Fated

Dark Protectors #1

by Rebecca Zanetti

Marry Me! Cara Paulsen does not give up easily. A scientist and a single mother, she's used to fighting for what she wants, keeping a cool head, and doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter Janie. But "whatever it takes" has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous-looking stranger with an attitude problem.

Or Else! Sure, the mysterious Talen says that he's there to protect Cara and Janie. He also says that he's a three-hundred-year-old vampire. Of course, the way he touches her, Cara might actually believe he's had that long to practice. . .

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Urban Fantasy

267 pages, Nook

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has published more than seventy novels and novellas, which have been translated into several languages, with millions of copies sold world-wide. Her books have received Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus starred reviews, favorable Washington Post and New York Times Book Reviews, and been included in Amazon best books of the year.

Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, has asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and has discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body…all in the name of research. Honest.

Reviews

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Fuck I love Talen Stars

First read December 14, 2014

reread Nov 20th 2016

Rereread /11/2018 to get ready for the new book in the series Vampire's Faith I'm in fangirl heaven that Rebecca Zanetti has decided to write more DP books!!!!!

Reread Feb 23/2021




** Some Spoilers**

OMG I loved this book so hard! Fated, the 1st book in the Dark Protectors series by Rebecca Zanetti was amazing. It stole my heart. I fell madly in love with Talen, his brothers Dage, Jase, and Conn, Cara, her sister Em, Jordan, Katie, and little Janie. It doesn't matter how many times I read this book I love it more and more each time. I don't know what magic this book has over me but me and this book just click!

“Our mates are human. And Cara”— his voice dropped to a rumble—“you’re mine.” -Talen



“Cara,” he leaned forward in his chair, “before this night has ended you will have no doubt you’ve been mated.”-Talen

Talen God where do I start.... I fell so in love with Talen. So damn sexy, protective, strong, and pure 100% kick ass alpha male. He was domineering, arrogant with a sweetness under that hard soldier exterior. Everything a vampire mate should be. There was nothing about him I would change. Perfect! I loved the way he was with Janie and how he tried so hard to make Cara and Janie happy. Cara was great too. She did have a few moments in the start of the book where I was kinda rolling my eyes, but she really grew into her own. I could understand her reluctance to put her whole heart on the line with what she lived through with her evil father. I loved that even though she was scared shitless at times not understanding the world around her, she was willing to fight and protect those she cared for.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Talen, but if you wanted a mindless, obedient wife, you should have found one during the last century. I'm sure you had your chances."-Cara



"Seriously?" Cara forced out a laugh. "That's the best you've got?" Her voice lowered into an eerie imitation of a movie monster, "You will beg for death, my pretty..."-Cara

Talen and Cara together were smokin' hot. Talen was just so damn sexy. I love how playful they were with each other. There was this one part in the book where Talen is chasing Cara around the house and it was just so cute. I love babies and little children in books. A total sucker when it comes to cute kids and big strong men being wrapped around their little fingers. Nothing is sexier than a good father. So I just have to say that this book was cuteness overload with the adorable, and sassy little Janie and her new daddy Talen and all her big loving uncles.

"I get lost in your scent, your passion," Talen's breath brushed her neck. "There's no sweeter taste in the entire history of the world than your skin on fire. For me."-Talen



“I love your body.” She smiled against his mouth and was startled as he leaned back to stare at her. “But I will demand your heart, Cara.”-Talen

The story line was great!! I loved the build up of the paranormal world. The bad guys, the Kurjans, were just creepy. The side characters are awesome. I loved me some Karys brothers. All five were just sexy as hell. I couldn't help but love em all and feel connected to them individually. I want to see them get their HEAs. I also loved Jordan and Katie. I can't wait to get their story. But more than anything I can't wait to get Dage and Emma's story! Everything in this book came together to make the perfect storm for me. I love it and I love love this series. Its one of my Top 5 favorites! Below I leave my favorite part of the book:

“You’re my mate, and I’m keeping you.” He shifted. “But I can give you time to accept me. To accept us.” “Really?” She stretched like a well-fed cat in his arms. “How much time, Talen?” He placed a gentle kiss on her head. “As much as you need.” “So we would kind of like, date each other?” The idea of him showing up for a first date, yanking at a tie, wondering if he should kiss her good night all but made her snort. His heart warmed against her—through her. He apparently liked the sound of that. “Yeah. Like courting.” “Oh. Well, where would I live while we courted?” Her satisfied grin filled her voice. “With me.” His voice turned firm. “Oh. What bedroom would I use?” She tried not to giggle at him. He really was trying to be sweet. “Ours.” It was more of a growl. “But how will we sleep in the same room and not have sex?” She flipped his hand over, tracing the intricate mark on his palm with one finger. He hardened beneath her. “Making love is part of courtship, wife.” Every muscle in the lean body holding her tensed to full readiness. “No, it isn’t,” she countered and dissolved into the laughter she had been repressing. A bird twittered high above in response. Talen shifted her so he could see her amused face. “Are you laughing at me, mate?” -Talen and Cara

Custom funko pops I made of Talen, Cara and Janie :)



http://jessicasoverthetopbookobsessio...

[Sofija · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an awful book! I wanted to throw it into the wall so many times, that I lost count. But since I read it in my E-reader (which I worship) I couldn’t do this. Finally I was so frustrated that I just deleted it with satisfying vengeance.

If you wonder what made me so worked up, the answer is the treatment of main male character to main heroine.
I am not some extreme feminist, who spit fire when a man tries to help me with the coat or pay for the dinner. I am all for strong dominant man in charge. But this book was just too over the top.

First of all Talen addresses to Cara only as “mate” or “wife”

“You’re not the only one with a temper, mate.” Churned gravel coated his voice
Or
“This discussion is tabled, not finished, wife,” Talen said in a deep growl

What the hell?! Even dogs have names. Maybe Talen just had very bad memory for the names? Or maybe he change women so often that it is simpler to address them this way than try to remember everyone’s names? I never read far enough to figure out what his problem was. I read a lot of book with really dominant male and I have never seen such treatment. Take for example Barrons from “Fever” series. Who can be more dominant than he is? But in all books he addresses to Mac as Ms.Lane. Or take Adam from “Mercy Thompson” series. He is a pack Alfa, which meant he is very dominant. Have you ever heard him call up to Mercy as “mate”?

