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Eternal Light #3
Tainted
Tainted is out of print as of 3/31/15 due to publisher closing its doors.
Watch LynnRush.com for updates on a possible reprint and new/upcoming books.
Even death can’t stop true love…
After over four hundred years as a Guardian, Durk Langdon rebuked it all. Walked away from everything when his mate, Jessica, was brutally murdered. Yet he has no recollection of anything since that gruesome day.
Nothing alleviates his longing for Jessica or his disdain for the Guardians until a former brother in arms joins him and his cause. Visions of his lost love start appearing in the most unlikely places, until Durk learns she survived.
But when he sets out to find her, demonic obstacles he never could have imagined tear them apart.
If only he had trusted her…
Watch LynnRush.com for updates on a possible reprint and new/upcoming books.
Even death can’t stop true love…
After over four hundred years as a Guardian, Durk Langdon rebuked it all. Walked away from everything when his mate, Jessica, was brutally murdered. Yet he has no recollection of anything since that gruesome day.
Nothing alleviates his longing for Jessica or his disdain for the Guardians until a former brother in arms joins him and his cause. Visions of his lost love start appearing in the most unlikely places, until Durk learns she survived.
But when he sets out to find her, demonic obstacles he never could have imagined tear them apart.
If only he had trusted her…
ebook
First published January 12, 2013
About the author
Lynn Rush
39 books914 followersNew York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Lynn Rush, is a full-time writer, wife, and trail runner living in the Sonoran Desert, despite her fear of rattlesnakes. Known as #TheRunningWriter, Lynn can’t resist snapping epic sunrise pictures while running in the desert with her trail sisters, even if she has to occasionally hop a scorpion.
When she’s not running or writing, she’s watching movies that fuel her everlasting love of superheroes, vampires, and all things Supernatural. The books she reads usually carry the same theme, but this former college athlete loves reading sweet sports romances as well.
She’s madly in love with her Ironman husband of 20+ years who is the inspiration for what true love is. You can find her on social media as @LynnRushWrites and her website is: www.lynnrush.com
When she’s not running or writing, she’s watching movies that fuel her everlasting love of superheroes, vampires, and all things Supernatural. The books she reads usually carry the same theme, but this former college athlete loves reading sweet sports romances as well.
She’s madly in love with her Ironman husband of 20+ years who is the inspiration for what true love is. You can find her on social media as @LynnRushWrites and her website is: www.lynnrush.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 2, 2014
I absolutely loved Durk and Jessica's story. If you love Paranormal Romance you won't want to miss this book!! Lynn Rush is definitely one of the best out there. Tainted will leave you turning pages late into the night.
November 5, 2012
If you love a tortured hero like I do... You're going to love this book... :)
January 4, 2013
Tainted brings us into the Wasteland storyline at some point after Durk Langdon abandons his calling. He is running, barefoot and half-naked, down a lonely highway. There’s no one behind him. He doesn’t know what he’s running from, but he knows that if he stops, he’ll die. Meanwhile images of Jessica, his murdered mate, flash through his mind. He hides when a car approaches. It stops and a woman gets out. She knows his name, but he doesn’t know her.
Ms. Rush drops the reader into Durk’s confusion in the opening scene. There is a sense that time has passed since the end of Awaited (Wasteland #2), but there are few clues as to how much. He remembers being in the mountains, but now he’s in the desert. Starting the story here was a deliberate, and wise, choice by the author because this confusion—not knowing what is real or who can be trusted—continues for half of the story. In fact, I was not certain that Durk was free of the torment that wiped his memory clean until the last two chapters.
Anyone who’s read the first two books of the Wasteland trilogy knows that Ms. Rush juggles her details with the deft hand of a circus clown. All three of her male leads have been flawed, damaged men, but Durk Langdon is all but an empty shell. He was going through the motions of serving the Light before he watched the woman he loves die. Combine his broken heart with lost time and severe torture, and Durk becomes a man who's hanging onto one fraying thread while wondering why he still bothers.
While I felt that Durk’s part of the story was very well done, I have to admit that his and Jessica’s relationship felt a little thin for me. They are intended mates, and Jessica has known this for thirty-five years. Durk has been in love with her for decades. Yet, I found timidity where I expected sexual tension.
It was great to see David and Beka, and Russell and Annabel, again, especially under the dire circumstances they face. And the guest appearance by archangel Michael is rave worthy. All in all, I found Tainted to be a solid finish to the series.
