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The Esri #2
Dark Deceiver
And now Kaderil the Dark plans to invade the human realm. He's on a mission to steal back the stones of power that they possess, and kill a small band of humans immune to Esri enchantment. But in the human realm he meets Autumn McGinn, who holds the means for him to claim victory-if only she'll betray her people. Something about this vibrant beauty's sweetness and gentle kindness moves him, and though Kade vows to stay away, he must protect her from other Esri hell-bent on destroying the human race. Torn between duty and conscience, can Kade overcome his sinister desires-or will he find redemption in Autumn's vibrant embrace?
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
717 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Palmer
67 books1,226 followersPamela Palmer is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Feral Warriors shape-shifter series, the Esri Series, and (coming in 2012) the Vamp City series. Raised in an Air Force family, Pamela lived in eleven different houses by the time she was fourteen. The two constants in her life—her family and her imagination. When her initial career goal of captaining starships didn't pan out, she turned to engineering, satisfying her desire for adventure with books and daydreams until finally succumbing to the need to create worlds of her own. Pamela now calls the suburbs of Washington, D.C. home.
For excerpts, more about the books and characters, and fun contests, visit www.pamelapalmer.net.
For excerpts, more about the books and characters, and fun contests, visit www.pamelapalmer.net.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 30, 2012
4.5 stars, rounded up. I read this series last summer. Emotionally, I loved this book, even though the plot has a few holes in it. I have read all 4 books in the Esri series by Pamela Palmer. I didn't care too much for book 1. This one -- book 2 -- is the best in the series, IMO. Excellent suspense, excellent tension, great character development and some good loving. I loved it!
I also liked book 3, A Warrior's Desire.
I also liked book 3, A Warrior's Desire.
December 30, 2012
Weak 3 stars. At best it kept my interest and I did not wish it would be over.
I felt like the author was “assigned” to write this book instead of being “inspired” to write it. Nothing special or different about the characters and actions. I do like the overall setting and plot: Esri vs Sitheens and humans. The best thing about it: I was curious to keep reading. But on hindsight, I would not recommend it. I didn’t smile. There was no wow.
This is book 2 in a 4 book series. It’s probably best to read them in order.
I don’t mind reading about a stupid actions if they fit the characters. But the author used illogical thoughts that had me shaking my head. Not enjoyable. Examples are in Spoilers below.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
The Sitheen are searching for magic stones. When Autumn locates them she doesn’t tell her Sitheen friends. Her reason is she wants to wait until she has all stones together and then present them as a group. The result is bad guys find her and take her partial collection.
Kade says he must leave her because “The Sitheen can’t allow an Esri to remain in this world.” That’s not true. In the end he stays.
Autumn is forced to set a trap for Jack. She tells him to come alone because she’s not sure anyone else should see something until Jack sees it first. Jack is a smart police detective. He knows the Esri can control humans and make them say things. Autumn is human. He would have been suspicious. It did not fit his character for him “to come alone.” Of course it resulted in something bad happening to him.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 270 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Setting: current day Washington D.C. Copyright: 2008. Genre: fantasy romantic suspense.
I felt like the author was “assigned” to write this book instead of being “inspired” to write it. Nothing special or different about the characters and actions. I do like the overall setting and plot: Esri vs Sitheens and humans. The best thing about it: I was curious to keep reading. But on hindsight, I would not recommend it. I didn’t smile. There was no wow.
This is book 2 in a 4 book series. It’s probably best to read them in order.
I don’t mind reading about a stupid actions if they fit the characters. But the author used illogical thoughts that had me shaking my head. Not enjoyable. Examples are in Spoilers below.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
The Sitheen are searching for magic stones. When Autumn locates them she doesn’t tell her Sitheen friends. Her reason is she wants to wait until she has all stones together and then present them as a group. The result is bad guys find her and take her partial collection.
Kade says he must leave her because “The Sitheen can’t allow an Esri to remain in this world.” That’s not true. In the end he stays.
