Game Over

Guardian #1

by Taylor Keating

Video game designer River Weston is ready to sell her soul to smooth out the glitches in her latest project. When she unwittingly taps into a parallel dimension via cutting-edge technology, a Dark Lord is quick to take her up on her inadvertent offer. Trapped in the world she thought she’d created for her game, River finds herself in a very real alternate dimension that she must escape from before her soul can be used to unleash evil--upon this dimension and many others.River’s only ally is the sexy and mysterious Chase Hawkins. A prisoner of the Dark Lord, Hawk is a man adrift—literally. His body safe at home under the watchful care of the Guardians’ scientists, his astral-traveling spirit has been enslaved by his people’s worst enemy, the Dark Lord. Clinging desperately to his sense of self, Hawk is determined to turn the tables on his captor before the connection to his body is lost. When the beautiful, achingly familiar River enters the picture, he vows he will do everything he can to save her from her bleak fate.Drawn together with an inescapable force, Hawk and River must wrest her soul from the Dark Lord’s grasp before it’s too late.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Science Fiction

405 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 2010

About the author

Taylor Keating is the pseudonym of writing team Catherine Verge and Paula Altenburg

Catherine Verge
A multi published author in the romance genre under another pen name, Catherine is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Catherine can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

A maritime native and former financial officer, Catherine has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.

Paula Altenburg
The other half of Taylor Keating, Paula grew up in rural Nova Scotia knowing that at some point in her life she was going to be a fiction writer. Swapping Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey books with her father guaranteed she wasn’t going to be the next Jane Austen, much to the dismay of her English teacher mother.

University followed. A degree in Social Anthropology from the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, again meant writing was the logical (meaning only) career path for her, although it did confirm her belief that learning is a life-long experience. She’s taken business courses, writing courses, and physiology of aquatic animals courses, all at the university level and all for fun.

She now works in the Aerospace industry, which surprises everyone who knows her. Happily married, with two terrific sons, she continues to live in rural Nova Scotia but makes a point of traveling as much as she can. New York and Brussels are tied for her favorite cities of all time.

She reads in all genres, which isn’t surprising considering her life is all over the board, but fantasy and paranormal romance are her writing loves. Sorry Dad, Louis L’Amour’s job was already taken.

Reviews

[Mandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually write my own summaries for the books I review, but this one has so many facets and rules to it, I probably would have wrote three pages just on the summary. Game Over is the first book in the Guardian series by the writing team of Catherine Verge and Paula Fox. Not only is this book about River trapped in her own virtual reality game, but it is also the struggle between the Fae and Guardians protecting the world from the Dark Lord and all of the evil beasts that roam the streets. It is about River, realizing she is definitely not human. And it is about the aftermath of the Great War that devastated the world. Fae in this world spread life and Guardians, their protectors bring a specialization for technology. They live in other worlds, having a special ability to transport.

I think this is a really fun premise for a book, but not executed as well as it could have been. While River lies unconscious at her gaming headquarters, the majority of the book is her in the virtual world trying to escape and learning who she can trust. In essence, she unknowingly sells her soul to the dark lord, and in turn, he starts to hunt her. Hawk, whose mind has been imprisoned by The Dark Lord has been thrust into the game with her, and once he learns she is half Fae, since he is a Guardian, he must protect her. Once trust is achieved, a relationship develops as well. Hawk knows Guardians are not suppose to enter into relationships with those they protect, but his heart has another course for him.

Many rules are set up and this is an intricate world. I wish we would have had more explanation for a couple of things. First, what exactly happened during this Great War that decimated the world’s population. Also, I am still uncertain about the awareness of the supernatural beings to the normal human. We are told a secret governmental study is leaked, and so some believe these creatures exist, while others are still skeptical. Yet they attack people on the street. I also think we really missed out on a lot of Hawk’s back story. We learn his wife and daughter have died, but we don’t get to know a lot about him. I enjoyed him as the hero – he was tough, sexy, and has a nice sense of humor, but we don’t get to know him that well. There is a set-up for a second book, so hopefully we will dive more into his character and the world he is from. While I felt at times we are bombarded with information, there is still a great deal I wish was explained more.