Ms. Rush drops the reader into Durk’s confusion in the opening scene. There is a sense that time has passed since the end of Awaited (Wasteland #2), but there are few clues as to how much. He remembers being in the mountains, but now he’s in the desert. Starting the story here was a deliberate, and wise, choice by the author because this confusion—not knowing what is real or who can be trusted—continues for half of the story. In fact, I was not certain that Durk was free of the torment that wiped his memory clean until the last two chapters.
Anyone who’s read the first two books of the Wasteland trilogy knows that Ms. Rush juggles her details with the deft hand of a circus clown. All three of her male leads have been flawed, damaged men, but Durk Langdon is all but an empty shell. He was going through the motions of serving the Light before he watched the woman he loves die. Combine his broken heart with lost time and severe torture, and Durk becomes a man who's hanging onto one fraying thread while wondering why he still bothers.
While I felt that Durk’s part of the story was very well done, I have to admit that his and Jessica’s relationship felt a little thin for me. They are intended mates, and Jessica has known this for thirty-five years. Durk has been in love with her for decades. Yet, I found timidity where I expected sexual tension.
It was great to see David and Beka, and Russell and Annabel, again, especially under the dire circumstances they face. And the guest appearance by archangel Michael is rave worthy. All in all, I found Tainted to be a solid finish to the series.
January 13, 2013
I was both excited to read this book and a little sad too because it’s the final in a trilogy. The thing about trilogies is that you meet the characters in the first book and then get to learn more about them and their adventures in the sequels. In the Wasteland trilogy, we get to follow along the story of three different couples who know each other. So, we’re getting a new story, but with familiar people. In a lot of ways, it feels like coming home.
My favorite thing about Lynn Rush’s writing is that she’s all about the ACTION. That’s what keeps me coming back to read more of her work. And there’s a TON of action in Tainted, as if the characters strove to charge head on into impossible, life-threatening situations for the thrill of it. (To be clear, I’m putting my perception of this here. And it speaks to the strong sense of justice and right vs wrong that the characters have.) It left this girl a very happy reader.
I’m sad to see the trilogy end, but it was a truly worthy ending of a trilogy of this magnitude. Maybe we can talk Lynn into creating more stories with this cast and world!
I’d give Tainted 5 out of 5 stars. ☺
My favorite thing about Lynn Rush’s writing is that she’s all about the ACTION. That’s what keeps me coming back to read more of her work. And there’s a TON of action in Tainted, as if the characters strove to charge head on into impossible, life-threatening situations for the thrill of it. (To be clear, I’m putting my perception of this here. And it speaks to the strong sense of justice and right vs wrong that the characters have.) It left this girl a very happy reader.
I’m sad to see the trilogy end, but it was a truly worthy ending of a trilogy of this magnitude. Maybe we can talk Lynn into creating more stories with this cast and world!
I’d give Tainted 5 out of 5 stars. ☺
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November 2, 2023Coming soon!! Can't wait to share this final book in the Eternal Light Series.
December 31, 2012
Durk and Jess will surely steal your heart. Don’t believe me? Then you must read this book. Ms. Rush slams it home with book 3 of the Wasteland series. She has captured the essence love, loss, friendship and perseverance in this story. Tainted is a wonderful, action pack finale to Wasteland trilogy. I look forward to future books by this author.
October 25, 2023
I was given an ARC of this book from the author for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The end of this paranormal romance trilogy was so satisfyingly! It checked off all my boxes - tortured hero, undying, fated love and a heroine who is not only ethereal, but badass. Durk and Jessica were meant to be, and Durk was willing to live the rest of his life alone believing his beloved was dead.
When he ran after he thought Jessica was dead, Durk lost time - he can't remember where he was or what he was doing. But small things start to come back, and he can't shake the feeling that there are demons all around. He acquires, for lack of a better term, a gang hahah of old friends and new friends, and they set out to help Durk avenge Jessica (even if they may not understand that's what they were doing). But everything isn't as it seems as Durk finds out that Jessica might not be dead after all, and the Guardians could be in trouble.
It's really hard for me to choose, but I think Durk and Jessica are my favorites of this series. I'm sad to see this trilogy end, but I know Lynn, and I'm a huge fan. I know she's got something else waiting right around the corner. And I can't wait!
The end of this paranormal romance trilogy was so satisfyingly! It checked off all my boxes - tortured hero, undying, fated love and a heroine who is not only ethereal, but badass. Durk and Jessica were meant to be, and Durk was willing to live the rest of his life alone believing his beloved was dead.
When he ran after he thought Jessica was dead, Durk lost time - he can't remember where he was or what he was doing. But small things start to come back, and he can't shake the feeling that there are demons all around. He acquires, for lack of a better term, a gang hahah of old friends and new friends, and they set out to help Durk avenge Jessica (even if they may not understand that's what they were doing). But everything isn't as it seems as Durk finds out that Jessica might not be dead after all, and the Guardians could be in trouble.
It's really hard for me to choose, but I think Durk and Jessica are my favorites of this series. I'm sad to see this trilogy end, but I know Lynn, and I'm a huge fan. I know she's got something else waiting right around the corner. And I can't wait!
January 1, 2024
Tainted is the conclusion to Lynn Rush’s Eternal Light series, and none of the books are intended as standalone titles as there is a lot of backstory that may not make sense without reading the previous books first, as well as a continuation of a major storyline throughout all three. This is a clean, fade-to-black fantasy romance with themes of betrayal, vengeance, forgiveness, acceptance, family, and love, along with some spiritual elements. While Exiled seemed like fight scene after fight scene, and Awaited was fast-paced but with fewer action scenes, giving more substance to the plot and character development than book one, this story blended it all even better, in my humble opinion. It’s a highly entertaining read and my favorite book in the series. That said, it felt like the conclusion wasn’t quite the end of the line for this group of characters, so I’ll be watching to see if there’s a next-gen (so to speak) spin-off.
NICUnurse’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭑ (4.5)
NICUnurse’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭑ (4.5)
December 16, 2023
This is a great series for any adult who loves some classic angels and demons Christian fantasy.
After book 2, I knew the POV of this one would be Durk. I did expect him to be lost for longer than he was, and the storyline that had been building up for decades really came to a close quickly. There were a few good curveballs, and the only reason this didn't get finished yesterday was because it got too late and I had to work today.
It really feels like it's leading to something else, so I hope the author has a sequel series in mind for the future.
After book 2, I knew the POV of this one would be Durk. I did expect him to be lost for longer than he was, and the storyline that had been building up for decades really came to a close quickly. There were a few good curveballs, and the only reason this didn't get finished yesterday was because it got too late and I had to work today.
It really feels like it's leading to something else, so I hope the author has a sequel series in mind for the future.
November 13, 2023
Jess offered her life to end the high demon and save her friends. She died but was brought back again but her Guardian Durk didn’t see that. He left thinking she was dead. He wanders around and is captured by demons but he still hears Jess’s voice and sees her in his dreams. She tells him she is still alive and needs him to find her. Durk and his friends battle many demons and some die but he does find Jess. However, he gets infected with poison that will kill him and he passes that onto Jess as well. Knowing he has to die to save her life and others he makes a bargain with the Archangel to take him but something unexpectedly happens to him as a result after that takes place.
This is the third book in a series between guardians and their fights with demons over trying to protect humans and other guardians but in Durk’s mind protecting Jess is foremost!
It’s a page turner with action, adventure, intrigue, romance and a story that will keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning because you won’t want to stop!
I recommend this book and the other two books in this series and recommend you read Exiled and Awaited first in fact before reading Tainted as the story
progresses from one book to the next. You’ll miss so
much of the story if you don’t read the other two books first!
The age old battle between good and evil takes a slightly different form as it’s guardians versus demons but mixing in humans as well!
I think you’ll enjoy this series and with the ending the possibility is good that a new series may continue and pick up where this one leaves off.
This is the third book in a series between guardians and their fights with demons over trying to protect humans and other guardians but in Durk’s mind protecting Jess is foremost!
It’s a page turner with action, adventure, intrigue, romance and a story that will keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning because you won’t want to stop!
I recommend this book and the other two books in this series and recommend you read Exiled and Awaited first in fact before reading Tainted as the story
progresses from one book to the next. You’ll miss so
much of the story if you don’t read the other two books first!
The age old battle between good and evil takes a slightly different form as it’s guardians versus demons but mixing in humans as well!
I think you’ll enjoy this series and with the ending the possibility is good that a new series may continue and pick up where this one leaves off.
April 29, 2014
Awe man... Be ready for one of the most intense books. Durk man after the ending of book 2 has lost his faith and no longer wants anything to do with being a guardian. Jess - oh Jess. There are so many words to describe this book and series but I feel leaving a long review and adding too many details might ruin the book for you and add spoilers. I would not want to spoil any part of this book as it truly is worth the read. I don't typically cry while reading but I lost it a few times. Lynn really did an outstanding job with this one.
October 27, 2014
I love it - now I will have to read all Lynn's books!!!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews