Warrior

Alterations #1

by Jen Greyson

Sworn to defend.
Hired to murder.
Alone by choice.


Warrior. Thoughts of conquering and the men who fall in bloodied pieces at his feet consume Constantine’s every waking moment.


Time traveler. Evy Rivera is a sassy Latina bombshell from the future used to getting her way. Every time.


When their destinies entwine on Constantine’s battlefield, they must overcome their differences and eliminate one of Spain’s most legendary heroes in order to save the right history and send Evy home.


But in order to accomplish the mission, they must conquer the explosiveness of their attraction before it gets them both killed...

Genres: Fantasy, Time Travel, Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction

ebook

First published May 28, 2013

About the author

Badass women and the men who need them.

Jen Greyson is the author of over a dozen books, including the bestselling NA time travel series featuring a Lara Croft heroine. She is co-author of a Da Vinci Code/ Indian Jones action adventure series with NYT bestselling author A.K. Alexander and also ghostwrites for several New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.

She writes stories about love and life, but one thing is consistent across all her books--her girls never need a guy to save the day... but sometimes the nights.

Visit her website http://jengreyson.com, follow her on Twitter (@JenGreyson), or Facebook http://facebook.com/jengreyson

Reviews

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now THAT is how you write a kick-ass Heroine!!

What I loved - that the heroine is Hispanic (like me), that she is not a cliche, that she comes from a normal, happy and loving family(unless you count generations of Lightning Riders but she didn't know that), that she loves her Papi and that she takes control of her own destiny.She works in a bike shop making custom bikes - which was so cool!!

There have been other folks to give you an overview of the plot but let's just say when we meet our heroine she is being fleeced by her loser boyfriend. She knows she picks losers but she is determined to fix it. She is trying to get home when she encounters a lightning storm which causes her immense pain. She is always affected by the storms but this time she has sparks flying from her fingertips.

She and her father bond over her current issues when they are visited by Ilif who has 'found' them and explains her father is Lightning Riders who has been 'lost' for years. LRs can travel back in time to conduct alternations which change the destiny of people who ultimately change our world - sometime for good and sometime - not.

Ilif is only interested in Evy's dad because there has never been a woman Lightning Rider and Ilif isn't about to start with Evy. Does Evy stand by? Nope - she accidentally arc'd to Spain and is now drawn to it when she meets Penya -a woman much like Ilif who recognizes Evy and our Alpha-Hunk Constantine. Penya tells Evy she must help Constantine kill Virialto so Spain can enjoy her intended destiny.

Can we say HELLO Constantine!!?? Yes please and may we have another? He is just awesome allowing Evy the freedom and equality to be herself. He has a tragic backstory which was very compelling although short in this book. They work as a team when they aren't fighting. Penya is there as Evy's guide warning her about trusting Ilif. How they work together, find the truth about their destiny and the trust about each other is just fun to read!!

Can you guess I loved this book?

The equality between Constantine and Evy was a welcome relief. She didn't need to be rescued and when she did - she did it herself. Evy learned how to control her gift and power understanding she would have to remove some of her preconceived notions of right and wrong. She grew from the start to the end and her journey was fun. I will admit I had some difficulty with the world Greyson created but once I just let myself go and stopped trying to tie everything together perfectly, I had a blast with the story and Evy. And the heat between she and Constantine didn't hurt at all :)!

My heart hurt when I realized HEA for these two might not be in this or the next book but it will be which hooked me for Book 2. Thank you for giving us a kick-ass heroine and supporting cast with heart. Well done and with a few tweaks - the next installment will be a 5 star stunner!!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House - thank you!!

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given that the central concept of time travel is so popular, I had high expectations about Jen Greyson's "The Lightning Rider", which were not completely met. While most time travel books, television shows and movies come down on the idea that altering time is bad, this book seems to be about altering time for the betterment of man and in some instances is kickass, but in others, less so.

The basic story is that Evy Rivera is a member of a family who historically have been able to travel in time. However the ability has been lost for a generation. Evy and her father Victor stumble on family artifacts, which they accidentally use to trigger their ability to time travel.

Their activities lead to a visit from Ilif Rotiart, a mysterious person of wealth, who claims that he has been guiding the Rivera men as time travelers for hundreds of years. Ilif claims that while he and others can travel, only the Rivera men can use their abilities to alter time. Ilif claims that he "helps" the Rivera men alter time. Ilif claims the alterations always are designed to help the future and save people. While he is willing to teach Victor to travel, he is unwilling to teach Evy, and is disrespectful to Evy as well.

Discontent to sit at home and not use her power, Evy travels to 127 B.C Spain, where she meets Penya, who also claims the ability to time travel. Penya warns her of Ilif's motivations and gifts Evy with a prophetic scroll about the powers of a female rider. Evy also meets Gaius Titus Pomponius Constantine, a Roman soldier, who leads men and controls a fleet.

Ultimately, Evy will return to Spain. Its only been a few hours for Evy in our time, but 5 years has gone by in Spain. There she will meet up with Constantine and Penya again. It seems that Penya believes it is important for Evy to help Constantine kill Viriato. Penya claims his death will help Spain. Although Evy has super like powers, Constantine is not amazed (which is odd).

The remainder of the book is about how Evy learns to use her power, her relationship with Penya and Constantine, the plan to kill Viriato and aid Constantine, her growing distrust of Ilif and his motivations.

On the plus side, Evy Rivera is a good character, who must learn to control her lightning and deal with and live in 132 B.C. Spain. In addition, Evy’s relationship with Constantine, his sister and Penya is definitely a hightlight of the book.

On the other hand, the first third of the novel is disjointed. It is never clear how Victor is traveling to the past or even if he has the same abilities of his daughter. While Ilif is distrustful, we only get vague allusions to his motivations. Also Penya enlists Evy in a plot to kill Viriato, but Evy takes little time in the present to find out why its important or who Constantine is. Finally, I just did not like the odd touches to the story – like Evy wearing a thong to ancient Spain. It just was too much Monica Lewinsky like for me, or that no one in Evy's family even notices changes to Victor's appearance, another odd situation.

This is a good debut. The time travel aspects are cool and the novel really picks up in last two thirds. Evy’s time in ancient Spain and with Constantine is well worth reading. Hopefully the next book will be on the same par for the whole book, rather than just the last two thirds.

[Andrea (mrsaubergine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be impossible to read this and not fall in love with Constantine. Hot Alpha male, Roman soldier, master horseman, devastating with a plum... *sigh* Our heroine Evy admits at one point that he made her knees go weak, and I had to admit mine did, too!

But this story isn't all about him. Evy is a fantastic heroine. A custom motorcycle maker who can take care of herself pretty well, she discovers kind of by accident that her family are Lightning Riders who travel through time to influence history. Evy suddenly finds herself in ancient Spain with a man she must help - Constantine *swoon* - and a man she must kill...

