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Unbound #4
Dark Crusade
Evil forces...a forbidden love...a deadly witch hunt.
Don't miss Lori Devoti's dark, mesmerizing romance....
Don't miss Lori Devoti's dark, mesmerizing romance....
Exiled rogue shapeshifter Kerr Vik once saw being transported to Gunngar as a fresh start. Until the one person he most regretted leaving behind - captivating witch Heather Moore - stumbles through the portal...and finds herself right in the middle of a witch hunt. Heather has courageously come to Gunngar to redeem herself. But Kerr knows that if she braves it alone...she will die. He must somehow send her back through the portal. And it's not long before a collision of truth, love and duty complicates Kerr's mission by forcing him to choose sides: should he save this forbidden love or protect his honor?
278 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2009
13 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
Lori Devoti
51 books284 followersLori Devoti grew up in southern Missouri and attended college at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned a Bachelor of Journalism. She, however, made it clear to anyone who asked, she was not a writer; she worked for the dark sideadvertising. Now twenty years later, shes proud to declare herself a writer and visit her dark side occasionally by writing dark, sensual paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult novels.
Lori lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, son, Siberian husky and shepherd/puggle cross.
Lori lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, son, Siberian husky and shepherd/puggle cross.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 3, 2016
Kerr slapped both palms against the cold wall of his cell-like room. Damn Heather for confusing him. Damn himself for allowing her to.
Had she come here to seduce him? To buy his allegiance with her body, so he'd forget the rogues who trusted in him? Leave them to die? Could she be that selfish?
You might remember Heather as one of the minor bad guys in Guardian's Keep. Here she is the heroine: a weak witch exiled to another realm for her crimes in Guardian's Keep. Guess who else was exiled to the "purgatory realm?" That's right, Kerr, the noble werewolf who was also in Guardian's Keep. He and his 49 rogue werewolf companions were sent into this realm, only to be pounced on by the light elves who rule the realm.
Marina is the elvish princess who rules the realm, and she is on a witch hunt. Any witches discovered are tied to a stake and burned. This is a bad place for Heather to be. When Kerr finds Heather hiding in a barrel, afraid for her life, instead of turning her in to his new mistress, he protects her.
Can Heather and Kerr find a way out of this horrible dimension?
...
This book was SO GOOD, OMG. I am beyond impressed with this Unbound series by Devoti (this is Book Four). I had no idea Harlequin novels could be this good. I was so lucky that this was my first foray into Harlequin's Nocturne line, the series is excellent.
Devoti moves at a breakneck speed, and things are so exciting. There's always something going on, things are very intense, and I was so concerned with the characters. I couldn't turn pages fast enough, I was so eager to find out what happens. And she keeps slamming you with twists and turns.
Devoti has woven Norse mythology into a modern setting (although since this book takes place in a weird other dimension, we don't really get the modern feeling as much) and she does it brilliantly. This book reminded me a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. There were dragons, dark elves, light elves, witches, dwarves, and werewolves. It was so fun. I really had a great time reading this.
There's tons more to the plot than I mentioned in my little introduction, but I can't even begin to cover this kind of complex plot here.
...
How's the sex, Carmen?
Although the sex was better than it was in the previous book, Wild Hunt, I still feel like it is not good enough to shove this book into the "five star romance" category. She just doesn't focus enough on kissing and foreplay to make me happy here.
...
Tl;dr - Wow. This was such a wild ride, I loved it. I always know a book is good when I can't consume it fast enough and am obsessed with knowing how everything turns out. Devoti has crafted a very amazing series here. If only the sex was a little more to my liking, this would get five romance stars from me. As it stands,
FOUR ROMANCE STARS, THREE REAL STARS
Had she come here to seduce him? To buy his allegiance with her body, so he'd forget the rogues who trusted in him? Leave them to die? Could she be that selfish?
