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Primal Instinct #7
Rush of Darkness
DESTINED TO BE ENEMIES...
Raine Spenser is on the brink. Held prisoner because of her abilities, Raine—a powerful psychic as well as vampire desperately needed a savior. But the last one she expected was the green-eyed soldier who’d once hunted her kind. Since her rescue, she’s tried to forget Seth McConnell, unable to cope with the strange, simmering attraction that draws her to the compelling human.
But their goals—find the Kraven who held Raine captive and destroy him—are the same. The ever-growing web of danger surrounding them draws these two unlikely allies closer together, and anger slowly turns into an explosive passion they’re finding harder and harder to deny....
Raine Spenser is on the brink. Held prisoner because of her abilities, Raine—a powerful psychic as well as vampire desperately needed a savior. But the last one she expected was the green-eyed soldier who’d once hunted her kind. Since her rescue, she’s tried to forget Seth McConnell, unable to cope with the strange, simmering attraction that draws her to the compelling human.
But their goals—find the Kraven who held Raine captive and destroy him—are the same. The ever-growing web of danger surrounding them draws these two unlikely allies closer together, and anger slowly turns into an explosive passion they’re finding harder and harder to deny....
365 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 29, 2011
25 people are currently reading
875 people want to read
About the author
Rhyannon Byrd
80 books1,309 followersRhyannon Byrd is the national bestselling author of more than forty contemporary and paranormal romance titles, including the romantic thrillers LONDON AFFAIR and NEW YORK SCANDAL, and her books have been translated into ten languages. After years of enjoying the California sunshine, Rhyannon now lives in the beautiful Malvern Hills in England with her family and their ever-growing collection of concert T-shirts and coffee mugs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 10, 2011
5+ Star Explosive Goodness!
I can't exactly pinpoint the reason why, but there is something seriously sexy about paranormal romances that involve a human on one side and a paranormal being on the other end. Book 7 in the Primal Instinct Series takes this one step further where the ultra sexy and uber alpha hero is the human whilst the strong and yet endearingly vulnerable heroine turns out to be the paranormal being.
Rush of Darkness is the story of Raine Spenser and Seth McConnell. Their story began in Touch of Temptation, book 6 of the series which I reviewed earlier. Seth McConnell is an ex-hunter who has spent the past 20 years of his life slaughtering every vampire that he could get his hands on. Raised in Southern California, Seth had been a young teenager when a rogue nest of vampires had taken away everything that mattered to him and nearly killed and destroyed him in the process as well. His salvation had come in the form of the Collective Army whose aim it has been to remove all traces of paranormal existence from Earth. Driven by rage and the thirst for revenge, Seth had honed himself into a lethal killing machine, unstoppable and feared by the creatures that he hunts down until circumstances force him to take stock of his life and what was actually happening to turn his life around and start working for his lifelong enemy.
Raine Spenser is unique amongst ancient clans; part Deschanel vampire and part Alacea psychic, Raine had been brought up in a loving home by parents who had adored each other and their children. Having led a pretty much sheltered life, Raine had been working for charities that had been investigating the effect of deforestation as her work as an environmentalist when she had been kidnapped by Ross Westmore, a Kraven vampire who gets his high from the thrill of victory. Westmore's plan is one that is bound to destroy the world and plunge it into darkness and chaos which is what the Watchmen - a group of shape shifters who watch over the clansmen and women of their preternatural world are trying to prevent. Held against her will over a month during which Raine has suffered numerous forms of physical, mental and emotional abuse from her captors, it is a tortured and guilt-ridden Raine that emerges from her captivity at the hands of a mad man.
Seth's fascination for Raine from the very moment he carries her in his arms after her rescue from Westmore is an unexplainable one. His need to drive away the haunting look that has settled deep inside of Raine and the electric way in which his body reacts to Raine's mere presence has him at first running away from how he feels but inevitably finds himself unable to stay away from the one woman he wants to claim as his own more than he has wanted anything else in his life.
Raine's emotions when it comes to the human soldier is as complex as his feelings towards her. Fear of her growing feelings towards a man who had previously made it his life's mission to destroy her species has Raine pushing him away masking her need for the fierce warrior who stands in front of her with a loathing that she can't seem to summon. Her dreams of them entwined in lovers embraces has Raine pushing up the shields that guard her emotions and heart more fiercely than ever. But as moths drawn towards flame, these two can only deny their explosive feelings towards each other for so long and it is a combustive coming together if there ever was one that has these two finally taking things to the next level.
However, their journey towards happily ever after is not an easy one. Continuous danger from Westmore who sets in motion an elaborate plan to turn the war that is brewing onto the side of evil once and for all nearly destroys both Raine and Seth and the fragile bond that seems to have forged between the two. The need to protect one another from danger has each of them engaged in a battle of wills with the other, and it is only with ultimate trust and learning to let go of their pasts that would bring about true happiness to two souls who deserve it more than anyone else in the primal instinct world.
This one wins by far on all fronts in the Primal Instinct series for me. I loved the uniqueness the fact Seth the hero being the human brought into the story. Regardless of the fact he is a human, his wants and needs are as ferocious and as primal as the shape-shifters that I have come across in the series. And Seth totally wins my heart and soul as my favorite hero from the series with his tortured broodiness that makes him so very much appealing. I loved the fact that explicitly drawn out sex scenes weren't what drove the story right from the very 1st chapter itself, but rather the sexual tension that simmers between Raine and Seth is drawn out, making their ultimate surrender a very explosive and unforgettable one. Don't let me forget Raine, whose character and what she suffered at the hands of a monstrous species makes her so vulnerable but even then it makes her a determined one in her need for revenge on a group of men who had taken away something from her life that can never be replaced.
All in all, a tortured, hot as sin alpha hero that had my salivary glands working over time, a heroine that needed a bit of TLC and a knock on the head or two to figure out that Mr. Tortured and Hotness himself was here to stay, with the continuous adventure that is always a part of this series makes this book a huge 5-star winner for me. Very highly recommended for fans of the series and fans of Rhyannon Byrd. Mind you, you can always read this book as a standalone without much hassle because Ms. Byrd doesn't make her supernatural world a complex one, but rather she keeps her explanations simple, drawing the reader in and making you feel right at home with all the species that crops up in between.
I will finish off my review with a glimpse into one of the most super explosive scenes in the story, the event that lent a very satisfying culmination to the simmering sexual tension between Raine and Seth that practically set the pages afire!
I can't exactly pinpoint the reason why, but there is something seriously sexy about paranormal romances that involve a human on one side and a paranormal being on the other end. Book 7 in the Primal Instinct Series takes this one step further where the ultra sexy and uber alpha hero is the human whilst the strong and yet endearingly vulnerable heroine turns out to be the paranormal being.
Rush of Darkness is the story of Raine Spenser and Seth McConnell. Their story began in Touch of Temptation, book 6 of the series which I reviewed earlier. Seth McConnell is an ex-hunter who has spent the past 20 years of his life slaughtering every vampire that he could get his hands on. Raised in Southern California, Seth had been a young teenager when a rogue nest of vampires had taken away everything that mattered to him and nearly killed and destroyed him in the process as well. His salvation had come in the form of the Collective Army whose aim it has been to remove all traces of paranormal existence from Earth. Driven by rage and the thirst for revenge, Seth had honed himself into a lethal killing machine, unstoppable and feared by the creatures that he hunts down until circumstances force him to take stock of his life and what was actually happening to turn his life around and start working for his lifelong enemy.
Raine Spenser is unique amongst ancient clans; part Deschanel vampire and part Alacea psychic, Raine had been brought up in a loving home by parents who had adored each other and their children. Having led a pretty much sheltered life, Raine had been working for charities that had been investigating the effect of deforestation as her work as an environmentalist when she had been kidnapped by Ross Westmore, a Kraven vampire who gets his high from the thrill of victory. Westmore's plan is one that is bound to destroy the world and plunge it into darkness and chaos which is what the Watchmen - a group of shape shifters who watch over the clansmen and women of their preternatural world are trying to prevent. Held against her will over a month during which Raine has suffered numerous forms of physical, mental and emotional abuse from her captors, it is a tortured and guilt-ridden Raine that emerges from her captivity at the hands of a mad man.
Seth's fascination for Raine from the very moment he carries her in his arms after her rescue from Westmore is an unexplainable one. His need to drive away the haunting look that has settled deep inside of Raine and the electric way in which his body reacts to Raine's mere presence has him at first running away from how he feels but inevitably finds himself unable to stay away from the one woman he wants to claim as his own more than he has wanted anything else in his life.
Raine's emotions when it comes to the human soldier is as complex as his feelings towards her. Fear of her growing feelings towards a man who had previously made it his life's mission to destroy her species has Raine pushing him away masking her need for the fierce warrior who stands in front of her with a loathing that she can't seem to summon. Her dreams of them entwined in lovers embraces has Raine pushing up the shields that guard her emotions and heart more fiercely than ever. But as moths drawn towards flame, these two can only deny their explosive feelings towards each other for so long and it is a combustive coming together if there ever was one that has these two finally taking things to the next level.
However, their journey towards happily ever after is not an easy one. Continuous danger from Westmore who sets in motion an elaborate plan to turn the war that is brewing onto the side of evil once and for all nearly destroys both Raine and Seth and the fragile bond that seems to have forged between the two. The need to protect one another from danger has each of them engaged in a battle of wills with the other, and it is only with ultimate trust and learning to let go of their pasts that would bring about true happiness to two souls who deserve it more than anyone else in the primal instinct world.
This one wins by far on all fronts in the Primal Instinct series for me. I loved the uniqueness the fact Seth the hero being the human brought into the story. Regardless of the fact he is a human, his wants and needs are as ferocious and as primal as the shape-shifters that I have come across in the series. And Seth totally wins my heart and soul as my favorite hero from the series with his tortured broodiness that makes him so very much appealing. I loved the fact that explicitly drawn out sex scenes weren't what drove the story right from the very 1st chapter itself, but rather the sexual tension that simmers between Raine and Seth is drawn out, making their ultimate surrender a very explosive and unforgettable one. Don't let me forget Raine, whose character and what she suffered at the hands of a monstrous species makes her so vulnerable but even then it makes her a determined one in her need for revenge on a group of men who had taken away something from her life that can never be replaced.
