Dark Matter

Elemental Enmity #2

by Christie L. Rich

Rayla Tate’s dreams for the future shattered when she discovered she was an Elemental capable of manipulating matter. Thrust, once again, into the magical fae realm of Faeresia, she has an important choice to make. But now that she has Heath to contend with, deciding between Zach and Luke is the least of her concerns. Tall, dark and lethal to her will, her attraction to Heath eclipses all she has experienced with any other lord, but he is using compulsion to wear her down. If only she could trust her feelings?

In a desperate attempt to escape Heath, she accepts the help of a little troll and finally gets what she wants; however, her relief is short lived. Things go terribly wrong when a dark force closes in on her, threatening to steal her burgeoning power before she even has a chance to test her abilities. Now, with Rayla as their captive, the Order will stop at nothing to create a male Elemental, and willing or not, Rayla is the key.

Caught up in the age-old battle for dominance between human and fae, only one question matters to her now—will she be able to save those she loves most without losing herself in the process? Or will she be forever haunted by the choices she alone can make?

Genres: Fae, Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Magic, Ebooks, Romance

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2011

About the author

Earlier credit of Christie Rich

Reviews

[Karla BookAddict2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

deleting reviews if you want to take a look at them you can do so on my blog, link on my profile

[Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick review

Cover: Very pretty
Rating R – for mild sexual situations.
Thumbs Up 4
Overall: Very interesting.
Characters: Pretty Good.
Plot: Certainly went places I didn’t expect.
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend Yes
Book Boyfriend: Finn

SUMMARY (50 word or less)

This story began where Five left off. Immersed in the Fae world, we quickly learned the perilous place Rayla found herself in. There were twists in the story that I did expect or see coming keeping me on my toes yet off balanced. This story was certainly new and different.

For my full review see my blog post and pick for Finn.

http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/2...

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Matter, the second installment to Five was disappointing to me however I have to say I am hooked. The author really came into her own at the end of the first book and I was really looking forward to reading Dark Matter however I really found the character Rayla to be quite annoying. At the end of the book I found myself frustrated and upset. I was going to give the book 3 stars and then it dawned on me that the author spun the tale so artfully that I became "involved" with the book. The author really developed all the characters and the storyline in such a way that I became emotionally invested in how the story evolved. I may not like in what direction the story is going or the decisions the characters make but that is the true talent of the author, to help you escape and forget who you are and where you are even if its only for a little while.

[Penumbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author Christie Rich was offering her book Genesis, book three in the Elemental Enmity series, through the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics R2R group for an honest review. I wanted to read Genesis, but not having read book two, Dark Matter I was hesitant to review. But Christie kindly gave me Dark Matter as well, thank you.

The following unbiased review covers the story Dark Matter which is book two in the Elemental Enmity series.



Summary :

This story is told in first person through Rayla's eyes.

Dark Matter begins shortly after the first book Five ends. Luke and Zach have gone to the Island where the Order is believed to have their operations. The Order’s intention is to breed the first male Elemental. Rayla is left behind in Faeresia at the palace where she is bombarded by compulsions from countless male Fae as they attempt to influence her into choosing them as her bond mate. Overwhelmed, she spends most of her time in her room to avoid the Fae or thinking of ways to escape.

The story mostly centers on Rayla’s time at the castle and at the Island. There are short episodes where Rayla is outside the castle and what happens then.


Review:

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one and didn’t want to put it down. I think it’s because Rayla was more in control of herself and fought more against the compulsions than in the first book. Rayla is a lot less annoying than she was in Five; I remember getting whiplash from Rayla’s changing moods and attractions in that book. Now Rayla knows how to block the compulsions of lesser lords better and is discovering new powers. Rayla is still stumbling around in the dark because no one has given her much information about anything. All everyone has wanted to do is control her. The Fae, the Fae Lords, Ainessa, the Order. It’s all a power game. Often Rayla has to take a leap of faith and deal with events when she gets to them, especially when it comes to opportunities to escape the Fae. Rayla is stronger in Dark Matter, but still impulsive. Her snap decisions are not always well thought out especially when she is given what appears to be good advice. However, unlucky as she is with some of her choices, she also seems to have luck on her side at the same time helping her get out of her bad choices.

