Review: Atlantis Betrayed

Atlantis Betrayed
Alyssa Day
Paranormal Romance
Warriors of Poseidon/Book 6
Berkley/September 7, 2010

From the back cover ~

A Warrior's Mission. A Woman's Desire...

What could Christophe, powerful Warrior of Poseidon, have in common with Fiona Campbell, the notorious jewel thief known as the Scarlet Ninja? Answer: The Siren, a legendary Crown Jewel that Fiona has targeted for her next heist. It's said to be worth millions, but to Christophe it's invaluable. For the Siren also happens to be one of the missing jewels from Poseidon's trident.

And The Unnatural Evil That Could Destroy Them Both.

But breaking into the Tower of London is a two-person job, and Christophe and Fiona must team up to commit the crime of the century. As new found passions fire their motive - and cloud their judgement - they realize they aren't the only ones after the priceless gem. A dark force is shadowing their every move and threatening to shatter their trust with revenge, betrayal, and a haunting revelation about the past.

Confession time: I only read this book because I wanted to read Vampire in Atlantis and I have a real hard time skipping books in series. I wasn't expecting to like this, it was more a read it so I could move on to the book that I really wanted to read. Boy was I in for a very pleasant surprise! I loved Christophe and Fiona! So far, they are my favorite couple of this series.

Christophe has a fuck it attitude and a big chip on his shoulder to go with it. He doesn't care about saving humanity but since that's what the warrior are sworn to do, he does it, if with reluctance. I didn't feel like I knew Christophe very well prior to reading Atlantis Betrayed. He seemed to stay in the background. It turns out that's were he likes to be. Christophe has a darkness from his past that colors his views of the world. I like that he's not exactly likable. You can see glimpses of his potential goodness - he just needs someone to unlock it. Then, Fiona comes along.

Lady Fiona is my kind of heroine. She's smart, loving and ballsy when needed but still manages to be a lady when it's called for. She's an interesting mix of proper lady and crusader. She's a thief that gives to the needy, looking out for those who need help. When she runs in to Christophe is friction and fire between these two. They don't waste more than a day before they get busy between the sheets. That surprised me but Fiona and Christophe both justify their quick turn in the sheets with the "it's just sex" and "I needed it really bad" logic. LOL Where have we heard that before? There is a lot of wickedly humorous banter between the two making for some amusing scenes.

There is one scene where Fiona uses her special ability while she and Christophe are getting hot and heavy on a balcony in Atlantis. It's sexy and funny and I'm so glad the author went there. No spoilers so you'll just have to read the book. :)

So the thief and the warrior have the same goal but for different reasons. Fiona wants the sword, containing The Siren to sell, Christophe wants it for Poseidon's Trident. The missing stones of the Trident need to be found before Atlantis can rise again. They're not the only ones after the Siren. The competition is fierce with the the Unseelie Fae and vampires getting involved. The action and romance are well balanced in this story, giving plenty of steam between Fiona and Christophe along with ample amounts of fighting, running and hiding to keep the plot moving.

The two secondary characters introduced in Atlantis Betrayed stood out for me. Fiona has a brother, Declan who is a computer geek extraordinaire with an exuberance for life while still holding onto a bit of innocence. He was such fun to read not only his interactions with Fiona and seeing their close relationship but also the friendship he and Christophe develop. Then there is Hopkins, Fiona's butler. But he is so much more than a butler. He keeps his composure in all and any crisis, offering tea when anyone else would be running for the door. You can see how much Fiona relies on him and how they are as close as father and daughter.

Atlantis Betrayed not only proved a highly entertaining story, it moved the series arc along quite nicely. The other warriors and their mates are still an integral part of the fight so I liked that they still maintain their importance. The vampires continue to escalate their plans to take over but they have to get past the Warriors and their allies. It should be interesting to see how the different fractions come to together to fight their common enemy.