All in all, a tortured, hot as sin alpha hero that had my salivary glands working over time, a heroine that needed a bit of TLC and a knock on the head or two to figure out that Mr. Tortured and Hotness himself was here to stay, with the continuous adventure that is always a part of this series makes this book a huge 5-star winner for me. Very highly recommended for fans of the series and fans of Rhyannon Byrd. Mind you, you can always read this book as a standalone without much hassle because Ms. Byrd doesn't make her supernatural world a complex one, but rather she keeps her explanations simple, drawing the reader in and making you feel right at home with all the species that crops up in between.
I will finish off my review with a glimpse into one of the most super explosive scenes in the story, the event that lent a very satisfying culmination to the simmering sexual tension between Raine and Seth that practically set the pages afire!
April 12, 2011
This series is one word...INCREDIBLE, but I think this was my favorite yet!?
I can see the way the series (or it's offshoot) is about to change, & can't wait for what's to come!
Awesome!
I can see the way the series (or it's offshoot) is about to change, & can't wait for what's to come!
Awesome!
March 24, 2011
Review provided by Black Lagoon Reviews:
Rush of Darkness, the seventh novel in Rhyannon Byrd's popular paranormal romance series Primal Instinct, is an ensnaring and scalding read full of great emotional appeal, endearing and tortured characters and a thrilling plot that leads the pair on a wonderfully written adventure culminating in an epic battle that leaves you craving more!
This installment of the series follows Raine Spenser and Seth McConnell, characters who were brought together in the previous novel, which I hadn't read, and are both about as tortured and traumatized as can be. Their heart wrenching histories are tragic, creating two broken and lost souls who throw themselves whole heartedly into their respective missions. Coming into this series so late with little to no clue about what was going on, I found this story to be absurdly easy to step into. Byrd's writing style is wonderfully descriptive and insightful thrusting you under the characters' very skins. This can also be said of the world itself with the various plots and factions, from the good guys to the bad. The histories are wonderfully recreated to allow for effortless plot development, so even if this is your first transgression into the Primal Instinct series, you are not left behind or confused about anything within the plot of this novel.
The characters are endearing from the first sentence to the last with phenomenal chemistry that had me eagerly anticipating the connection that was to come. Both are completely open, with great emotional appeal that immediately drew me into tho their lives with an almost maddening build up of sexual tension. With tragic pasts that were amazingly revealed I was at times heart broken by the atrocious acts committed against them. Yet, it is this bone deep heart break that binds these characters so irrevocably. Raine, after being kidnapped, raped and brutalized, gives herself over to her underlying guilt over her sisters murder and loses herself in her need for vengeance. Seth, feeling an unexplainable connection to her, seeks her out in order to protect her, even from herself as he is no stranger to the addictive pull of revenge. The immediate chemistry between them is engrossing, the almost constant infighting quickly developing into something more. As both surrender to their desires, the sacrificial love between them grows creating some wonderful moments that I couldn't help but love. Truly, these two create an open, emotionally charged relationship steeped in rich history that can be tender and empathetic, despite or perhaps because of the almost constant verbal antagonism, and turned in to one of the best romances I've had the pleasure of reading.
The amazing writing style was fluid with a great pace filled not only with the alluring romance between the characters, but action as well. With tensions running high and time running out, the ever expanding scope of the novel was also a great attribute, bringing in more and more characters as the final showdown between the Kraven and the Watchmen come to a head leaving some great openings for the next installment.
Overall, this was my first time entering into the Primal Instinct world, but it will not be my last. As in love these characters as I am, I will definitely be hunting up the previous novels to find out even more about this addictive and simmering world where passion and action run rampant!
Rush of Darkness, the seventh novel in Rhyannon Byrd's popular paranormal romance series Primal Instinct, is an ensnaring and scalding read full of great emotional appeal, endearing and tortured characters and a thrilling plot that leads the pair on a wonderfully written adventure culminating in an epic battle that leaves you craving more!
This installment of the series follows Raine Spenser and Seth McConnell, characters who were brought together in the previous novel, which I hadn't read, and are both about as tortured and traumatized as can be. Their heart wrenching histories are tragic, creating two broken and lost souls who throw themselves whole heartedly into their respective missions. Coming into this series so late with little to no clue about what was going on, I found this story to be absurdly easy to step into. Byrd's writing style is wonderfully descriptive and insightful thrusting you under the characters' very skins. This can also be said of the world itself with the various plots and factions, from the good guys to the bad. The histories are wonderfully recreated to allow for effortless plot development, so even if this is your first transgression into the Primal Instinct series, you are not left behind or confused about anything within the plot of this novel.
The characters are endearing from the first sentence to the last with phenomenal chemistry that had me eagerly anticipating the connection that was to come. Both are completely open, with great emotional appeal that immediately drew me into tho their lives with an almost maddening build up of sexual tension. With tragic pasts that were amazingly revealed I was at times heart broken by the atrocious acts committed against them. Yet, it is this bone deep heart break that binds these characters so irrevocably. Raine, after being kidnapped, raped and brutalized, gives herself over to her underlying guilt over her sisters murder and loses herself in her need for vengeance. Seth, feeling an unexplainable connection to her, seeks her out in order to protect her, even from herself as he is no stranger to the addictive pull of revenge. The immediate chemistry between them is engrossing, the almost constant infighting quickly developing into something more. As both surrender to their desires, the sacrificial love between them grows creating some wonderful moments that I couldn't help but love. Truly, these two create an open, emotionally charged relationship steeped in rich history that can be tender and empathetic, despite or perhaps because of the almost constant verbal antagonism, and turned in to one of the best romances I've had the pleasure of reading.
The amazing writing style was fluid with a great pace filled not only with the alluring romance between the characters, but action as well. With tensions running high and time running out, the ever expanding scope of the novel was also a great attribute, bringing in more and more characters as the final showdown between the Kraven and the Watchmen come to a head leaving some great openings for the next installment.
Overall, this was my first time entering into the Primal Instinct world, but it will not be my last. As in love these characters as I am, I will definitely be hunting up the previous novels to find out even more about this addictive and simmering world where passion and action run rampant!
August 4, 2011
Mostly arguments and internal struggles in a relationship. The plot outside the relationship wasn’t developed enough.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The overall plot wasn’t fleshed out – not enough events to make it interesting. Everyone is on a quest to get twelve markers, but we are never shown anything about finding them which could have been interesting. We are just “told” that certain characters finally have them. It seemed like most of the book was arguing between Seth and Raine and pondering by Seth and Raine. He wanted her and acted like it. She wanted him but wouldn’t follow her feelings. She felt they could never have a relationship for various reasons. That was most of the story rather than what was going on with the evil guys. I had a hard time staying interested. Unfortunately I wanted it to be over, and I skimmed a few parts. The sex scenes seemed ok, but I wasn’t that interested. I don’t know why.
I recall other authors taking me inside the heads of bad guys causing me fear and anxiety. I never felt anything like that here. Instead we are told after the fact that she was tortured and raped. We are told about other bad-guy actions as well, but not in a way that elicited feelings.
It might have been interesting to see the motivations and events causing Seth to stop killing vampires and start helping them. It might have been good to understand why or how Seth (a human) was able to kill paranormal creatures. I have not read any other books in this series, so if that was answered in a previous book, I don’t know.
STORY BRIEF:
Raine is half vampire and half psychic. She was imprisoned by Westmore for a month. She was tortured and raped and grieves because he killed her sister. She was rescued by Seth and some Watchmen.
Seth is human. Vampires killed his family. For many years he went on a revenge spree killing vampires. He stopped that and now has joined vampires and others in the fight against Westmore and the Casus. Although Seth is human, he is able to fight and kill vampires, Casus, and almost anything else.
All of that is told as background and now the story begins. Raine is on a mission to kill everyone who raped or tortured her. Seth follows her to help. She wants to do this without his help, but Seth saves her life more than once because she is not competent enough to do it alone. But she keeps running off to do it, and he keeps following to save her. (This implies stupidity on her part.)
The good guys and the bad guys are trying to beat each other in finding twelve hidden markers which can do powerful things. Almost no time (or very little time) is spent showing why they were hidden, where they are, and the process of finding them. The result is the marker part of the story feels more like background than current action.
DATA:
Story length: 368 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 7. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 37. Setting: current day various places in Europe. Copyright: 2011. Genre: paranormal romantic suspense.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The overall plot wasn’t fleshed out – not enough events to make it interesting. Everyone is on a quest to get twelve markers, but we are never shown anything about finding them which could have been interesting. We are just “told” that certain characters finally have them. It seemed like most of the book was arguing between Seth and Raine and pondering by Seth and Raine. He wanted her and acted like it. She wanted him but wouldn’t follow her feelings. She felt they could never have a relationship for various reasons. That was most of the story rather than what was going on with the evil guys. I had a hard time staying interested. Unfortunately I wanted it to be over, and I skimmed a few parts. The sex scenes seemed ok, but I wasn’t that interested. I don’t know why.
I recall other authors taking me inside the heads of bad guys causing me fear and anxiety. I never felt anything like that here. Instead we are told after the fact that she was tortured and raped. We are told about other bad-guy actions as well, but not in a way that elicited feelings.
It might have been interesting to see the motivations and events causing Seth to stop killing vampires and start helping them. It might have been good to understand why or how Seth (a human) was able to kill paranormal creatures. I have not read any other books in this series, so if that was answered in a previous book, I don’t know.
STORY BRIEF:
Raine is half vampire and half psychic. She was imprisoned by Westmore for a month. She was tortured and raped and grieves because he killed her sister. She was rescued by Seth and some Watchmen.
Seth is human. Vampires killed his family. For many years he went on a revenge spree killing vampires. He stopped that and now has joined vampires and others in the fight against Westmore and the Casus. Although Seth is human, he is able to fight and kill vampires, Casus, and almost anything else.
All of that is told as background and now the story begins. Raine is on a mission to kill everyone who raped or tortured her. Seth follows her to help. She wants to do this without his help, but Seth saves her life more than once because she is not competent enough to do it alone. But she keeps running off to do it, and he keeps following to save her. (This implies stupidity on her part.)
The good guys and the bad guys are trying to beat each other in finding twelve hidden markers which can do powerful things. Almost no time (or very little time) is spent showing why they were hidden, where they are, and the process of finding them. The result is the marker part of the story feels more like background than current action.
DATA:
Story length: 368 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 7. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 37. Setting: current day various places in Europe. Copyright: 2011. Genre: paranormal romantic suspense.
July 4, 2023
Posted At: Riverina Romantics
Rating: 4 out of 5 *
Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 <3
“You’re hurting, and I want to be the man to let get close enough to make it better. Dammit, Raine. I just want to get close to you.”
