Obsidian Souls

Souls #1

by Donna Augustine

When innocent botanist Alexandria is attacked on a cold winter night, she believes it is nothing more than bad luck. She never suspects that her attacker is not human, and that Caden, her white knight, would be more of the dark and brooding variety and as scary as the thug he’s saving her from.

Now strange beings are stalking her every move and she does not know why. The cops are turning a blind eye, and she has nowhere left to turn but to Caden. He’s willing to help, but he is short on answers and his motivations are not the purest. If she does not find answers soon, her life as she knows it is over. But is she prepared for the truth she finds?

Author's Note: Although some of the story elements might feel complete, this book is not intended to be a stand alone. This is only the beginning of the journey, and I appreciate everyone that decides to come along. Thank you.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Demons, Angels, Vampires

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 stars - I loved it!!!

This book kept me up last night because I couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what would happen to Alexandria and Caden. I had things to do during the day that kept me from reading, so I stayed up until 4am to finish it. The journey with Alexandria was wonderful. You felt like you were right there while she learned about things she never knew existed. The author had some wonderful humor and sarcasm that had me laughing out loud and my son asking what was so funny. I can’t imagine how it would be to have your whole world turned upside down, but I don’t think I’d mind if I had my own Caden. I love the world Donna has created, and I cannot wait for the next in the series. I wonder if it will be about Alexandria or some of the other guys like Mike or Alex and I hope it isn’t long :)


**received the book free from the Making Connections group for an honest review

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book, oh my god this is a very addictive read and I can see this being the next BIG thing and I am privileged to have been able to review it.

It’s got all the ingredients for Paranormal Romance with a side of stubbornness, conflict & fighting, humour, mystery and sexual tension. It’s very well written and very easy to read that you will not want to put this book down.

The lead characters Caden and Lex are instantly likeable and I love Jack, he made me laugh too!

The story introduces you to Lex a twenty-something living in New York as a Botanist. After meeting with friends at a bar, Lex is attacked outside and Caden, the owner comes to her rescue and life as Lex knew will never be the same again.

Caden isn’t human and the man who attacked Lex isn’t either. Sensing something about Lex makes her curiously appealing to both men and now she is in the middle of a tug of war over power.

Not being able to go home, back to her work or meet her friends and family, for fear of bringing harm to them, Lex is in turmoil and on the edge of a breakdown. The police won’t help her and all she has is the arrogant man with little answers to help her, because outside the bar, she will be taken by the psychopath who attacked her and his men and Lex doesn’t know why, what it is about her they want and no one will give her answers.

Lex is a mystery and no one seems to know what she is and the pages that drag you into the book keep you addicted to find out for ourselves what she might be and keep us guessing.
You feel the emotions of Lex and the writing style is brilliant, which makes the story more believable and gripping.

I am so pleased that there is another book ‘Pieces of the Soul’ which looks to be coming out November 2013 and I for one am so excited and am already impatient at the wait ;)

[SN the Viking · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book I have read by this author and I am now joining up for a lifelong membership in her fan club. I have to say she is now in my auto-buy list and now a solid member off my top 5 all-time favorite authors.

Alexandra is a really down to earth funny girl I can relate to easily. She has problems to accept and adapt into the new scary and strange world she discovers. She is growing into a real cool kick ass girl I dig.

Caden what can I say, OMG what a hunk. I would just do him in a hot minute. He is conflicted, handsome, kind, kick ass and overall delicious. I want one please.


The world building was awesome, it came on slowly and nice and kept on your toes from the first line to the last. It was brilliantly done and really different, I love that the so called bad guys wasn’t all bad and the world really worked for me. The story had a good drive and was fast paced, it keep me turning pages until the early morning when I was most definitely supposed to sleep.
There were also some very strong and interesting bi-characters in this book too. I especially like Jack and Mike. The unity between the characters was also really good.

I am now looking forward to the next installment in this series, I so want to know what happens next and I do want to know how Alex and Caden`s relationship evolves. I see some great epic head-butting, dialog, and adjustments there.

