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Crimson Forest #1
Bryxx
A small town in Montana hides a tragic supernatural secret. Over the span of centuries, many lives have been lost, many people have gone missing, and many others have lost their minds in the blink of an eye, all without explanation.
When May returns to the farm she lived on until age 15, she quickly learns that the unfortunate events of her family’s past are not as coincidental as she always thought, her hometown is plagued with deadly immortal beings, and now she too is about to fall victim of the dangerous supernatural world, just as her ancestors. Her brother, who’s been missing since childhood, turns out to secretly be living just down the road from the family farmhouse, her blood will literally be the death of her, and the man she wants to trust most, the man she’s quickly falling in love with, is also one of the beings she should fear the most. From best-selling author “Tarisa Marie” comes Bryxx, the first book in her new Crimson Forest series.
When May returns to the farm she lived on until age 15, she quickly learns that the unfortunate events of her family’s past are not as coincidental as she always thought, her hometown is plagued with deadly immortal beings, and now she too is about to fall victim of the dangerous supernatural world, just as her ancestors. Her brother, who’s been missing since childhood, turns out to secretly be living just down the road from the family farmhouse, her blood will literally be the death of her, and the man she wants to trust most, the man she’s quickly falling in love with, is also one of the beings she should fear the most. From best-selling author “Tarisa Marie” comes Bryxx, the first book in her new Crimson Forest series.
Paperback
Published February 1, 2018
About the author
Tarisa Marie
20 books194 followersTarisa Marie was born and raised in the small town of Coronation in Alberta, Canada. When not writing, she enjoys reading, socializing, and spending time with her husband. Tarisa Marie currently resides in Lethbridge, Alberta where she writes full-time and works casually as a Disability Support Worker in the community.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 9, 2018
May vowed never to return to her childhood home in Montana. But here she was, back again with her aunt, seven years after her mom tried to kill her. On top of that, her father died suspiciously of heart attack and her brother had gone missing with his best friend. Now that her mother was dead and she sold their house, some things still felt so eerily strange. It wasn't until she almost died in a car accident when she discovered the truth about her brother and the Bryxx and her blood.
Plot was really good; I liked the idea of Bryxx or immortals with powers beyond compare, living in close-knit community, as far away from humans as possible and protecting their own kind. Kade was a great character, secretive yet can be trusted and very easy to love. May, however, didn't ignite a spark for me. I don't know, seemed like she was too dependent and too trusting of the people around her. She's like Twilight's Bella all over again. But I gotta hand it to May for her determination to solve a mystery and unfaltering support to the ones she love. Speaking of which, Kai and Daniel, now that's a formidable duo if I'd seen one. Gotta love these two protective mutts.
My only pet peeve was, there were too many typographical errors in the book, like misspellings, missing letters and wrong choice of words. Instead of using accept, the author used except - also with the word affect, she used effect instead. I'm no grammar nazi, but I just can't help cringe when I notice these errors, sometimes it makes me want to stop and DNF. But the story was too good to pass up, so I persisted and read until the end.
Everything about Bryxx and the supernatural surrounding it fascinated me. Filthy rich immortals, bad and good demons, vampires with morals, ghosts and wraiths, you name it, Bryxx got it. In the end, it had me wishing for the next book in the series. It's all good and fascinatingly supernatural!
Plot was really good; I liked the idea of Bryxx or immortals with powers beyond compare, living in close-knit community, as far away from humans as possible and protecting their own kind. Kade was a great character, secretive yet can be trusted and very easy to love. May, however, didn't ignite a spark for me. I don't know, seemed like she was too dependent and too trusting of the people around her. She's like Twilight's Bella all over again. But I gotta hand it to May for her determination to solve a mystery and unfaltering support to the ones she love. Speaking of which, Kai and Daniel, now that's a formidable duo if I'd seen one. Gotta love these two protective mutts.