Autumn is forced to set a trap for Jack. She tells him to come alone because she’s not sure anyone else should see something until Jack sees it first. Jack is a smart police detective. He knows the Esri can control humans and make them say things. Autumn is human. He would have been suspicious. It did not fit his character for him “to come alone.” Of course it resulted in something bad happening to him.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 270 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Setting: current day Washington D.C. Copyright: 2008. Genre: fantasy romantic suspense.
September 15, 2008
Second in the Esri series, this is an awesome book! I confess Pam is a good friend of mine and I critiqued this book for her (so I saw it first!) but she really is a fabulous new voice in the paranormal romance genre. Here you have a smart, clutzy heroine and a dark, mysterious hero on a quest to save the world. What more could you want?
Keep an eye out for Palmer's new Feral Warriors series coming summer of 2009!
Keep an eye out for Palmer's new Feral Warriors series coming summer of 2009!
November 13, 2013
Violence and darkness in a villain never looked so good and Kederil the Dark is a very delicious bad boy! Kederil, (Kade), and Autumn's story is told in this the second book in the Esria series. Autumn is a friend of Larsen's in the first book of the series, The Dark Gate, and she joins with the original cast of characters in Dark Deceiver to guard against the return of the Esri. Was happy to see Larsen, Jack, and the rest of the gang from book one return. Love it when a series doesn't just drop characters from previous books but gives them a place in each new book in the series.
In Dark Deceiver a team of four from Earia is sent into our world to recover the all important dragon stone. A stone know to be a key used to open or lock all the gates between the human world and the world of the Esri, (faerie). Also a major part of the mission is to find an additional six stones that had been removed from Esria. These stones contain great power to work magic. Kade's task is to find the dragon stone while Zander and Ustanis are to search for the remaining six power stones. Yes, you counted right, one of the team members doesn't get to stay in the human world. The fact that Zander hates Kade with a passion complicates an already difficult undertaking for Kade. After Kade meets Autumn, and her friends, what is a difficult task becomes distasteful as well. Never having interacted with humans Kade's ideas of what they are under goes a major shift during his time with Autumn.
Autumn is not the typical gorgeous female that does the reforming of a villain, which I find refreshing. Autumn is six foot four inches of, in her words, "orange hair, freckles and a gene for klutziness".--Autumn has a great sense of humor that I think she uses to cover a lot of her insecurities with.-- Kade sees her in an entirely different light. Of course when you stand seven foot tall like Kade does it makes Autumn's height a perfect fit for him. Isn't it wonderful when a person only sees flaws in themselves while those exact same "flaws" are what draws someone else's attention and admiration.
Kade is not pure Esri so his human blood, and his human looks insures he has no family or friends in Esria. He has made a place for himself as the Punisher for King Rith by being the most vicious, ruthless, feared male in the land. Love it in the book when Kade has to keep reminding himself to be a "nice human" those times he has to communicate with humans . Autumn's warmth, humor, and kindness gives him something he has never experienced before....acceptance....love. Kade becomes increasingly determined to protect Autumn but when he finds out the truth about his king and Zander's plans he realizes that he is going to have to save Autumn's human world in order to save Autumn.
Fast paced read that I hated to put down once started. So you might want to make sure you have plenty of time to spare so you aren't interrupted at a critical point in the book which seems to happen every few pages. Would recommend you read this series in order but that's pretty much any series you start, right? Love this series and would highly recommend to anyone.
In Dark Deceiver a team of four from Earia is sent into our world to recover the all important dragon stone. A stone know to be a key used to open or lock all the gates between the human world and the world of the Esri, (faerie). Also a major part of the mission is to find an additional six stones that had been removed from Esria. These stones contain great power to work magic. Kade's task is to find the dragon stone while Zander and Ustanis are to search for the remaining six power stones. Yes, you counted right, one of the team members doesn't get to stay in the human world. The fact that Zander hates Kade with a passion complicates an already difficult undertaking for Kade. After Kade meets Autumn, and her friends, what is a difficult task becomes distasteful as well. Never having interacted with humans Kade's ideas of what they are under goes a major shift during his time with Autumn.
