BOOK REVIEW: Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe

TITLE: Lord of Rage
SERIES: Royal House of Shadows, Book 2
AUTHOR: Jill Monroe
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Nocturne
DATE OF PUBLICATION: October 1, 2011
FORMAT: E-ARC, 288 pages
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1459214453

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Princess Breena had been dreaming of her warrior lover when she was ripped from her Elden castle and thrown into a strange, dangerous realm. Lost and alone, she prayed for survival and vengeance for her stolen kingdom. She found both in a woodland cottage…in a dark bear of a man.

The golden-haired beauty had eaten his food and slept in his bed when Osborn found her. Though he wanted to awaken his virgin princess to carnal pleasures, Breena wanted more—including his warrior skills. Skills the once-legendary mercenary had long buried. Now Osborn had a choice—risk his life or deny his princess her fairy-tale ending.

MY REVIEW:

I received this e-ARC for review from the publisher through NetGalley. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

This is the second book in the Royal House of Shadows Series, where each book is written by a different author. Monroe is a new-to-me-author.

This installment is Princess Breena’s story. As we find out from the first book, Lord of the Vampires, Elden is a city in an alternate universe. The Blood Sorcerer has slayed King Aelfric and Queen Alvina. Before they succumbed to their deaths, they summoned their magical powers to cast each of their four children into different corners of the world. In addition to saving their children, they also instilled a drive for vengeance. Breena’s brother, Nikolai, is a vampire and his story was featured in the first book, Lord of the Vampires. The stories of her two other brothers, Dayn and Micah, are coming up next.

Breena is the King and Queen’s only daughter. She is not a vampire, but she does possess magical powers. This story is a twist on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairy tale. Breena is “Goldilocks,” who wakes in an unknown place and stumbles about until she finds a cabin in the woods. Ravenous, she eats the food that has been left on the table and even breaks one of the chairs. Feeling tired after finally getting some food in her stomach, she lays down on one of the beds and falls asleep.

The cabin is owned by a man named Osborn and his two brothers, who are Ursa warriors. Osborn is known as a “Berserker,” who can summon his “ber” spirit when he wears the pelt of the bear that he killed. This gives him great strength.

When Osborn was a teenager, his parents and sisters were killed by the magical vampires of Elden who were wearing the navy and purple colours of Elden’s royal military guard. There was no reason for the attack, since there was peace between the Ursa warriors and the people in Elden for many generations. Osborn was left to raise his younger brothers, Bernt and Torben, and he was now driven to destroy every resident of Elden for the attack upon his people.

When Osborn finds Breena in his bed, the two recognize each other. It seems that Breena has been coming to Osborn – her “warrior” - in his dreams...one of her magical abilities. Although Breena’s memory is not intact, she is determined to avenge something and needs Osborn’s help. She wants him to train her as a warrior. Her memory does eventually return, but something inside her tells her not to reveal to Osborn who she really is.

The chemistry between Breena and Osborn is unmistakable. Osborn keeps pushing Breena away, feeling that she is deserving of a much better man. Breena understands his ways, however. As a berserker, he can take anything that he wants, even Breena if he chose. Osborn does not want to “take” Breena; he wants her to come to him of her own free will and desire.

I loved Breena’s transformation from reserved princess to warrior-princess! She is a strong heroine, and she is a good match for Osborn. Their intimate scenes are scorching, even more explicit than the last book!

I am still hooked on the series, and I cannot wait to read the next one, Lord of the Wolfyn, which is Prince Dayn’s story.

MY RATING: 4 stars! It was really good!

This book qualifies as:
#86 for my 2011 100+ Reading Challenge
#13 for my Paranormal Romance Challenge 2011 
#12 for my 2011 E-book Reading Challenge
#10 for my 2nds Challenge 2011