The pace of the story seems to be faster than in the first book; I sort of remember the first book dragging quite a bit. In this story I enjoyed the scenes of Rayla more at the palace, escaping or the borderlands. The slowest part of the book for me was when Rayla was on the Island.

New characters are introduced in this story as are old characters with larger roles. One of the new characters is Heath, a lower lord of the Fire element who intends to challenge Finn for the right to bond with Rayla. Heath is a major player in this story. We don’t see much of Zach or Luke because they are on the island. Tabitha the ‘seer Fae’ that showed up in the first story is back but with a larger role. In this book she isn’t as wild and crazy as she first appeared. Cassie, Rayla’s friend is living in Faeresia along with Rayla and Cassie is still in love with Finn, the Lord of Fire. We meet Roger from the first book again and we find out some interesting information about him. Cassie’s father puts in an appearance and he is nothing like what Rayla thought he was. Ainessa, Zach’s sister also shows up again. She appears to be a major villain in this series. Gibbit the troll also appears again and has a larger role. Rayla has a difficult time trying to figure out if he’s helping her or not. His actions seem questionable and conflicted.

I’m not sure how I feel about the new character Heath. He never gives Rayla an answer to her questions, unless they are incomplete or evasive. He treats her like the other Fae lords, expecting her to do as she’s told and he also uses compulsions on Rayla which infuriates her. Heath also appears to be rather conniving in his manipulations and attempts to get what he wants. He is extremely persistent in his pursuit of Rayla, but seems to want to be with her but then at times avoids her.

One of my favorite scenes of the book was with Rayla and the hellhound, Cerebus. I won’t tell you what, but I enjoyed it and I wonder if Cerebus will show up again later in one of the next books.

Now the next scene I’m going to put behind a spoiler tag because there’s something about it that I noticed didn’t quite work for me. Don’t click on the spoiler link if you don’t want to know what happens during certain events in the book.



At one point Rayla is captured by Ainessa and the Order. They wish to impregnate Rayla hoping she will give birth to a male Elemental. They first try to artificially inseminate Rayla. Now this part is important, Rayla is not married to the sperm donor, Roger, the man that Ainessa and the Order have picked out to be Rayla’s husband. But when Rayla doesn’t get pregnant, they will have Roger impregnate her the good old-fashioned way. But get this, they have to be married first!

Sorry, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Ainessa and the Order want Rayla pregnant, but it makes no sense at all that Rayla has to be married before her and Roger have sex. We all know that isn’t necessary in order to get pregnant, and the Order had no qualms about the artificial insemination, having knocked Rayla out to inseminate her. We already know that morally they aren’t nice people so they technically raped Rayla on the table to inseminate her against her will, so having Rayla marry Roger is way too farfetched. They just want Rayla pregnant. Forcing Rayla to get married is one more struggling step they have to deal with. It doesn’t make logical sense in the plot to have Rayla and Roger get married. The only reason that Rayla has to get married is because this is one of the author’s messages. A woman must remain a virgin until she marries and she is not to have sex unless she is married. This was a message in Five and also in this book. Cassie, Rayla’s friend, is also a virgin on her wedding day. I think if the author wants her message to work well with the plot, then the marriage issue should have had an explanation behind it to fit into the story better. As it is, it sticks out like a sore thumb because there’s really no reason for Rayla and Roger to get married except that it’s the author’s message and she wanted to get it into the book. The marriage scene just hangs there floating around with no reasonable explanation for why it happened or why it’s necessary. This particular wedding scene could have been completely removed and Roger could have just taken Rayla away to the cottage. The author’s message was much better conveyed and fit in well during the scene when Rayla and Cassie are talking after Cassie’s marriage. On the Island it just makes the Order appear silly to perform a wedding.





There are some formatting problems dealing with the fonts. The paragraphs would switch from serif to sans-serif and back again. This also caused the fonts sizes to change because of the difference in font type.

In the end I liked Dark Matter more than Five. This book was more exciting and Rayla was less annoying. The Island scenes in this story weren’t as interesting for me, but that’s probably just my taste. Formatting problems were pretty much limited to the serif and sans-serif changes which I would think could be easily fixed. In the end I give Dark Matter, 4 stars.

[Nawnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Five
I just had to know more about this story and thank god there is a second book already out. Now my only problem is I read it in a day :( and there is no third book to appease my dying curiosity. The Second book ends on a cliff hanger of mass proportions, having said this that is the only complaint I have about this entire book. Like with most writers Christie seems to hit her stride with her second book. The writing is smoother and paints a more vivid picture. This story so intrigued me that I didn't even notice I was coming up on the end of the book, the end took me by such surprise I had to scroll back to make sure I hadn't accidently skipped a page. The story line is wonderfully paced with just the right amount of information to action sequences. The romance continues and the main character is actually being wooed by more men than ever before. I'm a little on the fence about Rayla's choices of men I'm not even sure with how the story is playing out which one to vote for her to end up with. There is a one that is a front runner for me that I would gladly pick if I could only find him lol. I fell in love with this story and its characters I just wish we got a different perspective sometimes than just Rayla's, or that she would learn more about the men and other people that surround her everyday life. You find out a lot of information in this book but I'm still dying to know more there are so many things left hanging that Rayla seems to forget about once the action starts, I can't blame her for getting distracted she's constantly in danger of being malled, molested, stolen, or killed. Rayla is really coming into her power in this book but with all the action she was a little behind the times for trying to use it or learn about herself. I think for a bit she got to dependent on someone always rescuing her, when she finally figures out she's strong enough to rescue herself and everyone around her the book shortly comes to an end. I think book three is going to be filled with amazing revelations *fingers crossed* I really liked the book cover on this book also it is beautiful. If you haven't read this series I defiantly recommend you go buy it the first book is only .99cents on kindle and the second is $2.99 this is a steal!! You wont regret getting lost in this story.

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what can I say, this 2nd installment in Christie’s Elemental series is absolutely amazing!! Even better than the first, only in part because all the groundwork has been laid already.

Man, we got another hot fea lord in this one, Heath is super hot. Whew, sure would hate to be in Rayla’s shoes, or maybe not, well, the danger would suck, but the guys, they would be cool to have around. I would hate to have to choose though.

I am sad to say, Luke and Zack are not around as much in this book, but we do get some of them. I won’t say why, as I do not want to spoil anything for you.
This is such an amazing series. I devoured this book in one day, and had to make myself not pick up book 3 Genesis until I wrote this first. As for me, if I do that, the series blends together for me, and would hate to say something that takes place in that book instead.

I will say that in this one, Rayla sure goes on a heck of an adventure, not knowing who to trust, and information is always being kept from her. I do find her to be a strong person, especially in light of what she has to go on. I am glad to see her able to access her own powers, and how it’s a shock to the other fae, as well as herself.

I highly recommend this book, and the whole series. It’s truly a a fun suspense filled ride.
I really am in love with this series. Can’t say that enough.

5 stars out of 5 for me. I look forward to Genesis, book 3.

I was given a copy of this book by the author, for my honest review. Thanks Christie.

See my blog Post for an excerpt, plus link to first books review, which has a great Dream Cast.

Blog Post Here

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I absolutely loved the first book, Five in this series, but Dark Matter just takes it up another notch. Christie Rich has outdone herself. Dark Matter has a great storyline with mouth watering hunks that curl your toes.

There is never a dull moment in this book with so many characters to follow. The main character being Rayla - she is one freaking lucky girl having men drool over her left, right and center. She has difficult decisions to make and one of them being, who will she choose as her mate when she is in love with 3 guy?

Christie Rich introduces a new character which is Heath (one of the men that Rayla is in love with). Oh my… he is so freaking yummy! He has this dark and mysterious side of him that just does it for me. At times his softer side comes out, but I have a feeling there is way more to him then he is showing or telling, I am so curious as to see what cards he has up his sleeve.

All in all Dark Matter is a definite must read! Absolutely LOVE the cover!! I can’t wait for the next installment.

[Danielle Smiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So what did I love(some of this is copied from book 1's review)? The plot is complex, mysterious and intriguing. I love Ms. Rich's striking verbiage. She paints the most beautiful scenes, ones of which you can practically feel the texture without being bogged down with useless details. Her stories ooze with creativity and magic!

Then, the characters: Rayla is the perfect protagonist. Likable from the start, but with room for character growth, I immediately connected with Rayla. That character growth (which I love) is steady, believable and well written. The characters surrounding her are well-rounded with their own back stories and issues. The antagonists (and those we aren't sure are which they are) are dimensional, not merely evil with their own inner struggles.