I loved it. LOVED it! Jen Greyson is an amazing new talent and this is the start of what will be a fabulous series. I can't wait to read the next book.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good, especially for a debut novel, with excellent world-building and a kick-ass heroine. 3.5 stars overall, rounded up.

I really liked the heroine, though I did have some trouble understanding her motives. The author made her a non-girly girl, with Evy Rivera's work's being custom-built motorcycles, dressed in jeans and leather and not afraid to break a nail. I also like the normality of the heroine, with a loving family and a bad ex-boyfriend. Except for the lightning powers, Evy is your next door tough chick, with plenty of sass and attitude.

The book starts with Evy discovering that her loser ex-boyfriend has taken most of her stuff when moving out. Ticked off but knowing she needs help, she heads home to her Papi. While on the way, she encounters a thunderstorm, and the lightning causes her severe pain. Then lightning starts to shoot from her fingertips. Not quite panicking, Evy is worried, but keeps it to herself, talking to her Papi about a box that belonged to her great-grandpa.

Turns out that Evy and her Papi come from a long family history of Lightning Riders, ordinary folks with extraordinary abilities who can 'arc' back and forth in time to cause an 'alteration', fixing a piece of history to make things better for mankind down the road, like a butterfly effect. It's an immense power to wield, which is why Riders usually have a mentor of sorts to guide them.

Then Ilif shows up. He's a guardian for the Riders and a mentor. Misogynistic and a real douche, he wastes no time on Evy, since 'there's never been a woman Lightning Rider' and takes Papi for his first alteration.

Unfazed, Evy arcs anyway and ends up in Spain where she meets Penya, a female mentor, who begins to tell her about an alteration that's needed during the Roman conquest.

And thus we meet Constantine, hunky alpha male leader of the Roman warriors. The hotness factor kicked up a few notches, but Constantine, being all hard male and having suffered great loss and pain, also treats Evy as almost his equal while she becomes a warrior herself. He is attracted to her, but fights it, and never sees her as just a weak woman. Constantine has many layers and it was a pleasure to watch them being peeled back.

Evy is kick-ass. Under Constantine's training and Penya's guidance, she learns how to control her lightning - those scenes were so much fun to read. The banter between Constantine and Evy is witty and humorous, and both feel the growing attraction sizzling between them almost as much as the lightning does. Their relationship grows throughout the book, from reluctantly working towards the same goal to being friends and then lovers, while plotting the plan for the alteration.

The book also contains a bunch of wisdom and life lessons. With great power comes great responsibility. As Evy learns to control her power and understand her purpose, she has to let go of some ideals and pre-conceived notions, and learn to look at the bigger picture. She has to learn who she can trust, who's out to make her fail and what ulterior motives might guide the people around her.

For a debut novel, the author created an excellent supernatural world, did good research on the ancient Roman customs as well as how people lived during those times, and gave complexity and depth to her characters, both the main protagonists and the supporting cast.

What didn't work for me so well was that Evy's motives weren't clear, and that for some time it seemed as if she was agreeing to the alteration because of her attraction to Constantine instead of being convinced of the righteousness of her mission. I appreciated her initial unwillingness to forgo her own ideals and morals, but as the character grew, the motivation for that growth wasn't always clear.

After some initial difficulty, the writing style grew on me. The author gives detailed descriptions, yet manages to not make them boring and/or repetitive. Even though the book starts out somewhat slow and a bit choppy, after about 75% I found I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.

I understand that this is book 1 of a planned series. The ARC I had included an excerpt from the next book, which will take Evy back in time again, this time to Rome. I can hardly wait.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return.

[Kathie (katmom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm quite fond of the time travel genre, even though sometimes it can make my head hurt! Ms. Greyson helped me avoid aspirin because the two time lines were so far apart. Evy starts out in 2013 and jumps back to something like 140 BC. Very easy to keep the two threads separate.

Of course, the hot guy was in the past. And what a guy he is. Constantine is a warrior and he needs to train Evy to use her lightning as a defense...and maybe as a weapon. He keeps wondering if she's a sorceress as he feels like she's cast a spell over him. That has to be it, right? Otherwise why would he, the mighty warrior, feel the need to be with her? Guys...so clueless!

This training is hard for Evy. She's always run from confrontation, commitment, anything difficult. As her trainer, Penya, tells her, she must do what is right for the alterations that fate? the cosmos? the powers that be? insist is the right path. Even if that path is to not save someone, but to end them.

Evy can use lightning as a bullwhip. What a woman! She's headstrong and one who waffles through life. It takes a bit of time for her to stand up and do what the lightning in her body insists is what's right for her.

This book has drama, romance, intrigue. Who can she trust? That is the question. Quite the exciting read, that's for sure. I kept wondering what the next time jump would show.

While I enjoyed the fact that Evy was riding lightning to and from places and times, I found a few issues with the timeline itself that didn't add up. There were also a few things that didn't quite mesh together with regard to characters and the facts of lightning riding. Of course, this is a new world and one needs to allow for "world building" and have faith that the next book will be a bit smoother.

And there will be a next book. Hurray! We get a snippet of that one at the end of this one. That's good, because I'm not finished with these characters yet.

This one gets FOUR BOOKMARKS...
A new world to explore...
and a woman who uses lightning as a bullwhip!


*Thank you, NetGalley and TWCS, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lightning Rider is the debut novel by Author Jen Greyson, and what a way to kick off her career! This book, filled with adventure, mystery, romance, and the science fiction element of time travel made for an entertaining and original story.

Our main protagonist, Evy, discovers she comes from a long line of Lightning riders, who basically are time travelers set with tasks to travel through time and change events that result in varying degrees of good or bad outcomes. I find that time travel is one of those tricky and difficult subjects to write on. When done well they can be super cool! When creating a world with certain perimeters and time travel laws, for example the butterfly effect. It can become very easy to write oneself into a corner, or, the story may become so muddled it's hard to follow. Ms. Greyson brilliantly avoids that catastrophe and weaves her audience through modern day America all the way back to ancient Spain.

The characters are rich and leap from the pages. I love that Evy is a Latina! Seriously, how often do you come across that? She's a motorcycle building, snarky, no-nonsense kind of gal and I just liked her. So if you like your heroines all fluffy and flowery that lack cojones, then perhaps this isn't the read for you. Again, I for one loved it! Evy is on journey through time but she is also on another journey; that being, self discovery. Behind her tough exterior lies some lingering insecurities and "growing up" that she needs to work through.

The book starts a little slow but quickly builds and takes off about 20% in. This is the pivotal moment when the reader is provided the necessary back story that sort of clears things up. I was floored to discover that Ms. Greyson is primarily an SOTP (seat of the pants) writer. Especially in the genre of fantasy and Science fiction with a time travel backdrop. Holy crap, that is impressive! Her characters are well written, rich and three dimensional. Her descriptions or places and the varying time periods come alive. Her writing shows a promising career and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

[Feminista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.


Evy comes from a line of lightning riders who time-travel. Usually, this ability is passed from father to son, but Evy is the first female to get this power.

The story was different and had an interesting premise.

There were several things in this story that didn’t appeal to me.

Firstly, I didn’t like how more questions were asked then answered. Especially since I, as a reader, was introduced to a foreign world/idea. This made reading the book, a bit confusing.

Secondly, I found Evy’s relationship with her father unusual to say the least. I found it a bit disturbing how she appreciates her father’s body once it becomes younger, especially when she knew it was her father. Of course, that’s just me and my opinion; it might be acceptable by other people’s standards. The flirting at first was not intentional, she didn’t recognise him then. But it didn’t make sense, how a minute later when her Papi was looking at himself at the mirror; she tells him that he looks like himself in his boxing days. Shouldn’t there have been at least some recognition when she first sees her father. Also, she was so obedient when it came to listening to her father. Apparently she had only fought with her dad, once prior, and that was when she was twelve years old. She got laughed at in school because she was always seeking approval from her father. I personally didn’t value such a trait in a grown adult woman. There is this part where she gets introduced to the guide, she keeps on interrupting and her father keeps on scolding her, which in itself was really annoying, but what was worse was that she listened to him every time he told her to keep quiet.

ARC Courtesy of NetGalley and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not every day that I read a book that keeps me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Lightning Rider certainly delivers. Evy is a lightning riding time traveler from 2013, Constantine is a Roman soldier from 138 BC. This gives long distance relationship a whole new meaning. Not once was I tempted to skip to the end. It is a new adult paranormal time travel romance action adventure at its finest, but it had me at time travel romance.

The premise of a time traveler using lightning as a conduit was one thing, but coupled with a strong Latina protagonist who rides and builds custom motorcycles was what really sold it. The hot Roman soldier was the delicious icing. Evy even wields lightning whips and shoots balls of lightning from her hands, and when things heat up with Constantine, well… look out. Someone just might get shocked.

Greyson jumps headfirst into the emerging genre of new adult with a book that didn’t take the safe route. Evy is a strong, confident woman. She doesn’t need a man to rescue her. Period. No excuses. Greyson does a wonderful job showing all the multiple layers of Evy’s conflict and vulnerability, both from internal and external sources. Evy is faced with an impossible task, asked to do things she doesn’t want to do, and expected to make tough sacrifices for the greater good regardless of the consequences. And even up until the very end, you’re not sure what choices she’ll make.

This is one author I plan to follow. I can’t wait to see what book two of the Lightning Rider series holds!

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a boring book that could have been so much better! The plot was pretty good: a time traveler that uses the lightenig and whose power was family inherited, but the explanations were so long and every time different that in the end the story was very poor and endet so fast that I was really disappointed. Maybe the second book in this serie would be better, because I appreciate Eve and Costantine.

Un libro veramente noioso che sarebbe potuto essere veramente migliore! La trama non era male: una viaggiatrice nel tempo che utilizza i fulmini e il cui potere si tramanda nella famiglia, ma le spiegazioni erano cosí lunghe, ed ogni volta diverse, che alla fine la storia era poca cosa e finisce talmente in fretta che sono rimasta basita. Magari il secondo libro sará migliore, perché mi piacevano Eva e Costantine.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE WRITER'S COFEE SHOP PUBLISHING HOUSE FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC supplied by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The first thing that caught my attention was the stunning cover with its vivid graphics. I wanted to find out if the character on the cover is as "bad-ass" as she looks. This story did not disappoint. The author does an excellent job of developing each character through her vivid details. I enjoyed seeing Evy, the main character, go from down on her luck to kick-ass herione who is able to use lightning as a weapon and to transport her through time. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what other adventures await Evy.

[Amy Jarecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of working with Jen Greyson as one of her critique partners. Let me tell you, the metamorphosis of the manuscript was amazing. Jen has worked this story to be tight, visceral and mind-blowingly exciting.

I loved reading about how Evy had to face challenges of deceit while discovering her ultra-awesome skill of badass, lightning wielding time travel. Then she learns she's the chosen one and she meets unbelievably rocking Constantine (that has it's own lightning with 2000 years of progress between them). Together they must change history...but will it be the right one?

I can't wait to see this book in print, and I can't wait for the sequel!

[Sannie Hald · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of this book yet when I started reading it, all I felt was 'meehhh' and 'this is superficial'. I know it must just be my personal opinion as the book have gotten great reviews. I hate it when I do not agree with the mainstream as it is awesome to discuss books. Yet, I like to feel many feels when I read a book, this one left me rather bored, dull-like, and just 'waste of time'.. I am sorry.

[The Urban Book Thief · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Urban Book Thief Review

Ladies and Gents, may I present to you the best UF romance read of 2013 by a first time author (as voted by moi). Jen Grayson not only knows how to write a kick ass heroine but has also trained show horses in France, Switzerland and Germany. Now, this is an author that I can get behind.

Lightning Rider is a unique story about a woman called Evy, a custom bike mechanic who can travel through time with the aid of lightning energy. Evy is also a curvy, hot, sexy, Latino mamma - which I love - as leading Latino ladies are a little thin on the ground in this genre. Our current reigning UF queens (Kate Daniels, Mercy Thomson, Elena Michaels etc.) are usually characterised by their perpetually awesome hair, unique powers and shiny leather bottoms. You will be happy to note that Evy is no different.

Now – I found chapter one quite confusing. You were dumped straight into the narrative (which I normally have no problem with) but… it zipped between the heroine talking about her neighbour, ex-douche boyfriend, an approaching storm, the traffic and her motorcycle. I felt like I was trying to gasp for breath on Evy’s behalf. After this though, everything cleared up quick and we delve straight into the action – no hanging around for this character. No siree.

Evy


Early on, we learn that Evy has always been sensitive to electrical storms. Then one evening on her way home from work she is momentarily thrust into ancient Spain during the worst electrical storm for ten years. By the time she gets home, she finds that she can create electric whips from blue energy running through her body. Intrigued about her new sweet, sweet weapons, Evy runs to her Papi to look for answers and she gets more than she bargains for.

Evy learns that she’s from a long family line of lighting riders. Up until this point though, it had a male only club. So as the first female lightning rider in history, she’s an anomaly. And why yes, there also happens to be a prophecy written about her too: given to Evy by a mysterious stranger with an ominous sounding voice. The prophecy features a woman who creates a new path while the world is on the brink of turmoil and leads her people into peace. Or as I would put it – save the cheerleader, save the world. Thought at this point, I probably would have been disappointed if there hadn’t been one. A UF romance with no prophecy – purrlease… what are we? Amateurs?

We meet Ilif Rotiart who is the family’s lightning rider guide. He had lost contact with the Rivera crew after the death of several family members. Ilif explains to Evy and her Papi that riders play a critical role in the existence of all things. Their ancestors have prevented disasters and altered history, simply by manipulating lightning energy as their own personal time portal. Unfortunately, Ilif is not a fan of Evy or women in general. The tension between himself and Evy is pretty high, one could say that it was hate at first sight. Plus, there’s his nemesis Penya, an older time traveller who is good to have around for a life affirming cliché. Ilif and Penya don’t see eye to eye at all. I reckon that this particular storyline has the makings of a mystery that will cover the entire series arc.

