Half vampire, half conjurer, Lily Canton might be the most powerful creature on earth. That is, if she could control her powers. Hunted for her unique lineage, Lily must learn to harness her abilities and fight off those who would manipulate her for personal gain.
Haunted by the memories of her horrific kidnapping, Lily struggles with her return to normalcy. If, of course, being an out-of-control conjurer could ever be considered normal. Even her love life is a jumbled mess. Ashton, the sexy vampire who first stole her heart, claims her as his mate. Yet Lily can’t deny the electricity between her and gorgeous conjurer, Blake. Both men will stop at nothing to have her, but only Lily can decide to whom her heart truly belongs.
The men in Lily’s life aren’t her only problem though. Con, the vampire madman, is out there somewhere. He knows her secrets and he’s hell-bent on revenge. When she’s forced into hiding, tempers flare, boundaries are crossed, and love will be tested. But there’s no place to hide when Lily’s mind becomes the battlefield. Con invades her thoughts and dreams, tormenting her with a deal that could mean death. Do secrets have the power to kill? How far will Lily go to protect the ones she loves?
Emma lives in Indiana with her husband and three crazy cats. When she’s not busy writing her next novel, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to music, taking naps, or curled up with a good book.
"My mind and emotions are more scattered than a trailer park after a tornado." You said it, Lily!
Good gravy, Emma "Queen of the Cliffhanger" Shade has done it again!! She sucked me in and left me hanging! At this point I am not sure if I love her or hate her but I guess I will say love since she gave me such an amazing book which had me on the edge of my seat!
Finding Clarity is the second book in The Secrets Series and picks up right where Finding Obscurity left off. Poor Lily...this girl is a magnet for chaos and danger and it doesn't get any better for her in book 2 :( As if being a half vampire/half future seeing, lightning bolt throwing conjurer isn't hard enough, she is also being hunted by an evil vampire named Con and is caught up in a crazy love triangle between two hotties, Ashton and Blake.
Luckily for Lily she has some amazing friends that support her and have her back. Her best friend, Sam, is so loveable and protective of Lily that you can't help but adore him. He also has some of the BEST one liners that had me laughing out loud at very inappropriate times.
"Definitely team va-jay-jay. Too bad thought. I'd gobble you up."
I love this guy! And don't even get me started on Paige. This girl is one bad ass fire thrower who has Lily's back but drives her crazy at the same time....or as Lily refers to her "A fire crotch who controls fire."
Best of all, we get a whole lot more Ashton/Blake angst in this book. Lily is still unable to chose between the two men as she has strong feelings for both of them. She finds herself in "compromising" positions with both of them on more than one occasion and they are all STEAMY scenes that will have you squirming in your seat...just a little ;) I know most people are going to root for Ashton and say he is her soul mate...blah blah blah....but I am a #teamblake girl ALL the way!! Blake! Blake! Blake! You hear me Emma Shade??? She belongs with Blake!!
Unfortunately this one leaves us hanging again. At 96% I was almost Googling Emma's address and was ready to show up at her house for a little "talk" if things hadn't taken the turn that they did. You are lucky you dodged that bullet Miss Emma ;) I am literally DYING for book 3 and she better wrap this one up in a nice red bow...as in wrap that bow around Blake and Lily! I cannot recommend this book and the entire series enough! It is a nice change of pace from the usual vampire/werewolf paranormal and I promise you will be glued to your Kindle!
I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for this book. It is better than the 1st, I fell even more in love the the characters and their story. The book kept me guessing and wanting more til the end. I am beyond ready for the next book to come along. I think I had a few mini heart attacks while reading, because nothing could ever get me ready for the twist and turns the book had. I never would have guessed or seen what was coming and I was left in total shock!!! If you like mystery and suspense in you books then this is the right book for you!! Emma is a great friend and one of my favorite writers. Her writing always makes me feel like I am reading a mini movie the story just plays out in my head and I get emotionally invested in the characters and their stories.
Ok, what I love most about Emma Shade's Finding Clarity is that it picks up exactly where book 1 (Finding Obscurity) left off, and if you thought that there were OMG moments in Finding Obscurity, just wait, cause you and seen nothin yet.