Then there's the sizzling chemistry between Rayla and these mysterious fellas hanging around! You'd think that having so many men involved would not gel right with the reader, but Ms. Rich has an incredible way writing each of these characters in a way that you completely empathize with Rayla in not being able to choose. In book 1, I was 100% Zach, but then came Luke ... and in book 2, there's even more!!! It's hard to express how well Ms. Rich writes chemistry. And the crazy thing is, there's never anything more than kissing. Rayla has standards (good for you, girl!).

Book 2 picks up right where book 1 left off. Thrown right into the action, I read this book cover to cover in 2 days. Sleep's overrated anyhow. I was shocked that there was still even more sexy men introduced and found myself rooting for Heath in no time flat. Poor Rayla just doesn't know who to trust, and who to let in to her heart. The whole compulsion thing makes everything all the more confusing. This makes for some crazy good reading! Then, just when we've gotten deep into fae issues, BOOM we are hit with the human bad guy side and again nothing is as it seems. Hmmm... crazy intriguing! I must read book 3 ... which came out just last month ... right away!

See more of my reviews on my blog, Known to Read.

[Valerie Mcqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of Dark Matter by Christie Rich

RATING 5*****

This book was provided free from the author in exchange for honest literary review.

Ok so Rayla has managed to get herself taken. Instead of one fairy Lord calling for hervand her powers, there are five. Zach and Luke have disappeared on her trying to retrieve her family off of an island in the mortal realm.
Her best friend Cassie seems to have taken to life in the fairy realm with a new passion. She has fallen head over heels for the Lord of the fire realm. To beat it all it turns out she just may be Elemental like Rayla. The fire realm may just be in the hands of a new lord, a deliciously yummy and dangerous Heath.
Heath is the one who swears he doesn't want Rayla. He's infuriating, wise-cracking, and down right rude. Heath is also calling to Rayla in a dangerous way. Now not only does Rayla have the bonding choice to make she also has to find a way to stop a seriously power hungry delusional princess and a crazy man fueling a secret Order.
Book one was very good, but this one was OMG over the top crazy!!! I read the entire thing in one sitting and went on to book 3!!!! Rayla draws you into her journey she's so adorable. Her inner strength is growing in this book and shining through in a crazy way. Kudos to to author for placing the reader right in the middle of all the action! I loved it can you tell yet? I do have to say I was definitely team Zach at the beginning because I seriously love Styx, but now I feel a warmness coming for the new man in the equation.....go grab this one for sure, a must have!!!!

[Nereid · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many men - so little time, well at least for Rayla there is and that is the problem. Trying to forge a life for herself and make her own choices is proving difficult and being overwhelmed with Fae Lords is stressful enough without having to worry about her best friend Cassie and her safety. Forces are at work and it's not just the men that she has to worry about. Ainessa is out to find her and try and bond with her also in the hope of stealing her power for herself. Rayla thought she only cared for Zach but she then began to fall for Luke and what do you say about Heath. He was a warrior and fought for her hand though he was a bit cave man in his tactics at times. I thought he genuinely cared for her but was afraid of getting to emotionally involved with er. It was hard to choose between them though I must admit I changed my mind a few times throughout the book but Heath did save her and he didn't give up so on that alone I would have chosen him. Rayla has had a lot to deal with and from being compelled, kidnapped and left at the mercy of the new Fire Lord Heath, things have gotten a little complicated of late. The Order is after her to use her for their own cruel perverse experiments and finding a way out could be almost impossible. I liked Rayla as she was a great character and despite all the adversity she never really whined, she stood up and made her choices, she defended the underdogs or lowly Fae and grew to like a few of them including one of the hellhounds and Gibbit who tried to keep her safe. Unlikely alliances will be made and the future of the world resides on the choices Rayla makes, will it be the right one?

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rayla Tate is now in Faeresia, the fae realm. Luke and Zach have disappeared and it seems every eligible fae male is trying to use compulsion to mate with her. Heath, a specifically strong fae, is at the top of the list. Rayla is confused by her feelings towards all these males, unsure what is real and what is just compulsion. She is also scared for Luke and Zach and enlists Heath to assist her in finding out what has happened to them.

