Chaos BurningAuthor: Lauren Dane
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Bound by Magick, Book #2
ISBN: 978-0425250822
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
The life of Lark Jaansen, hunter in Clan Gennessee, has been shaped by violence and unrest—and it defines her future. Well-trained and resilient, she’s met her militaristic match in Simon Leviathan, a warrior not of this world. Locked in mutual admiration, and a desire so hot it burns, Lark and Simon have something else in common: they love the dark, and as a shadow is cast over their world, they’re each coming into their own.
A mysterious war has been waged among the Others. As witches and humans turn against each other, as faes retreat in fear, and as vampires rise, Lark and Simon discover that an unseen force is behind it. A single, hungry entity older than recorded history has returned to gorge on the magick of his victims. He is the Magister, nothing less than the end of time. Finding him is Lark and Simon’s first hope. Surviving him is their last.
What VampBard’s talking about:
Chaos Burning, Lauren Dane’s second title in her Bound my Magick series, had a fabulous plot! Infused with romance and the bonding of a fated couple, the action was ongoing and propelled the story from peak to peak.
The story was expertly crafted. The plot arc amped the reader and propelled me through the story. Ratcheting higher and higher, the conflict was based on the impending doom aspect, rather than the romance going on between Simon and Lark. I truly appreciated that, as it seems that with most paranormal romances there’s always something that tries to drive apart the hero and heroine. Some manner in which they’re pulled apart, separated. They usually end up having to defeat the bad guy in order to ultimately be together. In Chaos Burning, the last stand-off found our hero and heroine working together, to defeat the evil affecting the whole community. Simon and Lark were together, and I found that aspect particularly endearing. Additionally, I enjoyed the story because it included all of my favorite other-worldly beings: fae, weres, vamps, as well as witches and shape-shifters. Mmmmhmmm. Good stuff.
Simon was of the Lycian race, and while this race wasn’t exactly werewolf, it was close. The Lycian race are shape-shifters, and transform into wolves at-will, not only at the full moon. They have a pack, den – all the typical werewolf attributes, but they seemed to have the added caveat of longevity. Simon is 600 years old. Additionally, the Lycian race was based in the Veil, a different plane of existence that is easily crossed via portal for members of races existing on that plane. I REALLY liked the premise for this race, as well as their existence on the alternate plane. Simon was believable, and a very strong, bossy character. Much like alpha wolves we’ve seen in other series.
In parallel to Simon, Lark was a strong female character. I loved her quirkiness, drive and passion for her job. I also seriously loved the fact that she was able to completely defend herself, and was a true partner with Simon. An independent witch, Lark was adept at both magick as well as more traditional ‘human’ measures of self-defense. Lark had a bit of her own internal conflict – leaving her Coven and L.A. to assist Clan Owen near Seattle. I must say, I adore the Seattle area, so that was a boon for me. Ms. Dane clearly had performed excellent research or visited the area in order to clearly depict the terrain and the settings.
There were a few things that bothered me through the reading of Chaos Burning. While the author pulled out some $20 words, they were utilized in a context in which I wasn’t comfortable. Some grammatical issues also plagued me. While many readers wouldn’t be bothered, I was. Ultimately, however, I truly enjoyed Chaos Burning, and would continue to read Ms. Dane’s titles in her Bound by Magick series.
VampBard’s Rating:
Enjoyed – strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Thanks for a great review! I just got both books and I’ve just started reading. Do you know if these are connected to any of her other series? I haven’t read any other of Lauren’s books, but book 1 just kinda drops you in. I felt like I was missing something, like these were characters continuing on but maybe she just hits the ground running 🙂
Great review! Makes me want to go out and pick these up 🙂
[…] Posted by Vampbard on Feb 7, 2013 in 4 stars, paranormal romance, reviews | 0 comments Going Under Author: Lauren Dane Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013 Publisher: Berkley Sensation Bound by Magick Book #3 ISBN: 978-0425262108 Genre: Paranormal Romance Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book Book Source: Publisher/ NetGalley About the book: In the wake of the Magister’s rampage, chaos rules. Left reeling, the Others and the humans scramble to create some sort of unity in the face of growing unrest and violence from anti-Other hate groups—and PR guru Molly Ryan is the witch who can do it. She grew up in the human world but there’s nothing left for her there. She’s lost her PR firm and her friends, and now she’s decided to put all her fight toward aiding the Others in this dark new reality. Gage Garrity, one of the few Others who survived the massacre, fears that the crusade will expose Molly to greater dangers than ever before. Now, together, with magick on their side, Molly and Gage are on the road in a desperate struggle to unite a torn world. From state houses to television news to legislative conference rooms across the country, they’re fighting the good fight. And it’s bringing out a passion in both of them they never expected—one as volatile, intense and all-consuming as their relentless battle for world unity. A battle that could be their undoing… What VampBard’s talking about: Going Under, Lauren Dane’s latest edition to her Bound by Magick series, contains a delicious mix of emotionally charged content with a healthy dose of hot, steamy scenes, bringing the characters, settings, and situations to life for the reader. Definitely a must-read for anyone who loves witch/shifter/vamp stories! I think what I enjoyed the most about Going Under was that the budding romance between Gage and Molly was secondary to the conflict with the human supremacist groups. Delightfully unexpected! However, all of the sexual tension between Molly and Gage – albeit powerful – never overshadowed the importance of the ‘war’ being waged. THAT is the important stuff. In a world filled with Others, systematically eliminating those that are different is nothing short of genocide. Nothing to be taken lightly. I was rather shocked when Molly simply gave up and went to join the Owen coven. After losing her partnership and her reputation due to being ‘outed’ as a witch, I thought from the start that Molly had more cajones than that. Sure, she’s had some losses (and we hear all about it for the first approximately 40% of the title), but girlfriend needs to bounce back and be the powerful and confident woman that was pissed off that she was treated like crap. That Molly showed up again around 65-70% mark, and seemed to remain for the rest of the title. Gage, super protector/hero. Mmmhmmm. He’s pretty high up in security for the Owen coven. Control freak extraordinaire, Gage is immediately drawn to Molly for some inexplicable reason. I thought it was really interesting that he felt safest when he was the one guarding her. At first, I thought that it was because she was targeted, and he didn’t trust anyone but himself. Fortunately, I changed my mind rather quickly. One thing I really don’t like about Gage is the self-depreciating perspective he has of himself. He never feels worthy. He never feels as though he is ENOUGH, even though he plainly is spectacular at his job and within his knowledge base. Watching Gage learn to trust and actually care for Molly was spectacular. His feelings are entirely on his sleeve. He is clearly in serious ‘like’ from early on in the book – that moment when they first met, I’d say. I’m not sure why it’s difficult to write this review. I loved the book. I look forward to the next book. I suppose there’s a lot of action that I can’t disclose, as it would spoil the title for others. Yeah. That’s it. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading Going Under, with the intense relationship, twisted reality, and sombre tone, I’m ready, willing and able to read Faine’s story! Gage and Molly were a fabulous couple, but I’m eager to see more of this world from a perspective other than that of a witch. VampBard’s Rating: Enjoyed – strongly recommend (A-) Purchase Info: Going Under Reviews in the Series: Chaos Burning […]
[…] in the Series: Chaos Burning by Lauren Dane (Bound by Magick #2) Going Under by Lauren Dane (Bound by Magick […]