there are plenty of indications of future relationships. She also does well in updating the reader on past relationships. There were a few spots where there could have been more description in action scenes and a few scenes that felt a little rushed.

This is one of my favorite series by Ms Evans. It's engaging, well written overall, well edited, long enough to satisfy and short enough to leave you wanting more. The transitions from book to book are smoothly done and because each story focuses on a particular couple while still having characters from the previous stories around you can enjoy it as a series or as a standalone read. Whether a diehard or new fan you won't be disappointed with this installment of Ms Evans' series.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of these books are exactly the same. Big bad wolf shifter or vampire in a position of power and tiny little witch or imp or whatever who has no job or role to play, are fated mates and one of them, usually the big guy, fights the mating or does something insensitive. The little guy thinks he's not lovable until his dominant mate comes around. The little guy is always scared and longing for his mate and cries, and when they finally do get together, he is carried everywhere by his mate. Something major has to be explained but the little guy doesn't understand it and is in general, not very bright. The big man growls a lot and the little guy is always giggling.

I guess this is kind of the plot for almost all shifter romances, not just this series. Do you agree?

So this is no exception to the rule and there are inconsistencies in the plot/scenes/actions, but I still enjoy it. There was even a slight difference that at one important moment, the little guy had to be the top to save the day and the big guy was fine with it. Not that it never happens, but it's not very often.

I followed the two previous series and now am what halfway(?) done with this latest series. I guess it just tickles my fancy.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I finally got the time to finish this. This is definitely something you need to have quiet to focus on, otherwise you can get lost. There's tons going on. You have future matings on the sidelines, both MCs separate dramas, and their issues/complications as a couple. Not to mention the big picture and larger story.

That being said, this was so good. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 is because it can get confusing at times. Almost to the point you want to take notes to understand past issues that pop up lol. Many kudos to the author for keeping the TL straight. You're a better woman than I, hehe.

[Crissy Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've probably said this about a previous book, but this is my favorite of the series. I love this ever growing, ever expanding world. And in Invincible we get our first real look at the good witches of Haven and what they're capable of. I adore Torren and Aslan. Torren is this big, control freak of a man. And Aslan is a man that needs a keeper and, most of all, a protector. They are total opposites, yet absolutely perfect together. And this story is full of surprises and full of imagination. It's a great story. Like I said before, it's my favorite.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOVED Aslan. Torren, not so much. I hate the whole hiding stuff from your mate to protect them. It always bites you in the ass. Just tell them and get it over with.

This started the shift in characters and took a more "magical" turn. Not that I mind that, but I really liked mate thing and not the infinities. It kind of took away the story for me.

[Kallunnah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just could not finish it. It's the plot of the series becomes more and more convoluted, inconsistent, ridiculous and frustrating. When Aslan, the bottom in this one, kept saying he could not understand what was going on I was right there with him.

[Erticchic378 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that I am throughly enjoying this series. The way each character has been introduced in previous stories makes the relationship more plausible. I hope to hear more from these rather enjoyable shifters!!

[blub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can be a bit hard to read since it can get a bit boring or annoying because Aslan suffers from voices in his head and appears a bit like a airhead. Also he keeps throwing himself at Torren. It was interesting learning about Infinity's and reading about the past Aslan and Torren shared.

[~SexyBookWorm~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the characters and so happy that Aslan got his happy ending. But I do feel that the story jumped around the plot a bit. There were a few times when I felt like ummm how did we get here. ..

[Ter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story except for the treatment of Torrin regarding "His" pups. They might live with the 2 women but he IS their father. And the brothers growling attitude was wrong,imo

[Tj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, short read. Very typical Evans. I enjoy the story though it isn't very complex and at times plausible. Still it was fun:)

[Ingrid · Rating 2 out of 5]

This time the history was a little mess. I cound't get a conclusion... maybe in the next book..
I will wait

[DaCon · Rating 3 out of 5]

2016 Re-read: 3.5 stars