It is discovered that there is a secret attempt by the humans to control the power and abilities of the fae. . . Rayla is the key to power for both the humans and the fae.

There is a lot more going on but I can’t really go into it without giving to much away. I did really enjoy reading this book but I really was getting tired of all the compulsion attempts in the first half of this book.

But once Rayla hits the island the second half of the story unfolds, I was completely into the story telling. I did like that Rayla was really coming into her own.

There is a specific scene where Rayla meets an extreme runt of a Hell hound, I have to say that is probably one of most favorite scenes in the story line and hope that Cerebus will play a bigger role in the stories to come.

In the end, I’m giving Dark Matter 4 Stars. If I could divided the book, the second 1/2 would of ended with a 5... but I really did find the initial foundation to sluggish giving my final rating a 4.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book, awesome series, read the entire series in a couple of days, I was hooked.

[E.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I liked the first book, but wow! This one was even more amazing! The plot twists, like in Five, were O-M-G amazing! I loved Rayla in this one even more, she sure is fiesty when she needs to be. I'm still hoping she ends up with Zack but that's just me. I would have a hard time choosing if it were me, which is part of why I loved the book so much! I could actually put myself in the story! I love it! Can not wait for book three! Amazing amazing job Christie! If it gave me the option I would give this one six stars!

[Tammy Pigott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rayla finally gets to experience the fae realm in this book. Although most of the premise for everything relating to the fae remained similar to portrayals already undertaken by other authors, pretty much everything is perfection, I found myself intrigued with the society and layout. Other than the fact that I find myself eager to figure out who Rayla will end up with, I’m not sure what keeps me reading. . . but I keep reading. So, the author definitely is effective in a writing style that weaves the storyline together in a way that, despite many plot holes and unrealistic circumstances, keeps the reader engaged throughout.

My main issues is that Rayla gets annoying; always emotional and crying at the drop of a hat, then shifting gears, forgetting all her problems and having the time of her life. At times, it’s hard to relate to her and, thus, have compassion for her dilemmas. She makes decisions that are obviously going to turn out bad for her. She’s pretty dense.

For starters, she goes to a ball when her entire family has been captured and the two men she “loves” are being held captive and probably tortured - pretty much forgetting about them as her flibbitygibit friend thinks that a dance will lighten her spirits. Cassie has zero compassion for the danger Rayla’s family faces and just wants to get fancied up and party.

On to her love life: She spent about two days with Luke as opposed to having an actual relationship with Zach. How could she fancy herself in love with someone she was with for such a short time. Not someone I would want to trust with my heart. She’s extremely fickle. One minute she can’t stand Heath, the next he’s rejecting her so she does a 180 and swoons all over him, forgetting her other supposed “loves.”

No matter how much time she had during the rescue attempt for her family, be it hours, days, or weeks, it’s unlikely that she would go splashing around in the ocean. These are just a few unlikely events that unraveled in the story that I just couldn’t get past.

Nonetheless, I am still captivated and, as crazy as it sounds, can’t wait to pick up the next book. If you can get past the flaws, it’s a really easy read that is entertaining.

[Marcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Took me way too long to get into this. After the last series I read that I still can't stop thinking about, it probably was unfair to read this right away because it feel so short. I'm all for hot men falling all over a chick, but she literally does nothing special. No matter how often people SAY she is special, it would really be nice to see evidence of this. Plus, all the 'we cant tell you yet' shit, drives me crazy in books. So yeah... Eh.

[Autumn Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Took me way too long to get into this. After the last series I read that I still can't stop thinking about, it probably was unfair to read this right away because it feel so short. I'm all for hot men falling all over a chick, but she literally does nothing special. No matter how often people SAY she is special, it would really be nice to see evidence of this. Plus, all the 'we cant tell you yet' shit, drives me crazy in books. So yeah... Eh.

[Sanam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Team Heath

[Denna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Matter is the second in a great new series by author Christie Rich. I have found the story so far to be a fast, fun, and an interesting new take on the world of fae. Definitely high on the sexual tension scale for all you hopeless romantics like me.

So recap book one—Rayla finds out she is an Elemental, or one who can influence the elements. But there is a catch. She needs to bond with one of the fae lords before she can gain access to her power. Enter four hot men who are all trying to win Rayla over to them, only she’s not sure she wants to be tied to any of them.