You might remember Heather as one of the minor bad guys in Guardian's Keep. Here she is the heroine: a weak witch exiled to another realm for her crimes in Guardian's Keep. Guess who else was exiled to the "purgatory realm?" That's right, Kerr, the noble werewolf who was also in Guardian's Keep. He and his 49 rogue werewolf companions were sent into this realm, only to be pounced on by the light elves who rule the realm.
Marina is the elvish princess who rules the realm, and she is on a witch hunt. Any witches discovered are tied to a stake and burned. This is a bad place for Heather to be. When Kerr finds Heather hiding in a barrel, afraid for her life, instead of turning her in to his new mistress, he protects her.
Can Heather and Kerr find a way out of this horrible dimension?
...
This book was SO GOOD, OMG. I am beyond impressed with this Unbound series by Devoti (this is Book Four). I had no idea Harlequin novels could be this good. I was so lucky that this was my first foray into Harlequin's Nocturne line, the series is excellent.
Devoti moves at a breakneck speed, and things are so exciting. There's always something going on, things are very intense, and I was so concerned with the characters. I couldn't turn pages fast enough, I was so eager to find out what happens. And she keeps slamming you with twists and turns.
Devoti has woven Norse mythology into a modern setting (although since this book takes place in a weird other dimension, we don't really get the modern feeling as much) and she does it brilliantly. This book reminded me a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. There were dragons, dark elves, light elves, witches, dwarves, and werewolves. It was so fun. I really had a great time reading this.
There's tons more to the plot than I mentioned in my little introduction, but I can't even begin to cover this kind of complex plot here.
...
How's the sex, Carmen?
Although the sex was better than it was in the previous book, Wild Hunt, I still feel like it is not good enough to shove this book into the "five star romance" category. She just doesn't focus enough on kissing and foreplay to make me happy here.
...
Tl;dr - Wow. This was such a wild ride, I loved it. I always know a book is good when I can't consume it fast enough and am obsessed with knowing how everything turns out. Devoti has crafted a very amazing series here. If only the sex was a little more to my liking, this would get five romance stars from me. As it stands,
FOUR ROMANCE STARS, THREE REAL STARS
November 3, 2016
Setting: Gunngar – passageway between Svaralfaheim and Alheim – now blocked by Elvens, imprisoning those inside; Jager battlements (built by the Svaralfaheim) with dungeon, Arn’s pub, medieval like village, woods, portal,
Theme: trust, other’s needs before own, loyalty, love, doing right;
Characters:
Kerr Vik: garm/ guardian – wolf shape shifter; banished to Gunngar with 50 garm; all most want to be guardians; he agrees to be guard to the Jager princess, and his men decide to explore different places; his knightly qualities are conflicted as he navigates his feelings for Heather and her protection, for the garm, who he finds out are imprisoned, not on their own walkabouts;
Heather Moore: witch; raised in foster care, never felt as if fit in; when found some witchy power, she actively sought power; lined self with garm, but for own benefit, not their agenda; punished in an overthrow event by being banished to Gunngar – where she cannot use her power, as the Jungar are hunting witches and she cannot reveal herself; she exits the portal into the pub, where Arn hides her in a barrel (Jager ‘felt’ her energy, they come hunting) and gives her a crystal/stone to hold; Arn makes a chain for the stone, and watches her… and pushes her to hook up with Kerr – as stone selected Heather and Kerr to open the portal;
Marina: Jager leader; Light Elven princess; half Elven and half witch (no one knows witch); leading the Kampanjen – to kill all witches; she wants the vessel/stone back that holds the soul of Amma – a powerful witch, and she kills witches, witch children, suspected witches in her crusade to find the stone (that she lost); has imprisoned the garm (not sure of their potential threat), but hires Kerr to be her guard, to test their kind’s value to her search;
Arn: Svartalfar; bar/inn; he wants the portals to be open, so things can go back to the way they were… knows heather and Kerr are the key to that… though he isn’t too sensitive to anyone else’s wishes;
Lena: Svartalfar; baker; also rebel; works with Heather and other Svartalfar’s to free a witch child and other Svartalfar from the Jager dungeon; she then steps in to lead the Svartalfar (over Arn’s ways) and the witches to aid Heather and Kerr rescue his garm’s and head to/go to the portal;
Amma: half elven/half witch; powerful; tackled the Light Elves (wanted to belong? Wanted to steal their power?)… the Light Elf lords finally captured her, but could not kill her so they separated her soul from her body, placed the soul in a crystal, and sent the crystal with some Elven’s and locked them in Gunngar; she has been looking for a compatible witch, and finally found it in Heather, and she inhabits Heather’s body… and her power comes out a few time in times of stress – and her angry voice, especially against Elves is in Heather’s head… and it ends with Marina extracting amma and Heather’s soul on a needle… and when Heather goes back to her own body (with two souls growing in her womb), Amma can’t go back, so she enters Marina’s body… and a victorious Marina/Amma ride off into the sunset…
Joarr: dragon;
Summary:
And Kerr and the garms figure out how to unlock the portal… and Heather and kerr have come to depend on each other… ahhhh
Theme: trust, other’s needs before own, loyalty, love, doing right;
Characters:
Kerr Vik: garm/ guardian – wolf shape shifter; banished to Gunngar with 50 garm; all most want to be guardians; he agrees to be guard to the Jager princess, and his men decide to explore different places; his knightly qualities are conflicted as he navigates his feelings for Heather and her protection, for the garm, who he finds out are imprisoned, not on their own walkabouts;
Heather Moore: witch; raised in foster care, never felt as if fit in; when found some witchy power, she actively sought power; lined self with garm, but for own benefit, not their agenda; punished in an overthrow event by being banished to Gunngar – where she cannot use her power, as the Jungar are hunting witches and she cannot reveal herself; she exits the portal into the pub, where Arn hides her in a barrel (Jager ‘felt’ her energy, they come hunting) and gives her a crystal/stone to hold; Arn makes a chain for the stone, and watches her… and pushes her to hook up with Kerr – as stone selected Heather and Kerr to open the portal;
Marina: Jager leader; Light Elven princess; half Elven and half witch (no one knows witch); leading the Kampanjen – to kill all witches; she wants the vessel/stone back that holds the soul of Amma – a powerful witch, and she kills witches, witch children, suspected witches in her crusade to find the stone (that she lost); has imprisoned the garm (not sure of their potential threat), but hires Kerr to be her guard, to test their kind’s value to her search;
Arn: Svartalfar; bar/inn; he wants the portals to be open, so things can go back to the way they were… knows heather and Kerr are the key to that… though he isn’t too sensitive to anyone else’s wishes;
Lena: Svartalfar; baker; also rebel; works with Heather and other Svartalfar’s to free a witch child and other Svartalfar from the Jager dungeon; she then steps in to lead the Svartalfar (over Arn’s ways) and the witches to aid Heather and Kerr rescue his garm’s and head to/go to the portal;
Amma: half elven/half witch; powerful; tackled the Light Elves (wanted to belong? Wanted to steal their power?)… the Light Elf lords finally captured her, but could not kill her so they separated her soul from her body, placed the soul in a crystal, and sent the crystal with some Elven’s and locked them in Gunngar; she has been looking for a compatible witch, and finally found it in Heather, and she inhabits Heather’s body… and her power comes out a few time in times of stress – and her angry voice, especially against Elves is in Heather’s head… and it ends with Marina extracting amma and Heather’s soul on a needle… and when Heather goes back to her own body (with two souls growing in her womb), Amma can’t go back, so she enters Marina’s body… and a victorious Marina/Amma ride off into the sunset…
Joarr: dragon;
Summary:
And Kerr and the garms figure out how to unlock the portal… and Heather and kerr have come to depend on each other… ahhhh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2015
The misunderstood 'villians' of Guardian's Keep, get their own chance at love and redemption in Devoti's fourth full length entry in her Unbound series (also Unbound, Wild Hunt, Captured). Dark Crusade pairs the exiled rogue shapeshifting Garm Kerr Vik with the reformed formerly selfish power grasping traitorous apprentice witch Heather, as they are dropped through a portal into a world cut off from the rest of the nine worlds - a world where it's death to be a witch. As Kerr and Heather reconnect the sensual sparks fly. Soon Heather is getting her wish for more power but runs the risk of losing her self to a powerful evil witch in the process and Kerr is torn between saving Kelly or saving the other 50 garm who followed him into exhile but who are now imprisoned with no hope for escape.