As if it not enough to address a woman in such manner, Talen also branded Cara. You can read about branding mates in others book too, but it is often some small and delicate tattoo in imperceptible place. And that is exactly what Talen brand from mating is:

He lifted his right hand, palm out. A crest, an intricate one, spread across his calloused skin. Thick and black, a webbing of arcs together formed a knot with what might be an elaborate K in the middle.

Guess what kind of brand Cara got? A marking on her ass

She twisted her torso to stare at her right hip. Her skin held the full imprint of fingers from a man’s hand. A large hand. She swiveled to see the connected palm on the backside of her hip with the intricate black crest settled in the middle. It was the perfect imprint of Talen’s hand as he had held her

I guess all that missing is a bell on her neck and tags in her ears. When Cara found out about marking (which is permanent, by the way) she obviously became angry and in rightful fury called Talen son of a bitch. I think he deserved stronger words if you asked me.

Two hands grasped her arms and hauled her across the seat to perch on his firm lap.
“Apologize, wife.” His voice was low and controlled as were the hands gripping her arms.

Geez, he is a real charmer. But let’s not through all stones at Talen. Yes, he behaves like an ass, but it is Cara who put up with it and doesn’t try to make him treat her differently.

“I’m sorry I called you that name,” she said grudgingly.

Doesn’t this woman have a backbone at all? If she wouldn’t stand for herself then I guess she deserved such treatment.

And this nonsense never stopped. A four year old girl who called Talen Daddy after a day of knowing him. So unrealistic. Or when Tallen almost raped Cara, because in his mind “no” means “yes, I want you, but I don’t want to look easy, but take me anyway”.

“We will mate tonight, wife.” His eyes flared hot and golden.
“No.” She lifted her chin and ignored the skittering in her lower stomach.
“Cara,” he leaned forward in his chair, “before this night has ended you will have no doubt you’ve been mated.”
“No.” Cara tried to shove force into the words “None of that’s going to happen, Talen.”
An arched eyebrow met her earnest gaze. “We’re married, Cara. Soon we’ll be mated. ‘No’ isn’t an option for you.”
She slammed her hands on her hips and wondered if a decent sidekick could take out his knee. “I don’t want to be mated.”
“You will.”

How many “no” does he need to understand that it is not some way of woman flirtation? But Cara obviously enjoyed what followed after, so maybe Talen is right and I just don’t understand something.

This book was full of such things. I can’t name them all, because there are too many of them. And I didn’t even read a half of the book.
If you want to read about world where women is just a vagina with legs then this book is what you need. But if you look for beautiful relationship, strong affection and respect between characters, than you should never touch it! Just throw it right away.

[Rebecca Zanetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay - I've heard both sides of this debate. Should an author give his/her own book a rating? On one hand...duh! Of course we like our books. So, why put stars down? But on the other hand, if we don't like our book, who will? I didn't put any stars on one book, and a reader emailed me asking what was wrong with that book. She was really nice, but I started to wonder...what should we do?

Goodreads is a place for everyone's opinion...and us authors have opinions too. Shouldn't ours be counted as well as everyone elses? Or would it be better for only people not associated with the book to give ratings? But who isn't associated? I have friends who are authors who like my writing, so what about them? Are they biased?

My basic answer here is that I have no clue whether or not I should give my books a rating. As for FATED, I liked the alphaness of the hero and had a ball writing about him and the heroine...as well as little Janie. Hence my five stars. :)

[Jilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This world is a total rip-off of Tessa Dawn's series, Blood Curse.

The main guy in this book, Talen, is a vampire who "rescues" Cara and her daughter in the middle of the night by breaking down her door, grabbing her and forcing her into a car all while threatening and bullying her because she may, just may, think that HE is the bad guy. After all, he is kidnapping her and her child. But, how dare she question his motives?!! She's his mate! He will kidnap her, brand her, forcibly mate her, separate her from her 4 yr old daughter for weeks, tag her with a gps device, and order her obedience while threatening to hurt her if she doesn't mind.
I'm sorry, who is the bad guy?

The amount of times this guy says that he's warning her, and that she'll be sorry if she doesn't obey him is outrageous. Also, she feels extreme fear of his anger. This is not the sign of a sexy alpha. This is an abuser. There are so many markers for abuse in this book. Here's a few, aside from those that I already listed, which are many:

He isolates her. She is forced to abandon her home, job, and family to be with him. He then leaves her alone constantly while he "goes on missions". When he gets home, he demands sex.

He belittles her and silences her. Whenever she voices an opinion that is not his, he uses intimidation tactics to shut her up. He also disregards everything she says. Her voice means nothing.

He physically restrains her, pushes her around, and even uses his "powers" to incapacitate her. He freezes her body at one point, and at another point, he screams into her head with telepathy so loudly that she literally passes out.

He takes away her identity. Not only does he take away her life's work as a scientist, but he also takes away her identity as a mother by separating her from her child. He also refuses to call her by name, but instead refers to her as "mate". Her sole purpose now is to mate him, she needs no other name.

He forces her to have sex with him. It doesn't matter that "her body betrays her". She still says "no" and he disregards that.

Needless to say, I hated this book with the burning rage of a thousand suns.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

REREADING March 23/20! I need a refresher before moving on with the series!

I finished my reread... finally!!! Lol! I must say that currently I am reading super slow as there is way too much distraction going on in the world right now. I was determined to finish though so I can now move onto the second instalment in this series!! It’s been many years of me wanting to make the time for this series and now I have that. Anyway, I still enjoyed this book very much and am eager to continue on.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book to a new series for me to enjoy! This book has all of the qualities that I like in a paranormal romance. It has the hot, sexy, possessive alpha hero, a heroine who is honorable, has had a hard life but risen above it and become strong and independant. It also has lots of action, hot sex and last but not least vampires and shape shifters!
This series promises to be an extremely good series and I look forward to reading onward.

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talen & Cara

I was searching for a new PNR series which could keep me occupied for a couple of weeks and satisfy my unquenchable thirst for paranormal love.
The series did not have to have a complicated plot. An almost repetitive story from one book to the other to massage gently my brain. Nothing too much, honestly.
I wanted something easy to read with maybe a few vampires and a few shifters in the equation. I wouldn’t mind fae or elves. Some technology maybe. Experiments to unwilling victims would be okay as well.
There had to be a treacherous enemy of course in the plot who wanted to destroy world peace and rule them all. And the main characters had to be mated and satisfied in end, while some other characters would wait for their turn to be mated.
***I need to hear the phrase “You are mine” a lot in my PNR books.***
Oh, and the available books have to be at least 6-7 and there must be some more books coming.