I loved this book. It was just amazing how deeply to incredibly scarred—and I mean incredibly scarred— people could come to love each other. The only thing that stopped this book from being a full five stars was how repetitive Raine got around the halfway point. I completely understand the horrifying trauma both characters had gone through, and of course some of their actions towards each other was worthy enough of a head desk moment, but at some point you really need to snap out of it. However, neither character annoyed me enough to take away from the overall story. I think Seth and Raine have to be one of my favorite couples in this series.
I thought it was a little strange for woman as gentle as rain to be on some kind of murder mission. Sure, she had been held in horrible captivity with terrible things done to her— anybody would want serious revenge after that--but she was too soft to the soul to be believable. Not to say that it was impossible, but from previous books she didn’t seem like she’d even be able to handle housing such hatred and anger. Also, her continuous need to shove Seth away and deny what was between them started to border on obsessive. It’s a key made one step forward, then suddenly he’s five steps back. Granted most of it fit with the situation, but towards the end it was like… Please get your head out of your ass. Thank you. Despite that, Raine was a good character. She had care and compassion to last eons. She was dedicated and gentle. In the end, it was her understanding and her love that made her the perfect heroine for Seth.
I wanted to jump Seth from the moment he appeared. All dark, brooding, and damaged, he just used sex appeal. I mean, the man is seriously sex on legs. But just like rain, he had a horrifying past that shaped the man he had become. In my opinion, I think his past was worse than what rain had to go through hands-down. It’s no wonder he had to hang-ups he did. But the difference between him and Raine is that he didn’t let that stop him from wanting to be with her. He had his moments, sure, but he knew he wanted her and he went for it--repeatedly. Everything he did was out of love for her, even if he may not have realized it. He was changing—had already changed in so many ways. He was incomplete. The depth of his love for rain astounded me. I’m not sure why, but I know I felt it to my core. That alone made the story more than worth the Raine’s minor annoyance.
This series is by far one of my absolute favorites. Each story has something special about it that makes so incredibly captivating. I could read these books over and over and over and over and over…
Rating: 4 out of 5 *
Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 <3
“You’re hurting, and I want to be the man to let get close enough to make it better. Dammit, Raine. I just want to get close to you.”
I loved this book. It was just amazing how deeply to incredibly scarred—and I mean incredibly scarred— people could come to love each other. The only thing that stopped this book from being a full five stars was how repetitive Raine got around the halfway point. I completely understand the horrifying trauma both characters had gone through, and of course some of their actions towards each other was worthy enough of a head desk moment, but at some point you really need to snap out of it. However, neither character annoyed me enough to take away from the overall story. I think Seth and Raine have to be one of my favorite couples in this series.
I thought it was a little strange for woman as gentle as rain to be on some kind of murder mission. Sure, she had been held in horrible captivity with terrible things done to her— anybody would want serious revenge after that--but she was too soft to the soul to be believable. Not to say that it was impossible, but from previous books she didn’t seem like she’d even be able to handle housing such hatred and anger. Also, her continuous need to shove Seth away and deny what was between them started to border on obsessive. It’s a key made one step forward, then suddenly he’s five steps back. Granted most of it fit with the situation, but towards the end it was like… Please get your head out of your ass. Thank you. Despite that, Raine was a good character. She had care and compassion to last eons. She was dedicated and gentle. In the end, it was her understanding and her love that made her the perfect heroine for Seth.
I wanted to jump Seth from the moment he appeared. All dark, brooding, and damaged, he just used sex appeal. I mean, the man is seriously sex on legs. But just like rain, he had a horrifying past that shaped the man he had become. In my opinion, I think his past was worse than what rain had to go through hands-down. It’s no wonder he had to hang-ups he did. But the difference between him and Raine is that he didn’t let that stop him from wanting to be with her. He had his moments, sure, but he knew he wanted her and he went for it--repeatedly. Everything he did was out of love for her, even if he may not have realized it. He was changing—had already changed in so many ways. He was incomplete. The depth of his love for rain astounded me. I’m not sure why, but I know I felt it to my core. That alone made the story more than worth the Raine’s minor annoyance.
This series is by far one of my absolute favorites. Each story has something special about it that makes so incredibly captivating. I could read these books over and over and over and over and over…
April 16, 2011
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: Available Now!
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HQN
Author’s Website: http://www.rhyannonbyrd.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes. Book 7, Primal Instincts series
Series Best Read In Order: Yes but works well as a standalone
Steam Level: Hot
For some reason, Ms. Byrd’s name sounded familiar to me, but since I read so much (which is an understatement I assure you), I couldn’t immediately place it. It turns out, I’ve actually read a couple books in this series — Edge of Hunger and Primal Instinct (books 1 and 4 in the series, respectively), and gave both high ratings at the time.
It wasn’t until I was a chapter or two in, when I started recognizing things like the Watchmen and the crosses, that I realized that this was a series that I’d enjoyed and had intended to get back into. I know, it’s sad when you read so much that you actually manage to forget about an author whose work could easily make it to your top ten favorites, but rest assured, I will not be making the mistake of failing to follow this series in the future.
Even though this is book 7 in the series, I still felt that it worked quite well as a standalone. As I said, I’ve only read books 1 and 4, so I was missing quite a bit of information regarding previous plot developments, but I was able to follow along without any problems. On the other hand, because of this long time readers may feel there’s a bit of info-dump as some of the plot is revisited from previous novels, though of course I can’t be sure since I’m several novels behind at this point :P
I will say, however, that this was hands down one of the hottest books that I’ve ever read. The sexual tension between Raine and Seth is so thick that it’s almost hard to breathe, and when they finally come together (pun intended), it’s primal and intense.
Ms. Byrd’s writing grabs ahold of you from the very start and refuses to let go until you’re completely at her mercy. Bottom line — I loved it. I truly think this book is a must-have for any fan of hot PNR; the blend of passionate romance, action, and suspense makes this a very solid 5/5 Stars.
Expected Release Date: Available Now!
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HQN
Author’s Website: http://www.rhyannonbyrd.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes. Book 7, Primal Instincts series
Series Best Read In Order: Yes but works well as a standalone
Steam Level: Hot
For some reason, Ms. Byrd’s name sounded familiar to me, but since I read so much (which is an understatement I assure you), I couldn’t immediately place it. It turns out, I’ve actually read a couple books in this series — Edge of Hunger and Primal Instinct (books 1 and 4 in the series, respectively), and gave both high ratings at the time.
It wasn’t until I was a chapter or two in, when I started recognizing things like the Watchmen and the crosses, that I realized that this was a series that I’d enjoyed and had intended to get back into. I know, it’s sad when you read so much that you actually manage to forget about an author whose work could easily make it to your top ten favorites, but rest assured, I will not be making the mistake of failing to follow this series in the future.
Even though this is book 7 in the series, I still felt that it worked quite well as a standalone. As I said, I’ve only read books 1 and 4, so I was missing quite a bit of information regarding previous plot developments, but I was able to follow along without any problems. On the other hand, because of this long time readers may feel there’s a bit of info-dump as some of the plot is revisited from previous novels, though of course I can’t be sure since I’m several novels behind at this point :P
I will say, however, that this was hands down one of the hottest books that I’ve ever read. The sexual tension between Raine and Seth is so thick that it’s almost hard to breathe, and when they finally come together (pun intended), it’s primal and intense.
Ms. Byrd’s writing grabs ahold of you from the very start and refuses to let go until you’re completely at her mercy. Bottom line — I loved it. I truly think this book is a must-have for any fan of hot PNR; the blend of passionate romance, action, and suspense makes this a very solid 5/5 Stars.
March 28, 2011
Rush of Darkness by Rhyannon Byrd is the seventh book in the Primal Instinct Series. This story picks up from the ending of Touch of Temptation. The heroine, Raine Spenser, is a dhampire whose father was a vampire and her mom’s human lineage gives her strong psychic powers. Because of her powerful psychic powers inherited from her mother and her vampire heritage, Raine was held prisoner by an evil brute. During the time she was held, Raine suffered unspeakable emotional and physical horrors. Now that she is free, she is out for vengeance.
Seth McConnell, former Vampire Hunter, is a human member of the Watchmen - a group of shape-shifters who assist in keeping order in the supernatural community. Seth is one of the members of the Watchmen who rescued Raine from her torturers. His attraction to Raine is strong and his need to protect her just as powerful. However, his past is leveraged by deep emotional scarring, as well.
Raine and Seth team up to take down the monsters who hurt her. This adventure pits the hero and heroine head on with both of their tragic histories. On this joint mission, these two allies draw closer together and are entrenched in their common passions. The attachment they share aids in healing deep emotional wounds for both by allowing for a complete catharsis which in turn, allows them to trust in their true feelings for each other.
Rhyannon Byrd does a wonderful job of putting together a memorable adventure and romance. To enjoy this novel, it is not necessary to have read the previous books in this series. The reader will be enmeshed in a powerful tale full of action, love, and emotional healing. I encourage you to pick up the book, curl up in your favorite chair, and the this story take you away to a unique world of supernaturals. You will not regret this paranormal experience.
Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!
March 30, 2011
Rush of Darkness was a great addition to the Primal Instinct series, and a title I have been waiting for the past stories. Raine and Seth are both dark, broken characters who see something worth fearing in each other – and that’s a companion worthy of love.
Raine has been brutally used by the Kraven for her talents, and Seth has only recently switched to her “team” and has fought his whole life against beings like herself…vampires. Raine must battle not only her own fears of a sexual relationship, but also her fear that he can’t love her since he has such hatred for vampires. How could he “be” with her if he can’t accept everything about her? To Seth, she is much more than a vampire. He sees a strong woman on a mission that might kill her, and wants to protect her from the Kraven, but also from herself and the demons driving her.
They have such great chemistry, and their budding relationship was handled so delicately that it felt plausible. The story with the Kraven was well done, and I liked the hints of their planning. It moved the plot along nicely, and didn’t detract from Raine and Seth, as sometimes a secondary story can. There were hints of previous characters in the series in this story, but that was handled without going too deep into past stories and taking away from their story.
Any reader could pick up this book and read it as a stand-alone, but there is a lot of backstory that the reader would be missing out on. It adds depth to have read about Seth joining the team, Raine being found, et cetera – but you don’t HAVE to have read it to get how important their past is to their present. This is a great addition to the series, and I can’t wait to find out whose story is next!