Autumn is not the typical gorgeous female that does the reforming of a villain, which I find refreshing. Autumn is six foot four inches of, in her words, "orange hair, freckles and a gene for klutziness".--Autumn has a great sense of humor that I think she uses to cover a lot of her insecurities with.-- Kade sees her in an entirely different light. Of course when you stand seven foot tall like Kade does it makes Autumn's height a perfect fit for him. Isn't it wonderful when a person only sees flaws in themselves while those exact same "flaws" are what draws someone else's attention and admiration.
Kade is not pure Esri so his human blood, and his human looks insures he has no family or friends in Esria. He has made a place for himself as the Punisher for King Rith by being the most vicious, ruthless, feared male in the land. Love it in the book when Kade has to keep reminding himself to be a "nice human" those times he has to communicate with humans . Autumn's warmth, humor, and kindness gives him something he has never experienced before....acceptance....love. Kade becomes increasingly determined to protect Autumn but when he finds out the truth about his king and Zander's plans he realizes that he is going to have to save Autumn's human world in order to save Autumn.
Fast paced read that I hated to put down once started. So you might want to make sure you have plenty of time to spare so you aren't interrupted at a critical point in the book which seems to happen every few pages. Would recommend you read this series in order but that's pretty much any series you start, right? Love this series and would highly recommend to anyone.
September 2, 2008
Quoted from my review @ http://misscz.wordpress.com
Autumn McGinn is not Sitheen — the name given to the humans with Esri ancestors. She helped them find the draggon stone in the first book, and she helping with midnight patrols and research. So far, things aren’t going so well for her. She lets one of the Esri escape and she hasn’t had any luck finding the other stones. And she’s a bit of a klutz. It’s no small surprise to her that she nearly brains the tall, mysterious stranger who comes looking for Larsen at the houseboat. Autumn is immediately taken with him. At 6′4 and self-described as “Ronald McDonald’s Amazonian cousin”, it’s rare for her to find anyone — outside of the NBA — taller than she, and who appears to be interested in her.
Living centuries surrounded by the shorter and very pale Esri, Kade finds the red-headed Autumn to be the most vibrant creature he’s ever beheld. Her genuine concern for him touches him profoundly. Because he has a human ancestor — who, he doesn’t know — he is considered an outcast. He’s made a life for himself as the Punisher, the king’s personal bouncer (for the lack of a better description). He is feared throughout Esria, though he has no power other than his strength and physical appearance. It’s a lonely existence. Nobody has ever shown him kindness or acceptance. Autumn’s reaction to him unravels his world, right from the beginning. Just being near her makes him forget his mission. When he does think about it, he is determined that she remain unharmed no matter what happens to the Sitheen, and he dwells on the fact that giving her up will be the hardest thing he’s ever done.
I really loved this book. I loved watching Kaderil’s transformation from the Punisher to the man who would forsake even his life to save the human world — all for the woman he loved. Ms. Palmer added a little more to the world-building with the backstory of how the stones ended up in our world. The book ends with the possibility of more stories to come. I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Besides Larsen and Jack, the rest of the gang was back for book two. Charlie, Harrison, Aunt Myrtle, and Tarrys. Poor little Tarrys. Still nursing a major crush on Charlie. A little advice for you, Tarrys: try wearing clothes that actually fit you. I’m sure you’re very fond of your over-sized Redskins shirt (or is that the author’s) and too-big jeans, but Charlie probably thinks you’re, like, twelve when you dress that way. Oh, and one other fashion tip: wear a bathing suit at all times. If you’re destined to be a heroine in your own book, have scuba gear handy, for your author has a fondness for dumping her lovebirds in the Potomac. ;-)
Autumn McGinn is not Sitheen — the name given to the humans with Esri ancestors. She helped them find the draggon stone in the first book, and she helping with midnight patrols and research. So far, things aren’t going so well for her. She lets one of the Esri escape and she hasn’t had any luck finding the other stones. And she’s a bit of a klutz. It’s no small surprise to her that she nearly brains the tall, mysterious stranger who comes looking for Larsen at the houseboat. Autumn is immediately taken with him. At 6′4 and self-described as “Ronald McDonald’s Amazonian cousin”, it’s rare for her to find anyone — outside of the NBA — taller than she, and who appears to be interested in her.
Living centuries surrounded by the shorter and very pale Esri, Kade finds the red-headed Autumn to be the most vibrant creature he’s ever beheld. Her genuine concern for him touches him profoundly. Because he has a human ancestor — who, he doesn’t know — he is considered an outcast. He’s made a life for himself as the Punisher, the king’s personal bouncer (for the lack of a better description). He is feared throughout Esria, though he has no power other than his strength and physical appearance. It’s a lonely existence. Nobody has ever shown him kindness or acceptance. Autumn’s reaction to him unravels his world, right from the beginning. Just being near her makes him forget his mission. When he does think about it, he is determined that she remain unharmed no matter what happens to the Sitheen, and he dwells on the fact that giving her up will be the hardest thing he’s ever done.
I really loved this book. I loved watching Kaderil’s transformation from the Punisher to the man who would forsake even his life to save the human world — all for the woman he loved. Ms. Palmer added a little more to the world-building with the backstory of how the stones ended up in our world. The book ends with the possibility of more stories to come. I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Besides Larsen and Jack, the rest of the gang was back for book two. Charlie, Harrison, Aunt Myrtle, and Tarrys. Poor little Tarrys. Still nursing a major crush on Charlie. A little advice for you, Tarrys: try wearing clothes that actually fit you. I’m sure you’re very fond of your over-sized Redskins shirt (or is that the author’s) and too-big jeans, but Charlie probably thinks you’re, like, twelve when you dress that way. Oh, and one other fashion tip: wear a bathing suit at all times. If you’re destined to be a heroine in your own book, have scuba gear handy, for your author has a fondness for dumping her lovebirds in the Potomac. ;-)
March 22, 2010
Outsider Kade is sent to Earth to find the stones and kill all the remaining Sitheens (humans with the ability to stop the Esri). When he meets Autumn who believes she is a Sitheen, the sparks fly and the attraction is instant. Autumn hates the Esri but doesn't know Kade is one so she falls...hard. Now Kade must decide - the mission or the woman?
This is fast-paced, well-written and jumps right into the action on the first page. I really liked Autumn. At 6'4" she is down to earth, klutzy, laughs at herself. She is totally amazed that 7 foot tall god-like Kade is interested in her...her the klutzy giantess.
This is a good series but you definitely need to start with The Dark Gate.
This is fast-paced, well-written and jumps right into the action on the first page. I really liked Autumn. At 6'4" she is down to earth, klutzy, laughs at herself. She is totally amazed that 7 foot tall god-like Kade is interested in her...her the klutzy giantess.
This is a good series but you definitely need to start with The Dark Gate.
January 15, 2014
Kaderil, a half Esri lord, is at once a fearsome yet flawed being, on the cusp of surrendering to his human side, and it is the intensely human Autumn McGinnis, the odd-girl out on the team of Sitheen who have taken it upon themselves to hold back the Esri from crossing over into the human realm, whose love helps him to find a balance between his fearsome power and his gentler side. In so doing, a man sent to spear head the destruction of the human world chooses instead to help defend it and defend the woman who helped him rediscover his heart.
The level of suspense in this book is top-drawer and the hero and heroine don't just have chemistry going on, they have something equal only to nuclear physics. An awesome read you'll wish wouldn't end!
The level of suspense in this book is top-drawer and the hero and heroine don't just have chemistry going on, they have something equal only to nuclear physics. An awesome read you'll wish wouldn't end!
January 12, 2013
I absolutely loved this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and felt pulled into their struggle. Once I started this one, I could not put it down. Kade and Autumn are my favorite pair out of the Sitheen :) I loved Autumn's klutziness because it is something I can relate to. Her intelligence more than makes up for her being "only human". Kade is a wonderful character who gives up everything that he thought he knew for the love of his life. This was my favorite one out of the Esri series!
November 26, 2010
I love Pamela Palmer's Feral Warriors, so I thought I would give this a try. The second book in this series, but I don't feel I missed anything by reading it first. Great story,it moved fast and I loved the hero and heroine. There are two more coming out in this series which I will be reading...
October 18, 2013
I won this book for free through goodreads first reads.
A great book that is fast paced and filled to the brim with an enchanting story line. I loved it.
A great book that is fast paced and filled to the brim with an enchanting story line. I loved it.
March 5, 2011
good series
December 15, 2017
I am a huge sucker for this kind of hero—the scary, evil, never-had-any-friends-before archetype—and this book solidly delivered.
October 16, 2018
Good worldbuilding.
December 18, 2019
Really enjoyed this , looking forward to next in series
April 24, 2022
This was a very enjoyable book. Palmer is a good writer, and did a very good job making her characters and her story realistic, romantic, and exciting. Can't wait to read more by the author!
April 7, 2010
This is the second book in Palmer's Esri series, and it did not dissapoint! (Actually, I couldn't put it down and finished it in 1 day)Dark Deceiver continues the series through Autumn, a friend of Larsen's who has a knack for research and recently joined the fight against the Esri; and Kade, the half Esri half human out to destroy them. Once again, I liked the action and supsense/thriller elements, as well as, the unpredictability of the plot and watching the struggle and growing attraction between Autumn and Kade. As with her Feral Warrior Series, I liked how she included characters from the first book, and how the story took off where The Dark Gate ended. I think readers will find memorable and relatable characters w/ a story that will leave them wanting more. As you can guess, I would definately recommend this book to other readers, and hope the author continues the series.
August 6, 2016
This was an enjoyable read with moderately fast paced story telling.
I kinda liked how the earth was being invaded and one of the invaders falling in love with a human. Kind of predictable, but still makes for an enjoyable read. Especially for the teenagers I suppose.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Firstreads.
I kinda liked how the earth was being invaded and one of the invaders falling in love with a human. Kind of predictable, but still makes for an enjoyable read. Especially for the teenagers I suppose.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Firstreads.
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June 28, 2008This is a quick read and pretty decent. It is the story of the Esri that come to Earth to try and take over. The one called the Punisher comes to Earth to get the stones that will provide the power for his king. But he falls for an Earthling and has to decide does he follow his king or his heart.
June 11, 2024
Read this book before joining Goodreads , so I rated this just by what I feel after I finish read. Of course I already forget the story and it's been more than 13 years. I plan to do a re-read when I have time to complete the Esri series
April 17, 2011
Oops! Read the second one first! Oh well, I loved it and I'm def gonna read the first one! The plot was great, the relationship was believable and wow- talk about passionate! There's that one scene- near the end- literally had me in tears. You'll know when u get to it but I don't wanna spill it.
October 26, 2013
I received Dark Deceiver book from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
This is the second book in the series. The characterization is well developed and the characters are believable. The romance is great! This will be a series that I will continue to read.
This is the second book in the series. The characterization is well developed and the characters are believable. The romance is great! This will be a series that I will continue to read.
August 28, 2010
This book was really pretty good. I enjoyed it and I think I want to read the rest of this series to see how it all ends.
dnf
September 7, 2011Quit on page 19.
Heroine endangers all of humanity because one of the monsters threatening it looks like a teenager and surges out of the TSTL gate.
Heroine endangers all of humanity because one of the monsters threatening it looks like a teenager and surges out of the TSTL gate.
February 1, 2012
Not sure what to say...hero is despicable...
August 29, 2013
This was a very enjoyable book. Palmer is a good writer, and did a very good job making her characters and her story realistic, romantic, and exciting. Can't wait to read more by the author!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews