Welcome to Safe Haven, where not everything is what it seems.
On a quest to process personal pain, Anastasia joins the Safe Haven Spiritual Retreat. Through meditation, self-reflection, and hard work, she hopes to shed the shackles of society, free herself of her father’s crippling expectations, and most importantly, make peace with the voices in her head.
This is where she belongs.
Except, membership comes with a hefty price, doubts are sacrilege, and leaving is not as easy as walking out the front gate.
Is living in utopia worth the sacrifice?
Anastasia believes so until a new acolyte changes her mind not only about Safe Haven but also about herself and the world she lives in.
Apparently, the gods of old were not a myth, their immortal descendants share the planet with humans, and she might be a carrier of their genes.
I felt like a filler episode, so to speak. It gave background and information but that was it. I guess it had enough details to continue the series and take it in another direction but it didn't give as much as the others. Or is it that it was just to short. Idk It left me wanting more but also something that would have been good as a summary or memory playback.
I can hardly wait until each new installment of the Children of the Gods series comes out. The novel basic premise of the books is that there is a race of beings that are nearly immortal, descended from the Sumerian gods of antiquity. Though they have superior strength and are hard to kill, they must remain hidden within the human population because they are vastly outnumbered. There are two (possibly three) groups in opposition to one another: the Clan, decendants of the goddess Annani, who are champions of Western civilization; and their enemies, the Brotherhood, a group of Immortals led by Navuh, who seek for world dominance. Above all, though the stories have greater political and cultural significance and implications that are fascinating, they are love stories about members of the Clan finding true love.
This story follows a mission to rescue a young woman from a cult. It is a natural extension of the Clan's ongoing commitment to fighting human exploitation and trafficking, and Turner's business of hostage rescue and retrieval. Leon, Peter, and Eleanor go undercover to a retreat run by Safe Haven, the possible cult to bring Anastasia out. It is purported to be a free love, self actualization group helping people find their place in the world. Every indication is that it is a typical cult, but so far they have only uncovered that it's a big money maker for the leader Emmett. However, the investigators begin to question what exactly is Emmett? There are indications that he is much more than he seems. Will they be able to get Anastasia out? Do they need to do more than that based on what might be happening to the other followers, especially the women? Will Leon and Anastasia find love together?
This is a great read, a fun mystery, and a sexy love story.
Anastasia is a probable dormant who is residing in a cult like healing spa resort, and the immortal Guardians are sent in to get her out by her father. Easier said than done though. She feels comfortable and fits in there, unlike out in the real world. Leon is attracted to her immediately, and she to him, but she's extremely insecure and isn't open to pursuing it at first. She's also immune to thralling and compulsion, so Leon has to convince her to leave. Back in the immortal world, Lokan is summoned by his father, the evil god of the Brotherhood, and is told he has to go to China to cause unrest. That creates a huge problem for him and Carol, but is a way for them to unearth information about another group of unknown immortals that may be in Asia somewhere !! And Lisa finally meets Parker and they seem to really hit it off, if Parker becoming super aroused all the time is not just him being a typical male teenager, lol !! Can kids that young be fated mates ?? New questions and new mysteries abound in this book 47 ! An immensely interesting and awesome world Isabel has created in this Children of the Gods series !!! A must read , but I suggest starting at the beginning of course !!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Dark Haven Illusion- (The Children of the Gods Paranormal Romance Book 47) -I.T. Lucas
This riveting series has so many twists and turns as it adds a new storyline to the overall series arch. The clan is now investigating a cult where they are trying to release a potential dormant,Ana, who has joined them. Her father thinks the cult is after her money, she thinks she is crazy or psychotic because she hears it voices and Leon,, one of the three guardians sent to find her, hopes she is the dormant/fated mate he has been praying for. It’s all very tricky and as she knows nothing about the gods, immortals or her potential. So many questions and concerns going forward , such as who really is Emmett the head of the cult? Could he also be an immortal? Is Lokan in trouble with Navuh and what will this new situation mean for his mate Carol, and the clan. Who in the end is Lokan going to be loyal to? Will Anastasia and Leon mate and will she transition? What are the voices she hears? So this page turning exciting installment of the series continues to bring up mysteries, intrigue, dangerous situations, sensual romance and lots of questions. Hopefully some will be answered in Book 48.
Dark Haven Illusion KU 307 pgs ***.* 8/26/21 Leon & Anastasia
3.5 stars. This was an okay read, nothing exciting but the flow was good and there weren’t a lot of filler pages. Leon & Anastasia took a while to get going but they did click. The cult like place where she was living was a little weird and boring but that was the point, I think. The mastermind of the place, Emmett, was good at hiding out and not being in public or in the compound so it was hard for Eleanor, Leon and Peter to get much info about the place to see if it was a cult or what it was. Testing different people with thralling and compulsion works at times but other times some were immune. Leon tried to convince Anastasia to leave with him for a week to give them a chance to see if they were more than just hook ups in the cult since it is a “free love” place. She finally agreed but it would take some maneuvering to get them out for a week. It was an okay read just boring at times.
Dark Haven Illusion introduces us to new characters Leon, Peter, and Ana for a new story line while still allowing is to continue from where Dark Secrets Absolved left off.
It was nice seeing Eleanor being able to prove herself to others besides Kri and Greggory. I have had a hard time trusting her myself after everything, but I am hopeful she stays on this path!
I adore the small tidbits we get with all the characters at the Village with David’s mom and sister moving in. I love starting a new storyline with the Clan finding possible Dormants especially when it could be a gated match, but I love how Ms. Lucas allows us to remain connected to everyone else.
Looking forward to the next book!!
(Able to read the ARC for this story and my review is my own and voluntary)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I like that we get better pictures of different members of Annani's clan. We've seen a little of Leon in a few of the other books, so it was nice to see more of him.
I really liked the team of Eleanor and Peter. Peter is funny and they play off of each other well.
I think the thing I like least about this series is how the chapters jump around to unrelated scenes: from Leon, Peter and Eleanor to Parker and Lisa looking at a potential high school to Lokan dealing with his father. Most, if not all, of the books so this. It's like a soap opera, but in book form.
I'll get over it though. I mean it's been over 40 books and I'm still here, so...
Now, there big question/mystery it's: who is Emmett Haderech??? I can't wait to find out!
Dark Haven Illusion is book 47 of I.T. Lucas' Children of the Gods series. The dormant plot thickens when Leon, Peter and Eleanor to undercover inside a cult to rescue a young woman for Turner's client. Anastasia turns out to be a potential dormant. Now everything changes. Read along to find it what the clan will do to figure out what the cult leader is up to and how to get Ana out. With each new book the story grows and develops. The twist and turns are wonderful. The ever changing characters bring new life and energy into the series. It's hard to believe but even after 47 books I can't wait for the next release.
This was another amazing book by IT Lucas. If you haven’t started this series go and do it!
This story revolves around Anastasia and Leon. Anastasia has searched for a place to fit in and believes she has found it in Safe Haven. Leon and two other clan members have gone to Save Haven to get Anastasia out of the cult she has found herself in. Things heat up in the best way and now Anastasia had a decision to make.
I feel in love with the Children of the Gods books when I discovered them a few years ago and this one is just as good as the rest. I cannot wait to see where Anastasia and Leon’s story will go.
Another fantastic installment of another book in the series. I admit to missing the castle and had hoped we’d be there for a bit longer. However, I’m happy to go wherever we are taken on this journey. So it looks like China is going to be heavily in our future reading. Plus, can’t wait to read more on Parker and Lisa. Something Parker said early on had me in a giggle fit. He was thinking of a pill or something that would make his urgent feelings less urgent. Poor kid. Love Lisa and Leon together. She cracks me up. Can’t wait to read about their week at the cabin. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Happy reading!
I always want to rate this series higher. Each time I read the next book, I think the next one can't get better. But it does. This is by far one of my favorite series ever. If you haven't read it you definitely need to. You will not be disappointed. I know I say this a lot, but I really hope that some how Ananni gets her HEA. I always fall for the male immortal in one way or another. Each time I start reading the next book I say I won't love this guy as much, but luckily I'm always wrong. I hope this series never ends.
Lucas' books always give you new couples that learn to trust and love each other even under the hardest and sometimes the oddest situation. Lucas' books are sexy but not just about the sex. Don't get me wrong great sex is important but a book has to be more than people having sex all the time. I also like how the books tie history into the fiction. They make you think about the other historical facts that could be changed to fit into future stories. I can't wait to see what happens with this book's characters and hopefully the new ones about China.
If you are one that has not read any of the Children of the Gods by I T Lucas, then you are lucky enough to have 47 books and counting to lose yourself in . I can't say enough good things about the experience of this series. I anxiously await each new book and am so grateful that the wait isn't as long as with some authors. You , new readers of this series, are in for a treat. Start from book#1 and go for it.