So, I consider myself deeply satisfied with the Dark Protectors series!

Honestly, I was a bit skeptical in the beginning of the book. I like my men determined, but Talen was an over-the-top macho man who gave no explanation for his actions. And maybe Cara was a bit of a doormat. And maybe Cara’s daughter called Talen “father” and Talen’s brothers “uncles” a bit too soon, which was creepy.
But then the shifters appeared and this was a nice surprise. I thought that the series had only vampires. The plot slowly became more interesting and there were a few surprises here and there.

[edge of bubble · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who doesn't love being treated like a bloody idiot with the attention span of fleas? Because this book here, is the dream book of those with heavy memory problems. Is there a treaty with another race? Don't worry the author will tell you all about it like this is the first time you're seeing the word treaty, every five damn pages. Sometimes even in the next page.

You'll be regarded like the senseless wittle female you are. The hero will go through the dinner with a bullet wound and the moment heroine takes a look at it, it'll start healing, bam. But the sexy bite mark will endure for a couple of days. It doesn't make sense, you say? Hush and leave that stuff to sensible males. Because a female's calling is love. I kid you not. That's what hero says. And I belive him because he is tall and dark and sexy.



And that's how we parted ways with this book around 31% mark.

Don't get me wrong, my problems with this book was not about the sexism. Or not just about it. Mostly, I am like the black mark upon the feminist movement. And I don't look for an awesome story in my smut. So naturally I was determined to overlook the flipping the bird at coherence and a nice plot line stuff in the book and keep going till the end, but if the smutty parts are zero sexy and very annoying in a smut book, it's like reading in circles. So long Felicia.

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's making me so... frustrated. Angry. I usually LOVE alpha men; authors such as Gena Showalter, Nalini Singh and Cynthia Eden manage to make them so appealing; sexy, possessive and protective. I fall in love; I'm both envious and ecstatic for the heroine, especially if they prove to be a good match for the hero. She gives as good as she gets, and the hero learns to respect that if he hasn't already, and it strengthens their relationship in a really good, heart-melting kind of way.

Talen. I don't know what's going wrong with him. He has the same qualities as those alpha males I love. Maybe the fact that he calls her 'mate' or 'wife' more than her actual name. Maybe that pisses me off.
Maybe it also pisses me off how he seems, thus far, not to pause even ONCE to consider Cara's feelings and wishes. He never asks; he doesn't even seduce her into it.


The hand in her hair tightened in warning as he stilled their movements, “I asked you a question, Cara.” He raised his head to pin her with a look
that dared her to lose focus again.
“Um …” She struggled to find his words in her mind. “Wait. Did you say you mark your mates?” She stopped moving.
“Yes.” Satisfied, he started to again lower his mouth to her neck.
“Wait.” She struggled for release. “No. Wait, Talen. No marking.”
Talen easily held her in place as he raised his head to within an inch of hers. “Oh, there will be a marking, Cara.”


I'm not putting all the blame on Talen, because it takes two to tango- or in this case, make a good romance. There were times when I admired Cara's insistence that she was not mated to the vampire, that their marriage wasn't permanent. I sympathised her for being torn between the need to protect her daughter, and the need to get away from that overbearing male. Her determination to maintain her independence was what initially kept me reading, despite Talen's douche-baggery (yes, I said douche-baggery).
I'm thinking; surely, if Cara keeps to her stuff, Talen will realise he's coming on too strong and begin the long and arduous journey of gaining the trust of his eternal mate.

Character development, people. Wonderful, satisfying, character development.

But no. Cara sticks to her guns for as long as it takes for Talen to kiss her, or simply just touch her. Then she is putty in his hands... literally. Any further protests are weak, and continually brushed aside by the aforementioned touches and kisses.

And another thing. I HATE, freaking HATE, books with heroines that are desperate for independence to the point of stupidity. Cara, I get how the guy is a dick, but WHY put yourself in danger? Doing stupid shit like that isn't going to make him back off! It only proves his point that you cannot protect yourself, let alone your daughter. She takes off the tracking bracelet EVEN THOUGH she knows there are dangerous, killer vampire things out to get her. She was kidnapped in minutes by Talen once already, and then was almost kidnapped again by gangsters working for vampires (yeah), for God's sake, and she thinks she can protect herself? Stupid woman! Talen is the 'good guy' and he has displayed, countless times, how much stronger he is than you. Not to mention ruthless. Now think about it; if the GOOD guy is this much of an arrogant stick in the mud, what the hell do you think the BAD guy is gonna do?

Cara is stupid, yeah. But I'm gonna return to Talen, because he is the main source of my rage. I'm also going to do it in dot point, to try and prevent myself from droning on:

- Him calling Janie his daughter. Her calling him daddy. Oh, and the:
Talen straightened to his full height. “Hell, no. The most sacred duty I’ll ever have is protecting that child.” The green flecks in those eyes overtook the gold. “And any others we may have.”
That really pissed me off (shocker). Janie and Talen have known each other for, basically, a couple of hours. Sure, she dreamed about him. She is also four years old, so I can forgive her for getting a bit ahead of herself. Talen claiming her as much as he claimed her mother was ridiculous. Infuriating. And I really wish I could stop using such angry adjectives.

- Branding Cara. On her ass.
Oh, I'm sorry, Talen. I didn't now you were interested in owning cattle. Maybe you had a dream of having a farm, but the whole vampire war thing kind of made you put it off for a while. Maybe that's why you're such an ass. Well, I'm sorry you can't have that dream farm, but hey, you got Cara; I guess you thinks she's close enough. (Ouch)

- Seduction. Or the lack-there-of.
"We are mates. We will be together. We will get married. We will have sex (or 'mate', because that sounds soo much nicer; Talen's animal fetish is still going strong, it seems). Maybe this is one of my bigger problems. Talen doesn't seem to want Cara's love; if he does, it simply because he wants complete ownership of her, and needs that love to do it. He never eases her into anything; the only times he's nice or understanding is when she is upset and 'delicate' and THEN he comforts her. With his actions, it's almost like he's trying to break her down, make her completely submissive. I don't think there's a need for that; as i've already mentioned, he just has to touch Cara for her to get sex-starved for him. Just think; if he added a few nice words or considerate actions throughout the course of the book, he might have made much more progress, much faster. Or not; Cara seems happy to have hot monkey sex, and be taken from her daughter, leaving her with strangers ('safe' strangers, mind you) for FIVE FREAKING WEEKS, but admitting her chances of 'independence' are slim to none, and accepting that she's now stuck for eternity (or however long Talen lives) is strangely inconceivable. Your priorities are clearly in the right order Cara... good for you.


I've read so many positive reviews for this novel, so maybe I'm in the minority who thinks this books is so far becoming a REEAAL struggle to get through. Maybe I'm also coming to a conclusion too quickly; people might insist I should finish the book before writing such a scathing review. If the book manages to, miraculously (and I doubt it), get better, I will give another review. But again, I doubt it.

Anyway, if you're a fan of over-bearing alphas who dislike the use of first names and likes the idea of insta-families ('Just add psychic powers, evil vampires and stir with your own dose of grating, male authority, and in a few short hours you will have your own piece of the American dream!' WARNING: Wives may not like it when you brand their ass), this book is for you.
I hope all of you enjoy it more than I currently am.


* * * UPDATE * * *

I couldn't finish this. Cara is almost pathetic, and Talen is still a jerk (albeit a much nicer jerk as Cara gradually stopped resisting him-- if you could call what she'd been doing 'resisting').

To say some nice things about the book (and BOY that's hard), the writing was smooth and the description was nice. Overall in that regard; meh. Not nearly good enough to make up for the crap-tastic characters.

The bad guy was lame, and I believe, if you can't respect the badness of the bad guy, then the plot is never going to be that good. In this case, my belief was proven correct. The quality of the characters, both heroes, heroines, support characters and antagonists, ruined other aspects of this book for me so that I don't think I can judge them without letting my dislike of the characters colour my opinions.

Also, one last thing, does anyone else think this seems to be trying to rip off Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series?
Hm, let's see...
- Vampires are born not made
- Vampires only being born male
- These male vampire have to pick their mate out of the human race.
- The chosen mates having psychic powers

... HELLS YEAH this seems MUCH too similar.

[Rain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disliked the fmc. One minute she was indignant and strongly refusing the hero, and next, she was moaning and climbing all over him.

Vampires & shifters
Fated mates
Permanent mating marks
Basic plot and characters
Simplistic writing
Mustache twirling bad guys

[Renegade ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Liked the storyline for the most part, found Talen and his brothers interesting (though I still had some definite issues with the 'hero'... See comments below re: Talen's alpha-hole behaviour ), but Cara?

She drove me right around the bend and back again.

Several times.



I often found myself asking, "Is this chick for real?"



(Um, nope. Fiction, remember?)

Between the complaining, the frustrating stubbornness, ingratitude, and certain logic fails in her thinking in several areas (some of which landed her in TSTL territory as well as life threatening danger), I figured the only reason she didn't actually die (besides Talen doing his damndest to make sure that didn't happen) was because this is a romance and an HEA is expected.



Any other genre and this heroine would likely be ten feet under.

Anyhoo...

I'm participating in a buddy read for this series (which I still feel has some good potential despite my ambivalent feelings towards this particular heroine) and remain curious about some of the other characters that were introduced and how things will turn out for them.

So, for now, I plan to carry on and see what happens.

My fingers are crossed that Emma (Cara's sister) and I will get along when I dive into .

Here's hoping...

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vampire world!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💚❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌎
Character development: 😔😃😤🥰😘

The heroine: Cara - she is an empath, and her young daughter Janie is psychic. Cara worked in a lab doing research on strains of corn, trying to create a virus that could increase the output of the crops. One night when she was sleeping her daughter came into her room and told her someone was coming and that they were in danger. Soon afterwards, a man broke into their house and forced them to go with him on a plane to Washington DC.

The Hero: Talen - he is a protector of the Sanguisuga race. The Sanuisuga are a race of Vampires that can go out in the sun and only drink blood during sex and if they are injured when fighting. They were at war for hundreds of years with the Kurjans until a peace treaty was signed. The Kurjans are monsters, more like the vampires of legend. The peace has now ended since the Kurjans found out about Janie. They have a history of stealing women with abilities.

The Story: Talen knows from the start that cara is his mate. He tells Cara right away, after telling her what he is and why she is in danger. He tells her that in both races of vampires, only men are born and their mates are humans. The peace treaty had restricted both sides from interacting with humans, but now that the treaty has been broken, they can find mates and he knew that she was his as soon as he touched her and a brand appeared on his palm.

I enjoyed this story right from the start. I liked the fact that Cara didn’t know that either race of vampires existed so her whole life was uprooted, and she had this huge, sexy and dangerous man who vowed to protect her and her daughter. I loved that I didn’t have to wait too long for this one to get steamy either.

“While you may choose to ignore fate, the outcome of this day is inevitable.”
“Outcome?” She hated the quiver in her voice.
“We will be married before leaving this building and mated before another dawn emerges.”

The world building was great. I could easily picture the Kurjans with white skin, black eyes and red hair with black tips. There were also shifters who the Kurjans feared but were friends with Talen and his family. I think this is now my new favorite series and I will be moving on to the next book right away.

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[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Talen Kayr shows up at Cara Paulsen's house in the early hours of morning claiming he is there to protect her and her daughter, she knows there is something off by the intense but sensual man. As he rushes them to safety, she is sure she was rightabout him, when he announces they will be married and mated by the end of the night in order to ensure her protection, not to mention the fact that he is a three hundred year old vampire just as frosting on the cake.

Intense pure fun. A page turner in it's finest form. Talen is seductively arrogant but has such a tenderness when it comes to Cara and her daughter. His one mission is to protect them, but Cara is stubborn and not one to be told what to do after a difficult childhood. A new favorite series, can't wait until the next one.

I chose to reread this one when I saw Rebecca Zanetti has just named her next upcoming book. Just as good the second time around. I like this story the best so far out of the series, Talen is the ultimate dangerous hero.

[✰ Liz ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You picked the wrong girl to dominate, Dracula.”

Fated is the first book in the Dark Protectors Series. A paranormal powerhouse, Rebecca Zanetti packs a powerful punch. Talen, a mighty protector, is finally prepared to claim his human mate. Cara Paulsen has no interest in getting on board with that plan. As evil continues to surround them and try to rip them apart, Talen must fight to claim his mate and keep her safe forever.

“Oh I brought my A-game,”

Overall, Fated is a must read for paranormal romance fans. Rebecca Zanetti is a master at crafting characters that love each other fiercely and will do anything to protect the greater good. Now that I have ventured into the Dark Protector world I look forward to reading more!


For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fated by Rebecca Zanetti

Vampire romance. First in the series of 10+ books and several novellas.
A world where vampires protected humans but now different factions are at war, with one race of vampires, the Kurjans, not caring what happens to humankind.