Dark Matter finds two of her prospective lovers caught, tortured, and held captive on an island in order to lure Rayla in. It seems there is a group of people who have been experimenting with Elementals through genetics and they have plans to impregnate her in hopes of producing the first male Elemental. They figure she will eventually show up to try to rescue her two favorite fae lords and when she does they can trap her the same way they trapped the lords. This part is interesting and kept the tension level up throughout the story. Rayla also manages to gain access to some of her power without having to bond with one of the lords.

In the first novel I had a lot of trouble connecting with Rayla in a believable way when it came to some of her thoughts and actions. Relationships with family and friends were shallow and didn’t come across well, sometimes downright irritating. Minor characters tended to be two dimensional and flat. There were also quite a few typos and punctuation errors that tended to trip me up. In this second novel both of these problems improved a great deal. I still have trouble connecting with Rayla in some of her actions, but I was more willing to forgive her in this second story. Her relationship with her best friend Cassie is coming across better and I loved watching her relationship with Heath develop (a hot new lord). I’m not so sure I’d be so wishy-washy about choosing one of them, but this is not a fault in the story, only a difference of opinion.

Bottom line—I enjoyed the novel quite a lot. The first one pricked my interest and this one worked to build on it. I very much look forward to book three and I’m hoping Rayla will make up her mind soon and choose one of the guys because she’s driving me as crazy as she is them. For all you fantasy romance lovers out there, this one is well worth your time and dollars. They remind me a little bit of Laurell K Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series, though thankfully without all the graphic sex.

[Faedivagal · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! I have just finished reading all three books in this series(Elemental Enmity series) After the first book I wanted to dance around the house like a mad woman because I was so happy to stumble upon a book that I REALLY REALLY liked! And I had already bought book 2('Dark Matter') and book 3('Genesis') and they were waiting for me on my kindle ;) *Note: The housework was also 'waiting' for me....but the book(s) won as per usual ;)
If you are a fan of books with 'Fae' in then you MUST buy this series of books. Christie L Rich has done a fantastic job of introducing the reader to the 'fae realm' .

Of course no book could be truly fae without sexy fae Lords ;) and there are plenty of them in this series! (*I am smiling)
The main female character 'Rayla' has an important decision to make which concerns five of these sexy fae Lords(I found myself drawn to 'Zach' in the beginning and I ended up not being able to decide who I wanted for Rayla in the end...Luke was a disappointment...Jett surprised me(in a nice way) and I was definately 'Team Heath' most of the time ;)

It has been a pleasure to read all three books in this series and I can't wait for book 4 'Horizon' (due for release Jan 27th)
(Of course I want book 4 NOW....but perfection is never rushed :)

[Ginny Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can read the full review on Gin's Book Notes (http://ginsbooknotes.com)

Fae lords abound and emotions run rampant in Dark Matter, book 2 of The Elemental Enmity series by Christie Rich.

Rayla is still trying to decide which Fae lord to tie herself to. I usually am not a fan of indecisive man hopping females but in Rayla’s situation it is understandable. After all, she isn’t being indecisive but extremely smart in weighing her options with each lord. FYI…I am team Heath. Wink

The poor girl has a lot on her plate and more problems than the Fae lords bothering her with “Are you gonna be my girl?”. She has the Order determined to make her a male Elemental baby-making machine, her family is in danger, and she is starting to learn that she has power of her own.

Book 2 ends in a cliffhanger with Rayla trying to find the best solution to appease the council and delay a permanent bonding with one of the lords while at the same time coming up with a plan to save her family from the Order.

This is a fantastic series! Christy Rich does an amazing job of world building, character development, and creating more problems than one girl should have to deal with.

[❤Rose (◕‿◕✿) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bet he doesn't want to bond with her anymore because after all that stuff with the-name-that-must-not-be-spoken [or could be but I just don't remember how to spell it], he's afraid to lose her. Which makes no sense, but in the name of love, that makes perfect sense. But then again, I'm a hopeless romantic, so you never really know.

But think abut it: Heath didn't believe in her power but still wanted her and all hi actions add up to LOVE. SO yeah, there's my theory. He's completely and totally in love with her, but doesn't try to persue her [anymore, kinda, maybe not] because he's too afraid of losing her...

