Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Ancient Prophecy #1

A Prophecy of Destiny

Rate this book
Will Stanton leads an ordinary life working with his grandfather in the family bookstore. From the moment he uncovers a trunk full of ancient papers and his grandmother's diaries, his life changes. He is soon thrusted into a world of werewolves and vampires where he uncovers the truth of his heritage and it's more than he ever imagined.

Eric Bryce is a werewolf whose pack members are slowing dying. As the first sign of the prophecy unfolds, the Ancient Ones guide Eric in search of his mate who is to play a key role in the future predicted long ago. He finally finds his mate, Will, working in a bookstore with danger not far behind. Together, they must fight both the vampires and the illness that is spreading across the pack.

Can Eric and Will fulfill their role in the prophecy or will time run out?

124 pages, ebook

First published March 19, 2010

1 person is currently reading
185 people want to read

About the author

Leiland Dale

9 books177 followers
Leiland's reading list is exemplary of the evolution of erotic romance. Initially, Leiland began reading Harlequin Romance and Silhouette Desire but later transitioned to Silhouette Nocturne. But after reading the first M/M erotic romance, tons of M/M material soon followed. As an avid reader, Leiland decided one day to take a stab at writing a book. These days, when not writing something new, Leiland can be found reading a steamy romance (shifters are a fav!), taking the pet dog for a walk or watching movies such as A Walk to Remember.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
58 (19%)
4 stars
94 (31%)
3 stars
85 (28%)
2 stars
32 (10%)
1 star
25 (8%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Betryal.
720 reviews3 followers
March 22, 2010
This actually gets a 3.5 star.

There's gaps that would jump a couple of weeks ahead a few times in the story that had me completely confused. They'd be together and next thing you'd read in a short para is about what they'd done or happened during 2 weeks prior that had me scratching my head. Other than that the story wasn't too shabby.
9 reviews1 follower
December 13, 2011
I really, really wanted to enjoy this story. It has everything I normally love, so why shouldn't I count it among my favorite m/m stories?

Unfortunately, this story has fallen short on many levels for me. As I've seen pointed out in other reviews, the writing in this story seems very amateurish. There seems to be a universal rule when it comes to writing ("Show, don't tell"), and A Prophecy of Destiny is a really good example of why we follow that rule. When all the "action" was happening, we never got a look into the characters' minds or emotions to know how the situation was impacting them. It was all just told to us. "So-and-So did this. Then, this happened. Next, this happened." It read very much like an outsider was telling you play by play what was happening. You ended up not caring about the characters because of this.

Dialogue is supposed to be a way to give us a peek into your character's head, to give your character a voice and make them more realistic -- sadly, the dialogue in this story is very boring and stilted, and all of the characters talk completely the same. When Will and his grandfather talk about the weather, though it's only two lines, I just couldn't help but roll my eyes -- nobody talks like that, especially with someone you see all the time. I most certainly do not go to my mother and say, "Oh, it's going to be a wonderful day, isn't it?" and she most certainly doesn't say, "Oh yes, it's a wonderful day outside!" Very stilted. I believe if the author had read the dialogue out loud to see if it worked, this story could have been made a little better.

The characters themselves were very flat and one-dimensional. Will was supposed to be this lonely, golden-hearted boy that we all fell in love with, but his actions and thoughts (what little we saw) were so tedious and humdrum, and in the end, you end up not even caring what happens to him. The only reason I liked Eric was because he seemed to be the only character willing to do anything in the entire story. He was just as flat as Will, but at least he had a goal and motivation.

And though this may be a personal preference, the sentences were all about the same length and it read very choppily because of this. Again, if the author had just read some of it out loud, I'm sure this story could have flourished.

I really wanted to like this story, truly. I love the cover still, and I think the blurb held such promise. But I've never been more disappointed in a purchase, and now it'll be hard for me to give this author a second chance on anything else.
Profile Image for Craig Sharp.
41 reviews5 followers
April 7, 2012
Life changes for a young man after opening a trunk left to him by his grandmother. I’m a werewolf fan now. This was wonderful quick read that was well written and had good character development.
Profile Image for Jeff Erno.
Author 71 books643 followers
March 28, 2010
A pack of werewolves is slowly dying, being ravaged by a mysterious disease which has no cure. Their leader Blake is the Alpha, and he turns to an ancient prophecy for answers. The key to their salvation, he discovers, lies in one of his young pack members, Eric Bryce. Eric is commissioned by the pack’s spirit guides, called the Ancient Ones, to complete a mission. He must go and find the “Chosen One”.

Will Stanton is an average kid who works for his grandfather running their family’s bookstore. He is coming of age, now a young adult, and locates an old trunk in the back of the store. When he asks his grandfather about the trunk’s content, he’s told that it contains special information which was left by Will’s grandmother. Will takes the trunk home and begins to read the diaries contained therein. He discovers that he and his ancestors are related to werewolves, and he has been chosen to fulfill a unique destiny.

