Ava's Revenge

Unbounded #1.5

by Teyla Branton

To Seek Revenge, The First Step is to Survive Ava O’Hare just wanted to love her child and live in peace, but a normal life was never her destiny. One stark day in 1745, everything she loved was taken from her, ripped away by the very man who should have protected her. Somehow, miraculously, Ava survived. Now it was time for revenge. Long before Ava O’Hare became the successful leader of a modern-day Renegade cell, she had other battles to fight. If you’ve enjoyed the Unbounded series, you will love this extra peek into the events that shaped Ava’s life and made her a Guardian of Humanity. Please Ava’s Revenge is not as long as the books from Erin's viewpoint. It is a tie-in to the series and can be enjoyed at any time. However, the last scene is present day and fits into the Unbounded timeline just after the end of The Change (Unbounded Book 1), so readers may better appreciate Ava’s Revenge after reading the first book. There is also now a set called Protectors that contains all three unbounded novellas. Praise for the UNBOUNDED “Excellent and well written!” “I recommend reading the entire series” “Thoroughly enjoyable” “High action and adventure” “Teyla Branton belongs right alongside Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Jennifer Estep, and Kelly Armstrong.” Unbounded Series 1. The Change 2. The Cure 3. Protectors (which contains Ava's Revenge, Mortal Brother, and Set Ablaze) 4. The Escape 5. The Reckoning 6. Lethal Engagement 7. The Takeover 8. The Avowed More coming soon!

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Action, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Paranormal

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2014

About the author

Teyla Rachel Branton grew up avidly reading science fiction and fantasy and watching Star Trek reruns with her large family. They lived on a little farm where she loved to visit the solitary cow and collect (and juggle) the eggs, usually making it back to the house with most of them intact. On that same farm she once owned thirty-three gerbils and eighteen cats, not a good mix, as it turns out. Teyla always had her nose in a book and daydreamed about someday creating her own worlds. She is now married, mostly grown up, and has seven kids, so life at her house can be very interesting (and loud), but writing keeps her sane. She thrives on the energy and daily amusement offered by her children, the semi-ordered chaos giving her a constant source of writing material. Grabbing any snatch of free time from her hectic life, Teyla writes novels full of mystery, romance, and imagination. She warns her children that if they don’t behave, they just might find themselves in her next book! She’s been known to wear pajamas all day when working on a deadline, and is often distracted enough to burn dinner. (Okay, pretty much 90% of the time.) A sign on her office door reads: DANGER. WRITER AT WORK. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. She loves writing fiction and traveling, and she hopes to write and travel a lot more. She also loves shooting guns, martial arts, and belly dancing. She has worked in the publishing business for over twenty years.

Reviews

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great addition to the series. We meet Ava O'Hare in The Change where she is one of the leaders of the Renegade Unbounded. We only get a glimpse of her history in that book, but in Ava's Revenge we really get to see what happened with her and how she became who she is today.

It really isn't pretty. The story opens in 1745, Ava has been married to a truly awful man, very abusive and violent. The author doesn't shy away from how bad Ava has it, but it really shows that she did what she had to do and her evil husband Simon gets what's coming to him!

It also jumps through history a few times to show different defining moments in her life. I actually would have liked more of these time jumps. It would have been fun just to see more moments that brought her to when she finally meets Erin.

Anyway, Ava is truly an interesting character. She has an inner strength that you can't help but admire. She takes her heartache and pain and really devotes the rest of her life to helping others and kicking butt along the way. I was glad we got to see this side of her. I also loved seeing Ritter pop up throughout her life as well.

Content Warning: PG-13 at least, for violence. Ava is in a very abusive marriage, filled with rape, beatings and cruelty. While it's not overly graphic, it isn't glossed over either. There is violence in that part of her life and later when we jump ahead 100 years or so and she is helping rescue slaves.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novella about who is Ava.
Great to read what happened to her in all those years.

Her awful start and the way she was dealing with it and what happens after it in history.
A read with action in it.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as a e book from the authors website. It wasn't too bad of a book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a quick read so I read it in one day.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really loved this series and Ava's Revenge gives us some insight into Ava and how she came to be one of the Renegade leaders.

The novella takes us from the end of Ava's mortal life to the beginning of her Renegade life and it wasn't pretty back in the 1700s. She belonged to her husband and he could do what he wanted to her. Her husband was an evil man and Ava suffered through some horrific abuse. The novella is gritty and doesn't sugarcoat anything, including the abuse, (which was hard to read sometimes), but this also shows how strong Ava truly is to have survived at all, especially emotionally.

My favorite part of the novella, however, was during the 1800s when Ava and some other familiar Renegades are trying to save a slave family from being sold. She meets a man with familiar blue eyes that awakens part of her she thought was dead. Their dialogue was fun and witty. I wished it was a full length novel, just so I could have more of them, but the author does a fantastic job of filling in details and letting the reader experience it all with Ava.

