Review: Rapture's Edge - J.T. Geissinger

SECRETS . . . In the hidden world that exists beside our own, a mirror world of ancient magic and elegant deceptions, a world of people who are so much more than they first appear, a war is brewing. Most of these Gifted people—the Ikati, a savage, sensual race of lethal predators—are content to hide behind human smiles, disguising their splendor in order to survive. But others are discontent. And they will hide no longer.

BETRAYALS . . . Eliana lives for two things only: vengeance on the man who killed her father, and seeing his dream of living in the open with humans come to pass. But that dream is far too dangerous for The Hunt, a group of elite Ikati assassins with one objective: eliminate her before she can expose their secrets to the world.

SEDUCTION . . . Demetrius is haunted by the memory of the woman he once loved. He will risk everything to save her from the killers on her tail…and convince her, before the ancient walls between two worlds crumble, that only together can they defeat their real enemy, a brilliant, cunning traitor far more deadly than either of them can guess.

Night Prowler Series:
Shadow's Edge
Edge of Oblivion
Rapture's Edge
Edge of Darkness (Fall 2013)
Further titles and release dates for this series are to be confirmed

Visit J.T. Geissinger's website for more information

Review:
Eliana was on the verge of falling in love with Demetrius until the day she found him standing over her father's dead body holding a gun and fled her colony in Rome with a small group of followers before he could come after her too. They have spent the last 3 years hiding in the catacombs in Paris and Eliana has been forced to take extreme measures to make sure they have enough money not just to survive but also to plot their revenge. What she doesn't realise is that Demetrius is innocent, he wasn't the one who killed her father and the betrayal actually came from much closer to home. In fact nothing is what she thought it was, her father wasn't the kind and benevolent king she knew him as and her enemies actually followed her to Paris. Demetrius has been looking for Eliana ever since she disappears but when he finally tracks her down will he be able to convince her of his innocence and help her uncover what is really going on within her group? Can Eliana put the pain from the past to one side long enough to actually listen to him?

I have been a huge fan of this series from the first book and I'm happy to confirm that the books just get better and better with every instalment. I have it on good authority from a friend of mine that this book can be read even if you haven't read the previous books but I would still personally recommend reading the series in order. Although each book focuses on a different couple there is a complex ongoing plot that threads throughout all of the stories and I think you will get more out of it if you read the books in the order they were written. This is a fantastic series though and one I'd highly recommend to anyone who likes their paranormal romance fast paced, packed with action and full of fabulous characters. Rapture's Edge is set 3 years on from the end of Edge of Oblivion and picks up the story of members of the newly discovered Rome colony of Ikati, we met these characters in the previous book and I have been looking forward to getting to know Eliana and Demetrius ever since.

This is one of those books that is very hard to put down once you've started it, we see things from both Eliana and Demetrius's points of view with the occasional chapter from Jenna's perspective (Jenna was the heroine from Shadow's Edge and anyone who has read that book will understand why her POV is so important). I love romances that are told from dual POVs, it really allows you to get inside both main character's heads and these are the kind of characters you want to spend time with. Eliana has been betrayed at every turn but she doesn't allow that to make her bitter, she has always fought to do the best for her people and no matter how much she has hated things she has been forced into she puts their needs above her own. When she does start to uncover what is really going on she is brave enough to stand up for herself and those she cares about, she isn't the kind of woman who is going to sit around and wait to be rescued - she would much rather use her abilities to protect herself. As a full blooded Ikati from a line of kings she is incredibly powerful but she has also worked hard to train as a fighter and she certainly knows how to use her abilities to her advantage in a fight.

Demetrius is a fantastic hero, he is honourable and brave and he loves Eliana deeply. He wasn't the one who killed her father but he refuses to betray the person who did it because he is sworn to protect them and they did it in self defence. Even though telling Eliana the truth would make it easier for her to forgive him he stands his ground and begs her to trust him. After what she witnessed trust doesn't come easy to her but the more time she spends with Demetrius and the more information she uncovers about her companions the more the things he has told her start to make sense. She pushed aside her love for him when she thought he was a murderer but being around him makes it impossible to resist the attraction she feels, especially when she starts to believe he may not have been plotting behind her back after all.

I don't want to say too much about the story because I'd hate to give spoilers so I'm just going to say I think it was the most action packed instalment of the series so far, there are fights, robberies, explosives, chases, bad guys who will make your skin crawl, funny moments, sexy moments and some really heart melting confessions of love that will make you swoon for Demetrius. I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed Rapture's Edge and I can't wait to get my hands on Edge of Darkness when it is published later this year. J.T. Geissinger is proving herself a force to be reckoned with in the paranormal romance genre and I'm sure we're going to be seeing lots more of her in the future.

Source: Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Edge of Oblivion - J.T. Geissinger

Morgan Montgomery is waiting to die. Branded a traitor by her tribe, the Ikati shape-shifter has no hope for mercy--until Jenna, the Ikati's newly crowned queen and Morgan's former ally, offers one last chance for redemption. Morgan must infiltrate the Rome headquarters of the Expurgari, the Ikati's ancient enemy, to destroy them once and for all. The beautiful renegade has just a fortnight to complete her mission or forfeit her life. Because she does not travel alone...

Xander Luna is a trained assassin and the Ikati's most feared enforcer, famed for his swift brutality and stony heart. Fiercely loyal, he is prepared to hate the traitor under his watch--until they come face to face. For Morgan arouses something unexpected inside of him, something that threatens everything he believes in and the fate of the tribe itself: a love as powerful and passionate as it is forbidden.

Night Prowler Series:
Shadow's Edge
Edge of Oblivion
Rapture's Edge
Edge of Darkness (Fall 2013)
Further titles and release dates for this series are to be confirmed

Visit J.T. Geissinger's website for more information

Review:
Morgan has admitted to being guilty of one of the most serious crimes a member of the Ikati can commit, her act of treason led their mortal enemies right to their door and ended with the kidnapping and torture of her queen. There is only one punishment for such a serious crime - the death penalty - and Morgan is just waiting for her sentence to be carried out. But at the very last minute Queen Jenna offers Morgan the chance to redeem herself, if she can track down the headquarters of the Expurgari then she will be allowed to live. The Expurgari have remained successfully hidden for centuries though so finding them now isn't going to be easy. Morgan won't be working alone on this mission, she is going to have the company of assassin Xander and his task is to kill Morgan if she fails to complete her mission. Can Morgan succeed in her mission before Xander is forced to carry out his own?

I really enjoyed Shadow's Edge so couldn't wait to get started on Edge of Oblivion. As much as I didn't agree with the actions that Morgan took in the previous book I did find it easy to see why desperation led her to take such drastic measures. The Ikati are a very male oriented race, the women are cosseted, protected and loved but they are expected to marry young and start breeding as soon as possible.They aren't expected to become warriors or to want to leave the safety of their compound. Some of the females in the clan may be happy to accept being looked after by the alpha males who surround them but Morgan has always wanted more. She wants to be free to make her own choices, to explore the world and to live her life as she chooses. She is one of the most powerful members of her colony but has had to fight every step of the way to be respected by the male members of the council and she became sick of being pushed to one side.

If Morgan had known that Jenna was going to have the chance to change things for the women of the colony then she would never have betrayed them like she did and it's obvious that she deeply regrets the consequences of her actions. I don't admire her for what she did but I do admire her for admitting it and for accepting her punishment with grace and dignity. When she is offered a reprieve she is determined to make up for the wrongs she did or die trying and she shows her strength in character with the way she deals with everything. Even though she has several chances to escape she refuses to let Jenna down by running away. I came to really admire Morgan and I'm glad that she gets to have a chance at happiness.

Xander is a great hero, he comes across as very blunt and uncaring but this is a persona that he puts on to protect himself and deep down he is a really sweet and caring guy. He was raised to be the perfect assassin and has spent his whole life training and killing on command. His childhood was brutal and he has been taught that nobody can be trusted and that anyone he loves will be in danger. The only exception to that are the other members of his syndicate, the three other assassins he was raised with. Tomas, Mateo and Julian are Xander's brother in all but blood and there is a deep bond between them all. I have to say I loved seeing them all together and I really, really hope that they each get their own book as the series continues! The attraction between Xander and Morgan is instant but they are both wary of the connection knowing that Xander must be the one to kill her if she fails in her task. I loved the fact that Morgan constantly pushes Xander's buttons by teasing him and refusing to follow his rules! It was really funny to watch his reaction to her antics and to see the banter between them.