When Eric and Will meet the first time, they’re immediately drawn to one another, and Eric realizes instantly that Will is his soul mate. Initially their courtship is slow, but gradually they fall in love. Eric reveals to Will the truth of his nature, that he is wolf. Will shares the ancient prophecy, and the couple leave together to complete their destiny.

This is the third of Leiland Dale’s books that I have read, and in my opinion, his storytelling ability seems to be improving dramatically. I am impressed by the manner in which he develops his characters, and as usual, the greatest strength of his story lies in the beautiful lovemaking scenes which he vividly describes.

The story itself is interesting and exciting, and the plot makes sense to me. Two young men are drawn together, aware that they each have an important destiny to fulfill. It is power of their love for one another which strengthens them, and leads them to the fulfillment of their life-mission.

The secondary relationships within the story are especially poignant. Specifically, the relationship that young Will has with his aging grandfather, is very touching. The love and devotion that Eric has for his pack and his family is palpable.

The criticism I have with this book has nothing to do with the story or the writing itself. There are multiple editing errors which are very distracting. These include spelling errors, improper verb tense, and misuse of vocabulary. I do not wish to be knit-picky, but I think that a book which could have otherwise been regarded as exceptional, can be perceived as an amateur effort with so many easily-identifiable and correctable errors. I hope the author will put the book through a final proof and correct these errors in order to make an exceptional book even more fantastic.

With or without the minor errors, I highly recommend this read. Leiland Dale is a very gifted writer of mm fiction, and his inclusion of tender yet passionate erotic scenes makes his stories especially enjoyable. I look forward to many more books from this talented author, and I enjoyed my time with Prophecy of Destiny.
Profile Image for Elisa Rolle.
Author 107 books237 followers
Read
November 30, 2010
A Prophecy of Destiny is a pretty classic shafeshifter paranormal romance, very much like the Silhouette Nocturne the author says was reading before discovering M/M romance. If you have a check list of “must have” factor, this novel will respect all of them: cute young man with a romantic heart? Checked. Strong werewolf in search of his mate? Checked. Strong mate binding between the two of them, so strong they cannot avoid to be over each other? Checked. Sexy lovemaking scene with just that touch of kinky (read the knot…) to make them a bit paranormal? Checked. That is probably the most distinctive sign of this novel, that even if it’s a paranormal story, and the events in the story are upturning Will’s life, he is in a way more interested in his love story with Eric, than the “little” detail that he is the answer to an ancient prophecy and that he has to same all the werewolves in the world, starting from Eric’s pack.

Will in a way is only a young man, not a strong and courageous man; or yes, he is stubborn, and he doesn’t like to be ordered around, but that is again part of the above check list, the chosen mate for your typical strong Alpha man is almost always a little brat, who enjoys being cherished and cuddled by his personal teddy… wolf.

Who probably is not exactly “in” the role is Eric, and that is a good novelty; he is not the Alpha of his pack, he is actually the brother of the Alpha, near enough. In any case, in comparison to Will, he is even more than an Alpha; that is, Eric, among his peers, is an average wolf, that more than once has to be saved by other wolves, but to the eyes of Will, he is the strongest ever. What probably make Eric special, and right for Will, is that he is a tender and caring man, and Will, being the precious jewel of the pack, needs a man like him. An Alpha would probably have other obligations in respect of the pack, Eric instead can devote himself to the care of Will and only him.

A Prophecy of Destiny is a nice first attempt to a paranormal romance; there is maybe something that can be improved in the writing, sometime I felt like the author was repeating to the reader unnecessary details (like in this case, a sentence says “(…) the key were still
laying on the ground” and in the next sentence a character says “The key’s laying on the ground there”), but sincerely that was not something that distracted me too much from the reading.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DA43K2/?...
Profile Image for Honey.
198 reviews10 followers
June 27, 2011
This book was a disappointment. The writing seemed very amateurish; from the writing it definitely seemed like it was the author’s first book. It was stilted and the lack of flow to it kept pulling me out of the story. Everyone was addressed as my friend and my brother and young man which got tiring fast. The prophecy which I'd hoped would add originality to the story fell flat and nothing really seemed to happen in the book; there were a couple of vampire attacks but that was it really and I couldn’t feel any type of connection between the characters. They were mates so they had sex, Will felt safe with Eric, Eric thought Will was beautiful. The End.
Profile Image for Arzu.
741 reviews3 followers
May 5, 2010
Actually a 3,50 stars read, but I rated 4 as it is a really nice sweet read!!

However 2 things really disturbed me. I am sorry to say this, but there were numerous spelling, grammar and editing mistakes. I hope, Mr Dale will have a final editing read, so that these errors can be corrected. Second thing that bothered me were the time jumps. You read the main characters are finally together and then there is a jump of 2 weeks later that made me frown.

Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed the book and look forward to read the next in the series.
Profile Image for R.J..
Author 309 books2,714 followers
January 18, 2018
The best compliment i can give this book is that I can't wait to follow up one of the supporting characters in their own book and luckily Leiland has written it and it is out now!

I was hooked from the start of Prophecy, the images of the old bookstore so clear in my head and Will strong in what he has to face. This is a gorgeous story with a few twists and turns that I loved. Oh and the sexxing was hawt!

Goes off to add Savage Moon Rising to my Goodreads account...
Profile Image for ReviewerLarissa.
713 reviews31 followers
April 12, 2010
This book was rather disappointing. Not only because of the numerous editing, spelling and grammar mistakes, but also because of the poor caracterizations and a conflicting plot. The book had a lot of potential but failed to meet it.
Profile Image for Kathy.
215 reviews5 followers
March 31, 2010
4½ stars - I love shapeshifter and /or werewolf stories... a LOT! And so when already-favourite author Leiland Dale's new book came out you better believe I bought it, and read it.
I know that this is the first book in a series, that or Leiland just likes to tease his readers, and all I can say is -- bring 'em on! Sooner rather than later please. 'Cause, oh my.

I delighted in the relationship that Will has with his grandfather; it's an important part of who Will is and it goes a long way to Will's acceptance of the total upheaval of his life. Will's a real sweetheart and I think he and Eric make an incredible couple.
Eric? Well, the man left everything behind because he was doing what he had to, for the good of his pack, but also because he was totally drawn to Will.

Along with prophecies and destiny, there's danger galore, but there is also emphasis on family --whatever form it takes-- and a sexy, hot and yet sweet romance.
A Prophecy of Destiny is a very satisfying story and another winner for Leiland Dale.
Now if only I didn't have to wait... guess that's what happens when I have to get and read all his books at once.

also on my blog: http://kathy-kozakewich.blogspot.com/
Profile Image for Valentina Morgana la fata.
271 reviews24 followers
March 23, 2015
Una noia.
Nonostante fossero solo 124 pagine mi sono veramente dovuta sforzare a finire di leggerlo.
La storia non sta in piedi, l'autrice ci butta dentro roba trita e ritrita a piene mani ( e parliamo di mani della grandezza di una carriola) ma non spiega niente, tanto è irrilevante.
E posso pure darle ragione visto il nonsense, la mancanza di suspense e di una trama vagamente impegnativa di questo "libro".
I personaggi sono profondi come una pozzanghera, era dai tempi in cui provai a leggere 50 sfumature che non mi capitava di incontrarne di cosí piatti e insipidi.
Neanche le scene di sesso, mal scritte e noiose quanto il resto, sono riuscite a tirarmi un po' su di morale.
Ho letto fanfiction più lunghe, complesse e decisamente meglio scritte di questo libro.
Non perdete tempo e soldi.
Profile Image for Janelle.
81 reviews
July 7, 2011
I really liked this book. I enjoyed reading the journey of Eric having to take to find his mate. It made it more real for me. Not just that one happened to live in the same place. He actually had to work for it. The fact that Will had already learned about wolf shifters was a bounce and there wasn't all the drama that usually comes with finding out about shifters and being mates. The back story of Will's history was also interesting and the fact that he still had a family member who could help him was really great. I look forward to reading more of this series.
Profile Image for Fehu.
368 reviews29 followers
October 1, 2011
Ok, it's more a 2.5 rating but I was dissapointed non the less.
The story is rushed and it has potential, which may be realised in the next instalement, which I probably wont by since this book was my first by this author and it was less than awe inspiring. Plus, I did not like the how it was writen and edited and the solution of the conflict is too easy.

Don't get me wrong, it might be a good book for someone else, if you like the instant attraction, with the idea of a plot of a prophesy, which did sound promising.
Profile Image for Jimmy Hanson.
412 reviews12 followers
June 13, 2012
In one word: Cliche.

From the very first word, to the very last word. Nearly everything about the werewolves, about the attraction, about mates, about prophecy, about sex scenes, and about ancient ones meddling with modern-day issues, and any number of other things - just one long, continuous muddle of cliches, and not very well written ones at that.

Hopefully the second novel will be better ...
Profile Image for Sarah.
135 reviews7 followers
October 8, 2010
Really enjoyed this very twilightish... but im a fan so not going to complain.... although at times the writing was very simplistic and didn't flow. That aside i enjoyed the story and loved the characters.
Profile Image for Byakuya (White Night).
29 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2015
I really liked the story, but I think that the editor could have done a better job... Some of it was pretty average and they even say public instead of pubic... bad editing is bad, but I still read the whole book and love it heaps!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.