Reviews: Stygian & Tyrant by Nashoda Rose

Stygian: 4

Tyrant: 5

4.5Overall score

Get ready for the darker side of life and romance. The emotional ride just gets better...

Stygian & Tyrant

By Nashoda Rose

Paranormal Romance

Self-Published

Series: Scars of the Wraiths, Books 1 & 2

New York Times & USA Today Best Selling Author Nashoda Rose brings a fresh twist to the paranormal romance world with ‘the Scars’.

Reviewed by Jean

Stygian

Released March 29, 2015

Synopsis

Danielle
I remember nothing of my abduction two years ago. Sounds and scents trigger horrific flashes, but it’s all a blur except for one man with brilliant green eyes. When the tatted six foot two Adonis shows up at my door, my knowledge of the world is shattered.
Bound to the immortal Scar by an ancient spell, we are on the run. Because Balen is the hunted.
And if he dies, so do I.

Balen
My code of honor was respected without question … until I consumed the blood of a vampire in exchange for a mortal woman’s freedom.
The Scars want me imprisoned. The Wraiths want me dead.
But the woman I can’t forget needs me. And I’ll risk everything to protect her.
Even if it means killing her.

Because in order for her to live—first she must die.

Full-length novel. Come meet the Scars. 18+ due to sexual content and harsh language.

*PLEASE NOTE: Stygian (Scars of the Wraiths, Book 1) was originally titled “JUMP” (Senses Series). The book has been completely re-written. However, please check your Kindles before purchasing.

Review

Get ready for the darker side of life and romance.

This is one where the blurb says it all and nothing at all. For how can such a short synopsis begin to convey the depth of emotion and love between two people? The Scars of the Wraiths series builds one upon the other in a series arch that means you’ll want to read them in order. While each focuses on the romance of a different couple, each gives you insight into the others in the group as well and their ongoing struggle to protect humans from the evil of Center World Others (CWOs) and vampires.The Scars and the Wraiths came into being in the 1600’s at the time of the inquisition. When the Goddess Azzurra offered those that were persecuted for witchcraft immortality and specialized skills. Those who survived the inquisition became Scars and four of those that perished became the Wraiths. Then there are the Witches. The three fight together against evil in the name of the Goddess.

Two years before this story takes place Balen, a Scar was captured by a vampire. The torture he suffered was great. Then a young woman was captured and brought into his world of pain and degradation, a woman with a rebellious and indomitable demeanor. A woman he would risk his very soul to save. Danielle became everything to Balen. But when Balen was forced to drink the blood of the vampire in order to save her, he condemned himself. Now he’s on the run from his brethren. They’ll do anything to capture him and punish him for his traitorous act… a punishment which could be the death of him… at least, if the wraiths have anything to say about it. And yet, as dangerous as it might prove he finds himself inexorably drawn back to Dani.

Dani has suffered amnesia ever since her abduction two years ago. The only thing she recalls are the images of a man full of sorrow and pain. Her dreams are filled with him. As time passes her dreams become more and more vivid. She draws and paints him daily. She is obsessed with getting her memories back and finding out who this man is that haunts her dreams. At the same time, her best friend despairs that she won’t stop her obsession. Little does she know that her memories have been taken from her in order to protect her best friend, her mate and their brethren and hopefully give her peace. They may think it’s best for her to forget but they have no clue what the shadows of memories are doing to her. They have no comprehension of what torture it is to live with the wisps of memories.

Then Balen returns and her life is turned upside down. The two are tied irrevocably. Their separation could mean her death and if he is punished as proposed that very eventuality is insured. There is one possible solution… but it means her death in order to live.

Stygian is an emotional read. It has its dark moments. There are times when it seems everything is impossible and yet you pray for the miracle that will allow Balen and Dani to unite and live a fulfilling life together. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is something about a story that can jerk the emotions from one extreme to another that totally captures me and keeps me turning the pages. Stygian does just that. More than that I came to care about the secondary characters as well. I found myself impatient to see where Tyrant would take us next.

♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

Add to your tbr…

Tyrant

Released March 7, 2016

Synopsis

“I don’t do nice. Period.” -Kilter (nickname: Off-Kilter)

Kilter is crass, reckless and stubborn. He has alienated everyone—just the way he likes it. Until the day he meets Rayne and emotions he buried long ago reawaken.

“I was nothing but a science experiment.” -Rayne

Rayne has been locked away and used for research ever since she was a child. The abuse caused her to withdraw into a tomb of numbness where she’s found a safe place to hide. But her safe place isn’t safe at all, it’s slowly killing her.
When Kilter rescues her and she is unexpectedly drawn to his raw honesty, Rayne must decide whether to trust him and fight for what she can’t see or drown into the depths of darkness.

For some Scars, it’s the story of healing and redemption, for others it’s the beginning of a tortured existence. Which will it be for Kilter and Rayne?

A band of fierce warriors walk in the shadows of the human world with capabilities derived from the senses: Trackers, Sounders, Healers, Tasters, Visionaries and the rare Reflectors. They are known as the ‘Scars.

*Stygian must be read first. 18+

Author’s Note: Tyrant (Scars of the Wraiths, Book 2) was originally titled “Step” (Senses Series). The book has been completely re-written. However, please check your Kindles before purchasing.

Review

The emotional ride just gets better…

I don’t think I waited ten minutes to begin reading Tyrant after turning the last page on Stygian. That’s saying something because neither is a short read. If I thought Stygian to be deep and emotional, Tyrant surpassed it. We met Kilter and Rayne in Stygian as secondary characters. At the time, Kilter had broke into the compound where a fellow Scar was being held and experimented on intent upon rescuing him. He took Rayne captive to ensure their escape from the facility. She demanded he either take her with him or kill her in exchange for her help. Then he left her behind.Her screams as he left Rayne behind haunt Kilter and so he becomes determined to go back and get her… against the orders of his leader, Waleron. With the help of a demolitions expert, he goes back to the compound intent on liberating her. When he finds Rayne, she is huddled in upon herself and cowering on the floor. Something about her speaks to something in him. Their connection is deep and overwhelming from the start. Every protective instinct comes to life in Kilter when it comes to this underweight waif. She is nothing that appeals to him as a man and yet he can’t stay away from her. When he discovers she has an issue with eating, he is totally beside himself with concern because it’s pretty obvious her life is at stake if she doesn’t start eating soon.

Rayne has lived life as the experiment of her guardian turned husband. Her whole life has been one of derision and disappointment. The only control she’s had is in what she ate or whether she ate at all. Not eating and weakening herself keeps her powers at bay. Now she is liberated and wondering if she hasn’t gone from one prison to another. Yet the very rude but honest dealings she has with Kilter leads her to trust him as she trusts no one else. Then the Scars propose putting her in an institution to help with her eating disorder… another imprisonment… one Kilter is adamantly opposed to. His very volatile reaction to his leader’s pronouncement lands him with a six-month sentence. One that Rayne is totally unaware of. It also results in the others deciding that perhaps Kilter had a point, so rather than an institution she is allowed to live in the apartment over Dani’s art gallery and work there while attending intense therapy.

It’s an emotional ride living Raynes torment as she learns to deal with her eating disorder. At the same time, the reader is exposed to just what has made Kilter the gruff, rude and crass man with not an ounce of trust for his brethren. Let’s just say imprisonment, betrayal and torture have its lasting impact. After six months of emotional ups and downs, things escalate once again as enemies old and new raise their nasty heads and truths are revealed. Be prepared for plenty of danger and action.

Glimpses into the other members of the group are interspersed throughout in order to set up the series arch and build momentum for their own stories. I really loved these glimpses, not only for their use in moving the story forward but also for their insight into the secondary characters. By the end of Tyrant, I was impatient to read Credo, Waleron and Delara’s story. Of course, now I have to wait impatiently for it to be released. Ms. Rose does an awesome job at drawing you into her world and making you care about all of her characters. If you’re looking for a great paranormal series to sink your teeth into then this one should do the trick, especially if you like the ones that capture your emotions and takes you for a ride.