There is also a big supporting character, Nick who is River’s co-worker and occasional bed buddy. He plays a very big role in this book. I loved his ambiguous nature, and the battle between being pressured from the evil baddies and questioning his loyalty to River. He would get jealous watching the interactions between Hawk and River on screen, yet you never felt he really wanted to be exclusive with her. He is a cool character that adds much to this story.

Like I mentioned, this is a nice, different premise. The action never stalls and eventually (they make you wait awhile) the romance becomes very steamy indeed. I will definitely be reading the second book with hopes that more of the world is revealed and explained.

[Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of remember hearing about this book when it was first release, but I did the unthinkable…judged a book by its cover (hides face behind hand)! I didn’t even read the synopsis, something I always do. The cover may be cheesy with the half naked man but the story within the book was great! It’s labeled as a paranormal romance but it was kind of light on the romance and heavy on the action; not that I’m complaining. I never read a book like Game Over before, where the writers blended elements of the paranormal (faes, and guardians, those who are the protector of the faes), apocalyptic world, and sci-fi. I would consider this somewhat science-fiction because of the technology/video-gaming elements.

The main character River develops this game but somehow she taps into an alternate universe where the imprisoned Dark Lord harvests people’s souls for power. The Dark Lord is hoping to capture River’s soul to break out of his prison, and get revenge on the Guardians that imprisoned him in the first place. Hawk, one of the Dark Lord’s prisoners is offered his freedom if he brings River to the Dark Lord. Hawk takes the Dark Lord on his offer, but once he meets River he changes his plans as he help her escape the Dark Lord’s lair.

I really like the concept of the book; it’s different from everything I ever read. The Majority of the book takes place in River’s game/alternate universe. We follow River and Hawk as they navigate through each level, and I think there are three main levels with their own obstacles. For example they have to fight werewolves, demons, etc to gain energy and to help them along their journey they get advice from a lady wizard and tabianese bubble shield (A tabby cat-Pekinese dog hybrid that watches your back and hides you from the enemy LOL).

Overall a great start to an interesting series, I highly recommend this to everyone looking for something fresh to read. Even if you’re not really a gamer, it’s a fast paced-action pack read. Again, just a heads up this is labeled as a PR but there wasn’t much romance. While I liked both characters, River, a strong-independent woman and Hawk, a tortured soul/military guy they never really expressed their attraction for one another. I'm looking forward to reading Mind Games, the second book in the series that continues River's story.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

River Weston is a gaming and technological genius with untapped magical abilities and she’s working on a new game in her mother’s memory. A game which will feel so real, it will give people with debilitating injuries the chance to feel alive and whole again. Yet there are a few kinks she can’t quite work out yet, especially the fact she can’t defeat the Soul Man to win the game. What River doesn’t know is she has tapped into a Dark Lord’s virtual prison and he is looking for a way out – through her. The Dark Lord holds many souls prisoner, including Chase Hawkins’. Hawk is a Guardian, whose body resides at his home world in stasis, but he’s been trapped and abused by the Dark Lord for too long. Now he’s forced into the game, just as River has made a wish she’ll soon regret. Guardians are honor and duty-bound to protect the Fae and River does not know who she truly is, but she needs to figure it out – quickly – before the Dark Lord claims another soul.

The author has brought us a highly original and creative world in ‘Game Over’. This is a post-apocalyptic Earth and the inhabitants are slowly starting to rebuild. River Weston is a strong woman with a heritage she knows nothing about as her adoptive parents found her as a newborn by the river on their property (hence her name). When she meets Hawk who the Dark Lord has made take the guise of a helper in the game, Sever, she starts to realize there is something special about herself. Now she and Hawk must race against time and unknown obstacles to defeat the Dark Lord. I liked the mythos the author invented for the Fae and the Guardians, as well as the immortal Dark Lords. The author has created deeply rich characters who are all necessary to the plot development. There are also outside forces working with and against River and Hawk. The separate threads throughout the story came together very well and I think ‘Game Over’ is an exciting and imaginative story!