Raine has been brutally used by the Kraven for her talents, and Seth has only recently switched to her “team” and has fought his whole life against beings like herself…vampires. Raine must battle not only her own fears of a sexual relationship, but also her fear that he can’t love her since he has such hatred for vampires. How could he “be” with her if he can’t accept everything about her? To Seth, she is much more than a vampire. He sees a strong woman on a mission that might kill her, and wants to protect her from the Kraven, but also from herself and the demons driving her.
They have such great chemistry, and their budding relationship was handled so delicately that it felt plausible. The story with the Kraven was well done, and I liked the hints of their planning. It moved the plot along nicely, and didn’t detract from Raine and Seth, as sometimes a secondary story can. There were hints of previous characters in the series in this story, but that was handled without going too deep into past stories and taking away from their story.
Any reader could pick up this book and read it as a stand-alone, but there is a lot of backstory that the reader would be missing out on. It adds depth to have read about Seth joining the team, Raine being found, et cetera – but you don’t HAVE to have read it to get how important their past is to their present. This is a great addition to the series, and I can’t wait to find out whose story is next!
April 1, 2025
The hero saved the heroine from imprisonment but couldn't protect her from the rape or the abuse that she received. The heroine thinks of herself as broken and though the hero tries to get closer to her she keeps pushing him away. Honestly, I wouldn't trust him either to start with. An ex-vampire slayer would make a vampire a little jumpy. But out of fear of how he makes her feel, she keeps thinking of every excuse she can to show him they are meant to be and it got a little old. They kept having the same conversations over and over again, so much so that the book could have been cut down to skip them. The hero was frustrating. I don't like it when a strong male becomes a weak lost puppy over his female. It's different when he's willing to swallow his pride to make her happy but he got a little whiny when she kept turning him down and it was turn off for me. The heroine is supposed to be gun ho on revenge and killing those who killed her sister but she's weak. She constantly needs the hero to save her every fight though she's stubborn and doesn't see it and despite the hero's obvious fear for her safety she repeatedly runs off to get the bad guy on her own. That being said, when the hero wasn't being whiny he was a alpha male and dedicated to protecting the heroine. He tries really hard to get over his aversion to letting her feed from him and anyone who hurts or threatens her is immediately killed or put into their place.
January 26, 2016
I really love this series. Yes it is more dark , but there is just something about it that draws me in. This is the story of Raine and Seth. In the last book it was really heart breaking to see what happened to Raine . I was dying to find out more.
Raine is out for revenge. She is fueled for the need to makes those who hurt her sister pay. Funny how it wasn't for what was done to her . She never cared about that. Guilt has a funny way of doing that to a person. But Raine runs on the hate that she has. Seth is there because he cant stay away and feels the need to protect her. What really got me was when you read this series you think you know these characters until you read their book. Seth and Raine I thought were so different were in the end so much the same. When they shared the Trust" with each other and share what really happened to them , it was a truly touching moment.What happened to Seth was almost as bad as what happened to Raine. I was shaking my head thinking well no wonder...
Loved all the fighting , the battle . That was as always great. My faves were in there too. Sad that there is only one left . But there will be a spin off series about the Granger Brothers who I love. Thank goodness. Up next is Noah's and what they had in this book was such a teaser for me for the next one.
Raine is out for revenge. She is fueled for the need to makes those who hurt her sister pay. Funny how it wasn't for what was done to her . She never cared about that. Guilt has a funny way of doing that to a person. But Raine runs on the hate that she has. Seth is there because he cant stay away and feels the need to protect her. What really got me was when you read this series you think you know these characters until you read their book. Seth and Raine I thought were so different were in the end so much the same. When they shared the Trust" with each other and share what really happened to them , it was a truly touching moment.What happened to Seth was almost as bad as what happened to Raine. I was shaking my head thinking well no wonder...
Loved all the fighting , the battle . That was as always great. My faves were in there too. Sad that there is only one left . But there will be a spin off series about the Granger Brothers who I love. Thank goodness. Up next is Noah's and what they had in this book was such a teaser for me for the next one.
February 10, 2011
Check out my full review at: Escape by Fiction
Spoilers!!! Awesome and spectacular!
Spoilers!!! Awesome and spectacular!
October 14, 2020
Good read
Well not sure I expected this story for Raine. It was good and loved Seth even in other books, but Raine underwent a severe change for me. I got the revenge angle but honestly I went from liking her in previous book to wanting to hit her in this. Thank goodness Seth persevered.
Well not sure I expected this story for Raine. It was good and loved Seth even in other books, but Raine underwent a severe change for me. I got the revenge angle but honestly I went from liking her in previous book to wanting to hit her in this. Thank goodness Seth persevered.
November 23, 2011
You can see this review and others like it on www.ufreviews.com
My first book with vamps in quite some time, and I must say I'm excited. To be fair I have to mention this is book 7 in this series, and I have not read any of the other books. I normally do not like jumping into a series (or in the case towards the end of a series), but I decided to give it a go. If this book is captivating and I enjoy it, I'll go back and buy the six books preceding it, and it will be a tribute to the authors ability to bring in new readers. Of course there is always the possibility that I would be wildly confused, but now it's time for the actual review!
I would like to start off saying how impressed I was that I was able to enter into a book so far along in a series and catch on so quickly. In the first few chapters there were little snippets of background information. It wasn't gushed out all at once, but rather a slow build up revealing the events that had transpired in the previous books in the series. And while I think I did miss out on the dynamics of all the characters (because I hadn't had the six previous books of build up to fall back on), by about midway through the books I liked the characters enough to really identify with them.
For a paranormal romance series, I can certainly understand why this series has lasted as long as it has. It reminded me a little bit of the Keri Arthur Riley books. The sex scenes were not cheesy (huge plus), although I got the distinct feeling there was entirely to much talking. The two characters of Raine and Seth would be literally in the throws and then there would be two pages of dialogue, and it was always heavy dialogue, and the suddenly after two pages of talking, Byrd made it seem like they were still going at it during this intense conversation, which didn't really fit.
Seth and Raine were definitely at odds with each other throughout the book, and it took a lot for them to even find a way to work together. Most of the time them being at odds just made their chemistry all the more better, and made me more interested in the characters. But towards the end of the book, when they were having the same argument for the 30th time with the same exact language I kinda wanted to knock the two of them upside the head with a heavy book.
Because I went into this book not knowing the back story about the bad guys I don't think I would have the same reactions as people who have been following the series. Westerman seems to be a formidable bad guy, although I can tell from recall within this book, that if I had read the previous books, this guy would have evoked a serious hatred from me. Since there wasn't a lot of information on the him in this book, just really the continued hunt for him, I rooted for Raine and Seth but didn't have the same kind of hatred for him I would have had if I knew had actually read the books where Raine was captured.
Overall I think this is a good book, I think the reader of paranormal romance are going to enjoy it and this series. If you don't like a book with a lot of sex in it though then this is not your book. I have to say that after reading this book, the first six books are going on my to buy list, and I am very curious to see what happens next as this series comes to an end.
My first book with vamps in quite some time, and I must say I'm excited. To be fair I have to mention this is book 7 in this series, and I have not read any of the other books. I normally do not like jumping into a series (or in the case towards the end of a series), but I decided to give it a go. If this book is captivating and I enjoy it, I'll go back and buy the six books preceding it, and it will be a tribute to the authors ability to bring in new readers. Of course there is always the possibility that I would be wildly confused, but now it's time for the actual review!
I would like to start off saying how impressed I was that I was able to enter into a book so far along in a series and catch on so quickly. In the first few chapters there were little snippets of background information. It wasn't gushed out all at once, but rather a slow build up revealing the events that had transpired in the previous books in the series. And while I think I did miss out on the dynamics of all the characters (because I hadn't had the six previous books of build up to fall back on), by about midway through the books I liked the characters enough to really identify with them.
For a paranormal romance series, I can certainly understand why this series has lasted as long as it has. It reminded me a little bit of the Keri Arthur Riley books. The sex scenes were not cheesy (huge plus), although I got the distinct feeling there was entirely to much talking. The two characters of Raine and Seth would be literally in the throws and then there would be two pages of dialogue, and it was always heavy dialogue, and the suddenly after two pages of talking, Byrd made it seem like they were still going at it during this intense conversation, which didn't really fit.
Seth and Raine were definitely at odds with each other throughout the book, and it took a lot for them to even find a way to work together. Most of the time them being at odds just made their chemistry all the more better, and made me more interested in the characters. But towards the end of the book, when they were having the same argument for the 30th time with the same exact language I kinda wanted to knock the two of them upside the head with a heavy book.
Because I went into this book not knowing the back story about the bad guys I don't think I would have the same reactions as people who have been following the series. Westerman seems to be a formidable bad guy, although I can tell from recall within this book, that if I had read the previous books, this guy would have evoked a serious hatred from me. Since there wasn't a lot of information on the him in this book, just really the continued hunt for him, I rooted for Raine and Seth but didn't have the same kind of hatred for him I would have had if I knew had actually read the books where Raine was captured.
Overall I think this is a good book, I think the reader of paranormal romance are going to enjoy it and this series. If you don't like a book with a lot of sex in it though then this is not your book. I have to say that after reading this book, the first six books are going on my to buy list, and I am very curious to see what happens next as this series comes to an end.
April 5, 2011
I had, overall, been enjoying this series. And I am happy to say that this book is one of the higher points in the series. While there have been installments that I enjoyed much less then others, here I was relieved when I finished this one. Because, I admit, I was worried at first.
We have here the story of Raine, the psychic half-vampire we met in the last book, and Seth McConnell, the human ex-Collective soldier. They both have their issues with themselves and each other. That’s nothing unique in this genre. However, somewhat unique was how well the prior installment set the foundation for the development of this particular relationship and how well it took advantage of that set-up. The pair was one I found myself routing for, much more then, say Hope and Riley. There was action, some great steamy scenes, and definite progression in the overall story-arc of the series.
It was also great to see how involved some of the other characters were. Often in this genre we get lots of great books about couples, but as we progress in the series we only get peripheral action from the other characters. I know it’s hard, since these books really are about the “couple de jour” but when you leave the rest of the cast behind sometimes the books feel like a little bit of a waste. Here, that is not the case. I loved who we saw and how much we saw of them.
I was worried, having just finished the prior 2 installments (and diving right in, no time in between) that some of the descriptions were going to just continue to repeat (for example, the author used “vein-ridden” or “vein-riddled” over and over and over in the last two books) and they were loosing their appeal they were so over-used. But, happily, the author found some new ways to phrase things. She found new ways to get us steam. And, the internal struggle that each half of the couple always has in these books didn’t feel as frustrating as it has in other books of this genre. The emotional struggles the characters felt, felt much more real and made it much more enjoyable.