In Finding Clarity, Lily Canton is finally free and reunited with her friends and the two men that have a tight hold on her heart. (Sam, Blake, and Ashton) But on her return she is not alone. New characters have joined the fight to keep Lily safe, and the evil that is out to get Lily finally has a name and a face in that of one big, bad, angry vampire named Conrad Steele.
We finally meet the mysterious Alistair Ryder, Ashton's Vampire brother who has been missing and presumed dead for the last 50 years. It comes to light that Alistair has been charged with looking after and protecting Lily, given this job by her father himself. Reunited with his brother, we find out that Alistair was recruited to a secret group (kind of like the CIA) that has been assisting with protecting Lily.
"If you're not outside in fifteen minutes, I'll drag our out. Trust me, I'd love to do just that."
Paige, the kick~ass, hard as nails, take no prisoners, chick that we met in book 1, turns out to be one of the closest people to Lily, besides Sam. Paige pushes Lily, goads Lily, and at time slaps Lily around, but only to get her to train hard to protect herself and learn how to use her powers to their fullest potential.
Then there is Jeremy, he is an enigma. We don't know much about Jeremy at this point, only that he is the one that recruited Alistair and Paige, and that he will do anything to help protect Lily.
Blake and Ashton are still after Lily's heart, and Lily is still having a hard time committing to one or the other. Though she is fairly sure that she is in love with Ashton, she can not deny the powerful feelings that keep pulling her to Blake. But she is afraid to choose, because she know is doing so, she will have to break someones heart.
"Well hel-looo there, gorgeous. You look just like your sexy brother. What team do you bat for?"
OMG Sam! I so totally need a BFF like Sam. He loves and protects Lily in that way that only a BFF can. He is her rock, her confidant, her anchor when she feels adrift. He, with the help of Paige, step in and break up the chest beating that happens between Blake and Ashton, always reminding Lily that her heart will help her choose, and no matter what, he will ALWAYS be there for her.
Ok, so now that we know the players, let me tell you a little more about the story. Now that Lily is free, and we know that Conrad Steele is after her her friends will do anything to keep her safe. They hide her, they protect her, they help her train and push her hard, they track her movements and all the while trying to figure out Con's next move. When Sam is abducted by Con, pushing the entire group the the brink to try and get him back, it will be up to Lily to make sure that one way or another, her friend is free and Con is destroyed.
Yep you guessed it, there will be no major spoilers from me because this book is FULL of them, and there are a bunch of HUGE OMG moments in this book. If I were not hooked before, I certainly am now. I can not wait for the release of book 3 to find out how it all plays out. Will Lily choose between Blake and Ashton? What will happen with Paige and Alistair? Who is Jeremy, and what happens with Sam.
Pick up Finding Clarity by Emma Shade, I can GUARANTEE that you will NOT be able to put it down, and you will be just as hooked as I am.
If the tables were turned & the girl was in love with a guy who kept saying "I love you babe, but there is this other girl who is hot & I can't stop letting her grope me", the reader would want our girl to stand up for her dignity & leave him, right? I guess the love triangle with 2 hot guys falling over themselves for a "confused & horny" girl must be some kind if wish-fulfillment for a good part of the population that it keeps being written, but it doesn't work for me.
Lilly has enough to go through with overcoming her decade of self-loathing & not letting people get close to her; as well as discovering the supernatural world, her place in it, who her friends & enemies may be, & how to use her powers ... But the bulk of this book is her *thinking* about how she lusts after 2 hot guys. Boo
I like this book better than the first. Lily actually kicks butt at the end. I thought some descriptions in the book kinda drag on though, I was like get on with it. I thought lily was selfish and immature but what she went though is understandable and why she is. I think I am the only one who wants to see her with Blake. I wanted more to happen with lily and Blake. maybe in the next book there will be and she chooses Blake. But I have a feeling it will be Aston.
Really need to see where this story is going to go! There were a lot of twists in this book and a lot of heartache. Really thought Ashton was a tool by the end of the book though. Want to read book 3 to find out what happens next.