Guardian series: Game Over (1), Mind Games (2), Fair Game (3)

[Ria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expectations versus reality... always tricky! I was disappointed by this book, as I was hoping for a straight-forward, fun, adventure-romance. Though it ultimately was a relatively fun adventure-romance, the mythology and attempts at world-building bogged down what should have been a simple story - girl gets trapped in game, girl must escape game. Less time was dedicated to the game itself (only 3 levels... really?!), with a greater focus on the overly-complex set up of the Guardians, the Fae and an unrecognisable Earth that was never fully explained.

I struggled to connect with Hawk and River as individuals or as a couple, as they were both fairly standard character types (brooding hero with a tragic past who doesn't want people to get too close; virtually perfect heroine who is beautiful and brilliant and has never really fitted in to the world she grew up in... if only her true destiny could be found!)

I loved the concept, the cover art and the random use of a loincloth, but I would be unlikely to read any more of River and Hawk's adventures.

[Renee Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally loved this book.

First off let me say straight off that I am not a gamer. I have no interest in it but reading Game Over by Taylor Keating has changed that. If only gaming could be like reading this sci-fi, edged with fantasy tinged with romantic elements that leave one breathless – well then, I’d be the first person to become addicted to gaming. I certainly loved Keating’s hard ass heroine, River. The mix of Fae elements and Guardian qualities she possess add that extra element of intrigue to the book. What I loved overall were the layers of plot twisting through this book. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of reading it, get your hands on it fast.

Game Over is about a video game programmer, that would be the lovely, minx of a character River – think sort of GI Joe Jane here and you get the idea of her personality. River’s world is post-acloptic. I will admit I’m not sure if this took place on Earth but the place honestly doesn’t matter. The texture of the land River equates with home is what makes it intriguing. She gets trapped in her own game because she has unknowingly tapped into her Fae powers and has given the Dark Lord, who was imprisoned on a planet by the Guardians – they are the Fae protectors – a chance to use her powers to escape his technologically advanced prison. In the game she meets Chase, a Guardian, who she thinks at first is the character Sever who she created. Good thing for her it’s not. Chase is much more than a mere code. His body is somewhere else in the known galaxy and his mission was to use his ability to project his soul to service the Fae. He and River work well together in the game. It’s a race of time, levels, and credits. It’s up to River to defeat the Dark Lord without selling her soul but giving up Chase is not an option. I don’t want to tell the ending because it left me gasping and dying to read the sequel but let’s just say it’s a very nice surprise…the sort I don’t often read anymore in sci-fi books.

The visual imagery is amazing. The dialogue between River, Chase and Nick, her secondary hero, works great. Game Over gets all my votes as a must read. Oh, did I mention the otherworldly hot sex – yeah that worked very nicely into a Tor book – I honestly can’t remember reading a Tor book with good sex in it before…things are a changing for good. For more information on Game Over visit
http://www.taylorkeating.com.

[Nisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow, I knew, after reading the description, that I was going to like this book. After searching long and hard for a copy, I finally decided that it was worth buying. And after reading it, I'm absolutely glad that I did. It's a perfect addition to my collection.

The story begins with a flashback, in which a couple, a Guardian and a very pregnant (and in labor) Fae are trying to escape. Both die, but their child is born and abandoned by a river. The child is named River and is raised by the human parents who found her. Now it flash forwards to 30 years later, to a grown up River, a tough gamer chick trying to build a very difficult video game that involves some type of virtual reality technology. Unfortunately, her final level glitches in a way that she has not been able to defeat the Soul Man and complete the game. Desperate to make her game work, she unwittingly sells her soul to the Dark Lord/Soul Man for its completion. On the Dark Lord's side, the immortal is desperate to be free of the cyber prison the guardians have imprisoned him in. He has managed to collect a bunch of souls and is working on the latest one, a Guardian named Hawk. Somehow, River has managed to tap into the Dark Lord's prison and now he wants her soul too. Enticing her to enter the game unsupervised, he pairs Hawk and River to fight for their lives and souls inside the game. Outside the game, River has a madman looking to add her into his collection. With only a ex-lover of dubious allegiance to protect her, we see that just surviving the game isn't enough.

This book is a mix of sci-fi, futuristic, paranormal, urban fantasy, and romance. As a hybrid,its has managed to succeed in all accounts. River is a bit of a ballbuster and Hawk is the stoic, intense, tough as nails guy, but they seem to half-way decent and believable relationship. Nick, the ex-lover, is an interesting character, which adds some depth in story development.