I loved the protective nature of the Karys brothers to the child Janie. She had them all wrapped around her little finger. Adorable. She’s the prophesied child and grows to an adult throughout the series. The brothers know she must be protected for the future of their race. Or so we’re told in a description of the overall ARC of the series by the author.
I don’t care for the overbearing arrogance of a male and the lack of choice for a female. And suddenly she’s hot and into him too? How convenient for him.
The saving grace here was the rare glimpse into Talen’s feelings. He genuinely loved Cara. He should have been more open about that rather than just trying to sexually dominate and control her. Over and over again. And not to spoil it, because it is a romance, in the end he is sweet and charming and trying hard to give Cara what she needs.
Fair warning: lots of sex is had in this book and not much foreplay. Paraphrasing “Pushed In to the hilt and immediately started pumping”. To me, this isn’t romantic, but to be fair, this is pretty typical of this author. She writes strong, dominating males.

I was confused with references to Conn’s mate as maybe a fairy since this is the first book in the series. I’m guessing it will be included in later books.

In the end, I will read more of this series because once the emotions were revealed from the males, it makes them more appealing. Plus, I’ve read other series by this author and loved the intensity.

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been really good. However I felt that things weren't quite..right? Sure things happened, like action (lots of it), sex, friendships made...ect, but... But how Janie, the daughter of Cara Paulsen, just called Talen Kayrs 'daddy' and he 'daughter', just didn't feel all that special simply because it was said to soon. I mean, they had just met. There were things like that, that annoyed me, and made sure I couldn't quite enjoy the story. Also it was very predictable and I'm sure I can guess the future mates for the other characters...

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance
Series: - Series, Book One
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - Yes.
Favorite character? - Talen Kayrs
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - We'll see..
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure, everyone else seem to like it.
Will I read this again in the future? - No.
Rating - 2.5/ stars.

[Carvanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know what I was thinking allowing this book to sit toward the bottom of my TBR pile and gather dust. If it had not been for the Low Angst Love TBR Challenge it would just continue to be crushed under the weight of the other books I keep adding. However, now that I pulled it out and actually read it, I am so glad I did. It has a fast pace, quick action, lots of hot alpha-ness all around, a strong heroine, fun scenes with a young child interacting with tough alpha vampires, and all kinds of swoony sexy times. It’s also got some gory places with decapitations because nothing says “You’re dead” more to a vampire than the removal of the enemies head. Haha! I loved it! And the best thing, it’s a series. I don’t do series. But baby, I am doing this one!

[Liz F · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like rape, this book is for you.

Because that's what our wonderful, strong "hero" regularly does to our pathetic "heroine". This book was awful and offensive. I don't want to be mean but if you liked this book, I feel bad for you. I'm sorry to be such a jerk but this book really made me extremely angry and I just don't understand how ANYONE could like this book.

I marked this one as "Read" but I have to be honest: I didn't finish it. It gave it one star and one star says "I didn't like it" but I actually hated it.

Cara Paulsen is the "heroine" of the story but sheesh she has ZERO backbone, barely any spunk, no pluck. We start with her daughter, Janie, waking her up and talking about someone coming. Janie has vivid nightmares and Cara thinks that's what this is until she hears a loud crash outside her bedroom. A tall, dark and handsome man barges in and tells them to get ready to go. To make a long review short, Talen, the guy who rescues her, is a vampire sent to rescue her and Janie. There are good and bad vampires. And vampires can have kids. But vampires only mate with human females who have special abilities (being empathic, psychic, etc). And their children are only male vampires. No one knows why. But once a vampire takes a woman as a mate, no other vampire can even touch that woman or they get violently ill. Bad vampires want Cara and Janie because Janie is foretold to be someone important later in her life. Talen goes to rescue them because Cara is his mate.

She isn't thrilled to hear this but goes along with him for Janie's safety. Janie gets taken to a compound but Talen and Cara have to retreat to safety somewhere else. And that's just fine. I get it. But they are there for WEEKS!! Really? She would be separated from her kid for 6 weeks? Yes, yes, she's assured that Janie is safe and after a while, she talks to her on video teleconference and Janie is safe and having a BLAST at the good vampire compound with Talen's brothers, who treat her like a princess. But it doesn't matter. Cara is a freaking waste of oxygen and she's a shitty mom.

So the rest of the book (as far as I read) was Talen and company doing incursions into the enemy lairs, stealing information and rescuing prisoners. They find out that bad vampires are doing genetic research on how to make it possible for a vampire to steal another vampire's mate. Cara and a new shapeshifting female pal do fight training. And at night, Cara is boned by Talen. Period.

Here's one of my many problems with this crap-tastic book. The author doesn't give us time to warm up to Talen before he forces himself on Cara. I never found myself liking Talen at all. Not even a little bit. He was demanding and overbearing the entire time. We've all seen those pamphlets on how to tell if a friend is in an abusive relationship, right? Well, he exhibits most of those warning signs, most notably when he has the password to her email account so he can intercept messages from Cara's sister, Ellie. Oh don't worry, he prints them out and gives them to her but that's not the point, is it? SHE doesn't check; HE checks and gives them to her. She tells him no to sex ALL the time but he seduces her into it. You KNOW I hate when a woman acts like she can't control her own impulses. Like she's dog in heat. I hate that. Women are NOT animals (I mean, we ARE because we're ALL mammals but you know what I mean!) and I hate when women are portrayed as mindless beasts when a penis is inside that magic 3 foot radius of our vaginas. Its horseshit.

Next problem is Cara, herself. She's so weak. She has this kid and she shows this ferocity about protecting her kid...occasionally!!! I know moms. You guys don't eff around when it comes to your kids. EVER. So she's assured that Janie is safe. Aaaaand???? Wouldn't you want your damn kid WITH you??? And she doesn't want sex OR a relationship Talen. And he's forcing it on her, literally. She says No, he puts his hand on her ass, she says Oh well, ok. NO DAMMIT! Either its no or its yes. There's no, Well, I guess so since its harder to resist. Sure it is, but if you don't want it, you don't want it. Or do you? If you want it, own it. I just hated her waffling. No I don't wanna but he's so cute.... what, are you 12 years old? Give me a break.

It was awful. I was so pissed when I was reading this. And then I thought, I don't HAVE to read this, dummy!! So I put it down and I feel much better. Anyways, that's my take on this book. Don't bother reading it, it sucked. The author should be ashamed and her contract should be revoked.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 - "You picked the wrong girl to dominate, Dracula." Stars!

