April 26th, 2024
Home | Log in!

On Top Shelf
EXPLOSIVE TRAILEXPLOSIVE TRAIL
Fresh Pick
THE WARTIME BOOK CLUB
THE WARTIME BOOK CLUB

New Books This Week

Fresh Fiction Box

Video Book Club

Latest Articles


April's Affections and Intrigues: Love and Mystery Bloom

Slideshow image


Since your web browser does not support JavaScript, here is a non-JavaScript version of the image slideshow:

slideshow image
Investigating a conspiracy really wasn't on Nikki's very long to-do list.


slideshow image
Escape to the Scottish Highlands in this enemies to lovers romance!


slideshow image
It�s not the heat�it�s the pixie dust.


slideshow image
They have a perfect partnership�
But an attempt on her life changes everything.


slideshow image
Jealousy, Love, and Murder: The Ancient Games Turn Deadly


slideshow image
Secret Identity, Small Town Romance
Available 4.15.24


Beyond the Darkness

Beyond the Darkness, March 2015
Darkness #3
by Katie Reus

Self Published
Featuring: Keelin Petronilla; Bran Devlin
350 pages
ISBN: 0149981236
EAN: 2940149981236
Kindle: B00SGQ2YAY
e-Book
Add to Wish List


Purchase



"The alpha dragon plans to be patient until danger threatens his love."

Fresh Fiction Review

Beyond the Darkness
Katie Reus

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko
Posted April 14, 2015

Romance Paranormal

Dragon shifter Keelin Petronilla spent centuries in force hibernation dreaming of freedom. Now she is awake and living life on her terms. She has escaped her clan for an unruly wolf pack, tends bar for a half-demon, and loves every minute of it all. Then a powerful supernatural attacks her sending her world BEYOND THE DARKNESS and has her seeking help. She knows he will help, but will he smother her the way her family always did?

Former black ops agent Bran Devlin is a born dragon Alpha and leader of a fierce clan. He never planned to be mated but now that he has found the feisty princess his plans are undeniably changed. One problem ... she doesn't want a mate. He's willing to play along and court her until something dark and dangerous marks her for death. Then all playing is over. He will keep her safe ... and he will keep her.

BEYOND THE DARKNESS takes us back to author Katie Reus' amazing Darkness series. It is a fascinating and fun read that pulled me in as I reacquainted myself with past characters while adding new ones to my favorites list. I loved Keelin; she is tough, smart, knows what she wants and just enjoys life. And Bran is one smart dragon, he might be an alpha and overprotective, but he knows that for Keelin to be happy she must be free. The love falls slowly but the sex is hot and heavy as Keelin works very hard to stop the mating from actually happening. Though she is more than willing to let him court her and that in itself leads to a lot of steamy. I have to admit though I loved their story and meeting with her family, even her rather scary parents, I kept looking for more of Bo and Nyx on the pages. Nyx's secret comes out in this book because it helps Keelin and Bran escape the evil that wants them both dead. I can't wait to read the next edition of the series. This one is on my TRA shelf.

Learn more about Beyond the Darkness

SUMMARY

Now that she has her freedom, she’s not giving it up.

Dragon shifter Keelin Petronilla spent centuries in forced hibernation dreaming of one thing: freedom. Now she’s living life on her terms—she’s ditched her clan for an unruly wolf pack, she tends bar for a half-demon, and she’s loving it…until a powerful supernatural being targets her. She intends to handle the mysterious attacks on her own… without the help of dragon Alpha Bran Devlin. Sure, he’s sexy in that hot, scowling possessive way, but Keelin wants to live her own life in her own way.

Now that he’s found his mate, he’s not letting her go.

Former black ops agent Bran Devlin is a born dragon Alpha and leader of a fierce clan. Getting mated was never part of his plan—until a feisty dragon princess gets under his skin in a big way. The hell of it is, she doesn’t want a mate; she just wants to have a good time. He plays along, but when a dark and powerful being marks her for death, he’s determined to stay by her side in spite of her protests. Now that he’s found his mate, he means to keep her safe no matter what the cost…even if he has to risk it all.