Rating: A-

Books in this series ~

Atlantis Rising
Atlantis Awakening
Wild Hearts in Atlantis (Wild Thing anthology)
Atlantis Unleashed
Atlantis Unmasked
Shifter's Lady (Shifter anthology)
Atlantis Redeemed
Atlantis Betrayed
Vampire in Atlantis
Heart of Atlantis (May 1, 2012)

Review: Atlantis Unmasked

Atlantis Unmasked
Alyssa Day
Paranormal Romance
Warriors of Poseidon/Book 4 (plus 2 novellas)
Berkley/July 2009
Purchased

From the back cover ~

A warrior scarred…

Alexios survived two years of unspeakable torture at the hands of a vampire goddess. Now he’s been ordered to team up with a beautiful warrior and take on the most dangerous mission of his life: to retrieve the Vampire’s Bane. Without it, Atlantis can’t ascend to the surface and take its rightful place in the world. But when evil threatens, will Alexios be led by duty—or his heart?

A descendant of Diana…

Grace is part of the rebellion against the vampires and shape-shifters trying to take over her world. She is deadly with her bow, because when she takes aim, she never misses her target. But suddenly she’s focused on a damaged Atlantean warrior who sees her as a weapon, not as a woman. When thousands of lives are on the line, will passion overrule, or will her aim still be true?

When two worlds collide…Atlantis is unmasked.

Oh, boy did this book have a promising start. Too bad it didn't continue with the good start. I really liked Alexios, the hero, from what I knew of him in the previous books in the series. And I liked him here too until the love bug bit him and he turned into a jerk. The heroine Grace Havilland and her wicked bow and arrow ability was cool. But I didn't get why she kept putting up with Alexios' crap.

Alexios is an Atlantean warrior, one of seven of the elite guard of Prince Conlan. He, along with Prince Conlan, were prisoners of the vampire goddess Anubisa for two years. Alexios bares the scares from his torture. The left side of his face is horribly disfigured. The right side is still beautiful. The two sides of his face represent his life before and after his imprisonment. Alexios is usually the voice of reason. He's the one that can be counted on in a crisis to keep a cool head. He's also someone the younger warriors look up to. He's still coming to grips with the torture he endured and has taken a vow of celibacy as a way to cleanse his soul. That vow becomes difficult to uphold when he begins to have strong feelings for Grace.

One thing I liked about Grace and Alexios' relationship is that they had known each other for some months before giving into their feelings for each other. Alexios didn't get that instance "mine" moment when he first met Grace. He liked her and respected her fighting ability but he wasn't romantically interested. Some of that had to do with his celibacy vow and his need to keep his distance from others. He's very aware of his disfigurement and doesn't let anyone get too close.

Grace is heroine out for revenge. When the vampires came out to the public ten years ago Grace's life was changed forever when she lost her brother to a vampire attack. She then decided to join the rebels and do whatever she could to stop the vampires and shape shifters from gaining power. Grace was a decent enough heroine. She does have an amazing ability when using the bow. This comes from her being a descendant of the goddess Diana. I wasn't crazy about Grace's story with regards to her relationship to Diana etc. It ventured off into an area that didn't really fit with the rest of the story. I would have preferred sticking with the vamps, weres and fae instead of adding a Roman goddess to the mix.

One thing this book had way too much of were alpha males. They seem to be everywhere and always trying to out do each other in their alpha-ness. The sparring and pissing contests got to be annoying. I'm not sure if it was suppose to be funny but for me it felt more stupid and immature than humorous. Some of these guys are centuries old and yet they acted like the stereo-type frat boys with their name calling and childish behavior.

Alexios became another irritant that I could have done without. He made this vow of celibacy when he was saved from the torturous existence he endured. The vow wasn't something he had to do in order to recover, it was something he chose to do for himself to help in his recovery. Then he becomes attracted to Grace and gets all hot and bothered with her. But wait, back off because of the celibacy vow. Then they get all kissing and hugging and touching and feeling and oops! That darn vow again. He seriously drove me nuts and I wondered why Grace put up with it since she was getting all hot and bothered with his mixed signals. Just make up your mind Alexios and quit being a tease!

At this point I was just irritated with the romance but I did find the action scenes interesting. Grace and Alexios are working together to train new recruits to fight the vamps and weres. The fight scenes are good and even the fae get into the action. I do hope we see more of them in future books. I also hope we get more information on Atlantis. The warriors and their mates live in the under-the-sea city and we get descriptions of how beautiful it is. I would like to know more about the social structure and the "ordinary" folks of Atlantis. What the history of the city is and basically what they've been doing all these centuries.

So, probably my least favorite of the series. Just couldn't get into the romance and the eventual HEA of Alexios and Grace.

Rating: C+

Review: Atlantis Unleashed

Atlantis Unleashed
Alyssa Day Paranormal Romance
Warriors of Poseidon/Book 3 (plus 2 novellas)
Berkley/June 2009
Purchased

From the back cover ~

Poseidon’s warriors swore an oath eleven thousand years ago to protect humanity from those who stalked the night. Now those powerful forces are uniting. So are two souls who are all that stand between justice and the eternal darkness…

A warrior prince…

Lord Justice made the ultimate sacrifice for his brother and paid for it with an unimaginable torture. Now he’s back, rescued from death, his sanity shaken, and his mission inescapable—the search for the lost Star of Artemis. But the beautiful human female whom he has sworn to protect is shadowed by an evil that could destroy them both…

A woman of science…

The archaeological artifacts of Atlantis speak to Dr. Keely McDermott, sharing visions of life long ago. The ancient revelations have cast her into a world between past and present, between reality and illusion—and, when she meets the fierce Atlantean warrior assigned to guard her, between terror and temptation. Now as their two worlds collide, so too will danger and desire…

A quest for a lost star…Atlantis is unleashed.

This is a series that I've been meaning to catch up on. I've had books 3 and 4 in the tbr pile since shortly after they were released and there they sat. I picked up book 5 at the library last week so I had to read books 3 and 4. Reader logic I guess. :)

It didn't take long to get back into the world of the Atlantean warriors. Day does a good job of catching up and filling in any back story from the previous books. There is also a glossary in the back of the book. It's fairly short with just the basic terminology but can be helpful, mainly for the definitions of Shape-shifters and vampires.

This is a series that should be read in order. Yes, Day provides back story but the seven warriors are a close group and they all play a role in each others' books. As the series progresses the reader gets to know them. The warriors don't stagnate even when they're secondary characters. There is character development going on, although it may be small, it's still there.

This story is Justice's story. He is the handsome warrior with the big sword and blue hair. Yeah, I had a hard time picturing a big, buff warrior with blue hair. I kept picturing him more like a scrawny punk rocker. LOL He's been the prisoner of the Vampire goddess Anubisa who enjoys inflicting pain and suffering on her prisoners. While imprisoned he has visions of a beautiful women but he doesn't know who she is, only that he needs her. Once he escapes his prison he finds the mystery women and he has to have her.

Dr. Keely McDermott is not just an archaeologist, she's also a object reader. She has the psychic ability to touch an object and see it's history through the eyes of a person who came in contact with it. The visions are usually violent or emotional so Keely needs to protect herself. She wears gloves so as not to inadvertently touch something that could cause a disturbing vision. While I liked Keely I felt sorry for her. She kept herself fairly isolated mainly because of her psychic ability. Her parents thought of her as a freak, sending her to numerous psychologists when she was a child. The fact that she wasn't "normal" made them uncomfortable and kept them at a distance. I thought her parents overacted in their lack of support for their daughter but we really didn't get much back story on them, just the basics, so I chalked it up to them being asses.

Keely gets pulled into Atlantis and the fight against the growing threat from the vampires and the shape-shifters. She's stunned to find out that Atlantis really exists and thrilled to get the chance to explore the fabled underwater city. What she doesn't expect is the blue haired warrior of one of her visions to show up.

Justice is really screwed up after he escapes Anubisa. He's got a nasty voice in his head, trying to take over. Justice is part Nereid and it's the crazy Nereid in his head that's trying to take over Justice's body. One thing the Nereid wants is Keely. It's a battle that Justice fights within himself because he's not sure if Keely is safe from the Nereid. We get to know the Nereid through his voice and he's a true cave man. It was weird to have the two distinct characters in one body. Kind of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with neither one very appealing. It wasn't that I didn't like Justice as much as it was that I didn't feel like I got to know the real Justice until towards the end.

One thing I did like about Atlantis Unleashed is seeing Alaric and Quinn again. They are the Sam and Alyssa of the series. Alaric is an Atlantean high priest and has taken a vow of celibacy so no Quinn for him. Quinn is the sister of Riley, heroine of book one. Quinn is also one of the leaders of the rebel forces. About 10 years ago the vamps and shifters came out to the world and ever since then they've been taking over. They have infiltrated big business and government and continue to get stronger throughout the world. Quinn and her rebel fighters are trying to stop the vamps and rogue shifters from taking over and enslaving the humans. I like Alaric and Quinn but they're story line is starting to drag. It's just gotten really sad and they're due for some happiness, even if it's a quickie. :)

Keely and Justice and their love story... didn't exactly work for me. It was that Mr. Hyde horning in on their alone time, telling Justice to "just take her, fuck her" that really sucked the romance out of it. And then towards the end when I thought they had finally reached an agreement (Justice and the Nereid) the story takes a different turn and Justice and Keely wind up in the jungle. They're looking for one of the lost gem stones of Atlantis. It's crucial to find the gem stones if Atlantis is to rise safely from the ocean floor. They have to battle vampires before they can search for the gem stone. The fight scenes are fairly decent but I had hoped for more romance.

Not sure how to grade this one. I liked seeing all the warriors and previous characters again and getting to know some of them better. I liked the continuing story line of the vamps and rogue shifters gaining power. I liked the rebels, cause they're rebels. :) I just wasn't crazy about the hero and heroine as a couple. Hmmm...

Rating: B-

Review: Atlantis Awakening

Title: Atlantis Awakening
Author: Alyssa Day
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: The Warriors of Poseidon/Book 2
Published: November 2007
Nath's Re-Read Challenge

From the back cover ~

To rescue the world from an overwhelming evil, Poseidon's warriors have risen from Atlantis. Chief among them is Ven, serving as the King's Vengeance by birthright and by battle challenge. None can conquer him-except perhaps for one human female.

The warrior...
Ven's mind is filled with duty. He must serve as Atlantean liaison to the humans in a war waged against the vampires. A sword is his weapon - not diplomacy. But on a mission to recover the Nereid's Heart--a ruby of immense power--it will take every ounce of strength he possess to resist the sexual allure of the beautiful with chosen to work with him.

And the witch...
Erin's heart is filled with vengeance. She lives only for the chance to punish those who murdered her family. Now she must partner with a legendary Atlantean warrior whose dark desire threatens to crash through the barriers she built around her emotions--and her heart. Caught in a trap of shifting alliances, how long can Ven and Erin resist their awakening passion?

I had a hard time chose a book for this challenge, again. It seems that each month when I try to pick a book I start with my old favorites of Roberta Gellis, Jude Deveraux, Judith McNaught, Kathleen Woodiwiss etc. but their books are so darn big. And the fact that I wait until the last minute to pick the book causes me to shy away from the longer novels. Then there's the scare factor. Will my long time favorite author still be a long time favorite?

The reason I chose Atlantis Awakening is because the third book in the series, Atlantis Unleashed will be out this Tuesday. It was scheduled to be release a year ago so I have been waiting for what seems like a long time for this book. Since this is a PNR series I thought it would be a good idea for a re-read to refresh my memory of the world building and rules of that world. And the fact that it was just under 300 pages didn't hurt either. :)

A group of warriors from the sunken world of Atlantis protect humans from all the monsters that are out to get them. The humans don't know of the existence of the warriors but they are very much aware of the vampires and shape shifters in their world. The vampires even have their own house of Congress and the shape shifters control much of the media in this world similar to ours yet very different. There is also a rebel group who is out to stop the vampires from gaining more control. The rebel group is mainly comprised of humans, witches and shape shifters who are working together to take out the bad guys.

One of the warriors is the King's Vengence or Ven. He is the younger brother of High Prince Conlan who is the heir to the throne. Conlan's story was told in the first book, Atlantis Rising. Ven must work with the witch Erin Connors in finding the vampire Caligula. He's the same Caligula that the Romans feared. He's just as evil and sadistic but now he's a very old vampire that isn't easily defeated and is determined form a new empire to rule.

Erin Connors is a very powerful witch who, along with Ven, is determined stop Caligula and gain revenge on the monster that killed her family 10 years ago. Erin does have a problem with her magic. She has in her what is considered dark magic called "the Wilding." Not everyone who has this type of magic can control it. In Erin's case she is still learning that control. If that wasn't enough to deal with Erin finds out she is what the Atlantean's call a "gem singer". She can use the power of her voice to harness the power of the gems in her possession and those in Atlantis.

The fact that the females in this series have powers and play an important role regarding the antagonist(s) is very appealing. Erin uses her magic through out the book to protect herself, others and fight the vampires. Ven is good with his sword but has that alpha trait of wanting to protect the women even when they are capable of protecting themselves. Erin shows him that she can not only protect herself but is a true asset in a fight. That aspect is maintained throughout the book.

The warriors are all brave, courageous fighters but they are each portrayed as individuals. Each with their own specific obstacle that must be dealt with before they can get their HEA. I never get a sense of these warriors being carbon copies. Day is able to make each one of them unique not only in looks but in temperament and how they deal with situations. Ven is the smart-ass. The one that is always quick with a comment to break the tension and try to relieve the stress. It's his way of dealing with a life of fighting and killing.

Erin's abilities as a gem singer are new to her and Ven, along with the rest of the Atlantean's, help Erin discover what a gem singer is and how her abilities can help others. She also gets to go down to Atlantis and Day does a good job of describing the beautiful undersea world. It's a paradise filled with beautiful beings who are extremely long lived. This is where Erin meets the warriors along with Riley, Conlan's fiancé. Riley is human and is also an emotional empath. Riley's sister Quinn, who is also an empath, is the leader of the rebel forces. Having strong female characters seems to be a trademark in this series. The men are still strong, brave alpha types but the women are no push-overs and used their various abilities to help the warriors rather than waiting on the sidelines.

Ven was a good match for Erin. He doesn't try to stop her from using her magic. He preferred she use it to protect herself rather than fight but there were times when he was glad she used it to fight. He still did his best to keep her out of the fighting and keep her as safe as possible. Erin didn't back down and let Ven take over when she felt she was needed. She was there when he needed her help and they worked well as a team.

The main problem I had with this book is that I was more interested in the secondary characters. I liked Ven and Erin together but they just didn't hold my attention as much as my need for more scenes with a few of the secondary characters.

My favorite couple Quinn and the warrior priest Alaric have been attracted to each other since they met in the first book. But with Alaric being a priest he must remain celibate or lose his powers. He wields extremely powerful magic and he can't chance losing all that power. But the pull of Quinn is getting stronger. Quinn for her part does okay with resisting Alaric. She understands sacrifice and also has some fierce demons in her closet to fight. When these two are on the page I can't help but long for their book.

The other two characters I want more of is Jack, Quinn's shape shifting partner. He's interesting as well as dangerous but we don't know that much about him. Then there's Daniel/Drakos. He's a vampire but on the side of the good guys I think. There's more to him than being a vampire but I'm not sure what.

So while I liked the book and the plot of Ven and Erin finding and defeating Caligula kept the story moving, I found myself wondering what the other characters were doing and when will we get more of them. Atlantis Awakening is still a solid read with the series arc moving along and setting up for the rest of the warriors' stories. It does end with a bit of a cliff-hanger and so my need to keep reading the series is secure.

Alyssa Day and information about the warriors can be found here. There are also two novellas in the series ~ Wild Hearts in Atlantis in the Wild Thing anthology and Shifter's Lady in the Shifter anthology. Both are part of the series but can be read as stand alones.

Rating: B+

Current reads

I have the Shifter anthology but still need to read Lora Leigh's Breed books and Alyssa Day's Warriors of Poseidon series before Shifter. Currently reading Tanner's Scheme by Leigh and Atlantis Rising by Day. Day's is the first I've read of hers. The concept is interesting but her writing is a bit choppy at times. The flow could be better. Leigh's is the standard Breed book - good with a lot of hot sex scenes. Sometimes I think they get in the way of the story.