Overall, this is a great read and I would recommend this to nearly anyone (maybe not the diehard HR readers, but everyone else is fair game, even with the love scene). It's not long enough to worry, and you can always just skip that section.

[Vanessa theJeepDiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good enough that I kept reading. It is a very interesting concept & world that Keating has created. The first thing I must point out is the spine declares it as a Paranormal Romance. This book would best be classified as an action adventure, perhaps fantasy. There is one sex scene in the book, well past the half way mark, possibly close to the three quarter mark. The book flows quickly and is easy to understand. I was concerned with having issues understanding some of the content due to the fact that I am not a gamer & I am also a techy idiot. This is not an issue. The author has created a futuristic/alternate type world where other beings lend knowledge of technical gadgets.
Game Over takes place after the Great War that has left Earth devastated and mostly destroyed. A mutated virus has wiped out a lot of the population. The main characters are River and Hawk. They are both trapped in the game that River created. To survive they have to defeat the game. There is plenty of action and adventure in this book. The romantic aspect of the book is lacking. There was no relationship development with the characters, nor was there any relationship pursuit. Hawk or River never showed any attraction to the other. They fell into pointless sex. The way the book abruptly ends leaves me questioning is there is a Happily Ever After.
This book wrapped up and ended rather quickly in my opinion. I was left with a large amount of questions. I did venture over to the authors website to investigate if this will be a series or if it will have a sequel. In June of 2011 we will have Mind Games. Hopefully it picks up where this one left off and some of those questions will be answered. There was not a synopsis on the website so I get another unanswered question.

[Donna Alward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the TOR debut for the writing duo of Taylor Keating. I can honestly say that it is different from anything I have ever read before - blending the paranormal elements of Fae and Guardians with a post-apocalyptic world and the setting of INSIDE a video game.

River is a wonderful heroine - strong and kickass but with a feminine side too - is that the Fae element coming out? She's the game's designer, and goes inside the game to test/develop it. She has a sidekick while inside, but this time the sidekick is Hawk, placed in the game by the Dark Lord/Soul Man - who is after River and is holding Hawk's soul captive. To complicate matters, there's a whole military/conspiracy element on the OUTSIDE. The Soul Man/Dark Lord has to be defeated - or else he claims River and Hawk's souls forever and uses River's magic to get himself out of the prison he's in - and if he does that, look out world. The stakes are far higher than a simple game.

If you're reading this and thinking this isn't for you, think again. Add me to the list of people who have said this is not their usual reading fare but came out loving it. It's a fantastic story, complicated and sexy and funny by turns, and with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming at all. It's also the first in a series by this writing team - I can't wait to see what trouble they throw River and Hawk into next.

[Hal Evergreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a great premise. I've always enjoyed stories about characters getting trapped in video games, and the authors managed to put an interesting twist on that idea by weaving fantasy elements into their story. The world building was the strongest part of Game Over. Unfortunately, the authors seemed to be too enamored with both their video game world and their post-apocalyptic version of earth to devote the same level of detail to their characters. I would have prefered more character development for River and Hawk and fewer descriptions of video game mechanics.

And then there was the ending. I knew this was the start of a series, but I didn't realize that the whole series was about the same couple. I was expecting an HEA for River and Hawk at the end of this book, and I was hoping that the next book would feature my favorite character, Nick. He was the most realistically flawed, nuanced character in this book, and I was so much more interested in him than the main characters. Instead, I realized that if I wanted an HEA for River and Hawk, I'd have to read the whole series. Even though I'm still intrigued by the setting, I'm not sure if I care enough about the characters to keep reading.

[Mandy Saial · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis, but really never got into the storyline at all.

[T.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book by accident and once I started I couldn’t put it down. I loved the idea of River’s game as she and Hawk pushed through it and all the different ways it could change. I was on the edge of my seat as we bounced between the happenings inside the game and then the real world as the ominous Kaye got closer and closer to proving that River was the exact creature he had been searching for and how Nick struggled with his fear and sense of self preservation and his desire to help River. These characters were interesting and after stumbling upon this accidentally I know I will be picking up the rest of the series to read as well. Something I enjoyed was that while there was deep sexual tension between River and Hawk they didn’t immediately fall together and I can’t wait to see how their relationship continues.