My only pet peeve was, there were too many typographical errors in the book, like misspellings, missing letters and wrong choice of words. Instead of using accept, the author used except - also with the word affect, she used effect instead. I'm no grammar nazi, but I just can't help cringe when I notice these errors, sometimes it makes me want to stop and DNF. But the story was too good to pass up, so I persisted and read until the end.
Everything about Bryxx and the supernatural surrounding it fascinated me. Filthy rich immortals, bad and good demons, vampires with morals, ghosts and wraiths, you name it, Bryxx got it. In the end, it had me wishing for the next book in the series. It's all good and fascinatingly supernatural!
February 9, 2018
Full disclosure I received this book from the author for free in exchange for a fair review of her book.
•
Y’all. Y’ALLLLLLLLLLLLL. Ok so I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did. I honestly am pissed that this is brand new and I can’t continue on with the other books in the series yet. The plot for this book is WILD but essentially it’s about this girl May. Her whole life has been one tragic even after another and after she finally decides to sell her family’s homestead to leave the bad memories (and luck) behind her whole world gets turned upside down. People she thought she knew are different than before and now she knows some terrible secrets about the world. Mostly she’s introduced to this new world of immortals through the Bryxx. Bryxx are these supernatural immortal people that are essentially vampires without the bloodlust???? idk but May’s blood makes her everyones’ target in the supernatural world. I know this description was shitty but I don’t know how to explain things without giving away major spoilers... Anyway I fucking loved it. I think it could have used some serious proofreading but other than that I enjoyed it. It made me laugh and cry. I never wanted it to end, and now I have to wait for her to release more. No TWs for this other than some old fashioned supernatural violence. Also no smut—I wouldn’t consider it a romance really but I could see it heading that way in future books and I’m here for it. Seriously I need people to read this so I can talk about spoilers with them hahahahahha. I think if you’re into big world building, the tv show Supernatural and Crazyhead, and maybe Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Neverwhere, you’d be into this.
February 11, 2018
I was sent this book for free by the author in return to do a review. This is my honest opinion.
This book was surprisingly REALLY good! I started reading it this morning and didn’t want to stop reading it. I’m a little mad that I have to wait to read book #2! Until then I’ll be reading Tarisa Marie’s other books. This story has a great mixture of immortality, vampires, and romance! I loved the chemistry between Kade and May from the beginning.
May and her great aunt go back to her childhood house in Montana where her brother went missing as a child, her father died, and her mom tries to kill her just after baking cookies( say what?). One thing leads to another and she learns that HER BROTHER IS NOT DEAD but he was turned immortal at young age and this is when we learn about the Bryxx. Over time we learn that May is special herself and she there is something in her blood that makes her wanted by every super natural creature. Uh thank the lord for Kade and his protection or May would be toast.
There is one a couple of lines from this book that really hit me and after reading it was like wow! This couldn’t be truer about people’s character:
“I’ve never not cared about others. It doesn’t matter what species they are. If they are good people, they have my acceptance. I’m not prejudice. Henry once told me that even had people should be greatly respected in some way because they are protagonists of their own stories. No one is born bad. Life makes us swing that way sometimes.”
This book was surprisingly REALLY good! I started reading it this morning and didn’t want to stop reading it. I’m a little mad that I have to wait to read book #2! Until then I’ll be reading Tarisa Marie’s other books. This story has a great mixture of immortality, vampires, and romance! I loved the chemistry between Kade and May from the beginning.
May and her great aunt go back to her childhood house in Montana where her brother went missing as a child, her father died, and her mom tries to kill her just after baking cookies( say what?). One thing leads to another and she learns that HER BROTHER IS NOT DEAD but he was turned immortal at young age and this is when we learn about the Bryxx. Over time we learn that May is special herself and she there is something in her blood that makes her wanted by every super natural creature. Uh thank the lord for Kade and his protection or May would be toast.
There is one a couple of lines from this book that really hit me and after reading it was like wow! This couldn’t be truer about people’s character:
“I’ve never not cared about others. It doesn’t matter what species they are. If they are good people, they have my acceptance. I’m not prejudice. Henry once told me that even had people should be greatly respected in some way because they are protagonists of their own stories. No one is born bad. Life makes us swing that way sometimes.”
February 6, 2018
I received this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Wow, this novel swept me off my feet and into a world full of vampires, demons and Bryxx and I wanted to stay there!
Marie has created the perfect combination of love, loss, passion and pain, as well as created a world completely unique to any other vampire styled novel I have read.
The characters are incredible, well rounded and diverse, I especially love the protagonist "May' and her tenacity, her strength and being able to see her grow in a realistic way really adds to this novel. She is honest and reacts in 'normal' human way, and I love that.
The writing in this novel, makes it incredibly readable, each page flows into the next and before you know it, the whole book has been devoured in one sitting. I can't wait to read more in this series!
Great read!
Wow, this novel swept me off my feet and into a world full of vampires, demons and Bryxx and I wanted to stay there!
Marie has created the perfect combination of love, loss, passion and pain, as well as created a world completely unique to any other vampire styled novel I have read.
The characters are incredible, well rounded and diverse, I especially love the protagonist "May' and her tenacity, her strength and being able to see her grow in a realistic way really adds to this novel. She is honest and reacts in 'normal' human way, and I love that.
The writing in this novel, makes it incredibly readable, each page flows into the next and before you know it, the whole book has been devoured in one sitting. I can't wait to read more in this series!
Great read!
February 11, 2018
This is my honest opinion. I was sent this book for free by the author in return to do a review.
***
Well what can i say! I finished the book in 2 days. I was sucked into Tarisa Marie's world instantly.
The main characters May and Kade are filled with surprises, the supernatural world around makes you want to know more and explore further into the dynamics of its day to day routines. The characters are lovable and are easy to relate to. With each turn of event you have no clue to what might come up next. I can't wait to read book 2 of this series and enjoy the new paranormal romance that swifts you off your feet.
On a more personal note: The author is absolutely sweet and kind.
***
Well what can i say! I finished the book in 2 days. I was sucked into Tarisa Marie's world instantly.
The main characters May and Kade are filled with surprises, the supernatural world around makes you want to know more and explore further into the dynamics of its day to day routines. The characters are lovable and are easy to relate to. With each turn of event you have no clue to what might come up next. I can't wait to read book 2 of this series and enjoy the new paranormal romance that swifts you off your feet.
On a more personal note: The author is absolutely sweet and kind.
April 28, 2018
I love the book👍😣 it's such a masterpiece. Perfect combination of dark fantasy, romance, mystery, and action. And have the perfect pacing and right mix element of surprise. It hook me from the beginning and I didn't stop reading it until the end. I love it very, very much😍😋 The best suggestion for those who want something dark and sexy themes.
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June 16, 2018💝FREE on iBooks today (6/16/2018)!💝
February 7, 2020
Hey everyone, just a little disclaimer that I did get sent a copy of this book by the author in return of an honest review.
Courtney's overview thoughts:
To start off, when I got a message asking if I could read and review Tarisa Marie's book, I was over the moon to say the least. I had never had an opportunity like this happen to me before and I was so grateful! She allowed me to read her synopsis and choose as to whether I felt like I would be interested, and to be fair when I read that it was more of a romance novel I was sceptical that it would be like Fifty Shades or something. But then I read further and saw it had massive supernatural potential. So, I agreed.
