Monday, August 16, 2010

Review of "Entwined" by Elisabeth Naughton

Entwined (Eternal Guardians)Well alright then! Let's get into it, shall we?

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me, the reviewer, in exchange for a review. I was not given any sort of monetary incentive for a positive review.

Type: Series, Paranormal Romance, Greek Mythology, Alpha Males, Weird Prophecies

From the back of the book: "  Forces of daemons are gathering and have broken through the barriers of the Underworld. Now more than ever the Eternal Guardians are needed to protect both their own realm and the human world. Zander can't afford to think about what might have been with the bewitching physician he once regarded as his soul mate. But with eternity stretching before him, he also can't fathom spending his life without the one woman who makes him feel most alive. Perhaps he's found his weakness after all... "

When I heard about the release of the first book in this series, "Marked," of course I was interested. I'm sure most of you know of my obsession with Greek mythology by now. But I never got around to picking it up. So of course I was excited when I received "Entwined" from Dorchester Publishing to review. I knew I was jumping in on the second in the series, but I figured that wouldn't be a problem. Most series, at least ones that feature different main characters each book, add in some explanation of previous events during the course of the story.

However, with "Entwined," I have to admit to feeling confused for a good portion of the book. There were too many unfamiliar terms, and it seemed to be taken for granted that the reader will understand them, or if they were explained, it happened later than would have been helpful. And it wasn't just the unfamiliar terms, there were a few occasions where it was the actions or motives of the characters that I just couldn't wrap my head around. During one scene, Zander leaves Callia behind, and when they meet up again, she starts chewing him out, but for what seems to be something altogether different than leaving her behind. And all too quickly, the arguing goes from screaming to sexing. This is not an uncommon occurence in romance, but it just felt like too abrupt a change from one to the other.
That said, I did enjoy the heart of the story. The confusing terms, the bewildering actions and prophecies, and such can be ignored enough for one to focus on the main characters and how they are dealing with being thrown together again.. and the fact that now both of them are promised to other people. As I'm sure, some of you know I am also a fan of two lovers being tossed back together after a split, and I enjoy the drama that comes as a part of that. But some of the scenes in "Entwined" felt... unreal. As much as I loved Zander and Callia, I think I would want to strangle them both. I didn't believe they were real. I didn't feel that they had had a deep connection in the past. Yes, I knew they had a past together, but it didn't feel as important as they said it was.

All in all, while I did enjoy "Entwined" to a point, it just didn't inspire anything in me. At the end, I just had that "Well... it's over" feeling, instead of the "YAY! They got their HEA" or even the "I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW... So I know they will get their HEA!"... or any number of other feelings that come at the end of an inspiring, or good, book. So I am going to give "Entwined" a rating of THREE out of FIVE (3/5). As I said the book was good, but it wasn't great. It was an interesting read, but it didn't stir anything in me.

Did you read it? Tell me how you feel in the comments. Interested in checking it out? Find it at Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

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