Synopsis:
Ari—Once an Eternal Guardian, now he’s nothing but a rogue mercenary with one singular focus: revenge.
His guardian brothers all think he’s dead, but Ari is very much alive in the human realm, chipping away at Zeus’s Sirens every chance he can, reveling in his brutality and anonymity. Until, that is, he abducts the wrong female and his identity is finally exposed. It will take more than the Eternal Guardians, more even than the gods to rein Ari in after everything he’s done. It may just take the courage of one woman willing to stand up to a warrior who’s become a savage.
My Review:
Ravaged is story number 7.5 in author Elisabeth Naughton’s Eternal Guardians series as well as novella number 8 in the 2015 1,001 Dark Nights lineup and, sadly, the first in this series by Ms. Naughton that I’ve read. Well, after reading Ravaged, I’m totally hooked and immediately went and bought the entire backlist. It was that good.
The very last thing Ari ever wanted to do right now was rescue a nymph…but yet he had, and now she was in his home, resting and healing. But he swore as soon as she was well enough, he would cast her out. He had been hurt enough in his life and now his mission was to hunt Siren’s and remain in hiding. He wanted revenge on the God who had cursed him to this awful existence and he would be sure to get it…as soon as she left. He knew he couldn’t have left her to die out there in the cold snow when he found her injured and bleeding. He soon realized that choice would turn his world upside down and that Nymph would end up saving his life in more ways than one. But at what price, he didn’t know…
I finished this book about a week ago and I am still in book hangover mode. I loved this story so much and it made me get the same warm and fuzzy feelings I felt when I discovered The Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Ari’s story and his past broke my heart. I wanted to reach through the pages and just hug him. He’s had his heart-broken and was just living day by day trying to make it through. It was a sad existence and he knew it but he gave up on his happiness and I wanted to cry for him. Daphne is an amazing heroine with a great resolve and I loved her ability to see people for who they are and not just follow the things she’s been taught on Olympus. I loved that about her so much. Without that amazing quality, she never could have helped Ari and she would have ended up killing him, as she’d be tasked with originally. Together they make an amazing team and the chemistry and heat they share is off the charts delicious! As I said earlier, this novella alone turned me into a fan and I cannot WAIT to start this entire series. I have a feeling I will love each book as much as I did reading Ravaged.
Thank you, Ms. Naughton, for turning this blogger into an Eternal Guardians fan and for giving me so many books to look forward to reading!
Five Loves
Book links:
About the author:
I was never one of those people who knew they wanted to be an author at the age of six. I didn’t have imaginary friends. I didn’t write stories in my journal or entertain my relatives by firelight after Thanksgiving dinner. For the most part, I was just a normal, everyday kid. I liked to read, but I wasn’t exceptional at it. And when my teachers complimented me on my writing abilities, I brushed them off. I did, however, always have a penchant for the unique and absurd. And as my mother told me all throughout my childhood, I should have been an actress—I was a drama queen before my time.
Years ago, my husband bought me Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind. If you ever saw the book, you know it’s a long one. I sat and read that thing from cover to cover, and dreamed of one day being a writer. But I didn’t actually try my hand at writing until years later when I quit my teaching job to stay home with my kids. And my husband? After that week of reading where I neglected him and everything else until I finished Scarlett, he vowed never to buy me another book again. Little did he know I’d one day end up sitting at a keyboard all day drafting my own stories.
My writing journey has not been easy. I didn’t just sit down one day, decide I was going to write a book and voila! sell my very first attempt. As most authors will probably agree, the path to publication is filled with hours of work, pulling all-nighters I thought I’d given up in college, sacrifices, rejections, but a love I discovered along the way I just can’t live without. Instead of a big, thick book to read by lamplight (I do read much smaller ones when I get the chance), I’ve traded in my reading obsession for a laptop. And I’ve never been happier.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful family and fabulous husband who put up with my writing—and obsessive personality—even when life is chaotic. More than once my kids have been late to swimming or baseball because I needed just five more minutes to finish a scene. Their support and encouragement mean the world to me. I also have amazing friends and a support network I couldn’t survive without. So to all of you out there who have encouraged me along the way, sent me emails and fan letters, phone calls and congratulations, I just want to say, thank you. You make this whole writing gig that much more enjoyable. I truly wouldn’t be here without you.
I am behind in this series, and it is one of my favorites!! Thank you for sharing!