[Emerch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining enough, but text was bit bumpy.

[k reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

First reviewed at So I Read This Book... http://www.soireadthisbook.com/2011/0...

This is an interesting hybrid of styles. There are shapeshifters, fae, mystical guardians, a post apocalyptic world, and a cyberpunk setting. River, the heroine, is a gamer sucked into the VR world she has created for her newest game. This world is also somehow linked to the virtual prison of the Dark Lord, the big bad. The Dark Lord suspects River has some sort of power that will help release him from his prison and manipulates the game in order to win River's soul and ultimately, his freedom. Luckily, River has help in the form of the Guardian, Hawk, who although imprisoned in this virtual world, works with River to defeat the Dark Lord. There is some nice pacing in this book and a lot of action, plus some steamy steamy between River and Hawk... but, in the end, the book didn't work for me. The paranormal fantasy and technological elements just didn't mesh. I felt like I was reading a cross between Lord of the Rings and Tron and the effect was jarring. There were so many different style elements that it felt a little like everything but the kitchen sink instead of a cohesive, multi-layered world. I think that if a reader can get past that, this could be an enjoyable, action paced, sexy paranormal. Unfortunately, I could not and I never fully engaged with this story.

[Lilly Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book! The world building in this clever novel is extensive and inventive. There are worlds within worlds in this amazing furturistic fantasy. Imagine it is our world but after the earth has been ravaged by a number of forces including disease and war. Video game designer River Weston is working to create a virtual world where anything can happen, including experiencing action and adventure outside what a person may have in their real life.

The difficulty comes when her game touches the virtual prison of a demon. Here the paranormal world of magic rules. River's virtual adventure becomes all too real and dangerous. Entrapped by the demon's prison is guardian Chase Hawkins. Pulled into the game by the Demon's machinations, Chase doesn't know if he can trust the beautiful River or not. Trusting could mean his or her souls could be at risk, just what the demon would need to escape his prison.

Loved the characters in this novel and the action, I couldn't put it down! The attraction between Chase and River is undeniable, even though it is something that shouldn't exist. They match each other and make an incredible team. As trust grows so does love. Without giving away any spoilers I would have to say this is one of the most inventive stories I've read in a while. Go buy the book, 5 stars!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blo...

I didn't really have any expectations when I got GAME OVER in the mail to review, I don't consider myself a gamer so that aspect of the description didn't stick out for me but it seemed like it would be something different to read and I said what the heck and picked it up. GAME OVER ended up being very enjoyable. It was fast paced and filled with a fantastically imaginative world. There was tons of action with many twists and turns. River the female heroine is strong, can take care of herself and knows how to kick ass. The descriptions of the world that River has created inside her video game are nothing short of amazing. The attraction between Chase and River is apparent in every way and there are some great steamy scenes between them. They fight together extremely well and make it through situations that they probably wouldn't if they they were alone. The technical and paranormal elements really did a good job together. GAME OVER ended up being a fun, unique, adventure filled read that I cant wait to continue.

[Bekah Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first laid eyes on the cover and description, I was more than ready to make fun of this book as an over-the-top, swoony romance cliche. So I was quite surprised when I stumbled upon some seriously cool and intricate world-building. I have a soft spot for virtual reality gaming stories, especially when combined with magic, and this book pulled that off well.

There was some cliche, I'm not going to lie, but not nearly enough to detract from the overall ingenuity. I loved the main character, River, because she's both relatable and kickass. What I love most about her, though, is that her main motivation for making the VR simulating game is to help disabled people regain some sense of freedom and agency.

P.S: Be warned that there is explicit violence and sexual content. But I'm pretty sure that the sex is easy to skim over, because it's really only one or two scenes that are just important because it actually heals them (as well as obviously increasing trust and their soul-connection).

[Shawna Romkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Game Over is an amazing read! It's fun, suspenseful and HAWT!

This was unlike anything I'd read before, but I couldn't put it down. River and Hawk are interesting, well developed characters, thrown together in a paranormal, sci fi world, and fighting against time to save each other and beat the super villain. They were strong and sassy. I was especially pleased that River wasn't a typical damsel in distress. She was brainy and tough, unafraid to kick ass. She can take care of herself as well as save the tough guy if necessary. The main characters are witty and sarcastic, and overall fun to read.