I can understand why this series has met with mixed reviews. But I suppose we all take from the same book vastly different things. For me this book and this series is exactly what I am looking to read right now. From page one Talen, Cara and Janie grabbed my attention, and held me captive right through to the end of the book.

Add to the fact I have finally found what I consider a 'grown-up' series about Sanguisuga, Shape-Shifters & Witches that include (but are not limited to) a family of 5 Big, Burly, Uber Dominant brothers and I am in heaven.

Just a few of my favourite lines from the book to sum up -

His smile was pure sin in a face carved by gods.



Good god she'd kissed him like the truth to the universe existed in his tonsils.



"Our mates are human. And Cara" - his voice dropped to a rumble -"you're mine."

This is classic Rebecca Zanetti, if you love her Sin Brothers series, and are looking for some cocky, confident, over-the-top Alpha males, then look no further and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Hannah G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to keep this short. Hated Cara's character. Her daughter didn't add anything to the book. Talon was average. Smut was good. Liked the mates aspect. Overall this book was ehhh. I'm rating it 2.5 stars.

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Talen but he had no clue about women. Cara got better, but she was a bit annoying with her pushing away. These characters got better over the series and on re read, I enjoyed this book more than the first time I read it.

I liked this book, but it was missing something. The heroine fought the relationship the entire book. Which I found frustrating. Sure she gave in physically. The Hero was arrogant and believing in the inevitability of their mating so he really never tried to get her over her fears. Just told her to accept it. Yea, like that will happen. There were so many positives, but lacking the emotional connection up until basically the last page, just left me feeling a little let down.

The little girl was adorable, but on no planet does a 4 year old talk like that. So I just pretended she was older so it did not bug me too much. The vampires interactions with her were all adorable.


Safety Gang spoiler

There really are no triggers. But for those who care about where her kid came from.

After? (could have been during) college her fellow lab researcher suggested they date. There was zero emotion involved. They tried sex once. He was killed in a car accident a month after without ever knowing she got pregnant. She says she would not have married him if he had lived. She did not want to get married at all, but she had no romantic feelings for him.

[Alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Warning: modest spoilers*

So many reasons to despise this novel. Allow me to list them in order.

1.) The utter lack of creativity.

You know how it is when you read the first chapter, and you're punched with the knowledge of a frequent reader that all subsequent chapters will be lacking in any distinctive originality or substance? That was my gut feeling. And, unfortunately, instinct prevailed as I crawled through the pages. Nothing, from the damsel in distress to the war between the races, interested me. Absolutely nothing. The first thirty pages aroused in me such a feeling of boredom that to even say emotion was aroused is an exaggeration. Rather than read - which I do obsessively - I chose to nap in my hot car for an hour as I waited on a friend. An hour, in the sweltering heat, inhaling diesel fuel, instead of losing myself in a book. It was that bad.

2.) The "hero"

It has taken me many frustrating attempts to explain why Talen pissed me off so strongly for me to finally find the words. He's not obviously dominating like Christian in Fifty Shades or any of the men in similar erotica. There's no "master" and "sub" labels. And that's where the difference ends.

Cara wears a collar - a bracelet on her arm that only he can remove, which also doubles as a tracker. One that she needs to plead with him to take off temporarily, a request he only very reluctantly heeds.

He repeatedly demands Cara - who, by the way, he only refers to as "wife" or "mate" - to submit. Constantly. Regardless of her troubled history with her father and the small detail that they met less than twenty-four hours ago, Talen orders her to be "his" and expects immediate obedience.

His demand for submission is largely acquired through intimidation and sex. "No means no" is not a phrase the centuries old vampire understands. She is his mate, he desires her, he will make her desire him. And when she says she doesn't want to sleep with him? He kisses her, making her feel "...small. Vulnerable. Feminine." To the author, masculine equals dominance; feminine equals weakness.

In most books where the relationship is so uneven, the man at least treasures the heroine, spoiling her and going to desperate lengths to see to her happiness. In total Talen did two things to make her happy: he brought her a plant and had her clothes/pictures moved to his home. That's it.

3.) The "heroine"

Cara was one of those heroines who is spunky in all aspects with the exception of where it most counts - in her relationship. She can knowingly walk into a trap, but heaven forbid she actually yell as the jerk when he, say, brands her on her ass. And every time she's about to give him a piece of her mind? Oops, look, Talen needs to go off to do big, strong, man stuff like kill things to protect the little woman at home.

He blackmails her into a marriage to save her daughter. She signs the marriage license minutes later. He "claims" her even after she repeatedly tells him she doesn't want a relationship with him. She asks the next morning if her cuff (cough, cough collar) is made of gold. He forces her to confront an ability that she has been taught from a young age is the gift of the devil. She acquiesces. He forces her to admit she belongs to him. She marries him the next morning.

Need I even ask where the hell is her backbone?

4.) To summarize

The characters had no chemistry aside from sexual. Not once did they have a genuine conversation. There was no growth on his end. The plot bored me to tears. Their abilities were unoriginal (seriously, another vampire?) and the enemy faction of vampires a common foe. Talen's main contribution was his willingness to kill everything and Cara's her sass, which failed her whenever faced with his strong, masculine presence.

I threw the novel on the floor when I was finished and only the knowledge that I did not buy the book stemmed my regret from wasting so much time reading it.

[Sweet and Salty Reviews by DD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new series to add to my must haves list!

Incredibly interesting world build. When in the world of vampires there are many times one world seems so much like another, but this one felt new and original. Secondary characters were fabulous, and Zanetti's care to give us a taste of their future stores was beautifully done.

As stated in some reviews I saw before reading, Talen is such a dominant male which melts my heart and other things lol! His fierce protection of his new family was impactful. Becoming as immediate father did not phase him in the least. You could tell he had a love for Janie form the start. One thing I would have liked to see from him was a more detailed fight scene. They were brief IMO, not showing his true power.

For me Cara was a smidge careless. When your life is turned upside down, you find out beings exist you never knew existed, then find out you and your daughter are special and the only beings that can be mate by the good or bad guys.....I would think you would err on the side of caution. She did not. Knowing she and her daughter were at risk she continuously choose to put herself in danger. Risking her survival for her child and ultimately her child's safety. Hence the 4 star rating.

Janie....absolute best character yet! She owns my heart and I can not wait to continue reading her character build.

Happy reading! DD

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had just about the right amount of action, sex and anticipation. I kept thinking to myself "OMG What's next?" I wanted to finish the book but at the same time I didn't want it to finish. I know, I know I'm kinda weird. But I know a few other readers can relate when they read this book. If only I can be Cara for one night, I'll do it in a heartbeat. Just so I can feel that body that Rebecca described so vividly. Yumm-O!!

So in "Fated" you have Talen, a vampire so sexy that can melt the panties off you. And basically that's what he does to Cara just by a single touch. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. So you have Talen a Three Hundred year old vampire who abruptly entered Cara's life and determined to make her his wife. He promised to protect her and her four year old daughter Janie. But Cara isn't one to take orders from anyone. Not even a sexy and strong vampire like Talen. So basically he's in for a rough road with her. He plans to convince her that they belong together, Married. And it's going to happen AND she's going to accept it one way or the other.

Cara is a smart single mom who has been through enough in her life to know that she doesn't want no man trying to tell her what to do. Even one as sexy and hot like Talen. She's been independent long enough and is not willing to give up her freedom. But little does she know that there's danger lurking around her and her daughter. Talen happens to be the one that knows how to protect her and Janie. In fact, even little Janie knows they belong together.

Though there's danger at every other corner, Cara never felt more safe. Running around with Talen, his brothers and their comrades, she finally felt like she was part of a family. A family that would do anything to keep her and Janie safe. No matter what it costs them.

I really really loved this book. I loved the way Talen expressed his desire for Cara. Absolutely loved the way he pulled her hair back and just.....And he sincerely loved Janie. She was his daughter and Janie knew it. They were a family and he waited long enough for them. All Cara has to do now is accept it.

Definitely a 5 out of 5 stars and a Definite Good Choice for Reading. A Must Buy! Must Read! Here's a link below for options to buy.

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talen & Cara's story:

Fun, fast paced start to a new PNR series. Great storyline, characters and suspense. Instalove, mates for life, possessive Alphas and grotesque evil foes. Not to mention the adorable 4 yr old that's wrapped big bad vampires around her little finger. This sounds like it will be a continued storyline focusing on a different couple per book.

Talen was super dominant and possessive and I liked it! Cara was TSTL but grew on me once she accepted her fate. Janie was just freakin adorable. Much more mature than any 4 year old should be but I can suspend belief for this storyline. Amazing characters and tons of action to follow along with.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book where you were so on the edge of your seat that your belly tingled, your heart beat just a bit to fast, and your brain keeps saying skip ahead I want to know the ending NOW! That’s what Fated did to me.

Talen is a vampire that has been around for centuries. Him along with his band of brothers rule their Realm and try to keep the peace between races. For years he has searched for his one true mate. When he finally finds her in an empathic stubborn single mother, Cara, he knows he has his work cut out for him. He has been and always will be a dominating alpha male. His combat skills are as lethal as his smile. Taking no for an answer is laughable. Not gonna happen.

Cara has an independent streak a mile wide. She wants nothing to do with the overbearing, arrogant vampire who has just popped up announcing he is her mate and they must be married to ensure her safety. But with the realization that her and her daughter Janies lives are about to be shattered by an evil race of vampires, she figures she will submit….for now. Protection for her daughter is the most important thing after all. Since Janie is a high functioning psychic and both sides need her in the upcoming war.

Being thrown into another world filled with all kinds of creatures makes Cara’s head spin. Talen fills her nights with touches and embraces that set her skin on fire. But during the day his overbearing personality grates. Learning to open herself up to not only him, but her own abilities proves to be a hard challenge. Once her shields are down, and she starts caring for the man, can she come to grips with his do or die mentality? Can she fully submit to her calling as his lifelong mate?

Not many books make my heart pound. I am totally in love with big bad alpha, Talen. His drive to possess and protect was so thrilling. I found myself yelling at Cara to submit already! Give your heart to this guy because he is melting mine! The emotions as possess and protect turned into love and cherish was nearly my undoing. And the fact that he would charge headfirst into an ocean of big guys, slashing throats and ripping off heads to get to his woman….wow *le sigh*. I want him…BAD.

I also enjoyed Janie’s character. So cute, sweet and wise beyond her tender age of four. She knew Talen from the beginning, knows what is going to happen and is willing to stand against it. She communicates in her dreams with a young boy a few years older than her that seems to be her future mate. He will have a fight coming I’m sure, as the other sides young protegé wants her as well.

The secondary characters of the brothers (Dage, Conn, Jase and Kane) are well wrote and they definitely hint at future stories in the series. I also hope we get some closure for Jordan and Katie either in their own book or woven into the books of others. Those two cougar shifters are destined to end up together I just know it.

Seriously, this book has got to be one of my all time favorites. I LOVE IT! I really don’t know how I am supposed to wait for the next book in the series, Claimed (Emma and Dage’s story),which to my knowledge doesn’t have a release date yet. LOL. The suspense is gonna kill me!

Thank you Rebecca for allowing me to read Fated and for pulling me out of the book slump I have felt myself sliding into recently. Fated will pull you into a world of dominating, hot and hard vampires…steal your breath…and never let you go.

[Katie Utterly Unashamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Talen Stars..

I'm not going to lie, I just finished SW's Phoenix/Mercury Pack series for the 2nd time this year, so I didn't see much hope for anything following it and you know what...



It was a little slow to start for me while I was trying to figure out this new world and of course there are always those eye-roll moments, but I really enjoy this read. The writing was great. The story building was actually really awesome. The background story continues through the different books in the series, you just get a new couple with each book. As of now there are like 11 books in it, I'm not sure if that makes me happy or sad, since I actually have to read. And you know what that means for my house.....



The storyline in the background with the war and the viruses is very very intriguing and I'm really excited to see how it all plays out. Emma is going to be a spit fire for Dage for sure.

This is also going to be one of those books that that tests my patience and ability to not skip ahead several books to get to the story I really want, WHICH IS JANIE! OMG, she is so f'ing cute!! I barely know about her and Zane and I'm already obsessed. (I only made it 2 books in before skipping to Hawke book in the Psy-Changling series and I so did not regret it).

I WILL NOT SKIP AHEAD



I WILL NOT IGNORE THE REASON SHE PUT JANIES BOOK 7 INSTEAD OF 2!



I WILL ENJOY THE PROCESS OF THE BOOKS AND WAIT PATIENTLY UNTIL IT IS HER TURN!





You know what, I probably will...





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[Lisazj1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. We'll see where this goes.

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Just not for me. I'm beginning to think that these trad published Adult PNR books just aren't to my taste, no matter how much I love PNR romance. Suzanne Wright, Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, JR Ward, and now this author... They all have the formulaic and repetitive plot and romance and it's really hard for me to connect with the stories written by these different authors, but have the same type of writing (although some are a bit better than authors- aka Gena). At least I tried though, and can now say these authors just aren't for me after seeing how hyped up they are.

This book specifically though, was just boring for me. I didn't feel any chemistry, everything moved WAY too quick, and there was so much eye-rolling. The hero calling the heroine's daughter "our daughter" and the heroine "my wife", after knowing them for like a day? Super unrealistic. Same goes with the 4- yr old daughter (who didn't act 4 btw) calling the hero "dad", and his brothers "uncles". Like that all just moved WAY too fast for me. I need to see the relationships build and get to know each other, not get married and sleep with each other that day🙃

Also, it had one of my biggest pet peeves of course, the whole sleeping with other people even though you know you have a mate out there somewhere. I have such a hard time with how seriously he takes "fate" and mates, and yet he can so easily be with other people right up to it. I wouldn't be so against it if maybe he was against mating, or didn't think he would find or have a mate, so he lived his life refusing to mate or in denial or something, but he KNEW he would meet his mate someday, and he has no problem telling the heroine he is definitely no stranger to sex. Waiting is apparently such an unthinkable concept, I guess.. I wish he was at least slightly regretful or dismayed for not waiting.

And even with that, I thought "okay, the heroine has a daughter" so I'm thinking maybe she loved someone before or has had more sexual experiences in the past to equal it out with the hero, but of course not🙃. We actually learn that she got pregnant from her friend during her ONE AND ONLY sexual experience and has had literally no sex or dating life other than that, and that was the last straw for me. After that, I had a really hard time believing in this couple. I did end up reading further, but I was bored out of my mind and couldn't connect with any of the side characters either- so, I'm out✌


Safety: (up to 40%)

Neither are virgins (although the heroine might as well be one)

Heroine has a daughter

Age: Heroine ? / hero over 300

No ow/om drama

No cheating

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action-packed, passionate and exciting PNR series starter

4 stars

I love Rebecca Zanetti’s Sins Brothers series, and I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while now. I’m so happy that I finally made a start, because I loved it!

Cara is a single mother whose life is thrown into turmoil when a huge man barges into her house in the middle of the night, grabs hold of her and her daughter and speeds them away, claiming that he’s protecting them. She is slightly mollified by the fact that her daughter, Janie, seems to know the man and says that he can be trusted. Janie is only 4, but she has psychic abilities which allow her to see the future. But then the man introduces himself as Talen, tells her that he’s a vampire and that she is his destined mate. And in order for him to protect her, they need to be married and mated as soon as possible.

“Our mates are human. And Cara”— his voice dropped to a rumble—“you’re mine.”

Talen is a member of the vampire royal family. His older brother is King, and Talen and his brothers are warriors responsible for the safety of the Realm (the supernatural world). As would be expected, Talen is strong, protective and totally alpha. Vampires only get one mate, a human with special abilities that is able to have children with a vampire, and Cara is his. He has no intention of letting her get away.

“Stop calling me ‘mate,’ and let me go.” She stifled a groan against the desire pooling between her thighs.
His lips tickled hers before he spoke. “You are my mate,” he brushed her lips again, “and there’s no fucking way in hell I’m letting you go.”

The fact that the two of them share an immediate and deep attraction to each other helps things along, and things get steamy very quickly.

“Cara,” he leaned forward in his chair, “before this night has ended you will have no doubt you’ve been mated.”

Their relationship is incredibly passionate, and the sex is frequent and descriptive, with each encounter bringing them closer and closer together as they learn about each other. And though Cara initially agreed to the marriage in order to protect her daughter and herself, she soon finds herself falling for the enigmatic badass as he brings her into his world. Cara is a strong heroine, and I really liked her, and the dynamic between them is awesome. They banter and bicker, and Cara isn’t afraid to stand up to her stubborn, domineering mate.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Talen, but if you wanted a mindless, obedient wife, you should have found one during the last century. I'm sure you had your chances."

“You picked the wrong girl to dominate, Dracula.”

But there is still danger lurking, with the vampire enemy, the Kurjans, out to take Cara and her daughter for themselves. There’s lots of action, with frequent and violent attacks on both sides, gunfights, kidnappings, car smashes and explosions. Shifters become involved, and things only get more complicated when Cara’s sister goes missing.

The story moves at a great pace, and really keeps you engaged. There is so much going on, and there is humour, drama, and some really sweet moments thrown in amongst all of the excitement.

Cara’s daughter, Janie, is a delight, and you can see her story arc already being set up. I loved the introduction to Talen’s brothers, a very interesting shifter couple, and I like that there are already numerous stories being set up.

I really enjoyed this book. The PNR world is interesting and well-developed with all sorts of supernatural beings, and as a series starter, it’s really strong. The action is great, there is fantastic character interplay, an interesting and exciting storyline, and a fiery, passionate romance.

This is the sort of paranormal series that I love – a strong overarching storyline with individual books for different characters. And with the next book established nicely, I’m really looking forward to continuing on.

I loved it – 4 stars.

[Natalie ~ The Biblioholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I kind of dabbled before, I truly started my love affair with the Dark Protectors when I read Vampire's Faith. I read that story, fell in love with the world and characters this author created, and knew that I wanted more.

Reading about the next gen made me want to get to know the original heroes better. I went out, bought the paperbacks, and here we are!

And how could I not fall in love with Talen!

Alpha to the extreme, all he wanted to do was keep Cara and her daughter safe. Seriously, what guy puts his life on the line, dedicates his life to protecting someone he doesn't know... when it's not his job? And not only did he take on this duty, but he treated and cared for these two females as if they always belonged to his life. Janie was Cara's daughter, but now she was his. And nothing and no one was going to hurt them on his watch.

I really liked how this story evolved. Now that I know so much, it was fun to see these characters floundering. It's the start of the new war against the Kurjans and I had a blast seeing the Karys brothers unmated and fancy-free.

My only hangup was Cara. She drove me nuts! She was constantly fighting Talen for dominance and supremacy. Babe, you are not stronger or more capable than an immortal. Especially not an immortal who has been dealing with these enemies for centuries!!

"I can keep my daughter safe." Her eyes widened as he laughed. He actually laughed.

Just shut up dummy.

Overall, Fated gave me just what I was looking for — more depth, more plot, more action, more characters, more love.

Find my full blog review here