Now, Evy is drawn time and time again to visiting ancient Spain, and it is here that we meet ancient hottie Constantine. We then proceed with some outrageous flirting from the pair from the get-go:

I can’t keep the smile hidden. He’s spicy with a side of dangerous, and I like it even though I know I shouldn’t. A merciless flirt, because it gets me what I want, I can’t help pushing him a little further, punishing him for calling me a sorceress and a spy.

Now Evy is a tough chica, her douche-bag ex had recently ransacked her house and stolen her belongings, then emptied her bank account. So she was a complete no man zone for all of five chapters – and I think that she did well considering who she had to work with. I myself would not have shown so much steel-like strength. Constantine. Oh the lovely Constantine. She’s a futuristic foreigner, he’s an ancient warrior. Add heat, a dash of lightning and wow mamma – watch those flames burn.

Constantine


Constantine is a Roman soldier who has been facing resistance from Spanish natives in his fight to help his motherland occupy the country. His past is violent and sad and he does a good job of being stoic and sexy at the same time. Evy meets him briefly on her first foray into ancient Spain, but when they meet again it’s only been one day for her but five years for him. Not to say the least, he was a little disheartened by this wait. His world since then has changed irreparably and this is where Evy and her super time travelling skills come into play – if she doesn’t help Constantine defeat his Spanish enemies then it will spell trouble for the future of the entire world.

After some gentle persuasion by Constantine, a prophecy and Penya, Evy agrees to help kick ass and so dons a leather skirt and bustier in preparation. Meow. The downside is that she has to battle her own morality over killing people. Something that no one else seems to agree with in this bloody, violent, roman past. Also tugging on her conscience is our rebel Vitiario. He’s a Spanish hero, trying to save his country from Roman occupation. So to make some sense out of her crazy, crazy life she settles her mind with a wee bit of tai chi, which also takes her body to new heights of ninja-like awareness.

Once we hit half-way through the book we get to the prerequisite ‘training of the heroine by the mighty hero’. This part never gets too old for me. This is particularly true in Lightning Rider, as we get to read about a skirt-wearing, sword-wielding Constantine clashing his wits as well as his mighty (mighty) sword with Evy.

There has never been a softness to Constantine’s training, but today it is feral. Our pent-up energy clashes-and this time we let it. He spins and dodges my amateur attacks, allowing me to witness the depth of his skill. My own jealousy at my ineptitude makes me strike too soon, and he lunges. I parry. We dance a tango of death, a sexually charged battle we both know may be our last. Where we could have chosen meaningless sex, he honoured my strength and invited me to step wholly into his world and expose my true self with him here on his battlefield. The one place he can show me who he is, without words, without barriers. And where I can be me, no judgment, no embarrassment, no preconceived notion of what a woman can or can't be. Here, we are warriors. Nothing else.

Drool.

Now here’s a warning that I have about this book. Evy starts off very flippant and immature. Book one of this series is clearly laying the foundation, starting with how a very cocky young woman learns how and when to keep her mouth shut. This book is about her journey from a girl to a woman. Evy realises that her ability is a gift that she shouldn’t squalor on her own selfish desires but should be used for the good of the people. Blah, blah, blah. And the woman that we see at the end of the book – this is a character that I definitely want to see a lot more of. So hurry up Ms. Grayson and finish book two cause I hate cliff hangers!

Read more book reviews here with The Urban Book Thief

[Shauni · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a first ever book Jen Greyson totally and completely nails it with Lightening Rider.. With the twists and turns and complex concept Ms Greyson leaves the reader completely STRUCK...

Imagine if you will that your family has an ancient talent, for generations they have been harnessing lightening and riding it into the past, altering events so the future that is desired comes about. A destiny designed for the few.. those who sense the lightening and instinctively know which event to tweak, whose life to save or worse not save to ensure that life as we know in our now actually comes about. Now imagine that the chain has been broken and your direct family knows nothing about this. But one day finds a mysterious box that has basic information in it.. Chant one line and suddenly you are whisked into the past.. with no training, no knowledge and no idea what just happened... what would you do?

Evy Rivera hates thunderstorms, they have always caused severe unrest in her not fear but they twist something inside of her making her appreciate the power but leaving her feeling drained and incomplete.. Then one night while riding her bike home she finds herself transformed momentarily to another place. Blowing it off she goes about her business. Unfortunately that business is to go home and discover that her ex has cleaned out her apartment, stolen her things and drained her bank account. Personally I would have called the police. Especially the bank acct as he wasn't on it. But Evy's not that type. Instead she picks herself up and returns to her father's home.

When there things get even more interesting... Her father finds a box of his father's stuff. Things he never knew he had from a father who had died when he was a child. Inside were some books, they couldn't read and some tokens they had never seen before.. Of course they were interested and snooped as much as they can.. only to discover an interesting chant.. once said life as they know it is gone.. Evy is sent to ancient Spain and Vik is sent to New York and the mob.. A story we don't learn much about but I am hoping to find out what really happened there in the next book. But Evy meets some interesting people..

One of the people she sees is a man who actually follows her home. A man who is determined to NOT let Evy be part of the program. This man is sure she really has no power and when she displays her power he tries to convince her that it doesn't exist and what she has is wrong. He does all he can to stop her from doing the job assigned to her.. Ilef Rotiert is supposed to be her mentor.. has mentored her family for generations.. yet he focuses everything on her father..leaving Evy to wander about and discover things on her own.

Probably for the best.. since she keeps going back to ancient Spain where she meets a hunky Roman Soldier who teaches her how to fight and how to harness her lightening as a weapon. Together they embark on a mission that will save the world as we know it. Along with a new mentor Penya Sepadas who claims not only is she Evy's real mentor, she has a prophecy to prove it.

This book was amazing.. a slow start and at first I was tempted to put it down. It bothers me that I would have walked away from this book had I not agreed to do this review. As it gathered steam it slowly swept me into it's story and made me furious when it was time to put the book down.

One of the things I enjoyed abou tthis book is it made me think.. I know that the advance of the Roman Empire was important and historically speaking something that needed to happen but most of the time Rome is written as the bad guys. The conquerors. The oppressors. And in the Lightening Rider it isn't Rome is important.. And the fact that Spain must be conquered is shown to us in a brilliant manner. The importance of our history and why it must be is really pointed out.. great concept.. So often we are routing for the underdog, we forget to cheer for those who changed history...

The only thing I found distracting about this book is it was written in first person. I am not a fan of first person writing and often find it well distracting. Most of the time I skip such books all together.. Which is obviously not a good choice because books like the Lightening Rider can get lost that way. I am really glad that I had a reason to read this book because I am so excited about it.. Seriously folks get this book it is absolutely awesome!!

Shauni


This review is based on the ARC of Lightening Rider provided by netgalley and is now available

[Beyond the Squee · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Evy Rivera, thunderstorms have always caused her physical pain, but she's never known why. When a record-setting storm arrives on the same night her father finds ancient ancestral documents, Evy is set aglow with mysterious tiny lightnings she can command.

Even worse, she alerts some people in the universe who've been looking for her family for a very long time.

Thrown back into ancient Spain and tasked with killing a Spanish legend, she must train alongside Constantine, a sexy yet obstinate Roman warrior. He teaches her how to wield her lightning as a weapon, through more errors than trials. With a relationship as explosive as their late-night training sessions, Evy and Constantine battle their push-pull relationship while trying to ignore the two-thousand-year difference in their birthdates.

Ilif Rotiart, her quasi-mentor, is appalled at Evy's skill. He would prefer to train her father and keep Evy on the sidelines—where women belong. Evy has a feeling Ilif is keeping something from them, but she must play nice until she uncovers the truth. And if he's lying, it will be the worst day of his four-hundred-year life.

Penya Sepadas claims she's Evy's rightful trainer, and she has the prophecy to prove it. Penya doesn't share Ilif's misogynistic attitude, but she does have her own agenda...and her own secrets.

Evy must sort through the lies and find the truth behind her family's time-traveling past before the wrong history obliterates the future. She’s spent her whole life fighting for her place. Now, as the first female lightning rider, she'll dedicate her existence to fighting to save the world.

But will Evy learn to manage her lightning and find the truth before it's too late?



I'm quite fond of the time travel genre, even though sometimes it can make my head hurt! Ms. Greyson helped me avoid aspirin because the two time lines were so far apart. Evy starts out in 2013 and jumps back to something like 140 BC. Very easy to keep the two threads separate.

Of course, the hot guy was in the past. And what a guy he is. Constantine is a warrior and he needs to train Evy to use her lightning as a defense...and maybe as a weapon. He keeps wondering if she's a sorceress as he feels like she's cast a spell over him. That has to be it, right? Otherwise why would he, the mighty warrior, feel the need to be with her? Guys...so clueless!

This training is hard for Evy. She's always run from confrontation, commitment, anything difficult. As her trainer, Penya, tells her, she must do what is right for the alterations that fate? the cosmos? the powers that be? insist is the right path. Even if that path is to not save someone, but to end them.

Evy can use lightning as a bullwhip. What a woman! She's headstrong and one who waffles through life. It takes a bit of time for her to stand up and do what the lightning in her body insists is what's right for her.

This book has drama, romance, intrigue. Who can she trust? That is the question. Quite the exciting read, that's for sure. I kept wondering what the next time jump would show.

While I enjoyed the fact that Evy was riding lightning to and from places and times, I found a few issues with the timeline itself that didn't add up. There were also a few things that didn't quite mesh together with regard to characters and the facts of lightning riding. Of course, this is a new world and one needs to allow for "world building" and have faith that the next book will be a bit smoother.

And there will be a next book. Hurray! We get a snippet of that one at the end of this one. That's good, because I'm not finished with these characters yet.

This one gets FOUR BOOKMARKS...
A new world to explore...
and a woman who uses lightning as a bullwhip!



*Thank you, NetGalley and TWCS, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Also, don't forget you can enter to win a free eBook of White Trash, the newest book by Alexandria Allred! http://www.beyondthesquee.com/2013/06...

[Snarktastic Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received this from NetGalley for an honest review.

Honestly, I found this book extremely hard to read. The biggest challenge is that it is written in present tense. On the surface, this shouldn’t make a difference, but it really did to me. It took me until almost halfway through before I was finally comfortable with the tone and tense. That being said, I stuck with it because the main idea intrigued me and Evy was spirited enough that I looked forward to watching her grow.

Evy is a refreshing heroine. She is confident, but not arrogant. She is decisive, but not trigger happy. She is caring, but not naggy. She loves and respects her father. Her father loves and respects her. Her main antagonist, Ilif, is displayed in such a way that we are never quite sure if he is the villain or the hero. Unfortunately, these are the only two characters that I felt were well drawn.

The book is based on a creative idea – riding lightning through time to alter situations in order that things may happen as they should. For instance, saving a man who is an ancestor to someone who is to discover a great immunization that will save thousands of lives. Evy and her Papi are descended from a line of lightning riders, but as it is a ‘male’ trait, Ilif refuses to guide Evy, even to admit that her skills might have purpose, and will only guide Papi. Evy quickly figures out how to travel on her own and ignore all advice otherwise.

While I certainly appreciated some things about this novel, there were several things that just bothered me. The book begins as Evy races home during a storm to see how much her ex-boyfriend has taken from their shared home. This is an interesting plot point that seems to have no purpose beyond sending Evy to her parents home. It is on the journey that she has her first lightning ride, albeit accidently, and has no understanding of what is actually happening. When she finally arrives home to see it completely emptied except for her pet iguana, she heads to her parents home.

It is at this point that I really started struggling with the plot. Everything just happened too easily with little build up or plot support. Firstly, Papi and Evy easily accept the fact that lightning riding is even possible. Then, Evy quickly picks it up on her own with very little actual coaching. She also seems to instantly be able to separate the heroes from the villains. In addition, the onset of the relationship with Constantine is just a little quick with very little actual development. In addition, beyond Evy’s original trip to what she assumes is the future gone wrong, there is little support for the rapid conclusion that Viriato must die.

Ultimately, while I liked Evy, I found very little else to keep me here. I didn’t find Ilif villainous enough to root against. I didn’t find the romance between Constantine and Evy interesting enough to really care. I didn’t feel concern that the world was going to end if Evy messed up. And, I don’t find the characters or story interesting enough to look forward to more adventures. I felt all of these things needed a bit more support and development. I did enjoy that the sex scene was not overly drawn out.

I did finish and I did love Evy and her relationship with her Father. This story might just be a bit more ‘romancy’ than ‘fantasy’ which may be a bit of my struggle. I give this book 2.5 stars – and I will round it down to 2 because it has so much wasted potential.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impression of the Lightening Rider I didn’t know what to think. Evy is racing home to catch Nick her loser now ex-boyfriend in the act of robbing her blind. But is side tracked by a lightning storm and curious cop. Needless to say she doesn’t get there in time to stop jerk Nick now thief ex-boyfriend, too late, and the story begins.

Time travel via lightning? Writer Greyson’s concept intrigued, me. Lightening Riders those who can travel back in time and orchestrate ”alterations” that changed the destiny of people. Individuals who ultimately change our history, sometimes for the better like draining a malaria infested lake in Africa. That saves a family near by that turn out to be the descendants of Nelson Mandela and others not so much. Writing about certain subject like time travel isn’t easy to pull off, go too far and its ridiculous, so I wanted to see how it would translate in this story. Time travel via lightning? Interesting. Writer Grayson manages it well keeping the world plausible.

What I didn’t expect was to like Evy as much as I did. She was not the kind of girl one puts in the corner. And I liked that, she didn’t sit and wait to be rescued she figured it out herself. Evy is Latina, by nature she is assertive, confident she questions status quo of what a woman is allowed and that makes her an awesome heroine but Evy is still human and her she doesn’t always follow through, she skirts commitment and secretly I think it’s the reason she picks loser boyfriends because they live up to Evy’s expectations.

I like the fact that she made mistakes they made her flawed, human and real but she didn’t fall prey to making her mistakes own her. E.g Nick the thieving ex-boyfriend she felt stupid, embarrassed and when she had to crawl home to crash. Because he taken the bed too. She felt like a disappointment to her father, lesson learned. Evy moved on unlike some characters. The progression of her character from a babe in the woods so to speak to a kick ass heroine was a nice change. Evy learns to control her gifts and learns the notions she had of right and wrong don’t or won’t always apply, because the world now opened to her eyes wasn’t always going to be black and white but sometimes varied shades of grey in between.

The romance is steamy but sad because she’s from the present and Constantine is from the past. Constantine is the opposite of the jerks Evy usually dates. He respects Evy, allows her to be herself his equal. That’s what makes it so sad the question mark on their future, nice little drama there. I loved the father daughter relationship and push and pull of it. Illif I didn’t care much for and his chauvinistic notions, turned me off. As for Penya she is his polar opposite, but I like the way her character is written as a question mark can you trust her intentions, does she have her own agenda?

These are reason I gave The Lightening Rider a four out of five. Writer Grayson weaves a compelling story that has the reader flipping, even tempted to skip pages to get to the ending and find out what happens. I enjoyed the Lightening Rider and though it didn’t end with a pretty bow on top. Some questions were answered, while new questions came to light. These however are questions for the next book to answer.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to thank the author for giving an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

Firstly, this book was totally unique. I have never heard of a story that used lightning as a means for time travel. I loved it. I couldn't wait to see how it all played out. I was really confused at first, but the further along I read in the story, the more I figured things out. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but it is a series so that isn't unexpected. Either way, I'm loving the idea.

The main character, Evy, wasn't one I immediately liked. She was way too stubborn, know-it-all, and hard-headed. She was also rash and impulsive, and it made me question her a lot throughout the beginning of the book. However, she does grow, and I loved watching that process. She starts off as this stubborn girl, who wants to act recklessly, and mess with things that she really has no idea about. By the end of the story, though, she's a really different person. I love when an author can pull that off. One more thing I liked was the fact that Evy was Latina. That isn't too common in books, so it's really refreshing when you come across a heroine who isn't white and thin. I loved that about her. All of this makes Evy a pretty compelling main character through which to view the events in this book.

As for other major characters in the story, I thought Constantine was intriguing. I didn't really see when and how he turned from teacher to something more, but I like how he inspired Evy to change some of her ways of thinking. It's easy to see how much he influenced her, and he was a good character with a great background.

I liked Evy's father, too. It's great to see parental figures in books, because they're not so common. This is especially true when they aren't the villains of the story. Speaking of which, Ilif was a great villain. There is still so much to learn about him, but when he was around, I was in full agreement with Evy's thoughts about him, even when I wasn't sure I quite liked her. For example, he had me hating him, and being offended with his views on women, right along with her, and that's how you know that the author has done a great job in writing a villain.

Finally, there's the actual plot of this story. It was interesting, because Evy had to learn about her abilities as a lightning rider, but she also had to accomplish a mission. Therefore, we got to see her testing her abilities in a lot of ways, but we also got to see her change the way she thought about right and wrong, and also how she approached life. I loved it.

Overall, this story was really good. The pace was pretty even and I can't think of a time when I was bored, or thought that things were progressing too slowly. The only reason that this book isn't one of my favorites is because of the romance between Evy and Constantine being so sudden, and also because Evy was so reckless and arrogant in the beginning. Other than that, there isn't anything at all wrong with this book. With a totally original premise, solid storytelling, and good writing, this story is one you won't want to miss.

[CaroleHeidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic romp through time with a brilliant main character – I really enjoyed Lightning Rider… once I got into it.

If I had written this review after reading the first 25% of the book, I would have slated it for a multitude of reasons – the main character was irritating, the world seemed a bit flat, I didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on and, quite frankly, I didn’t care. Then all of a sudden it became brilliant. It was like the author suddenly found their feet and the characters, the world, the story all jumped to life and I wanted it all and I wanted it now. I couldn’t put it down in contrast to the start where I had to force myself to keep reading.

Evy is a heroine you could relate to – she doesn’t discover that she has crazy lightning powers and immediately be all cool with it and know how to use it as happens in so many books and films. Instead she reacts how a real person would – she tries to ignore it, she plays with it, she hopes it will go away by itself, she gets angry with it, she gets things wrong. She has to learn about her power and the responsibilities it brings and the danger it can be and in learning her character grows, changes and rounds out without ever losing sense of who she was before. She doesn’t have a personality transplant, she just adapts. Her character development is cleverly handled and smooth and her Spanish temperament shines through with amusing results.

The time travel is well thought out and not confusing in a way that is a detriment to the story – it is mind-bending, obviously, but what time travel isn’t? The deception and intrigue layered through the story is subtle and I didn’t work everything out before the twists were revealed or, in some cases, not revealed – leaving you desperate for the next instalment to find out what happens.

There’s plenty of action and danger, horses, motorbikes, swords and arrows, bloodshed and fear but also a hefty dollop of romance in the form of main love interest Constantine, the Roman warrior. At first I wasn’t convinced by him as a romantic option but as his and Evy’s relationship grew and their characters developed, I was sold. There were plenty of JUST KISS HER ALREADY! moments all building up to the inevtiable racy scenes but it wasn’t forced and added yet another dimension to the book.

Overall I loved it and will be keeping an eye out for book two. It is a little slow to start but worth sticking with for sure.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

Lightning is magic. Haven’t we all believed that when we’ve seen the beauty and power of a storm?

For Evy Rivera, lightning really is magic, magic she can ride like the motorcycles she loves. She rides the lightning, and it takes her forwards and backwards in time. It’s the ultimate trip.

Riding the lightning is a great adventure. But with great power, comes great responsibility. When she arcs to somewhen other, it’s because there is something she needs to do, someone she needs to save.

It’s a responsibility that has been passed through her family for millennia. But only from father to son. There are not supposed to be any female riders.

Back in Roman Spain, 2000 years ago, Penya is waiting for the rider of prophecy. She’s waiting for Evy. Penya is sitting on one of the cruxes of history. Evy is supposed to come back to Penya’s time and assassinate a Spanish rebel leader. It’s happened before, and it’s supposed to happen again.

In the present, there’s a man named Ilif. He says he’s there to guide Evy’s father in becoming a rider, but his motives are much less pure.

Evy’s quest is to save the past, and the future, before it’s too late.

Escape Rating B+: Particularly for a first novel, Lightning Rider was amazingly good.