My biggest complaint is that there is sort of a throw away chapter or two here (including the epilogue, which I would have just saved for the prologue of the next book). They are clearly meant to set up the next installment, but they felt like a waste and really didn’t add much. And one of them was maybe a page long – so it really felt unnecessary.
There’s still mystery given that the overall arc of the series started to change direction a few books ago but it didn’t feel strained and feels like a natural progression. We get some closure, but more struggles too so that I know there will be more books to come without having to trump up some last minute excuse that feels rushed and like it came out of nowhere.
I was hooked on this one and had a very hard time putting it down. I felt as if my nook was calling me begging me to pick it back up just to finish this when ever I couldn’t be reading.
I look forward to the next one!
We have here the story of Raine, the psychic half-vampire we met in the last book, and Seth McConnell, the human ex-Collective soldier. They both have their issues with themselves and each other. That’s nothing unique in this genre. However, somewhat unique was how well the prior installment set the foundation for the development of this particular relationship and how well it took advantage of that set-up. The pair was one I found myself routing for, much more then, say Hope and Riley. There was action, some great steamy scenes, and definite progression in the overall story-arc of the series.
It was also great to see how involved some of the other characters were. Often in this genre we get lots of great books about couples, but as we progress in the series we only get peripheral action from the other characters. I know it’s hard, since these books really are about the “couple de jour” but when you leave the rest of the cast behind sometimes the books feel like a little bit of a waste. Here, that is not the case. I loved who we saw and how much we saw of them.
I was worried, having just finished the prior 2 installments (and diving right in, no time in between) that some of the descriptions were going to just continue to repeat (for example, the author used “vein-ridden” or “vein-riddled” over and over and over in the last two books) and they were loosing their appeal they were so over-used. But, happily, the author found some new ways to phrase things. She found new ways to get us steam. And, the internal struggle that each half of the couple always has in these books didn’t feel as frustrating as it has in other books of this genre. The emotional struggles the characters felt, felt much more real and made it much more enjoyable.
My biggest complaint is that there is sort of a throw away chapter or two here (including the epilogue, which I would have just saved for the prologue of the next book). They are clearly meant to set up the next installment, but they felt like a waste and really didn’t add much. And one of them was maybe a page long – so it really felt unnecessary.
There’s still mystery given that the overall arc of the series started to change direction a few books ago but it didn’t feel strained and feels like a natural progression. We get some closure, but more struggles too so that I know there will be more books to come without having to trump up some last minute excuse that feels rushed and like it came out of nowhere.
I was hooked on this one and had a very hard time putting it down. I felt as if my nook was calling me begging me to pick it back up just to finish this when ever I couldn’t be reading.
I look forward to the next one!
March 29, 2011
This is Rhyannon Byrd’s latest book in her Primal Instincts book, and the best so far. It brings to a close the search for the Markers, and solves the mystery of how to use them.
Raine Spenser is on a mission to destroy the Casus monsters who raped and murdered her younger sister while trying to make Raine talk. She believes she is alone in this mission, until Seth McConnel shows up, determined to save her from herself. She doesn’t have time for the feelings Seth arouses in her, not while vengeance is all she can think about. Besides that, he is human, and she is half Deschanel vampire and half Alacea psychic.
Rogue vampires destroyed Seth’s family, and he was tortured as well, so his attraction to Raine confuses them both. But when he invokes an ages old binding between Raine and him, he ensures that he can be there to help her in her mission. Can this human soldier and the wounded vampire/psychic find a way to get over the past and work together? More than that, can they find a way to a happy ever after together, or is Raine too broken to move on?
I enjoyed watching as the main characters in this book fought against the attraction pulling at them, a battle they were destined to lose in the end.
Raine is determined to avenge her sister’s murder, all on her own. She feels broken inside, sure she should have done something to prevent what happened. She is strong in spirit, and growing stronger physically every day, since her rescue. She doesn’t understand her reaction to the very human Seth McConnell. She is mystified by his determination to help her with her self appointed goal. Raine has self esteem issues, and has difficulty trusting as well.
Seth McConnell is a soldier; strong, sexy and determined to protect Raine, even from her own actions. After losing his family to rogues, he joined the Collective and destroyed the vampires he hated. But he soon became aware that, just like human beings, there were good and bad vampires, and he left the Collective before it became corrupt. He doesn’t understand his strong attraction to Raine, or how he can always ‘find’ her wherever she is. He just knows she is his to protect, and that he will do so no matter what.
The interaction between Seth and Raine becomes hotter as time goes by, and there are several ‘almost’ encounters between them before they finally give in to the inevitable. There is, of course, the plotting by Westmore, the evil Casus behind most of Raine’s troubles. We discover the purpose of Markers, and the Casus have been defeated…for now. What lies ahead for those who have been fighting this war is a new threat, and I look forward to seeing how all of our heroes and heroines from this series will regroup to face the new evil emerging. Do Raine and Seth work past their issues to a hot and happy life together? You will have to read Rush of Darkness to find out.
Originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
Raine Spenser is on a mission to destroy the Casus monsters who raped and murdered her younger sister while trying to make Raine talk. She believes she is alone in this mission, until Seth McConnel shows up, determined to save her from herself. She doesn’t have time for the feelings Seth arouses in her, not while vengeance is all she can think about. Besides that, he is human, and she is half Deschanel vampire and half Alacea psychic.
Rogue vampires destroyed Seth’s family, and he was tortured as well, so his attraction to Raine confuses them both. But when he invokes an ages old binding between Raine and him, he ensures that he can be there to help her in her mission. Can this human soldier and the wounded vampire/psychic find a way to get over the past and work together? More than that, can they find a way to a happy ever after together, or is Raine too broken to move on?
I enjoyed watching as the main characters in this book fought against the attraction pulling at them, a battle they were destined to lose in the end.
Raine is determined to avenge her sister’s murder, all on her own. She feels broken inside, sure she should have done something to prevent what happened. She is strong in spirit, and growing stronger physically every day, since her rescue. She doesn’t understand her reaction to the very human Seth McConnell. She is mystified by his determination to help her with her self appointed goal. Raine has self esteem issues, and has difficulty trusting as well.
Seth McConnell is a soldier; strong, sexy and determined to protect Raine, even from her own actions. After losing his family to rogues, he joined the Collective and destroyed the vampires he hated. But he soon became aware that, just like human beings, there were good and bad vampires, and he left the Collective before it became corrupt. He doesn’t understand his strong attraction to Raine, or how he can always ‘find’ her wherever she is. He just knows she is his to protect, and that he will do so no matter what.
The interaction between Seth and Raine becomes hotter as time goes by, and there are several ‘almost’ encounters between them before they finally give in to the inevitable. There is, of course, the plotting by Westmore, the evil Casus behind most of Raine’s troubles. We discover the purpose of Markers, and the Casus have been defeated…for now. What lies ahead for those who have been fighting this war is a new threat, and I look forward to seeing how all of our heroes and heroines from this series will regroup to face the new evil emerging. Do Raine and Seth work past their issues to a hot and happy life together? You will have to read Rush of Darkness to find out.
Originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
April 6, 2011
http://obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com/
Rush of Darkness is the seventh book in the Primal Instinct Series by Rhyannon Byrd. This story picks up from the ending of Touch of Temptation and would have to be my favourite in the series so far.
Seth McConnell is a former Vampire Hunter, and now a human member of the Watchmen, a highly skilled organisation of shifters whose job it is to keep watch over ancient non-human races.
Seth was only a teen when a rogue nest of vampires brutally murdered his family, hellbent on seeking his own revenge he has spent 20 years of his life as a collective soldier trying to find and kill vampires.
I loved Seth as a hero, a tortured past caused him a lot of pain; he had a fierce protective streak, determination and the strength similar to that of his fellow watchmen.
Raine Spenser is unique amongst the ancient clans; part Deschanel vampire and part Alacea psychic, she is on a mission to avenge her murdered sister & destroy the Casus who abused her mentally, physically and emotionally whilst being held capive. She is riding a dangerous high fueled by hatred, the emotion making her feel stronger yet slowly destroying her soul.
Seth has felt an unwanted attraction towards Raine since he helped to rescue her, he is drawn to her for reasons he doesn't quite understand and is determined to help her find & kill her sister's murderers and protect her against the evil Westmore, a Kraven vampire who wants Raine & her rare abilities for himself.
I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Seth & Raine, after what she had been through it took her time to trust Seth, especially knowing of his past & hatred towards her kind. Their growing feelings towards one another was complex and something they both feared. Once they both get past their issues the chemistry between them is amazing.
Even though this is the 7th book in the series, I feel it could be read as stand-alone, Ms Byrd provides enough of a back-story to understand what is happening without getting confused; although reading of the other Watchmen/Merrick is highly recommended.
It is always a struggle for me to put a Ryhannon Byrd novel down & Rush of Darkness was no exception, it held my attention from the very first page.
I can’t wait to read the next Primal Instincts book, Rush of Pleasure to see what lies ahead with this new threat.
An excellent series!
Rush of Darkness is the seventh book in the Primal Instinct Series by Rhyannon Byrd. This story picks up from the ending of Touch of Temptation and would have to be my favourite in the series so far.
Seth McConnell is a former Vampire Hunter, and now a human member of the Watchmen, a highly skilled organisation of shifters whose job it is to keep watch over ancient non-human races.
Seth was only a teen when a rogue nest of vampires brutally murdered his family, hellbent on seeking his own revenge he has spent 20 years of his life as a collective soldier trying to find and kill vampires.
I loved Seth as a hero, a tortured past caused him a lot of pain; he had a fierce protective streak, determination and the strength similar to that of his fellow watchmen.
Raine Spenser is unique amongst the ancient clans; part Deschanel vampire and part Alacea psychic, she is on a mission to avenge her murdered sister & destroy the Casus who abused her mentally, physically and emotionally whilst being held capive. She is riding a dangerous high fueled by hatred, the emotion making her feel stronger yet slowly destroying her soul.
Seth has felt an unwanted attraction towards Raine since he helped to rescue her, he is drawn to her for reasons he doesn't quite understand and is determined to help her find & kill her sister's murderers and protect her against the evil Westmore, a Kraven vampire who wants Raine & her rare abilities for himself.
I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Seth & Raine, after what she had been through it took her time to trust Seth, especially knowing of his past & hatred towards her kind. Their growing feelings towards one another was complex and something they both feared. Once they both get past their issues the chemistry between them is amazing.
Even though this is the 7th book in the series, I feel it could be read as stand-alone, Ms Byrd provides enough of a back-story to understand what is happening without getting confused; although reading of the other Watchmen/Merrick is highly recommended.
It is always a struggle for me to put a Ryhannon Byrd novel down & Rush of Darkness was no exception, it held my attention from the very first page.
I can’t wait to read the next Primal Instincts book, Rush of Pleasure to see what lies ahead with this new threat.
An excellent series!
June 5, 2012
It’s good if you like female vampires
Despite my best efforts and the decent writing and plot, it took me a while to get into Rhyannon Byrd's Rush of Darkness. I mostly fault my own personal tastes. I'm more sure now than ever before that I just simply prefer it when the male love interest is the vampire. The female can be a vamp as well, but the male definitely has to be a vamp, too. Might there be something a little psychologically off with that? Probably. But that's my story and I'm sticking to it! The Cheshire Red Reports series is pretty much the only exception for me.
That said, my personal preference shouldn't hold anyone else back from a good read. There's a lot of tension between Raine Spenser, a psychic vampire who was recently held prisoner for her abilities, and Seth McConnell, a capable soldier whose ultimate mission and goal is to hunt and destroy her kind. Though destined to be enemies, they find that they have a mutual adversary and must work together to defeat him. Of course tension evolved into sexual tension and then...
While the premise isn't the most original, I thought that the read was overall engaging. Both the hero and heroine have sympathetic back stories that helped mold them into what they are. The villain is interesting too and I was glad that he received page time from his point of view. There's a gritty feel to this book and I didn't really sense any slow moment, which is a sign of good pacing. Their chemistry is as much as any paranormal romance fan can hope for. Byrd definitely delivers on this front.
This is the 7th book in this series, but it works well as a standalone. I hadn't read any of the prior 6 novels, but I never felt lost. I enjoyed the author's writing style so I am willing to try her other books, especially since I'm eager to see what she can do with male vamps.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
*Review also posted to Amazon.
Despite my best efforts and the decent writing and plot, it took me a while to get into Rhyannon Byrd's Rush of Darkness. I mostly fault my own personal tastes. I'm more sure now than ever before that I just simply prefer it when the male love interest is the vampire. The female can be a vamp as well, but the male definitely has to be a vamp, too. Might there be something a little psychologically off with that? Probably. But that's my story and I'm sticking to it! The Cheshire Red Reports series is pretty much the only exception for me.
That said, my personal preference shouldn't hold anyone else back from a good read. There's a lot of tension between Raine Spenser, a psychic vampire who was recently held prisoner for her abilities, and Seth McConnell, a capable soldier whose ultimate mission and goal is to hunt and destroy her kind. Though destined to be enemies, they find that they have a mutual adversary and must work together to defeat him. Of course tension evolved into sexual tension and then...
While the premise isn't the most original, I thought that the read was overall engaging. Both the hero and heroine have sympathetic back stories that helped mold them into what they are. The villain is interesting too and I was glad that he received page time from his point of view. There's a gritty feel to this book and I didn't really sense any slow moment, which is a sign of good pacing. Their chemistry is as much as any paranormal romance fan can hope for. Byrd definitely delivers on this front.
This is the 7th book in this series, but it works well as a standalone. I hadn't read any of the prior 6 novels, but I never felt lost. I enjoyed the author's writing style so I am willing to try her other books, especially since I'm eager to see what she can do with male vamps.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
*Review also posted to Amazon.
November 15, 2011
Raine is half vampire, half psychic... recovering from a kidnapping marked by torture and rape. Her body is back in shape, but her powers have weakened, and she holds on to the anger and need for revenge inside her, to go on. Her plan is to kill the demon-like Cassus who murdered her sister. But every time she goes after one, she risks her own life.
Seth is the human who rescued Raine from her captivity. He works along with the Watchmen --warriors who fight evil -- though he was once a rouge vampire-killer himself. Those were years he spent taking his own vengeance after vamps killed his family and tortured him to the brink of death. But he has realized now that not all vampires are evil. In fact, he has been drawn to Raine ever since he saved her.
He manages to track her down and becomes wrapped up in her mission. She is attracted to him too and it's obvious these two are meant to be together. But here's the thing... the woman was gang raped by a bunch of evil entities not very long ago. Yes, she took her mind to another place for the worst of it, but these wounds are still fresh. It's understandable that she would be wary of giving herself to a man. Yet Seth essentially challenges her... telling her she'll give in to him. This bothered me. But his plan works. He's not a total brute, thankfully. The guy has his own history of being attacked and violated. He has a lot of his own issues to work through.
Together, Raine and Seth learn to navigate through each other's extensive emotional issues, while working together to hunt down the bad guys. There's heavy sexual tension and some solid love scenes as payoff.
In the meantime, there is extensive world-building at play. After all, this is book 7 in the Primal Instinct series. But the author does a really good job, bringing new readers up to speed on the mythology. There were moments here or there where I was little fuzzy, but for the most part I felt like I knew what was going on. It was enjoyable even for me, as someone with no history with the series. I just wish a little more care had been paid to Raine's post-rape recovery. Almost 4 stars.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
Seth is the human who rescued Raine from her captivity. He works along with the Watchmen --warriors who fight evil -- though he was once a rouge vampire-killer himself. Those were years he spent taking his own vengeance after vamps killed his family and tortured him to the brink of death. But he has realized now that not all vampires are evil. In fact, he has been drawn to Raine ever since he saved her.
He manages to track her down and becomes wrapped up in her mission. She is attracted to him too and it's obvious these two are meant to be together. But here's the thing... the woman was gang raped by a bunch of evil entities not very long ago. Yes, she took her mind to another place for the worst of it, but these wounds are still fresh. It's understandable that she would be wary of giving herself to a man. Yet Seth essentially challenges her... telling her she'll give in to him. This bothered me. But his plan works. He's not a total brute, thankfully. The guy has his own history of being attacked and violated. He has a lot of his own issues to work through.
Together, Raine and Seth learn to navigate through each other's extensive emotional issues, while working together to hunt down the bad guys. There's heavy sexual tension and some solid love scenes as payoff.
In the meantime, there is extensive world-building at play. After all, this is book 7 in the Primal Instinct series. But the author does a really good job, bringing new readers up to speed on the mythology. There were moments here or there where I was little fuzzy, but for the most part I felt like I knew what was going on. It was enjoyable even for me, as someone with no history with the series. I just wish a little more care had been paid to Raine's post-rape recovery. Almost 4 stars.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
March 17, 2011
After being held captive on a remote compound, being raped, beaten, and witnessing unimaginable things, Raine is now on a personal mission for vengeance. With her ruthlessness guiding her to hunt down and kill every single man who had a hand in her sister's death, Raine can only see red. But with her psychic abilities drained, tracking down her enemy is only becoming harder, so when Seth McConnell tries to jump and help her, she's nothing but pissed. Fighting this overwhelming urge to mold her body into his, Raine knows having McConnell around isn't a good thing. As their attraction comes to a head she doesn't want to admit that her feelings of wanting McConnell are now over powering the hatred that she had inside. He makes her feel something that she hasn't felt in a long time, and giving into it is the one thing that scares the hell out of her.
I really enjoyed the relationship that Raine & McConnell shared. There was a lot of really great back story that helped shape their relationship and I couldn't help but love the fact that McConnell use to be a vampire hunter and now the woman that he's falling for is half vampire. (funny how the world works, lol) Also I was taken back by the protectiveness that McConnell feels towards Raine, and how he can't explain it where it's coming from. It adds another great twist to the novel. The author was able to link the past books to the present without it being boring or rambling, which I have found is NOT an easy task for some. Like the mission at hand to find Weston, the bad guy, and stop him from freeing the Kraven, the super bad guys. Though the ending battle seems like it could possibly end the series, Ms. Byrd was able to make sure there were questions left unanswered, and a slue of issues not taken care of.
With, Rush of Darkness read, I can't help but want to run out and buy the first 6 novels in the series! Ms. Byrd has a way of creating hunky hero's and feisty heroines that mesh perfectly together. Fabulous job, and I can't wait to see where the Primal Instincts series goes from here.
4/5
I really enjoyed the relationship that Raine & McConnell shared. There was a lot of really great back story that helped shape their relationship and I couldn't help but love the fact that McConnell use to be a vampire hunter and now the woman that he's falling for is half vampire. (funny how the world works, lol) Also I was taken back by the protectiveness that McConnell feels towards Raine, and how he can't explain it where it's coming from. It adds another great twist to the novel. The author was able to link the past books to the present without it being boring or rambling, which I have found is NOT an easy task for some. Like the mission at hand to find Weston, the bad guy, and stop him from freeing the Kraven, the super bad guys. Though the ending battle seems like it could possibly end the series, Ms. Byrd was able to make sure there were questions left unanswered, and a slue of issues not taken care of.
With, Rush of Darkness read, I can't help but want to run out and buy the first 6 novels in the series! Ms. Byrd has a way of creating hunky hero's and feisty heroines that mesh perfectly together. Fabulous job, and I can't wait to see where the Primal Instincts series goes from here.
4/5
March 27, 2011
This was the first book that I read from Rhyannon Byrd and her Primal Instinct series and I have to say that I enjoyed the story. Faced with a past abduction that changed her life forever, Raine Spencer finds herself facing her past hang on. Instead of trying to forget her past and what was done to her, Raine decides to face it and find and destroy all of her abductors. Things really start to heat up when Seth, one of the warriors who were on the rescue team that broke her out, decides to join her on her quest to capture the master mind behind the abduction, Kraven.
Now Raine is a powerful vampire psychic and Seth used to be a vampire hunter so the tension between these two characters is instantly raised, add the strong sexual attraction that they have for each other that keeps on building every time they are near and you have one entertaining read. The big question on my mind was whether they would kill each other or love each other.
What worked for me in Rush of Darkness was the interestingly unique world that Rhyannon Byrd created. Rain and Seth were strong characters in their own right and it made for a page turning read to see how these two would get together. The writing was clear and understandable and even though this is the seventh book in the series, I wasn’t confused or felt like I was missing anything.
What could have worked better for me was the ending. I thought that it was a bit too convenient and clear-cut. This was such an engaging story I thought that there could have been more struggle and growth between Raine and Seth and their mission to find and destroy a Kraven. The more action and struggle, the more I care about what happens to them. So bring on the action and struggle I say!!!
Overall Rush of Darkness was a great engaging story, with strong interesting characters and a steamy hot romance. I’m looking forward to Rhyannon Bryd’s newest installment two the Primal Instinct series. Readers interested in a paranormal romance should give Rush of Darkness a try.
Now Raine is a powerful vampire psychic and Seth used to be a vampire hunter so the tension between these two characters is instantly raised, add the strong sexual attraction that they have for each other that keeps on building every time they are near and you have one entertaining read. The big question on my mind was whether they would kill each other or love each other.
What worked for me in Rush of Darkness was the interestingly unique world that Rhyannon Byrd created. Rain and Seth were strong characters in their own right and it made for a page turning read to see how these two would get together. The writing was clear and understandable and even though this is the seventh book in the series, I wasn’t confused or felt like I was missing anything.
What could have worked better for me was the ending. I thought that it was a bit too convenient and clear-cut. This was such an engaging story I thought that there could have been more struggle and growth between Raine and Seth and their mission to find and destroy a Kraven. The more action and struggle, the more I care about what happens to them. So bring on the action and struggle I say!!!
Overall Rush of Darkness was a great engaging story, with strong interesting characters and a steamy hot romance. I’m looking forward to Rhyannon Bryd’s newest installment two the Primal Instinct series. Readers interested in a paranormal romance should give Rush of Darkness a try.
May 2, 2011
After reading Touch of Temptation I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Raine, whether she was going to become a helpless damsel in distress or she was going to change completely and be a tough kick ass heroine. Happily Raine became a happy medium of the two and I think it worked perfectly.
After Raine leaves the Watchmen compound and visits her parents she decides to carry out her own justice on find the ones responsible for killing her sister only she doesn’t expect Seth to track her down and make it impossible for her to say no to him helping her with her plan. Although Seth doesn’t really agree with what Raine is doing he wants her safe and will do anything to make sure that happens. Seth is an easy character to like; he has a code of honour that he really does stand by even after everything he’s been through which Raine doesn’t understand. She knows how much Seth despises vampires yet he wants to protect her and doesn’t want to see her hurt and although Raine has feelings for Seth she can’t get over what Seth used to do for the Collective nor how he treats the vampire half of herself. Seth can’t stand the idea of Raine biting him after what he suffered when he was a child but eventually he gets over it after some help from Ashe. It’s always great to have some Ashe in the Primal Instinct series. I really enjoyed the whole complex but not storyline with Raine and Seth and how they try to make their relationship work and the effort Seth goes to help Raine and to make her understand what he feels for her. It’s a sweet, yet deadly romance that brings a lot of information along for the ride.
Favourite Quotes:
“What he really wanted was to possess her in some kind of primal act of dominance, the need reminding him of the way the shifters he now called friends acted with their women.”
“And since he’d met Raine Spencer, everything had really gone to hell.”
Overall, another great addition to a truly great series that I’m enjoying more and more and am sad there is only one more book left in the series, Rush of Pleasure due out in June 2011.
After Raine leaves the Watchmen compound and visits her parents she decides to carry out her own justice on find the ones responsible for killing her sister only she doesn’t expect Seth to track her down and make it impossible for her to say no to him helping her with her plan. Although Seth doesn’t really agree with what Raine is doing he wants her safe and will do anything to make sure that happens. Seth is an easy character to like; he has a code of honour that he really does stand by even after everything he’s been through which Raine doesn’t understand. She knows how much Seth despises vampires yet he wants to protect her and doesn’t want to see her hurt and although Raine has feelings for Seth she can’t get over what Seth used to do for the Collective nor how he treats the vampire half of herself. Seth can’t stand the idea of Raine biting him after what he suffered when he was a child but eventually he gets over it after some help from Ashe. It’s always great to have some Ashe in the Primal Instinct series. I really enjoyed the whole complex but not storyline with Raine and Seth and how they try to make their relationship work and the effort Seth goes to help Raine and to make her understand what he feels for her. It’s a sweet, yet deadly romance that brings a lot of information along for the ride.
Favourite Quotes:
“What he really wanted was to possess her in some kind of primal act of dominance, the need reminding him of the way the shifters he now called friends acted with their women.”
“And since he’d met Raine Spencer, everything had really gone to hell.”
Overall, another great addition to a truly great series that I’m enjoying more and more and am sad there is only one more book left in the series, Rush of Pleasure due out in June 2011.
February 20, 2011
I know “Rush of Darkness” was a suspense story and one filled with intense action and the complex paranormal elements, but what stuck out to me most was the amazing love story created by Rhyannon Byrd.
The author created suspense right from the opening pages with setting and the back story not only of the novel, but of her hero and heroine, Seth and Raine. I felt the storm brewing immediately between many types of paranormal characters, echoed in Seth and Raine. Speaking of storms, the author’s descriptions are mostly fantastic, detailed analogies and metaphors, most as accurate as they are haunting. Here’s a great example: ‘…his scent imprinted on her brain like a tattoo inked into tender skin.’
An element I love of romantic suspense is when an author sets a scene, builds and builds the suspense, putting the heroine right in the midst of danger—the life or death kind—and then boom, brings on the addition of passion. Ms. Byrd did this several times, on the verge of a kill in walks alpha male…delicious.
Along those same lines, I think when extreme opposites attract, not just different, but one that at one time lived to kill the other, it creates more suspense in the actual romance. This makes secrets and pasts so much more. This author does all of this type of complexity so well.
“Rush of Darkness” was one of those wonderful edge-of-your-seat stories where my hands clasped around the book (or eReader in my case) until my fingertips were white, screaming in my mind, just kiss the girl already and don’t anyone in the house interrupt me before she does. In fact, I was wondering as I raced through the words if I was ever going to get to a stopping point to take a few notes to write this review. What stands out most to me, now having finished it, is that I came into this series in the seventh book and this heroine and hero still will rank up there with some of the most well-developed characters I have ever read: such depth, such emotion and such struggle.
The author created suspense right from the opening pages with setting and the back story not only of the novel, but of her hero and heroine, Seth and Raine. I felt the storm brewing immediately between many types of paranormal characters, echoed in Seth and Raine. Speaking of storms, the author’s descriptions are mostly fantastic, detailed analogies and metaphors, most as accurate as they are haunting. Here’s a great example: ‘…his scent imprinted on her brain like a tattoo inked into tender skin.’
An element I love of romantic suspense is when an author sets a scene, builds and builds the suspense, putting the heroine right in the midst of danger—the life or death kind—and then boom, brings on the addition of passion. Ms. Byrd did this several times, on the verge of a kill in walks alpha male…delicious.
Along those same lines, I think when extreme opposites attract, not just different, but one that at one time lived to kill the other, it creates more suspense in the actual romance. This makes secrets and pasts so much more. This author does all of this type of complexity so well.
“Rush of Darkness” was one of those wonderful edge-of-your-seat stories where my hands clasped around the book (or eReader in my case) until my fingertips were white, screaming in my mind, just kiss the girl already and don’t anyone in the house interrupt me before she does. In fact, I was wondering as I raced through the words if I was ever going to get to a stopping point to take a few notes to write this review. What stands out most to me, now having finished it, is that I came into this series in the seventh book and this heroine and hero still will rank up there with some of the most well-developed characters I have ever read: such depth, such emotion and such struggle.
Read
June 16, 2015Here’s one of the reasons I like preternatural creatures in my romance: They use their dysfunction to their advantage. In traditional romance, when both the hero and heroine are tortured souls, their dysfunctionality often leads me to question how they can manage to walk and chew gum at the same time. By the time they end up healing each other, they’ve managed to depress the hell out of me. In an urban fantasy romance, though, those dysfunctions are channelled into action. Rhyannon Byrd’s Rush of Darkness, the seventh in her Primal Instinct series, illustrates this in a larger-than-life fashion.
I’ve been reading Byrd for years, having first discovered her on a major erotic romance glom back in 2005. Her stories were incredibly raunchy, filled with over-the-top sexuality, but they also packed an emotional punch. A few years later she released the first of a series of category romances for Silhouette Nocturne. I didn’t read them because shrink-wrapping her writing to fit the category mold didn’t seem possible. This isn’t a diss of category romance—for years I gobbled categories like candy—but how could she adapt the raw carnality of her writing to make it suitable to category subscribers? Lucky for me she also signed with HQN, and within a year of her category debut they published Edge of Hunger, the first in her PI series. I loved Byrd’s world-building, with elements reminiscent, without being derivative, of many of my favorite paranormal indulgences: Anne Rice’s Talamasca, the Highlander franchise’s Watchers, J.R. Ward’s BDB, and Marjorie M. Liu’s Consortium.
See the full review at Heroes and Heartbreakers: http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...
I’ve been reading Byrd for years, having first discovered her on a major erotic romance glom back in 2005. Her stories were incredibly raunchy, filled with over-the-top sexuality, but they also packed an emotional punch. A few years later she released the first of a series of category romances for Silhouette Nocturne. I didn’t read them because shrink-wrapping her writing to fit the category mold didn’t seem possible. This isn’t a diss of category romance—for years I gobbled categories like candy—but how could she adapt the raw carnality of her writing to make it suitable to category subscribers? Lucky for me she also signed with HQN, and within a year of her category debut they published Edge of Hunger, the first in her PI series. I loved Byrd’s world-building, with elements reminiscent, without being derivative, of many of my favorite paranormal indulgences: Anne Rice’s Talamasca, the Highlander franchise’s Watchers, J.R. Ward’s BDB, and Marjorie M. Liu’s Consortium.
See the full review at Heroes and Heartbreakers: http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...
February 13, 2012
Ok, this series was slow starting off for me. The "Edge" books were only ok, I liked the premise but somehow they fell a bit flat. It wasn't until the "Touch" books that I felt Byrd was getting into her groove. I enjoyed these editions in a 4-star kid of way, but this latest book - which I assume starts off the "Rush" portion of the Primal Instinct series - was seriously 5-star great!
I loved Seth and Raine in this book. A tortured alpha hero (my favorite) and a strong yet vulnerable heroine, they had to overcome some major obstacles before finally getting their HEA. The book starts off about a month or so after the last, where Raine, a half vampire, was rescued from her brutal incarceration with the Kraven and is now on a vigilante quest to take out the Casus individuals responsible for the murder of her sister. Seth, who aided in the rescue of Raine and feels a strong pull towards her even though he hates the Deschanel (or vampires) due to past transgressions against his own family discovers Raine is out for revenge and insists on aiding/protecting her. This (of course) leads to some serious sexual tension (yum!) as they have to find a way to work together and trust one another.
The Granger brothers, Ashe and Gideon, make another appearance in this book and help the pair out (as well as the other Watchmen) and I have to say I am really looking forward to an installment in the series for Ashe and a certain outcast vampire from the Wasteland! But, I'll have to wait as the next book is about Noah, a potential Casus (poor guy). Hopefully, it will be as good as this one!
I loved Seth and Raine in this book. A tortured alpha hero (my favorite) and a strong yet vulnerable heroine, they had to overcome some major obstacles before finally getting their HEA. The book starts off about a month or so after the last, where Raine, a half vampire, was rescued from her brutal incarceration with the Kraven and is now on a vigilante quest to take out the Casus individuals responsible for the murder of her sister. Seth, who aided in the rescue of Raine and feels a strong pull towards her even though he hates the Deschanel (or vampires) due to past transgressions against his own family discovers Raine is out for revenge and insists on aiding/protecting her. This (of course) leads to some serious sexual tension (yum!) as they have to find a way to work together and trust one another.
The Granger brothers, Ashe and Gideon, make another appearance in this book and help the pair out (as well as the other Watchmen) and I have to say I am really looking forward to an installment in the series for Ashe and a certain outcast vampire from the Wasteland! But, I'll have to wait as the next book is about Noah, a potential Casus (poor guy). Hopefully, it will be as good as this one!
February 18, 2011
Seth and Raine meet in the last book where Seth was part of the team that rescued people. For some reason he felt an instant pull to Raine, odd as she is a vampire and he used to be a vampire killer. Both of them have reason to hate the other, but there is still that pull.
Once recovered Raine sets out on her own, determined to kill the ones that killed her sister and hurt her, the big prize to kill Westmoreland and to get the rest of the markers for the Watchmen. While hunting these men Raine puts herself in peril time and again, her need for revenge driving her. She is surprised when during a fight she has help for someone...Seth. The screaming match starts between them, Raine wants to know why he is there, Seth wants to know what she is doing.
Their verbal sparring continues for most of the rest of the book. That pull is there, getting harder and harder for them to resist, but so too is common sense there. They each know that while they want each other it doesn't make sense. There is a lot of 1 step forward 3 steps back for them. Seth seems to be more accepting of this attraction more than Raine, but he does have his own triggers that makes him pull away quick. Once they both get past their issues their relationship becomes explosive and in a good way.
One great thing about this book is that we get to learn more about the vampires in this world, along with more about the Casus. We also have the battle we have been waiting for and it is interesting to see how it all comes out.
Once recovered Raine sets out on her own, determined to kill the ones that killed her sister and hurt her, the big prize to kill Westmoreland and to get the rest of the markers for the Watchmen. While hunting these men Raine puts herself in peril time and again, her need for revenge driving her. She is surprised when during a fight she has help for someone...Seth. The screaming match starts between them, Raine wants to know why he is there, Seth wants to know what she is doing.
Their verbal sparring continues for most of the rest of the book. That pull is there, getting harder and harder for them to resist, but so too is common sense there. They each know that while they want each other it doesn't make sense. There is a lot of 1 step forward 3 steps back for them. Seth seems to be more accepting of this attraction more than Raine, but he does have his own triggers that makes him pull away quick. Once they both get past their issues their relationship becomes explosive and in a good way.
One great thing about this book is that we get to learn more about the vampires in this world, along with more about the Casus. We also have the battle we have been waiting for and it is interesting to see how it all comes out.
February 19, 2013
We met Raine in the previous novel. She is half vampire, half mage. She was kidnapped, raped and witness to her sister's murder at the hands of the Kraven. In this novel she is free but battling her rage and badly wanting revenge for what happened. Human soldier, Seth McConnell, helped save her and can't seem to stay away. He also has had his own experience with abuse, murder and revenge. For him the victimization occurred at the hands of vampires. Despite his prejudiced he can't seem to stop himself from wanting to keep Raine safe.
That is the romance aspect of this novel, there is also the ongoing battle with the Casus and saving the world. That really all takes a back seat to the romance in this installment. Sadly it seems that the overall story arc just gets resolved by others while we follow Raine and Seth. Among other issues I took with this book were the vague, Seth finding Raine instances with no explanation and the attitude of the two main characters. Raine comes off as a penchant teenager and though she knows it she still continues to act as such. Seth while acting somewhat more mature, still comes off as kind of an ass. I had trouble believing that they just fell for each other despite it all but I accept some magic in paranormal. I can say that the sexy scenes were super hot and the flow and overall character development were good. It is a great series but I think it seems to have tapered off after the first three novels. I am sticking with the series to see how it all wraps up, one more book to go.
That is the romance aspect of this novel, there is also the ongoing battle with the Casus and saving the world. That really all takes a back seat to the romance in this installment. Sadly it seems that the overall story arc just gets resolved by others while we follow Raine and Seth. Among other issues I took with this book were the vague, Seth finding Raine instances with no explanation and the attitude of the two main characters. Raine comes off as a penchant teenager and though she knows it she still continues to act as such. Seth while acting somewhat more mature, still comes off as kind of an ass. I had trouble believing that they just fell for each other despite it all but I accept some magic in paranormal. I can say that the sexy scenes were super hot and the flow and overall character development were good. It is a great series but I think it seems to have tapered off after the first three novels. I am sticking with the series to see how it all wraps up, one more book to go.
April 11, 2011
I love this world, and the characters that Rhyannon has created. I am always so eager to get my hands on the next Primal Instict book and it was no different with Rush of Darkness. This series always seems to leave me wanting more. I can't get enough, and man did I enjoy this book.
I wasn't exactly ecstatic to read Seth's book. Even though I was more interested in his and Raine's relationship after the last book, he was never one of my favorites. After reading Rush of Darkness he is right up there with Aiden.
If you are into the "I have a ugly past" type heroe then this is the book for you. Seth and Raine have both gone through things in their past that threatens the relationship that is building between them. Raine is strong vampire/psychic who is set on seeking revenge on those who killed her sister. Seth is a human soldier who has killed too many vampires to count because of an attack on his family that happened when he was a teenager. Though he can't understand it, Seth is drawn to Raine and has made himself her protector. Together they hunt down those who have done Raine wrong, and along the way they realize that this chemistry between them is undeniable.
After reading Rush of Darkness I'm a bit torn...I can't wait for book eight, Rush of Pleasure (which is Noah's book) but it is also the last book in the series. And man, I love this series. I guess I will just have to turn to the Granger brothers and their new series!
I wasn't exactly ecstatic to read Seth's book. Even though I was more interested in his and Raine's relationship after the last book, he was never one of my favorites. After reading Rush of Darkness he is right up there with Aiden.
If you are into the "I have a ugly past" type heroe then this is the book for you. Seth and Raine have both gone through things in their past that threatens the relationship that is building between them. Raine is strong vampire/psychic who is set on seeking revenge on those who killed her sister. Seth is a human soldier who has killed too many vampires to count because of an attack on his family that happened when he was a teenager. Though he can't understand it, Seth is drawn to Raine and has made himself her protector. Together they hunt down those who have done Raine wrong, and along the way they realize that this chemistry between them is undeniable.
After reading Rush of Darkness I'm a bit torn...I can't wait for book eight, Rush of Pleasure (which is Noah's book) but it is also the last book in the series. And man, I love this series. I guess I will just have to turn to the Granger brothers and their new series!
April 18, 2011
Seth McConnell's was brutally tortured and left for dead by rogue vampires. His family wiped out, Seth lived for revenge. Over the years Seth has learned that just like humans, vamps are both good and bad. After rescuing Raine, a Deschanel vampire, from being held captive by a Kraven determined to unleash the Cassus from Meridian, Seth becomes increasingly drawn to Raine. She is damaged and set on avenging her little sisters death. Seth knows the folly of a life wasted on revenge and is determined to save Raine from herself.
This is such a great series, and unlike others I've read it just keeps getting better and more interesting. The story keeps evolving right along with the characters. I was really excited for Seth's book to come out, and was relieved that it surpassed all my expectations. This was also one of the hottest books of the series. Smoking!! I really want Noah's story to be next. He's so drool worthy, but then so are Ashe and Gideon. Lots of alpha hunkiness in these books. Yay!
This is such a great series, and unlike others I've read it just keeps getting better and more interesting. The story keeps evolving right along with the characters. I was really excited for Seth's book to come out, and was relieved that it surpassed all my expectations. This was also one of the hottest books of the series. Smoking!! I really want Noah's story to be next. He's so drool worthy, but then so are Ashe and Gideon. Lots of alpha hunkiness in these books. Yay!
April 15, 2011
I really like this series, its just different enough to be really interesting. Each couple are from different species, with different issues, baggage, and paths to take. With Seth and Raine, Seth helped rescue her when she was being held captive by Westmore and became instantly fascinated with her. Unable to let her go, Seth follows her when she leaves the compound to avenge the death of her sister. Both Seth and Raine have some very damaged past to overcome, he was a collective soldier who killed vampires and she IS a vampire. Lots of scars and guilt. They are both strong characters, but at times seemed a little wimpy and whinny. Almost like they were channeling their 16 year old virgin selves. But at least with them they weren't stopping to have sex in the most inappropriate places. (Byrd tends to do that sometimes). The war with the Casus has taken some interesting turns and the end was not as climactic as I had hoped, but it seems that the war is not over yet. We have new things escaping from hell......
May 30, 2012
This book pissed me off completely. This book is about Raine's completely pointless and nonsensical inner struggle that is supposed to be reasoned away by that fact that she was assaulted. As if women who are assaulted run off every chance they get headlong into situations that might get them captured again by the SAME EFFING PEOPLE. the author uses that to make the reader feel sympathetic when she does something abnormally and extremely stupid. as if because she was raped that means that she has to make EVERY wrong decision endangering her safety in a way that never makes sense. The inner struggles werent believably or legitimate. Rape victims have legitimate emotional scarring and pain but Raine's suffering seemed a lot less genuine and a lot more of Byrd trying to create problems out of nothing. Plus, I higly doubt someone could get over being assaulted in such little time, even if they did fall in love with someone
This book was entirely infuriating and insulting. God, I hate stupid female protagonists.
This book was entirely infuriating and insulting. God, I hate stupid female protagonists.
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