Excerpt

As Keelin moved in and out of the vehicles, she glanced around. The parking lot was full, but the warehouse was far from the main road, hidden back enough that no one would accidentally stumble on it. There weren’t any people out here, not with all the action inside. Which was good for her, she’d have privacy to strip and shift so she could fly back to the mansion.

A burning scent accosted her about two seconds before the three males from inside appeared as if from nowhere, stepping out from behind a black SUV with dark tinted windows. Her alarm bells went off, but she didn’t panic.

Inhaling deeply, she only scented the three of them. Okay so it was unlikely someone was trying to attack her from behind. Still, she wasn’t letting her guard down. “You smell delicious, little dragon,” the one named Marshall said. Apparently the leader of the trio.

And he knew what she was. Just great. “Get the hell out of my way,” she demanded. Shifters or any supernatural beings only respected strength. She was pretty sure these three were out here to ambush her but she knew well enough to always stand her ground, no matter how afraid she was.

“Not after what you saw back there,” the other one—maybe, Martin—said.

Somehow she kept her expression blank. “Saw?”

“You’re special, aren’t you little dragon? Not everyone is powerful enough to see or contain the power.” Marshall spoke again while the third one stepped to the left, as if he was thinking about moving around one of the vehicles to cut off her escape.

She was about tired of the ‘little dragon’ comments. And she had no idea what he meant by ‘contain the power’. She pinned him with a stare, her dragon’s fire tickling the back of her throat. Tonight was definitely going to end badly. Probably with her clothes shredded and these losers burned to a crisp. She knew her animal was in her eyes already, was barely containing the urge to shift.

But she’d be weakest when she underwent the change, just for a few moments. She needed to put some distance between them before she let her dragon take over. “Special?” she asked, wanting to keep them talking as she took a couple steps backward.

They followed, one having to fall behind the others in the tighter space between the vehicles.

“Very special,” the creepy one she’d seen biting that female said in a sing-song voice. The sound of it felt like ice trailing down her spine. His eyes darkened and she scented that fire again. Demons. They had to be. “And now you have to die.”

Fire erupted in one of the male’s hands and she didn’t think, just let her instinct take over.

Not bothering to shift, she unleashed the fire that had been tickling her throat, a scorching stream releasing at the two closest males. She nailed one of them in the arm and face.

He screamed and the other male went for a weapon. A gun. He yanked it free from the back of his pants. Before he could lift his arm she whipped her fire at him, ready to fry him when a blast of bright orange flames fell from the sky, lighting up everything around them.

She jumped back, lifting an arm to shield herself from the brightness. Her fire died in her throat as the flames from above ate up the three males, incinerating them and four vehicles around them in seconds, as if the fire itself was hungry enough to devour everything in its path. She could feel the heat but just barely. As a dragon she could shield herself—to an extent—from other dragons’ fire, but whoever was breathing it was specifically guarding her against its destructive power. She sensed it bone-deep.

She stared at the sky but whoever it was had shielded themselves—until a shimmering bluish-green dragon with scales the color of the Mediterranean suddenly appeared, landing in the ashes of the demons and destroyed vehicles with a thump. He spread his wings, a beautiful pale blue that gave off the illusion of flowing water and stared at her with sapphire-green eyes.

Eyes she would know anywhere.

Before she could move or even think, the male shifted to his human form. Bran stood there, all six feet four inches of sexy, pissed off male. His expression was one of pure rage as he stepped toward her. Not that it stopped her from checking out every single naked inch of him. And the man was built. All those hard lines and striations looked as if he’d been carved from marble.

She knew she should be more worried about what the hell had just happened but as he stalked toward her, it was hard to remember her name.

“Keelin,” he growled out and it registered that he was angry—at her. “What the hell were you—”

She stomped her heel against the gravel, not caring if she looked childish. “Don’t you f**king lecture me!” She couldn’t take it from him of all people. Not now, not ever.

He let out another growl, this one filled with something else. Not anger.

He fisted her hips, tugging her to him faster than she could blink. She’d barely let out a gasp of surprise before his mouth crushed over hers, hard and demanding.


What do you think about this review?

Comments

No comments posted.

Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!

 

 

 

© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net  all rights reserved Privacy Policy