I really liked it! I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. And I'm so glad I did because I wanted to be able to do an honestly good review for Tarisa. The story line was insane. She took elements from all different supernatural aspects, modified them to be different and unique in her way, and made a freakin' good story line. The romance was just enough, I seriously ship Kade and May. Their story line together was epic and ridiculous in a good way. The different types of supernatural species she had were original and like nothing I have read before. I would be reading and then suddenly she would chuck something in there that happened in the 1700's and I was like "whoa!" It was just incredibly thought out and there were no gaps, so unanswered questions. Just a lot of surprises! And throughout the book there was just no end to back stories and information that came well before the current time. To be fair, I did have a couple of places where I had to think just a split second longer to connect everything, but once I did it all kept making sense. I think the relationships, the deals and bargains, the sworn enemies between the Bryxx, vampires and other demons were great. I also like that she kept it to a minimum with how many different creatures she put into the book, it makes it a whole lot easier to follow instead of sitting there thinking "now what are you supposed to be again?" I also love how the story is about just an average girl... or so we think... and she gets thrust into this crazy new world, I am a mad sucker for that stuff! And the ending, totally rocked the boat and set up for a great continuation for the second book.
The only negatives (and I use that word lightly) is that I would have liked more use of imagery, a lot of the time I had to create the look of things all by myself with little aid of explanation.
Characters:
May, she is such a beautiful character. For her to keep going with her life after going through such hurt and confusion as a child is beyond my comprehension. I think her character was so well made up. She is so unknowingly strong but recognises the times when she isn't strong at all. Her strength to learn and know the worst of situations that may come in the future just shows she will put her fears behind her to better prepare herself for the new things that will come in her life. She is a very caring character and has a protective nature for those she loves. I just can't get over her willingness to learn, even when she thought it was crazy! I think she is the most prepared character I have ever read about, lol. And when she meets Kade, everything just gets better with her character. Kade introduces the danger to her life, which in turn brings out further characteristics to May's character which I enjoyed. Kade himself I found hard not to love. He is such a caring and compassionate character. The love he develops for May is beautiful and scary at the same time, I love it. He is a ridiculous character with a dark and painful past, when I learnt about how he became a vampire I felt so sorry for him and the things he had to endure after becoming one. I seriously love his character, there are no faults yet, I'm keen to read the second book and find out how much, or how little, May and Kade's characters change and develop.
There were a few other characters throughout the book, some were just there in passing. But two other very notable characters were Daniel and Kai. Daniel who is May's brother and Kai who is Daniel's partner. They are really interesting characters, I liked seeing a protective brother character from Daniel, and Kai was highly entertaining with his personality. The way Daniel came back into May's life was very shocking and unexpected, it was gripping to read. It was one of the major plots to the story. Loved them both, I hope to read more about them in the second book!
Writing style:
Tarisa Marie's style is very easy going, very easy to follow, although I do think she can use a few to many words explaining something that doesn't need that much explanation, or could easily be paraphrased to sound better. That's the only "bad" thing. Other than that, I could easily read her work over and over again. She writes in first person, which personally I prefer, and everything just seemed to flow nicely.
Courtney's overview thoughts:
To start off, when I got a message asking if I could read and review Tarisa Marie's book, I was over the moon to say the least. I had never had an opportunity like this happen to me before and I was so grateful! She allowed me to read her synopsis and choose as to whether I felt like I would be interested, and to be fair when I read that it was more of a romance novel I was sceptical that it would be like Fifty Shades or something. But then I read further and saw it had massive supernatural potential. So, I agreed.
I really liked it! I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. And I'm so glad I did because I wanted to be able to do an honestly good review for Tarisa. The story line was insane. She took elements from all different supernatural aspects, modified them to be different and unique in her way, and made a freakin' good story line. The romance was just enough, I seriously ship Kade and May. Their story line together was epic and ridiculous in a good way. The different types of supernatural species she had were original and like nothing I have read before. I would be reading and then suddenly she would chuck something in there that happened in the 1700's and I was like "whoa!" It was just incredibly thought out and there were no gaps, so unanswered questions. Just a lot of surprises! And throughout the book there was just no end to back stories and information that came well before the current time. To be fair, I did have a couple of places where I had to think just a split second longer to connect everything, but once I did it all kept making sense. I think the relationships, the deals and bargains, the sworn enemies between the Bryxx, vampires and other demons were great. I also like that she kept it to a minimum with how many different creatures she put into the book, it makes it a whole lot easier to follow instead of sitting there thinking "now what are you supposed to be again?" I also love how the story is about just an average girl... or so we think... and she gets thrust into this crazy new world, I am a mad sucker for that stuff! And the ending, totally rocked the boat and set up for a great continuation for the second book.
The only negatives (and I use that word lightly) is that I would have liked more use of imagery, a lot of the time I had to create the look of things all by myself with little aid of explanation.
Characters:
May, she is such a beautiful character. For her to keep going with her life after going through such hurt and confusion as a child is beyond my comprehension. I think her character was so well made up. She is so unknowingly strong but recognises the times when she isn't strong at all. Her strength to learn and know the worst of situations that may come in the future just shows she will put her fears behind her to better prepare herself for the new things that will come in her life. She is a very caring character and has a protective nature for those she loves. I just can't get over her willingness to learn, even when she thought it was crazy! I think she is the most prepared character I have ever read about, lol. And when she meets Kade, everything just gets better with her character. Kade introduces the danger to her life, which in turn brings out further characteristics to May's character which I enjoyed. Kade himself I found hard not to love. He is such a caring and compassionate character. The love he develops for May is beautiful and scary at the same time, I love it. He is a ridiculous character with a dark and painful past, when I learnt about how he became a vampire I felt so sorry for him and the things he had to endure after becoming one. I seriously love his character, there are no faults yet, I'm keen to read the second book and find out how much, or how little, May and Kade's characters change and develop.
There were a few other characters throughout the book, some were just there in passing. But two other very notable characters were Daniel and Kai. Daniel who is May's brother and Kai who is Daniel's partner. They are really interesting characters, I liked seeing a protective brother character from Daniel, and Kai was highly entertaining with his personality. The way Daniel came back into May's life was very shocking and unexpected, it was gripping to read. It was one of the major plots to the story. Loved them both, I hope to read more about them in the second book!
Writing style:
Tarisa Marie's style is very easy going, very easy to follow, although I do think she can use a few to many words explaining something that doesn't need that much explanation, or could easily be paraphrased to sound better. That's the only "bad" thing. Other than that, I could easily read her work over and over again. She writes in first person, which personally I prefer, and everything just seemed to flow nicely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2018
This is a very intricate and interesting story which was surprising to me given the total listen time was just a tad on the shorter end of 6hrs. It starts out one way but weaves and bobs into something really fascinating. It is at times creepy, cold and has a lot of heart too. It gives it a good mix of emotions throughout. The back story and universe are extremely detailed and hierarchy based, but not in a traditional way, which makes this part of the story really great. If supernatural is your thing then let me tell you that this has a little bit of everything that will leave you very satisfied and engrossed into the story. Our characters are well versed and have an inclusiveness that brings more to the story. As for the narration it was done extremely well. This was my first performance by Brittany Claus and her voice is perfect for the main character. Her pacing is quick which gives the character a more realistic voicing. It also lends more tension and worry to May (the main character). She also does a very good job of voicing the opposite gender which is no small feat. At one point she even has to try her hand at a British accent and it is very good, however short lived. I give her all the credit in the world as there were a few different scenes that I can only imagine being difficult to get just right and she definitely does it. This may just be my bashfulness coming out but she voices these scenes professionally and very well. As this is book 1 of a series I hope that she continues on as the narrator and I will be on the lookout for more of her work. Needless to say my interest is definitely peaked with this series and I am looking forward to continuing on in the series. Although, not a big fan of vampires you will get to see many different sides of them in this story and they are growing on me. Vampires, super powers and that is just the beginning of this story. A great listening experience.
August 13, 2018
Britney Clause is a force to be reckoned with!! Her narration is SPOT on! She gives such deep emotion within her reading and she makes it feel like the characters are right in front of you! If this is her first audiobook, then she has a bright future ahead of her!