I have read and/or listened to this entire series, and I'm still loving each book even after book 47. The storyline does not get boring, drawnout, or redundant at any point and I'm always anxiously awaiting for the next book to be released. I really enjoy how the author does not just concentrate on one particular couple for each of her "trilogy 's". We get lots of POV from various characters.
A new love story. New characters to get to know. Eleanor is stepping up and trying to prove herself. Leon and Anastasia have chemistry. Richard and Stella are opening up more and their relationship has really progressed. We learn of Stella's secret and it looks like we may have different kinds of immortals out in the world. Interesting to see if this takes us towards Vampires or something else like Mey and Jin or the Odus. Looking forward to where this may all lead.
I guess the author resumed the drawn out storyline for mates because this has a lot of fluff and filler thoughts throughout, espousing from Ana and Eleanor. Had to skip a lot. It’s not analytical thinking. If it was I wouldn’t complain. But it’s not. It’s just paragraph after paragraph of irrational and illogical thoughts.
See my notes and highlights on Goodreads. Happy reading!
We heard about Anastasia \Ana staying at the cult Safe Haven in book46 Turner employed Marisol, Leon & Peter from The Clan to go in undercover to get Ana out for her father.
Turns out Ana has dormant trates which doesn't help Leon when he can't stop thinking about her or sleeping with her.
Will Leon reveal he's true self to her in the next book, I hope so we need another HEA
This story about a retrieval mission to get a possible dormant out of a cult scenario just didn’t do as much for me as the previous books. The writing quality is good but it seemed slower than the others and I didn’t develop any attachment to the characters. I will continue reading the series but it might be running it’s course.
Each book in the series that I read leaves me craving the next episode!
I usually avoid reading anything with multiple episodes, but the characters are so well crafted and the story so compelling, that I am addicted to Children of the Gods and can’t wait for the next development.
Despite loving the series, sadly the characters of this book are some of the less interesting ones. I was bored by the main couple and was almost skipping chapters to see some of the other interesting characters of the series. In a great series there have been some weak books, for me this is one of those.
There’s a lot happening in the story. It’s not just the beginning and our introduction to Anastasia, but also major things changes for Lokan are coming that will affect all immortals. Parker, the youngest immortal in the village has been introduced to the younger sister of David, Annani’s daughter Sari, the head of the Scottish clan. More adventures to come!
When I started this I immediately didn't like Ana. She's weak and whiney and I just didn't care for her. When she gets involved with Sam/Leon she suddenly got a personality. I'm not sure how I feel about that....but I just preordered the next book. It's my guilty pleasure.
Well Ana might be in a cult, she might be a Dormant and Leon might have found his true love mate! Just like the other books in this series we have a possible love match with some intrigue and of course sex! Seriously I.T Lucas writes great stories that I can't stop reading! Do try some of them and get hooked!
Well I must say the further you get into these books ,you finally start getting somewhere with the bad guys .That's my end line waiting for the conclusion ,hopefully there is one and it doesn't take another 50 books to get there. This book was actually exciting. Happy reading
Getting too close to the end of this series and dont want it to end. I would have never thought I would want to read 50 stories in a row from the same author but I. T. Lucas has taken me on a journey I had to finish. I have enjoyed ever minute of this trip with the Children Of The Gods. Thank you I.T.Lucas for the many, many hours of enjoyment.
Fast paced, well written fiction series that helps everyone who ever knew the person on the phone before they answered it. The author has given the reader an explanation for the mysteries that happen in life, one everyone who gets involved in the series hopes is real.
This is not my favorite book in the series. Just like TV soaps not every episode is your fave. I don't like the two new characters. The continuing storyline about the teenagers is endearing. This is a well written, thoughtful & creative series. This one book not being my favorite is a personal preference & not indicative of the series.
Leon and Anatasia's romance was sweet, but the mystery surrounding Emmet was intriguing is he an immortal? The shift to focus on China and possible immortals there is another mystery. Can't wait to see what Eleanor does to find what Emmet is up to.
This is a fabulous series. It gets better as it in winds. I love all the new characters. I am now finished with book 47 but will begin 15 in my reread. I T Lucas you never disappoint.
Dark Haven Illusion, book 48 of The Children of the Gods series lives up to the high standard that I T Lucas obtains in her writing. I have read all of the series and most of then more than once. From the first to the current last book the story just flows. I look forward to the next book and I highly recommend these books to everyone.