LOVE HEATH.
Actually love all of them [except Luke]. [I'm writing this second part after reading the third book]. Taylor's story is so sad but he's soo hot [they all really are], Jett finally makes sense and is such a nice guy, Luke is a sorry excuse for a... anything really, Zach is the sweet[ish] guy with an unrequited love, and Heath is just perfect.

[Thomas Winship · Rating 5 out of 5]

This follow-up to "Five" has more twists and turns than a roller coaster and really delivers the goods! While the first half of the novel still had too many "gorgeous guy" passages for my liking--alas, I'm still not the target audience here (see the confession in my review for the aforementioned "Five")--the midway point saw the book suddenly rocket down a path that was unexpected, thrilling, and altogether enthralling! It was almost as if Rich grew tired of fun and games, ripped the kid gloves off, and decided to unleash something dark and dangerous upon the reader. And it works; it ups the ante by many notches and will dare fainthearted readers to find the courage to continue.

YA and fantasy fans should definitely check this series out!

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the first book, I finished this one in a day and loved every minute of it! The author continues to build on the characters as well as the relationship between the fae realm and the mortal world.

At first I was uncertain about the introduction of yet another Fae Lord (Heath) but as the story progressed he really fit in and I am sure we will find out more about him as the story progresses (especially since there really seems to be tension between him and Zach).

Knowing that there are more books in the series and seeing how well the author has handled the twists and turns so far really has me excited. Nothing is what it seems and there is still so much that Kayla does not know about herself and this new world she has been thrust into. I can't wait to find out with her!

[Jeni Christen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book even more than Five, which is saying alot. At first the sheer size of the book scared me, I thought that it would take forever for me to finish reading it. But instead, I couldn't put the book down and when I wasn't reading the book I was thinking about the characters. I loved Rayla even more in this book, simply because she grew up and was taking chances at every turn. I truly hope that she gets together with Heath. For some reason, I just feel that as of right now he's the one for her. I can't wait until the third installment comes out to be able to continue on this awesome adventure.

[Jessirie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dammit! I was getting tired of all the deception, compulsion and and all the men/fae/humans ordering Rayla around. Is it so freaking hard to believe that women can only be shielded for so long? What's with those fae acting like they know everything? Yep they might, but it doesn't mean that women are not capable.ugh...BUT, I think I'm going to like Rayla more now. She's fighting back and taking some sort of control back. I just hoped that they could stop with the mind reading, though. The council is alright, but for everyone and mostly the Lords vying for her attention, I want to draw the line between privacy and embarrassment/humiliation.

[Christina Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the second book to this series. I could hardly put It down. The 4/5 stars is primarily for the continuation of not so great writing and some of the character descriptions are lacking, or just strange when they are there. I'm sure most girls would agree that a man with long hair in a braid is not so attractive as of...1850. Just saying. Also it is a little...annoying? that Rayla has so many men and cannot choose one. more just keep getting added to the story. Regardless of this, I swiftly moved on to the third book in this series after reading this one.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed book 1, what with FIVE hot Fae guys after 1 'normal' girl, but in this book, we had less guy stuff and more 'girl growing up' stuff. The characters were very well written and the plot was intense at times. Rayla, the main character really, REALLY grew up, took life by the horns. The cliff hanger ending has me wanting the next book-now. (Tossing in more hot Fae guys wasn't too bad, either!) Great entertainment!

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. I like the first book in this series but the second one was bad. Through out the book the main character whined and complained way too much about everything.

I know it is a YA novel and that is what teenagers do but I do not want to read it. It may be a good read for someone else but for me I did not like the book at all. It was a struggle to finish the book. I will not be reading the rest of the series.

[Sheridan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it... well I was reading it on my laptop where the space bar turned the pages and every now and then i would press the space bar a few extra times and skip a heap of pages.

This book did not engage me, I mean I wanted to know what happened in the end but the writing was not good enough to keep me reading page after page.

Then when I got to the end I was disappointed so I won't be continuing with this series!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!

An original, interesting, page-turning series that I highly recommend!!!

I was lucky enough to be a BETA reader for the next book in the series, Genesis. I was absolutely captivated by the series. The characters are well developed, the plot is intriguing and things will happen you will NEVER see coming!

Highly recommend to any YA Fantasy / YA Romance readers!