The story was original, for what it was. I loved the brand new supernatural species that Tarisa creates in this book (Bryxx), even though they are really similar to vampires.
A lot of elements seemed to be taken from other stories/series, but that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.
I think Britney’s narration is really what did it for me in this book. Amazing performance!
This is an honest review—even though Britney is my best friend and I may be slightly biased! ;)
The story was original, for what it was. I loved the brand new supernatural species that Tarisa creates in this book (Bryxx), even though they are really similar to vampires.
A lot of elements seemed to be taken from other stories/series, but that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.
I think Britney’s narration is really what did it for me in this book. Amazing performance!
This is an honest review—even though Britney is my best friend and I may be slightly biased! ;)
March 8, 2018
This book was better than i expected it to be by far. The twist the author puts on the supernatural world and the beings that aren't your typical werewolf or vampire are awesome! Also, i expected this to be more of a less tasteful romance novel and i was pleasantly surprised to find it very tasteful and enjoyable! I cannot wait for the next one. In fact i may preorder it!
March 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. You could feel what May was going through like it was happening to you. I can't wait for third box to come out. I have already finished reading the second box as well. This series is like crack.LOL
March 30, 2022
This was an interesting story. A bit predictable, but some interesting twists. I will read the next book in the series to see how the author develops the story. There were a few typos and grammatical errors, however, overall it was a good read.
April 27, 2022
I don’t know how I feel about this book.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters.
But the grammar errors did annoy me, and yet I couldn’t stop reading it. I just had to know where the story was going.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters.
But the grammar errors did annoy me, and yet I couldn’t stop reading it. I just had to know where the story was going.
February 7, 2018
I can’t wait for book two. Really awesome.
December 17, 2018
it was amazing, and the character's are amazing to wish that they were real
August 15, 2019
Have to say that this book surprised me. I came across it while surfing for something new and there it was. It has action, feelings, romance and family.
September 26, 2020
Not my type of book
Too complicated. Too many new types of characters all added into the one book. Story was all over the place. I started skimming half way through.
Too complicated. Too many new types of characters all added into the one book. Story was all over the place. I started skimming half way through.
January 12, 2022
Bit of a slog to finish but I couldn’t leave it, can’t say I’m compelled to read the rest of the series.
October 12, 2019
Was there a second author?
Two are not listed, but was this written by 2 people, or was there maybe a long break in writing after the first 1/4 was done? About 25% of the way through it's as if someone with less skill begins writing. Kai was sweet at first, and seemed like he'd be funny, but then his personality completely changes for no apparent reason. He starts snapping at Daniel and treating May rudely, he just acts all together different than he did when they were first reintroduced. Actually, all of the characters from that point on are pretty bland, though I can't really point out why. Kade included. The tone of the book becomes monotonous and, well, boring. It's just as if someone else took over the writing, temporarily at least. I wouldn't know if it continued because I lost all interest about 30% of the way through. I'm disappointed because the first quarter was really good! What happened?
Two are not listed, but was this written by 2 people, or was there maybe a long break in writing after the first 1/4 was done? About 25% of the way through it's as if someone with less skill begins writing. Kai was sweet at first, and seemed like he'd be funny, but then his personality completely changes for no apparent reason. He starts snapping at Daniel and treating May rudely, he just acts all together different than he did when they were first reintroduced. Actually, all of the characters from that point on are pretty bland, though I can't really point out why. Kade included. The tone of the book becomes monotonous and, well, boring. It's just as if someone else took over the writing, temporarily at least. I wouldn't know if it continued because I lost all interest about 30% of the way through. I'm disappointed because the first quarter was really good! What happened?
April 10, 2018
One of my favorite reads this year!
December 3, 2023
I liked this book better the first time I read it compared to the second time, which I guess, just goes to show how much opinion can change in 1.5 years.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews