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The Children of the Gods #12

Dark Guardian Craved

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Cautious after a lifetime of disappointments, Eva is mistrustful of Bhathian's professed feelings of love. She accepts him as a lover and a confidant but not as a life partner.
Jackson suspects that Tessa is his true love mate, but unless she can overcome her traumatic past, he might never find out.
Carol gets an offer she can't refuse—a chance to prove that there is more to her than meets the eye. Robert believes she's about to commit a deadly mistake, but when he tries to dissuade her, she asks him to leave. This time for good.

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2017

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I.T. Lucas

153 books1,365 followers

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5 stars
1,925 (58%)
4 stars
947 (29%)
3 stars
357 (10%)
2 stars
27 (<1%)
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7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
Profile Image for Debbie.
944 reviews80 followers
February 14, 2018
Dark Guardian: Found – Craved – Mate
Books 11-13 The Children of The Gods Series
by I.T. Lucas

Series Sumary:
From the beginning of time there have been near immortal beings who have molded humanity, been the object of worship but who as a race almost destroyed each other and human civilization.
Now only two Gods are left both sworn enemies:
The followers of Morta, the Doomers and the descendants of the Goddess Annani.

The Dark Guardian novels are Bathian and Eva’s story. We know Bathian from all the previous novels but until these books Eva is a stranger and only made reference to in Nathalie and Andrew’s Dark Warrior books. As well as telling Bathian and Eva’s story these set of novels will continue the investigation into other possible dormants as well as cultivating a delectable side love story.
The series continues to wow in its uniqueness, its inventiveness and its amazingly versatile characters and its amazing world building including how she injects brilliant 21st century technology into this clan of centuries to millennial aged immortals. Bathian and Eva have a history and it’s interesting to see how Lucas cultivates it because of that history. The Clan continues to prepare for some foreseen war between themselves and their mortal enemies, The Doomers and in the investigation into this enemy there are some revelations that will really have the pages flying. The dialogue is dark although there are many light-hearted moments and of course there are some piping hot love scenes. This series is addictive, fast paced and fun but they must be read in order.

SUMMARY:
Now that Bathian has found his daughter Nathalie and she is safely mated he is as determined as ever to find the one woman he never forgot, the only woman he ever loved, his true mate and Nathalie’s biological mother Eva. He hasn’t seen her since she told him she was pregnant over three decades earlier and since she’s an expert at hiding finding her won’t be easy, but he won’t give up until he succeeds.
Eva always thought her youthfulness was due to a government experiment gone bad as was afraid they may one day come looking for her so to save the daughter she loves more than life she disappeared without a trace. Then one day the one man she could never quite get out of her mind and her heart, Nathalie’s father tracks her down and tells her a story that is too fantastical to be made up.
Profile Image for Dmcl.
827 reviews13 followers
July 30, 2017
Just a spectacular series! There is so much happening in this novel...open questions answered and new ones raised. There is no sense of ," been there, done that," with any of the conflicts and the resolutions are oh, so satisfying. I.T. Lucas has created a complex and well developed world with characters that are so well realized that it's hard to believe they exist only in fiction. You care about them, weep at their sorrows and delight in their happiness. The passion and steam are neither gratuitous or overwhelming and the romance is just luscious. And there is so much more that lies ahead. I'm sure I'll be enjoying this series for a long, long time.
Profile Image for Aimee.
407 reviews17 followers
June 28, 2019
The series is pretty good and I have some favourite characters, like Jackson, Tessa, and Carol but the writing is tedious. The author sometimes uses contractions other times she doesn't; I just find it makes the story flow weird. Maybe if they had a better editor it would be better. I do find the last two better than books 4-9.
Profile Image for Ksenia.
4 reviews9 followers
June 30, 2017
I finished the book today. I must say that the story still keeps getting better and better. The plot is getting more interesting and characters developing in more natural way then in other works/books of paranormal romance. I do love the fact that even if the more central story line spins around Eva & Bhathian, we still know what's going on with the rest of people around them. Can't say that I love all the characters in the series. However, even those (like Nathalie, who annoys even me by now) moving the pot with each book. I just wish we learned more about the rest of the clan as well, not just US part. How about other daughters that Annani has? Still looking forward to reading the next story.
310 reviews7 followers
February 13, 2023
It’s getting sloppy now…

The writings getting sloppy and information tat should have been shared in previous books hasn’t been shared or is not acknowledged at times it should be.

Examples of information not being shared for example is Robert not mentioning he saw Losham and then later, when the man Eva saw was identified as Losham, Dalhu said it must be a doppelgänger because Navuh’s sons never leave the island, knowing good and well that he personally killed the man’s adoptive son and knowing Losham carried the informal title of Navuh’s advisor so there would be no way and man who thinks he’s so clever would leave his only sons murder unavenged and stay on the island.

Another example is that Nathalie hasn’t seemed to have told her mother about speaking to ghost all her life and that it’s her ability. I know they have basically went away, but you don’t forget something that has plagued you for 30 years just because you got a husband and got pregnant.

One of the sloppy parts come in with Bridget. She’s a doctor for the clan and hasn’t really bothered with getting in blood samples from the potential Dormants or the ex Doomers to be able to annotate any genetic markers now that she has people that are not in their matrilineal line to observe. She did collect with Syssi and Michael, then later Andrew, but as a doctor she should consider the doomers as well for her research as she may be able to discover something to help identify more Dormants. And now she has Eva, who’s been in the clinic several times. Also, there’s the whole thing with Nathalie and sore breast and breastfeeding. She didn’t tell her about putting lanolin on her breast, or warm compresses, or even the nipple protectors that help the baby get a better latch to prevent pain. She didn’t even bother consulting a lactation to help her.

Then, there’s the part where Eva saw Losham in the club. The story never went o his POV after that to see if he noticed something about her or anything. In fact, after that, we don’t get his POV again for the rest of the entire book! Later, someone says that they were going to look into club Allure and considering Losham opened several already, nothing more was said about the clubs or the research into it!

I know the stuff will be likely picked up in another book, but then there’s the timeline at which things are happening in the current books that make the timing off for picking it up in another book, which be like several months later or so from when things started. 🤷🏽‍♀️

See my notes and highlights on Goodreads. Happy Reading!
Profile Image for Sherily.
293 reviews16 followers
April 22, 2021
Eva is a strong independent woman who has lived on her own and can't seem to allow herself to feel for Bathian. Their passion and chemistry is very strong.
Tessa is so damaged from her past and Jackson is doing everything he can to help her through the trauma. Jackson is so patient and caring and he feels that Tessa could be his fated mate.
Carol is stronger than she gives herself credit for. It is brought to her attention a serious matter that can put her life at risk and yet, without a second thought, Carol jumps on the opportunity. Proving that she is stronger than the men in the Clan give her credit for. She kicks Robert out and now he has to find his own way within the Clan.
All of these characters are great and I like that we still get to see past characters appear in current books.
Another great one in the series. I just wish the editing was done better. Too many errors and grammatical structure takes away from the smoothness of reading.
582 reviews6 followers
July 31, 2017
Entrenched in this Storyline

I'll be honest, I'm thoroughly mesmerized with Lucas' mythology. What talent and imagination to be able to keep me fascinated and hypnotized with this urgent need to keep on reading these books about these people. I'm an avid reader, but I can lose interest very quickly if I don't feel that "grab" that I'm feeling now. It's a combination of an urgent "need" to keep following this storyline and mythology mixed with the fear that the end of the author's storyline has to be coming soon. I already know that I'll greatly miss this fascinating story. Pretty verbose, huh?! I'm not usually this gabby, so respectively, I'm going to end this rant, and go on to the last (I hope not!) book.
Profile Image for MzAnn.
688 reviews14 followers
August 9, 2019
Dark Guardian Craved--Possible Spoilers

If you've read any of my other reviews, you know that I'm really sure what's a spoiler and what isn't...so, please be aware of the possibility of spoilers.

The books are getting pretty exciting again!

The long & the short of it for me:

I love Eva and Bhathian together. I hope she gives in and marries him.

I'm totally rooting for Tessa and Jackson! Tessa deserves love and happiness.

I hope Nathalie stops being so whiny since her transition.

I'm excited to see what Roni has discovered through his hacking...but I've got an idea whose face he saw.

On to book#13. I want to wrap this part up so I can get to the next part of the series...Brundar's story...I can't wait!
Profile Image for Melinda.
851 reviews6 followers
December 12, 2019
So much going on now

There are a lot of characters and story lines being introduced in this book so it felt like a lot of jumping around to different character's POV's.

I love Bhathain but I just can't warm to Eva. She just seems like a moody cold fish. She is always so dismissive of Bhathain and expects him to come running whenever she snaps her fingers for sex. It's rude.

I am excited to see where the other stories go but I would like to see the romance part of these books wrap up faster and not be stretched out over three books. The constant back and forth and pages of mundane introspection is what makes me rate these books at a three instead of a four or five. If the author cut out a lot of irrelevant junk, these books would be better.
Profile Image for Angela Cornell.
Author 1 book34 followers
July 2, 2021
Dark Guardian Craved KU 302 pages ***.* 7/1/21 Bhathian & Eva

3.5 stars. This story was equally divided into several characters and couples. Eva and Nathalie became closer, Nathalie was a bit over the top with Phoenix in the beginning but finally calmed down some as the story went on. Kian started thinking about ways to infiltrate the Doomer Island but his plan would take possibly years to put into place, with Carol’s help. Amanda and Dalhu were mentioned a little but not much as were Kian and Syssi. It was a slower read than the previous book, still has quite a bit of filler head talk and thinking also. The sex scenes between Bhathian & Eva were much more erotic and romantic at times than in the other books. I did enjoy the book, it just took me awhile to finish it.
Profile Image for TIERN.
521 reviews2 followers
January 13, 2019
Amazing

Another win for Ms.Lucas! This story, a blend with Bathian/ Eva, and Nathalie’s Baby girl to her transition was wonderful, every character played a wonderful role. Exiting, loving and sexy. Jackson and Tessa are so precious.
But Nath is not my favorite character, she bossy and seems to only think of herself, Andrew does it all for her. The more I delve into their story it nagging at me the she’s not that great . If it was the author’s way of bringing out those sentiments, then she done it tenfold. Congrats !
But the book in itself is simply hot, and I cannot wait to read more.

Profile Image for Kathy Wagner.
270 reviews5 followers
July 3, 2017
I really debated what to rate this book. I love the series! The writing is great as is the editing! But the more books there are the harder they are to read. I don't mind changes of POV (point of view) during a book. I like to know what other characters are thinking, even the occasional bad guy POV. However, with this series the more books there are, the more POV's there seem to be. It can get very confusing! For example, the first 8 chapters are 8 different POV's. There are approximately 13 in this book. Talk about a head spinner!
Profile Image for Angela Sanders.
Author 47 books976 followers
July 21, 2017
Amazing!

These books just keep getting better! I finished it a few days ago, but the story and its characters have yet to leave me. I'm excited to see what happens next with Eva, Bhathian, Jackson and Tessa... Just Wow! I don't want to give away spoilers, but the most intriguing part of the book for me was when Tessa had a breakthrough, then Eva and fireworks! I can't leave out Nathalie and Andrew; so perfect especially now with their precious little one.

I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment! Another five-star, must-read! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
74 reviews
January 25, 2018
The Clan is growing.

Spot Feehan and Eva began to get closer Tessa and Jaxson also find a connection together . A new way to discover possible dormant has presented itself and there are already three new candidates . Natalie and Andrew struggle through pregnancy separation childbirth and transition fighting hard to keep the relationship strong . Carol and Robert continued to struggle in their agreement/relationship . Any new enemy player is lurking on the edges to pose a threat to one of the newest members of the group . I just love this series !
16 reviews
September 17, 2017
Love, love, love!!!

I am so addicted to the these books! I just finished reading J.R. Ward book, so I was looking for something else. I ran across some of your reviews, so I decided to take a chance on yours. I'm so glad I did. You have a fan for life.😍 You have such a way of bringing the characters to life. It's like I'm right there. As long as you continue to write, I will continue to read! Thank you!
84 reviews1 follower
July 15, 2018
Dark Guardian Craved ( The Children Of The Gods Book12 )

I was worried that something would happen to Nathalie Or Her Baby, so many good things happened in this book.Andrew and Nathalie had some wonderful changes. Bhathian and Eva are finally on the brink of major changes, also I am very happy that Jackson Is Pulling Tessa Out Of Her Shell. There are allot of worries in the book to come but also some excellent surprises,I hope. ;~)
Profile Image for Red Panda Reads.
472 reviews
Read
April 10, 2023
'Dark Guardian Craved' continues the uncertain relationship building between Eva and Bhathian. It also brings up the idea of purposely sending a member of the clan into a sex slave operation as a spy. This opens the door for torture, rape, and indefinite imprisonment. I cannot believe anyone would suggest this must less support it.

On the plus side, there is a budding relationship I love and am looking forward to more developing between them. I expect bumps along the road, but am cautiously optimistic that these two may have the ending everyone craves for themselves.
Profile Image for Denise Smailes.
7 reviews
July 4, 2017
Tessa and Jackson

I'm dying to see where their story will go. We have fell in love with Kian and Sissy, Amanda and Dahlu, Andrew and Nathalie, Bathian and Eva, now Tessa and Jackson, and so many characters still yet to have their story... My praises to I. T. Lucas once I start a new story I can't put it down and then I am ready for the next one.
Profile Image for Cynthia Denise.
24 reviews
July 5, 2017
Must read

I love the characters and the storyline. It has you laughing,crying,and angry for the characters. I am going to go crazy waiting for the next book. I started this one and like the others could not put it down until I finished it. Now I will go back and re-read the whole series again. Love the books. Thank you for sharing you great stories with us.
6 reviews
August 1, 2017
Captivating

I will admit there are stories to be told in this series. The Children Of The Gods will hold you captive. There are several stories going on and each subject matter seem to connect in a way that holds a reader's attention. All the elements which make for a good read are there to take you on a page turning journey.
187 reviews
August 7, 2018
Dark Guardian Craved (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 12) By I. T. Lucas

This book was fantastic and full of action and adventure and love. I haven't been able to put down. E dry book in the series gets better and better. I can't wait to read the next book!!!
Profile Image for Frances Law.
1,123 reviews14 followers
November 14, 2018
Eva's quandary

Eva finds herself to be more and more reliant on Bhathian being there for her. She realised that she has to decide whether they stay together or not. Nathalie h has a baby and faces transition. Roni does more undercover work for Andrew. There's a lot going on in this book.
392 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2019
Another one of the all time favorite books in this series and I.T. Lucas is one of my very favorite author. I love this series! As I finished one book went to the next! I dont see how in the world each book didn't get 5 stars. Go get book 1 see what you think. I'm betting you will love it!!! Book 13 if you have read it this far I imagine you agree with me this is an awesome series!
Profile Image for Tara Dorough.
1,289 reviews4 followers
August 6, 2019
Characters You Can't Get Enough Off

Dark Guardian Craved is book 12 of I.T. Lucas" The Children of the Gods series. This is a continuation of Eva and Bhathian and Natalie and Andrews story. The other characters in the storyline also progress. With each new book we learn something new about the immortals past. Can't wait to see what's next.
12 reviews1 follower
August 4, 2020
I like the story’s over all. However, I have found as I get into these after book 8-10 I T Locas seems to sometime forget her characters. Example. Chapter 15. “Amanda shook her head. “No. I don’t even like alcohol.” She goes on to state a few more things about her dislike for drinking. Amanda is the character in all the other books mixing drinks first thing as she has guest over.
3 reviews
March 13, 2022
More like a porn build up novel no real story line it’s getting boring I can get sex in my own bedroom don’t need page after page of it This was Very disappointing and I had heard it was a very good read so far I don’t see the good in it or the great story sorry that I could buy a penthouse or a hustler to get this type of story
Profile Image for Gaileen Crowell.
171 reviews
July 11, 2022
More and more mysteries unfold with each book in this series.

I love this series! It is so entertaining and believable as the characters find themselves challenged constantly. Each hurdle is managed and then another obstacle rears its ugly nead. Great writing and a huge recommended read.

Profile Image for Sherry Jarvis.
5 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2017
Can't read enough, LOVED this one also. Funny, sexy and has witty and believable storylines. My dislike is only they are short stories and chapters .

I have told my book buddies to read also and will not be disappointed. Please hurry with the next one.
Profile Image for L.C. Taylor.
Author 75 books433 followers
July 6, 2017
Fantastic Read

I have loved every single book in this series...its an addiction. Just waiting for the next in the series sends me through withdrawal. I am dying to know how Jackson's story turns out!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews

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