If you haven’t gotten it yet, I LOVED this book. This author doesn’t only have one great UF series but two, I am in awe. I am giving this book 5 stars.

As a note I read the updated edited version.
I was also given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! I really liked this book and definitely couldn't put it down.

I liked Alexandria. She was determined and could hold her own - more and more throughout the book. As she developed throughout the book I found I liked her better. I appreciated how confident she was in herself at most points in the book although like any person she did suffer a bit of the green-eyed monster occasionally. Caden was a strong leading man. He was mysterious, abrupt, and generally moody. He seemed to be gone a lot and left our heroine to her own devices. I felt a little bad for her to be so isolated and I was glad when she asserted herself to him. Gotta love a girl who makes a man sit up and pay attention even if he doesn't want to. I really enjoyed the supporting characters as well - especially Mike and Jack. They were just so fun loving.

The book was from Alexandria's point of view, mostly, and she was a fun voice to follow. She managed to get herself into scrapes galore but finally learned how to hold her own in the situation she found herself in. I found some of her thought processes were a little muddled - the reader might have felt we were chasing the proverbial tail - but she conveyed her situations clearly. The was a short time in the read where we were from Caden's point of view and I found it very difficult to shift even though it was early in the story.

Overall, a satisfying read of mostly good vs. mainly evil with a solid trump card played before rolling the end credits. There is definitely more story to be had though! I look forward to more from this author.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a can't put down book. I read it ever chance i got. It drove me crazy that Lexi and Caden didn't get together after he saved her in the beginning. You no right away he has a thing for her and her for him but she doesn't hide it, kinda, And every guy in the book is hot! nice touch. but demons are hot. took abit long to let us in on the secret of what Lexi really was ( no spoilers I'm not telling) And Caden too. you gotta read this book!! i can't wait until nov. for the 2nd book to the series. very well written i enjoyed it very much.

I was given this book for a honest review.
youn can also find more reviews on http://thereaderhaven.wordpress.com. please feel free to add your own thoughts and reviews.

[Marie33 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book provide by the author.

A really enjoyable read, it kept me hooked until the end. Lots of fighting, great characters and plot.

A few parts didn't flow brilliantly but it's wasn't distracting enough to take you out of the story.

I look forward to the next installment, just wish it wasn't November lol

[Runningrabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: NO NEXT BOOK! This was good - and I'm rather peeved I can't go on to the next book. It looks like it might go somewhere good, and I'm still trying to work out where the author will take it next.

I liked her character and although the hero was a bit cliched, including the way the romance formed, however, I still found this a pretty enjoyable read.

[sarah foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

totally not what i was expecting it was much better than i thought it would be
enjoyed reafing it and cannot wait for the next one :-)

[Lorraine Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This early Donna Augustine paranormal romance is not as good as her later books, in terms of dialogue, story flow and character development; and I found quite a number of spelling, grammar and punctuation and errors, which make the book seem a little amateurish. Other than that, it is an ok story, but I’m glad I read some of her other books first (some of which are exceptional) because based on this one, I probably wouldn’t have bothered to read them!

[Kelsea David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited to read this book, because I wanted to know what sort of paranormal being Alexandria would find herself up against. I probably should have guessed something demonic based of the cover, but that totally went over my head, haha. And I really do love a brooding hero. On that note, I am going to go pretty in depth in this review so...

Go read the book (do it!) then come back and read the rest of this, or if you don't mind spoilers, carry on.

Caden is hot, all broody and bossy. But he stuck so true to that I wanted to see more of him, I wanted something to really get under his skin. Alexandria, or Lex, got under my skin a couple of times. I am not saying that is a bad thing. I think it is a good thing because it shows that she isn't a perfect character. But sometimes I just wanted to smack the girl and tell her to swallow her pride.

Now, I really like the idea of this story. And how the Demons can corrupt unborn children and create this new race called Drauths, but I started getting a bit confused about Lex. She was not a corrupted fetus, her biological father was a Demon, so she should have been some half breed thing, but then you find out that there is something more than that in her blood line. And Jack, her father who is also known as Lucifer, says there has never been a creature like her, that she is the first. But earlier in the book the leprechaun they met up with told them that he had met someone like her before. That whole string in the plot confused me a bit, but I want to know more so I hope it gets explained a little more in the next book (which comes out this year! yay, I won't have to wait too long, haha).

Something else I really wanted to see more of was the romance between Caden and Lex. I could definitely see the chemistry and I could obviously see that Lex was attracted to him, but I wanted to see more of the romance forming. It kinda felt like they went from being attracted and barely able to tolerate each other to right away in love. I do understand that life and death situations can shock you into admitting things about yourself that you wouldn't other wise want to look at, but I just wanted to see more of it. I didn't see many personal conversations between them that didn't have to do with the battle they were fighting. And then Tamara was there and she totally pissed me off. Which was good, I always love a good rival. Though, I wish she had been more of a rival, while at the same time I was glad it was obvious she had no chance. I think a lot of my issues could have been cleared up if there were more chapters from Caden's point of view. I always wanted to know what he was thinking and I thought it was a little weird that in the beginning we could read from his side of the story but then we only read from Lex's as the story went on.

Something else I was curious about was why Rufus was so worked up about hating Caden. I wanted to know why they all had been fighting for so long, what had caused it? Why did some of the Drauths become crazy violent killers and rapists like Carl, while others were honorable like Mike.

I think that Donna (ah! I hope she is okay with me calling her that) did a really amazing job though with the details in this story. I think it took a lot of creativity to come up with a new spin on the paranormal and I definitely enjoyed the splashes of humor throughout the story. Especially the fact that God was an paranoid guy with OCD named Frank. I really enjoyed the book :) I hope that the next book in the series continues the love story between Lex and Caden (I kind of want her to have his demon babies) but I would be totally okay with reading about Mike too. I give this book a 3 out of 5 just because I wanted to many details that I felt weren't there. Maybe I am being impatient and jumping the gun, maybe it will all be explained in book 2. Good job, Donna :)

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like any other Saturday night, Lexie joins her two best friends at a club for a night drinking and dancing. Except this Saturday Lexie is saved by the club owner, Caden, when she is attacked out in the alley. From then on, everything Lexie has come to know and believe in has changed – that the world she lives in consists of non-humans, like Caden, along with demons and vampires.

“Obsidian Souls” is the first book in a new series that I found interesting and intriguing - a story with elements of paranormal, mystery, suspense, and a little romance combined. As much as I liked the story and the cast of characters, there were some issues I had with it. I found Lexie to be quite immature at times. It didn’t feel like she took into consideration how serious her situation was. She knows there are demons out to get her, yet she meets her friends for lunch, and then drives five hours to visit her mother for an afternoon. Even after Caden rescues her – again – from Rufus’s home where she’s being held, she goes off with Jack without much thought. As immature as I found her to be, it’s hard to blame her for some of her actions because for whatever reason, no one knows exactly what kind of a demon Lexie is, which I didn’t understand at all. The fact that Caden constantly avoided answering Lexie’s questions was irritating to no end. It not only left her in the dark, but the reader as well. Caden, who is the hero in this story, is a dark and brooding non-human. I didn’t think the story explained clearly as to what kind of non-human he is. It’s also not clear how some humans, like those at the police department, came to learn about Caden and his kind. More character development would help with some of the unanswered questions. My biggest issue with the story (which I find to be the norm in so many books) is when Lexie admits that she’s in love with Caden. This would have been fine and dandy except that I didn’t think there was any chemistry between the two. Yes, when Caden suddenly grabs and kisses Lexie the passion is there, but leading up to it, I didn’t feel that Caden had any romantic feelings for her.

In the end, I still enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading the next installment. I’m just wondering if Lexie’s story will continue or if it will be about someone new. By the way, I loved Mike’s character. He was terrific and I hope he plays a major role in the next chapter.

[Laurie: Almost Faemous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review posted on my blog Urban Fantasy Review


I received a copy of Obsidian Soul from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is the first book in a new series, that I liked far more than I expected to. Alexandria or Lex as she is called was out with some friends one night at a club and on her way home she is attacked. Lex is saved by very hot bar owner, Caden, she tries contacting the police after the attack but that turns into an exercise in futility, no longer safe in her home Lex takes up residence with Caden and his crew. Here she learns all about the supernatural world including her role in it, Caden is very much a reluctant teacher.

It took me awhile to get around to liking both Lex and Caden, I found the beginning kind of annoying with her denial and his constant refusal to share information was frustrating to say the least, I warmed up to them about a third of the way through and then I really started getting into the story. The supporting cast was the real treat to be honest I adored Mike, it should say something about me that my favorite character was the Devil or Jack as he liked to be called but I found him a charming rogue.

The story itself is about bad guys wanting to take over the world and the good guys trying to stop them. Lex is a new power on the scene of a war that has been brewing for centuries and both sides want her. The story mostly kept a good pace but it did drag in some parts, not much happening only Caden refusing to tell her about the supernatural world and no one knowing exactly what type of demon Lex was or how she came into existence. It picked up nicely about a third of the way in and I was hooked after that.

While this is supposed to be the first in a series it can very much be read as a stand alone novel. There were no cliffhangers and I was left wondering in which direction the author is going to go with the next book, there is romantic elements to Obsidian Soul it really takes a back seat to the rest of the action. So I was left kinda wondering whether it will continue with the adventures of Lex and Caden or a new romance for one of the other guys...like Mike maybe. All in all it was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[K.S. Marsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, I think that is one of the most important things I have to state. A demon turf war in New York, with a hot and mysterious hero, and a young woman caught in the middle - it's a fantastic idea and I was caught up completely.

But I was frustrated on so many points. It's written in a first person account, which is fine. Then there was the initial switch of POV from Lex to Caden, and back again, in the first few chapters that caught me by surprise. For a moment I thought the whole book would be written like that, and I was intrigued to see how it would work - but it never occurred again! Which actually, I thought was a shame. There were parts when Lex wasn't fully aware of what was going on (e.g. when drugged), and the story become blurry too, I couldn't help but feel that seeing how Caden rescued her from his point of view would have been so much better. And it would have been a great addition to have snippets of what Caden got up to away from the bar.

Then there was the Us vs. Them that was the conflict in the book. I was just confused. Apart from the fact that Carl tried to beat or rape Lex every time they met, and that the rest of his side were shady bad guys; there was no point where I actually felt it was explained who they were or why they were against Caden.
After getting half-way through the book and having no more explanation than Us and Them, I decided to treat it like a demonic turf war (I hope I came to the right conclusion!), and keeping that it mind it made a little more sense from them on.

I also got frustrated with Lex. I wanted to shout at her to snap out of her complacency! Especially when she started acting particularly childish, or being so concerned with her "cutest reconnaissance outfit".
Caden I can't fault. He stays true to his character, and his secrets are slowly revealed through the book.
But my favourite character by far is Mike. He is bloody brilliant, and I hope to see more of him in the rest of the series!
As for Jack and Frank, at first I found the casualness of them quite jarring, but by the end of the book I actually enjoyed Augustine's take on these figures!

[Paula Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book a higher rating. I loved the story and got swept up into the original take on the paranormal world. I enjoyed the heroine's voice and humour and found her a very believable character.
There are quite a lot of spelling, grammar, punctuation and tense-changing errors scattered throughout the text. These really detracted from my enjoyment of what is otherwise a captivating story. The single chapter early on that switched from Lexie's first person POV to Caden's first person seemed out of place and perhaps unnecessary. The book would benefit considerably from some further editing.
Caden, the hero was a bit of a cardboard cut-out for much of the story. Handsome, taciturn and seemingly invincible, he repeatedly steps in to miraculously rescue Lexie from the varied scrapes she gets herself into. Time and again, he stonewalls any efforts she makes to learn about her new world, and this was starting to get old, fast. Close to the end, we do get a look into Caden's motivations and character, and he started to read as a real and likeable person. I would love to have seen more of him earlier on in the story.
I liked that their relationship grew over time but would also love to have seen a little more intimacy between them as a couple.
Hopefully this will develop in book two, which I am looking forward to.
A recommended read, lower rating only because of the distracting editing issues.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through Making Connections and the author in return for an honest review.

This was such a quick read, despite some bothersome issues. The story and world that Donna Augustine builds around Alexandria (Lex) and Caden is wholly engrossing as is the action that unfolds throughout the book. I read until it was finished and did not cheat read other books.

That being said, I felt that the language had more of a young YA feel to it even though the heroine is in her early 20s. Lex is immature for her age, and her voice even reads much younger. There are a few mildly explicit sex scenes, however, that you would not see in strictly YA fiction.

In addition I would have liked more detail including physical description of the characters (I have NO idea what Lex looks like except that she is short) and of the locations. Detailed description helps me bond to the characters or places and also helps keep characters straight in my mind. Several times a character would come into the scene and I could not for the life of me remember who they were!

There are few gramatical/editing errors making the book very easy to read. I think that Ms. Augustine has some great ideas and hopefully this series will become more well-rounded as it progresses.

Thanks to MC and the author!

[Anjie Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Actually.

I loved the world building, and how the demons reproduced. However, I found the story very slow moving, and had issues with Lex. She came off as rather immature at times, and that detracted from her character. Caden was annoying with all the people he paraded around trying to figure out what Lex was, even though he knew. I just wanted more action that.

The incorrect grammar and punctuation really started getting to me after awhile. Misuse of quotation marks across multi-paragraph dialogue was distracting, and instead of a conversation, it appeared to be more of text. It can make you wonder how Lex, the narrator, knows this. Misuse of your and whose can also be very distracting. The second chapter of the book that was from Caden's POV should have been labeled as such, and probably should have been utilized more throughout the book. If it was all going to be from Lex's point of view, then the chapter told from Caden's side should have never been included.

Provided the second book is a bit more action centered I may read it.

[Racquel Kechagias · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any good book to be a great book it needs to intrigue the reader, and seduce the reader to actually read on. Obsidian souls is able to do this.

Imagine, you're stuck in the alley way, your back up against the wall and a towering mass blocking your exit. This is the beginning of a spiral of events for Alexandria (or better known as Lexi). She is of course saved by the irritable and sexy bar owner who had captured her eye earlier on that night. Besides being undeniably sexy, Caden is also sarcastic, elusive and a slight bit protective. Together the pair is a force to be reckoned with.

Throw in a plot that leaves the readers thirsty for more, an underbelly of demonic powers in our average world, and the result is that you've got a great read that captures your attention. The novel will leave you wanting to read more, and until the next book comes out, all we can do is be patient and pray that the author Donna Augustine hurries to bring out the next book in the series.

[Donna Zink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

It starts out with the typical "girls night out" at a popular bar but is the beginning of so much more for Alexandria Verdane (Lex to her friends). Her unusual and frightening encounter with a persistent large strange male at the bar leads to her rescue by Caden the owner of the bar. From this point on her life as she knew it is changed forever.

Wonderful dialog between the characters. The story flows with such an ease that you find yourself several hours into the book and wanting to finish it in one setting.

One of the books at the top of my list that I recommend to everyone that enjoys the paranormal. Heck, even if you don't enjoy the paranormal you will love this book.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking forward to book 2!! (:

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Interesting plotline. Likable characters. Engaging story. Liked the H/ h dynamics. Would love if the author would continue with this story.

[Wendy coling ( trowbridge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book waiting for more that I hope will come.

[Thalita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but does anybody know why there's not a second book?

[seasalt · Rating 2 out of 5]

~Short Review~


Characters: Whoa I don't know what to say, the characters were so bad, dull, bland I couldn't help it but scream... "is this a debut novel?" If it so I'd like to say "oh no wonder".

Storyline: A big mess.

+ Points: Donna Augustine's book, ugh.

- Points: Its story and characters in it.

Overall: Bad. 2✩