The setting was creative and very unique. I'd love to see this done on screen. All of the fantastic places they go in the game would be so great to see created in film.

We get a hint of the back story of the world,where these two came from and what they deal with. I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!

[Hbeebti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly suprised by this book. I am not a gamer. Never will be. So I was kinda on the fence about this book. In fact I have been hanging onto it for months. Anyway it was really great. Lots of action. Lots of sexual tension. River is trapped inside her own game she created. Of course everything goes wrong and the game isn't the way she created it. Someone else is messing with her game. River also is something she doesn't even realize. Meet Hawk.. Ohh yummy yummy Hawk... Sighs... Yeah poor guy has been a prisoner to the dark lord , they get thrown together and all hell breaks loose. This book was easy to read . The writing style captured my attention from page one and never let go. Kept waiting for something else to happen. The ending wasn't really the end. Just kinda left you waiting to read the next book to find out what happens to River and Hawk.

[Sierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. I went into it expecting super cheesy, romance fluff. I won this book on Goodreads, this is a First Read review.

The plot line for this was very interesting and I enjoyed the "in game" action. The author has obviously played games, giving the story a real gamer feel. The book is classified by the publisher as a paranormal romance, I would place it in a more action/adventure category. This isn't like the other romance books you pick up. The book is much more centered around the universe the author created, the characters past and the mysteries tied to them, and the bad guy. The romance is more of a side note then anything.

I think the cover on the book is a real disservice to the writing. I know most covers are not chosen by the authors, but the publishers who make these choices really need to find better images to use.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, rounded up to 3 stars

Pro: lots of action, dual threats inside and outside the game, a lot of thought put into gaming detail and how the paranormal elements hang together

Con: final big confrontational scene seemed anticlimactic after all the buildup towards it, a bit too much 'reminding the reader' type repetition of various elements, one very funny (presumably) unintentional instance where the way a love-scene sentence is structured makes it seem like a pair of nipples are vocalizing independently

I'm not a gamer, so I'm guessing that readers who game will like this signficantly more

[Coley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads.

I didn't like Game Over as much as I thought I was going to, but I really can't put a finger on why. It wasn't a bad book. In fact I found it enjoyable, and I moved through it quickly because I wanted to see what happened next. Maybe I didn't connect with the characters like I would like, or...I don't know. Something just didn't click to make me love it as much as I wanted to. I guess it just ended up not being entirely my cup of tea. But I would definitely recommend it to friends who are tired of vampires and werewolves or who I know their tastes lean maybe a little more towards science fiction/fantasy.

[Daffodil · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

It took a little bit to get into this book. The Fae, Guardians, Dark Lord and cyber-monsters on a future post-war Earth as well as the computer generated monsters, Soul Man, and characters in the computer-generated game made for a confusing start. I'm not a fan of info-dumps, but a little more clarity would have been helpful. Once I got into the book, I didn't want to put it down. I had fun reading it and am interested in seeing what happens next.

[Kammgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It combined gaming, a futuristic world created from technology, demons and Fae along with a corrupt government and a decimated human race into an intense adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat and broke my heart at times. I am a romance fan, but I also loved that this book had a subplot with developed characters and that the story outside the game was just as intriguing and suspenseful.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really in-between a 3-4 for me. I thought the premise was neat but the writing seemed a bit, I don't know, unorganized? Despite it' length, it seemed rushed. Also, it needs a new cover. It only has one sex scene, and I think it's being marketed wrong. It's really a sci-fi book with romance thrown in, not the other way around!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this book up on one of my wondering down the stacks book selection adventure. It was hard for me to get into at the beginning because of the world building but it quickly got into the characters and quickly set out to be a fast and well-written book.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I ended up giving up this one after 40 pages. The premise just wasn't working for me. River wasn't a very likable person. This one just isn't for me.

[Lizzielvr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fast paced book. If you are a gamer, you will definitely enjoy the world setup, if not, you'll enjoy the other stuff ;). I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!

[Amanda A · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down.

[Karen Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

5