Dark Crusade has less of the elements of the Norse myth than the first book, but Devoti expands her universe to include light and dark elves and opens the door to the possiblity of exploring other worlds beyond the portals in the first few books. The best part of Devoti's books for me are her heros, this time we are back to the Garm, the sexy noble shapeshifters who have a deep need to have something to protect. Kelly's plight awakens Kerr's protective instincts and awakens in Heather the possibility of actually trusting another person enough that it makes her connection with Kerr a powerful one. Also it helped that Heather, didn't drive me insane like Devoti's last witch heroine Kelly, it is hard to get past a irritating heroine.
Along with opening up the possiblity for taking her series to other worlds, Devoti sets another garm apart from the crowd, along with another unusual cool and fiery ally, and gives them both a motive for hunting down the villianess of this book - revenge - and doing a great job of setting up for the next episode in the process, can't wait.
Dark Crusade has less of the elements of the Norse myth than the first book, but Devoti expands her universe to include light and dark elves and opens the door to the possiblity of exploring other worlds beyond the portals in the first few books. The best part of Devoti's books for me are her heros, this time we are back to the Garm, the sexy noble shapeshifters who have a deep need to have something to protect. Kelly's plight awakens Kerr's protective instincts and awakens in Heather the possibility of actually trusting another person enough that it makes her connection with Kerr a powerful one. Also it helped that Heather, didn't drive me insane like Devoti's last witch heroine Kelly, it is hard to get past a irritating heroine.
Along with opening up the possiblity for taking her series to other worlds, Devoti sets another garm apart from the crowd, along with another unusual cool and fiery ally, and gives them both a motive for hunting down the villianess of this book - revenge - and doing a great job of setting up for the next episode in the process, can't wait.
April 9, 2011
Lori Devoto is amazingly gifted. This gal's got talent like nobody's business but mine... & yours ;). Dark Crusade is the Fourth in Devoti's Unbound series & held me absolutely spellbound! I was living Heather's life & was mesmerized by the wickedly delicious Kerr. Kerr definitely appeared three dimensional thanks to Devoti's flawless characterization. Brava, Ms. Devoti!
Heather Moore is a witch who was exiled from the human world to Gunngar for her role in helping to overthrow the Garm Council. She must count on Kerr, a garm (wolf shapeshifter) for protection from a malicious elf named Marina ~ who wants all witches dead. Did I mention that the scrumptious Kerr is a wolf shapeshifter?! *Whistle* I am just lovin' the call of the wild & all of nature's beauty ;-)! Ha~ha.
Devoti's alternate world is scintillatingly vibrant & teeming w/ pulse pounding excitement!
Devoti created an unscrupulous cast of characters that will leave you wanting to take them on yourself! She painted them effortlessly w/ a cimmerian & sinister veneer!
Now, let me say the sexual tension... is beyond sizzling! Shameless!
Dark Crusade is definitely a captivating read for packed in under 300 pages... so, my suggestion? Grab the entire Unbound series!
Heather Moore is a witch who was exiled from the human world to Gunngar for her role in helping to overthrow the Garm Council. She must count on Kerr, a garm (wolf shapeshifter) for protection from a malicious elf named Marina ~ who wants all witches dead. Did I mention that the scrumptious Kerr is a wolf shapeshifter?! *Whistle* I am just lovin' the call of the wild & all of nature's beauty ;-)! Ha~ha.
Devoti's alternate world is scintillatingly vibrant & teeming w/ pulse pounding excitement!