I also enjoyed seeing Ritter, my favorite character besides Erin, and what he was like all those years ago. And we also got a scene from Changed the first novel in the series from Ava's point of view. A really great addition to the series. Can't wait to read Mortal Brother!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This spin-off Unbounded series novella takes place after The Change, book 1. In The Change readers meet Ava and receive glimpses of how she became 'Unbounded,' but not how she became a leader of the Renegades. This novella tells Ava's story, from the brutal marriage she suffered to her years fighting against the slave trade and even a small contemporary note that is set just after The Change. This is not YA reading! Although there is no profanity, there is strong violence, both physical and sadistic. Handsome but revenge seeking, Ritter, from The Change, makes an appearance. That being said, I enjoyed this story better than The Change, but would have preferred less violence, especially the sadistic kind. I like the paranormal, sci-fi, action, suspense elements in this story, but for me the novella had 'horror' elements which I did not enjoy and discourages me from continuing with the series.

I received this novella for joining the author's newsletter in a multi-author sweepstakes.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great backstory to the series!

Married to Simon was a living hell for Ava, but it was the last straw when he killed yet another of her babies and cut Ava’s throat while assaulting her. She found herself alive on the forest floor next to her dead daughter. Ava could do nothing to bring her baby daughter back to life but she could put an end to Simon’s sadistic brutality before he found another wife to torture. Ava stood watching her home and husband burn until Wymon and Eva Tilmock spirited her away to safety. It was the beginning of her new life as an Unbounded Renegade.

The plot creates a backstory for the Unbounded Series and gave enough ongoing history to bring the reader up to the present for the rest of the books. I enjoyed the book and would like to read more books in this series.

[Dayanara Bernal]

We first get to know Ava in the first book as Erin's grandmother (i think fourth generation) and former leader of the renegades, we get to know a little about her personalityu and what she fights for but in this book it explains her story, where she came from and overall her journey to discovering her unbounded gift and becoming leader of the renegades.

I absoloutley loved Ava, my respects to her she is such a strong woman and everything she has been trough is so sad and it makes me angry , but i really loved reading her story.

"When chris told me his wife had been murdered by the Emporium, i told him the greatest revenge we have is to go about our lives, raising our children, and finding happiness wherever we can."Erin's grey eyes held mine. "Ava you've done that. Gabriel is gone, and so are Miles and your children but you went on, found a life, and you were happy."

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome novella to read after reading The Change. It gives the back story of Ava and how she became a kick-ass Unbounded Renegade leader, plus a bonus scene that takes place shortly after The Change ends.

Teyla Branton never fails with her style of action-adventure mixed with sci-fi and urban fantasy. The twists and turns are superb and you never see them coming.

The first chapter involves domestic abuse, but if you keep reading, you'll see how Ava gets revenge for the abuse, and overcomes it. If you are in Ava's position in Chapter 1, I hope the rest of the story gives you hope and encouragement for your future, even though you're not Unbounded.

[Pat Raab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy getting some background on the main characters in any good book, and this is deep insight into Ava's entry into the life of the Unbounded. I also like that it links right back to the end of Book 1, reminding the reader of the point Erin's story has reached.

[Yvonne Christié Seaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story was captivating from the start. The first five chapters had me hooked and I simply could not put down the book. The irony is I read it before the change. So next mission is to read the change! Great work Teyla I'm definitely a fan of your work. ❤Yvonne.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not yet read any of the other books in the Unbounded series but after reading this novella, I will look for the others and read them. This book had so much action. The plot moved quickly and steadily and the characters were amazing!

[Teya Teya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva's story was enlightening. I understood her on a whole new level. I actually connected with her and where she came from. I can see her jealously and frustration. This was a great installment in the series.

[Hollie Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very well written. It is graphic in terms of violence, because of that I wouldn’t recommend to a teenager.

It is Ava’s back ground story. From when she first “changed” and how she opened her heart agin. It tells of how the “Inbounded” can die and how long they can live.

[Rena Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A flash back to Ava's beginnings as an unbounded. Very moving start. Felt I wanted to read more after it ended. X

[iDreem2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 overall stars

Couple 3.75 (Ava and Gabrielle's line)
Plot 3.75
Story 4.0
Sex n/a
Series 4.0

[Pat Welte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I cared about the characters and what will happen next. I just recently found this author and I will continue to read more books by Teyla Branton.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has more twists than a mountain train track. I the ending was great.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story & for me an intro into this series! Will be looking to read the rest of this series & see what else the writer has to offer! Liked it!

[Mandy Menasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me at the title, plus it went into more background from one of the characters from a previous book, The Change, by the same author. The protagonist started out as a weak, scared, introverted person, but do too several incidents in her life, the reader gets to see her morph into a kick ass heroine who doesn't take any gruff from anyone,(which too me was the best part) A very good book.

[Renae Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good to get the backstory for Ava's character and hear about her and her life from her perspective. It helps to explain some of who she is, where she came from, and what motivates her. Can be a bit of a traumatic read in some respects, so proceed with caution if you are triggered by mentions of abuse, sexual assault, or slavery.

[Reesa Steelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

It was wonderful to get the background information about Ava. This explains so much more about all of her personal relationships in the following books. I only remembered brief receptor Miles.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series, & the story of Ava's life in the beginning when she discovers she is Unbounded after her abusive husband tries to kill her, & the following hundred years plus. The characters are well developed, the story is captivating, & the plot kept me involved!

[April Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this insight into Ava's past.

[vyoletkyss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives backstory about Ava. Its pretty cliche and predictable.

[Millie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too gruesome and icky.

[James Hein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little filler novella.

[Donne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy, light and interesting read on Ava's background. Makes me want to read some of the other Unbounded additional installments, like the one on Erin's brother, Chris.