Along with a sexy and believable romance Edge of Oblivion is also an action packed story that introduces some really interesting twists to the Ikati world. I don't want to go into any detail about what Morgan and Xander find in Rome so I'll just say it was definitely something I wasn't expecting and I can't wait to see how things play out in future books in the series! This is a fantastic instalment to the series and one that I'd highly recommend to paranormal romance fans. I'm now eagerly waiting to get my hands on the next book!

Source: Received from publisher via Wunderkind PR in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Review: Shadow's Edge - J.T. Geissinger

Deep within the primeval forests of southern England, a race of beautiful, savage shape-shifters lives hidden from the everyday world. Bound together by ancient bloodlines and a ruthless code of secrecy that punishes traitors with death, the Ikati send their leader Leander on a mission to capture one raised outside the tribe before she can expose their secret. When Leander tracks the unsuspecting outsider to Southern California, the hardened warrior is prepared for a fight—but not for the effect the sensual young beauty has on his heart.

Jenna spent her childhood in hiding, on the run from someone—or something—her parents refused to discuss. She trusts no one, not since her father’s mysterious disappearance, not since her mother’s sudden death, and definitely not since she began exhibiting strange, superhuman abilities. When handsome, enigmatic Leander appears, promising answers to the mysteries that shroud her past, she knows she shouldn’t trust him either. But their connection is undeniable, and as powerful as the enemy hell-bent on destroying every one of their kind...

Night Prowler Series:
Shadow's Edge
Edge of Oblivion
Rapture's Edge
Edge of Darkness (Fall 2013)
Further titles and release dates for this series are to be confirmed

Visit J.T. Geissinger's website for more information

Review:
Jenna has spent her whole life on the run but was never really told what she was running from. Her father vanished when she was a young child and since her mother's death all she has wanted is to settle down and find somewhere to call home. When the mysterious Leander arrives on scene she knows she should be hiding from him but he promises to answer her questions about her family and the strange abilities that she has had since childhood. Can she trust this stranger or should she have listened to the warnings her parents gave her? Now she is trapped in his world and told that she must obey the rules of the Ikati but can she find a way to be free?

I read a lot of paranormal romance stories and love coming across different shape shifters so I was very keen to read J.T. Geissinger's debut novel. Although I have come across cat shifters before I was very pleased that the author has put her own spin on things and Shadow's Edge is the start of a promising new series. I really loved finding out about the history of the Ikati who have links back to ancient Egypt when cats were worshipped as gods. Also as a Brit I loved the fact that the Ikati compound is hidden away in the New Forest - I'm sure anyone who has ever been there would have no problem with the idea that a secret community is hidden deep in the forest where no one ever ventures. It's nice to read a story set in the UK that doesn't focus on London and instead takes you out into the countryside and I felt the author did a great job of describing the area for us.

I don't want to give too much away about the story so I'm not going to go into detail about the abilities that Jenna, Leander and the other Ikati have but I really enjoyed discovering them and I liked the way that everyone seems to have a unique ability alongside the common ones that most of them share. I loved the way the author describes the way they see and smell their surroundings, I don't think I've come across a novel where that much detail is included before (and I don't mean that in a negative way because it never overtook the story - just complimented it).

Jenna was a great character who had a lot of inner strength and although she was completely out of her depth in the world she was dragged into she wasn't going to sit back and accept everything she was told. I appreciated the fact that she stood up for herself, especially against all the male alphas who were trying to control her. Things do develop fairly quickly between her and Leander but because I was able to feel the connection between them I didn't have a problem with that. Leander was everything you'd expect from an alpha male - he is controlling, dominant, pushy and protective of his family and his pack. However, he also knew when to back off and give Jenna some space and towards the end of the book he showed his true worth by letting her take control of the situation.

Shadow's Edge was a great start to the series and an impressive debut from J.T. Geissinger. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Ikati and I'll be first in the queue to pick up a copy of Edge of Oblivion when it is released later this year. Recommended for paranormal romance fans who are looking for cat shifters with a difference.

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Between Dreams and Reality
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