Libra Rising

by Heather Calaway

Illiana Bradley finally fits into her world…

She has a beautiful family that loves her, a great boyfriend, and everything seems perfect.

Until a blow to the head awakens something hidden deep inside her DNA…

Secrets her family has hidden from her for years begin to manifest as powers. Powers that she struggles to understand and contain.

The truth will turn her life upside down…

All while she meets the man of her dreams who was sent to both teach, and protect her.

But who will save who when the threats on Illiana's life become all too real?

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Heather is named after the famed heroine from The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Her parents undoubtedly sparked a passion for writing in their daughter which would grow over time. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd, loving all things supernatural and superheroes. She’s an avid a reader as well as a writer. Her obsession with Coke Icees, dark chocolate, and dark coffee (with lots of cream and sugar) border on the absurd. You can find her with her earphones plugged in and typing away, shuttling her kids back and forth to ballgames, cheer, or dance, or her nose pointed at her Kindle. Heather was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in a small suburb of the same. She now lives in Katy, Texas.

Reviews

[Amy Bartelloni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to beta read this book, and I fell in love with the world of Illiana Bradley! Even before meeting any of the supernaturals, she’s your regular girl next door that you wish would be your BFF! Her inner dialogue is funny and a little sassy, and at times had me laughing out loud. Like this: “By God, if this is my last night on this planet, I’m going out looking decent.” ☺ That’s my girl ☺ You can feel her surprise and emotion at finding out what’s going on and who she is. The world that she steps into, though, is pretty cool, too.

I could not love her bodyguard/tutor turned boyfriend any more. Oh, Nick – you had me at hello ☺ I’m glad it wasn’t an insta-love kind of situation though, because the buildup was totally worth it. Nick is such a true gentleman and I love the connection they have with each other! ☺ I have to say, though, that I hope Ms. Calaway has a book planned for the vampire, Blaze, because I seriously love him. He’s like the bad boy anti-hero – and what’s hotter than that?? ☺

I love the world building, and the setup for the Enforcers. There was just enough detail about the world and the different types of supernaturals to draw you in. The ending is intense and I didn’t see it coming! I can’t wait to see what’s planned for the rest of the series!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author's writing skill: 2 stars
Idea for the story: 3.5 stars

The writing in this book was DREADFUL. The organization was dreadful. The character development was dreadful. The insta-love was ABSOLUTELY UNFORGIVEABLY DREADFUL.

There were times when the terrible writing distracted from the story so much that it was hard to get through some parts. The author barely scraped the surface of her characters' personalities and back stories, so much so that when some characters were mentioned, I had to look them up earlier in the book just to remember who they were and how the MC knew them.

As for the insta-love, I am fully aware that the genre often falls into that trope, and I can usually ignore it pretty easily and still appreciate the book. BUT this insta-love was indescribably unrealistic. She basically "falls in love" with the male protagonist (Nick) bc he's attractive, protects her from some unseen supernatural entity, and is willing to punch her cheating ex-bf when she catches him literally inside another woman. Note that he's literally been assigned to protect her. It wasn't some noble gesture; it was HIS. FREAKING. JOB. Yet she acts like he's her Superman. *eyeroll* Meanwhile, as all the men in the book repeat countless times, Nick "falls in love" with her bc HIS kind are instinctively attracted to HER kind. MC does nothing particularly impressive/seductive unless all he requires for sexual attraction is brutal honesty.

A few other points/questions before ending this already too long review:
- Why were so many characters introduced only to be killed or never seen again 5 pages later?
- Several plot points came out of left field and then were too easily dealt with/ignored altogether (sorcerers in cave, Angela (I don't even remember if that was her name​), vampire kidnappers, Lionel/Louisa's showdown)
- Even what I assume was supposed to be the climax was handled so abruptly, I didn't even understand what happened.. and I still don't.

So why give the story idea 3.5 stars, you ask? Bc the idea of having all these supernatural people come to Earth from other planets with different abilities - some especially based on the zodiac - plus a surprise prophecy, a High Council that will prob cause problems in the future, and the MC being the first of her kind sounds like a book I'd be interested in reading.

So like I said, good idea, HORRIBLY DREADFUL execution.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a little predictable, I enjoyed the book and will likely read the next book in the series at another time.

[Mandy Menasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was interesting enough to keep me reading but I didn't like the writing style.

[JWinter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Entertaining, but ended up becoming predictable.

[Alaina Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great love story between two magick people!!

A great story of a girl who finds out who and what she truly is. We're she falls in love with her mentor and they find they were destined.

[Raewynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of Heather Calaways that I have read.

Will definitely keep up with the series to see what happens next.