The start is a teensy bit rocky. Evy’s breakup with her thieving ex-boyfriend, the thing that propels her down the road to her parent’s house in the first chapter still seems slightly random, but once she gets to her “Papi’s”, the action never stops.

Lightning Rider is a “time war” type story. Ilif is manipulating events for some murky purpose, and Penya is trying to stop him. Maybe. We don’t actually know what their motives are, but Ilif is not on the side of the angels.

I love “time war” stories. There’s a hint of Kage Baker’s The Company in this, which is always good, but Evy seems to have more agency than Mendoza did. (Start with In the Garden of Iden, which is still awesome.)

This does have an element of the “needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” as well. The man in the past who needs to be assassinated was a hero in his time, but history needs to remain unchanged. If it’s changed, our future gets wiped out. It’s a hard lesson.

The ending of Lightning Rider leaves the reader hanging. This story is definitely not over. I just wish I knew when to look for the next part!

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very beginning, what I liked the most about Evy was how amazingly strong she is. She is very stubborn at times and it was hard liking her in the start but she really does grow on you, how can you not like a tough fighter who won’t give up even when times get rough.

This is a book filled with well thought out plots. The idea of time travelling through lightning? wow, I can’t tell you guys how incredibly well written this book is. The whole book is centered that there are few families with a genetic mutation that lets them manipulate lightning, so they are able to time travel and alter the past, and for these lightning riders, it is their family duty to go the specific time event and alter it to fit in with our future.

Evy is special though, she is the first female lightning rider, usually it is only the males in the specific families that have the ability.

This book just made my top favourite list, there is so much in this book I like, the characters, especially Evy and her papi (her father). It is so good to see a father figure in a New Adult book, it’s nice to see parents more involved in the main characters lives.

Evy is this latina girl, it is so nice to see a little diversity in a female character, it’s great to see a girl nt white, thin and all shy or all sexy, a little different now and then is good too. Evy has a very peculiar humor, sometimes I got it, sometimes I didn’t. Then there was the fact there were times she was plain difficult for no apparent reason, but towards the end of the book she really changes and softens, she is a characters that truly shows the process of growing in the book, I love when authors do that with characters, they make us change our feeling, opinions on characters, they make us actually feel with them.

Ilif really is your usual villain, at first he confused me, he had this angry attitude toward Evy for being a girl, and he didn’t believe women could be lightning rider, I thought he was just a pompous ass, but then he showed his true colours ,villain style.

This book is really an original, I mean time travel through lightning? then there are the historic events that have to be altered, the possibilities are endless.

This is such a refreshing New Adult book, very different from the usual books we see in the NA genre. If your looking for something new, refreshing, interesting and original, then this is a must read for you!

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Can't wait for the next installment to come out!

Evy Rivera. Kick ass heroine with a sassy personality that can command lightning and time travel. Way cool stuff.

Constantine. Hot alpha male. Roman warrior who has suffered great personal loss. Love this guy. Seriously.

These two must work together to alter the course of history to save Spain from the forces of evil who would seek to change history for their own personal gain. And they don't want to work together. Evy has to learn WHO to trust, as well as learning to trust in herself, if she is to have any hope of being the one described in the prophecy.

Not a dull moment, this story is constant action. The style of the writing took me a minute to find my groove, but once there, I wasn't able to stop reading. I CANNOT wait to read more, I'm totally hooked on this story. I WANT to read what happens next and am anxious to read how this series plays out.

I don't like to give away the whole story in a review, because I like to be surprised. I don't like to compare stories to "other" stories, because then I get a preconceived notion in my mind about how the story will be or should be. But I will say this. There have been other stories that I have read that have captured my imagination in just the way that this one has, and I am VERY excited about this series. This has all the elements going for it that draw me in and keep me invested in a story. I WANT to learn more about Evy, Constantine, Penya, Vic, Ilif, and Anna. I am personally invested in what happens to these characters and am super excited for the next book!

As for my high rating. Yes, I had some moments where I thought, "hmmm", but definitely not enough to lower my rating. I am emotionally invested in this story, and while maybe not "perfect", it's obviously laying out the elements (so to speak) for the rest of the story. It's been awhile since I've been this excited about a series.

Highly, HIGHLY, recommending this one!

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evy Rivera has always been sensitive to lightning – it hurts her badly, but she doesn’t know why. During a huge thunderstorm on her way to her place, she’s affected by the lightning more than ever before. The same night her father finds documents from his father and grandfather referencing a ‘Lightning Rider’ along with talismans he’d only seen when he was a boy. Evy and her father are both affected by the lightning and Evy’s traveled somewhere and brought attention to her family. When a strange man named Ilif appears and tells them he’s her father’s mentor, her father’s not sure about what’s going on and is pretty frightened. Evy’s angry at Ilif as he has stated unequivocally Evy cannot be a Rider since she’s female and as such, treats her badly. So Evy’s off to make her own discoveries and learn what is really going on. But has she entered into an ancient power struggle in which she had no intention of participating?

Who hasn’t felt the awesome power of lightning? I loved the premise of ‘Lightning Rider’ as we learned along with Evy how she is able to harness lightning to travel through time and perhaps alter the future. She’s also the first female Rider and as such plays an important role in an ancient prophecy. It was exciting to see Evy grow up and learn more about herself, her power, and her legacy as the story progressed. ‘Lightning Rider’ also put into perspective how history is written by the victors and what may seem “evil” today was what it took to survive in the past. As I read, I was actually happy there wasn’t a large info dump and instead we learned along with Evy. I’m looking forward to learning more about this amazing world Ms. Greyson has created in the next book, ‘Shadow Boxer’, as Evy faces the remaining challenges and many new ones.

Lightning Rider Alterations series: Lightning Rider (1), Shadow Boxer (2)

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evy Rivera just came out of a very bad relationship which has left her apartment and her bank account empty. Though Evy feels very upset about this, she doesn't realize that her life is about to get a lot more complicated. When her father discovers a box containing a book which once belonged to his father, Evy has no inkling that her curiosity about her family history is going to force her to embrace her birthright as the only female lightening rider to ever live.

As you might well imagine traveling back through time and changing what happened is not an easy thing to do. This is why each rider is given a guide but how does Evy know that just trust them. They know more about what Evy is than she does and they are not always willing to answer questions. Evy knows that Ilif Rotiart's feelings about women means that he is not interested in her.

I was surprised to see that Lightning Rider was placed under the category of paranormal romance. Don't get me wrong, there is a romance in the book but the story itself is not dependent upon the romance to exist. We did however get the whole star crossed lovers deal because Evy's love interest Constantine is an ancient roman.

One of the things I liked about this story is that Evy the protagonist is a Latina and unlike many novels in this genre, she is not Latina in name only. Greyson includes some dialogue in Spanish and we get a strong sense of culture for her. While Evy comes from a family of Lightning Riders, Evy's culture is not to blame for her magic, which again is rare. We do once again get the chosen one meme as Evy's birth and skill is foretold in legend but rarely do we see in this genre this trope applied to a WOC.


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[Mindy (Book Snitch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting story. It sort of reminds me of the old show Quantum Leap… sort of. Evy is extremely irritating for the first 70% of the book. I understand that she needs to figure out the truth for herself but the incessant back and forth on her decision making is annoying and can be hard to follow. She is or she isn’t? If this were a ‘real life’ situation then sure, but this is a fantasy trip away from my reality and that is why I enjoy reading. I want my Heroine to make good decisions but I don’t need to read about all the little details of the decision process. Details are good but in moderation. This ate up most of the story and it felt like page fillers.

Constantine is the hunky Roman warrior who trains Evy. Im a little confused on how he knows so much about Lightning Riders. I know who he gets his information from but its not really explained how much he knows and why hes willing to trust a girl with lightning coming from her fingers. I would have really liked to see him and Evy interact more intimately. The attraction and sexual tension is there but I was left feeling a little empty. I know the intimacy is not the main focus of the story but I still crave it.

Overall the story is intriguing but can be boring in areas for about the first 60% of the book. Evy is a unique heroine and I ended up really liking her. I would not recommend this book to my more advanced romance enthusiast friends. This is more of a sci-fi with a little beginner romance. I only hope the next book has more story instead of repeating unnecessary details.

I would also like to thank NetGalley and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House for the ARC. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to give my feedback.

[Michele(mluker) Luker · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the moment I started reading this story, I knew I was going to love the original and unique concept of the Lightning Rider. This story was action packed from beginning to end. Evy is a strong and powerful character, which I found intriguing because a lot of regular kick butt heroes grow into themselves. Evy is straight up hardheaded and independent. Except when it comes to love. She takes her new ability as being a lightning rider and time traveler in stride, completely accepting it and going full throttle. Evy is wise to question those she should trust.

The traveling to a different time was amazingly descriptive, drawing the reader into the story. The ability to change a moment in time to better the future generations was written very well and easy to follow. Of course, there is that person who wants to interfere to bring the conflict to his favor; however, he does not expect Evy’s abilities.

Constantine, oh boy, what can I say about Constantine…the Roman warrior who believes in giving his life for the cause and will do anything to protect his home country. Constantine has his own personal battles that have hardened him into the denoted warrior; however, he wonders what kind of spell Evy has put upon him. You cannot deny the attraction there. Can Evy have a relationship with a person that existed thousands years before her? Well, I hope she can figure that one out, because Constantine is too good to let go!

The story ends with a cliffhanger…you know the kind that leaves you frustrated because you do not want the story to end. However, that is a good thing, because it leaves me knowing that there will be more to the story I do not want to end.

[Gillian (Tattooed Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

See this review and more at www.tattooedbookreview.com!

Original, exciting, and action-packed with a kick-ass heroine and a super-sexy alpha male. I really enjoyed this book!

Evy, a welder and motorcycle builder, is at a low point in her life when she discovers she is the only female in a long line of “Lightning Riders” or time-travelers. It is the very difficult job of a Lightning Rider to travel through time and change the future for the better. Quite a daunting task! Evy shows great strength and courage, and with some coaxing takes the challenge head-on. The author cleverly gives the reader glimpses into Evy’s head and her often humorous inner-dialogue, adding another layer to the story and Evy’s character.

Traveling to ancient Spain, Evy discovers her destiny, which includes Constantine. A super-sexy ancient warrior, his and Evy’s relationship is fraught with delicious and electric sexual tension. I enjoyed the relationship between these strong characters. She is not a damsel in distress; he sees her strength and trains her to be even stronger. The author did a fantastic job of creating a connection between Evy and Constantine; a chemistry that is greater than time and space.

The beginning of the story is a bit difficult to grasp at first. There is a lot of information thrown at the reader. It’s necessary to simply suspend disbelief and go with it; I’m glad that I did! I was rewarded with a clever and exciting page-turner, an interesting cast of characters, and the potential for an epic series.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy to review.

3.5 stars.

I usually write my own summaries because when I look to see what books are about I never find enough information about the book. I’ve never truly read a New Adult book before. The only closest I’ve read to one was classified as Mature Young Adult, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. It did take me about a fourth into the story before I got into it. I’ll admit I wasn’t very fond of Evy at first, but she did grow on me as she grew into a warrior. I just kind stand characters that trust a guy a lot more than they should. In the beginning, it talks about her ex basically cleaning out her apartment. Not smart Evy, not smart at all.

I loved the concept of the book and was a little bit confused about alterations and what not at first, but I’m glad not all of that info was told at once because then I might have been even more confused. I started to get into it more when she first time-traveled and definitely was captivated when she met Constantine. I loved reading all the moments between him and Evy and am nervous to see how the relationship will be in the second-book. There’s something that ends up happening that makes me this way, but I won’t mention what it is.

I didn’t like how much cussing there was in the beginning. This might not be that big of a deal for some people, but some of the curse words that were used I didn’t like reading. The amount did lessen as Evy changed. I guess it probably is one of my bookish peeves, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightning Rider
Jen Greyson
Romance/Paranormal
May, 2013/The Writer's Coffee shop
Smith Publicity

Evy Rivera is not your typical woman. She owns a business of welding art, rides a motorbike and strongly defends herself in life. But when her current boyfriend takes Evy for everything, furniture included, Evy moves home to live again with her father.

Just before moving home again, Evy has begun to notice that lightning affects her - sparks fly from her fingers when a storm moves in. Furthermore, she discovers an old book that her grandfather owned, that helps explain. Evy's family are lightning riders - and can travel thru time, changing events in history.

Playing with her newly discovered talent, Evy finds herself suddenly back in ancient Spain. While there Evy meets Constantine, and feels an instant attraction. A woman, Penya, whom Evy meets in past time, informs Evy that a woman will change the world.

Travelling back and forth thru time, Evy discovers the complications of time travel, and learns that she is the first and only female lightning rider.

Trying to protect her father, help Constantine change history and deal with her unexpected romantic feelings, Evy works to develop her new talent, and change the world.

Lightning Rider is a fabulous read!!! Filled with adventure, action and love, Jen Greyson's new book is a delight to read and share with friends.

[Douglas Meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should Have Been Better, Could Have Been Better ...

I will be doing a short review of this book because it was a bit of a problem for me. The story is quite detailed which is helpful towards the end and knowing a lot of the info is needed BUT it makes for slow reading.

I was bored for a lot of this book waiting for something to happen and the lack of action and the VAST majority of the book spent inside Evy's head did not make it that interesting nor was it terminally boring but it does not lend itself to a 5 Star rating.

The romance between herself and a guy from somewhere when the Romans were conquering Europe does not really have that much of a realistic feeling to it nor does her self flagellation help the reading either.

At the end (which I have to say I was glad to get to) it was a great story that was told without a spark to hold me BUT I have to say I did like the story (hence the 4 Stars) and I will most likely get the sequel when it comes out.

4 Stars and depending on your mood it could be less but for me it certainly was not any more than that .....