Devoti created an unscrupulous cast of characters that will leave you wanting to take them on yourself! She painted them effortlessly w/ a cimmerian & sinister veneer!
Now, let me say the sexual tension... is beyond sizzling! Shameless!
Dark Crusade is definitely a captivating read for packed in under 300 pages... so, my suggestion? Grab the entire Unbound series!
October 31, 2011
This was a good book action in every chapter, I didn’t want to put it down.I liked how the point of view kept changing between the hero and heroine, kept it interesting and you got to enjoy both characters that way.
Blurb:
Exiled rouge shape shifter Kerr Vik once saw being transported to Gunnagar as a fresh start. Until the one person he most regretted leaving behind – captivating witch Heather Monroe—stumbles through the portal...and finds herself right in the middle of a witch hunt. Heather has courageously come to Gunngar to redeem herself. But Kerr knows that if she braves it alone...she will die. He must somehow send her back through the portal. And it’s not long before a collision of truth, love and duty complicates Kerr’s mission by forcing him to choose sides: should he save this forbidden love or protect his honour?
End Blurb
I found I liked that Kerr Vik was a good guy and that Heather was at one time the bad guy or girl.
Blurb:
Exiled rouge shape shifter Kerr Vik once saw being transported to Gunnagar as a fresh start. Until the one person he most regretted leaving behind – captivating witch Heather Monroe—stumbles through the portal...and finds herself right in the middle of a witch hunt. Heather has courageously come to Gunngar to redeem herself. But Kerr knows that if she braves it alone...she will die. He must somehow send her back through the portal. And it’s not long before a collision of truth, love and duty complicates Kerr’s mission by forcing him to choose sides: should he save this forbidden love or protect his honour?
End Blurb
I found I liked that Kerr Vik was a good guy and that Heather was at one time the bad guy or girl.
May 7, 2009
Book 4 in the Unbound series, good read. I thought the setting was interesting - Gunngar is world of exiles made up of bits and pieces of other worlds and times - depending on what the residents brought with them. Example: the innkeeper lights the inn with candles, that he lights with a butane lighter... The main characters were introduced in earlier books and new ones are brought on board as well. The plot was fast-paced and enjoyable. The series has done a good job of making each book be individual while still progressing through the story arc.
Unbound series - reading them in order will increase your enjoyment.
Unbound Silhouette Nocturne
Guardian's Keep (Nocturne)
Wild Hunt (Silhouette Nocturne)
Dark Crusade
Unbound series - reading them in order will increase your enjoyment.
Unbound Silhouette Nocturne
Guardian's Keep (Nocturne)
Wild Hunt (Silhouette Nocturne)
Dark Crusade
October 22, 2013
This was pretty good. I liked the characters and the story line. The was a creative and imaginative world, had some good action scenes, suspense, emotions, and some page turning spots. This started out a slow for me and I was a little confused at first. (I haven't read the other books in the series yet) This book was good but a lot of it didn't really pull me in. There were some really good parts but a lot of this was reading to get to the good parts, felt like cruising then speeding up then cruising again. I don't think I'll end up reading this again but it wasn't a waste of time. Good for passing time, relaxing, or for something to read.
Read
July 19, 2010Kerr is a rogue shapeshifter who is transported to the land of Gunngar for a fresh start. Then the only person he regrets leaving behind shows up there. Heather is a witch and in grave danger in the land of Gunngar. Her kind are hunted and burned for being witches. This is a decent story but seems more urban fantasy than romance to me.
June 10, 2011
Lori Devoti knows how to do twists and turns. Everytime, I thought I was about to get a question answered something new popped up. At times I wanted to throw the book at the wall (I wanted answers!!!), but instead kept reading. Nope, the story was to good to skip pages to the end.
Definitely, going to re-read.
Definitely, going to re-read.
March 24, 2010
I hated this book. From the beginning the hero is an asshole and the heroine is the traitor from book 2. I couldn't find anything to like in either character and the plot was terrible.
August 30, 2010
I enjoyed this book and the story it told. I can't wait to read more from this series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews