We talked via FB, we shared IRC precon event in July. There were so many other things that by the time the conference arrived, and when I agreed to be a part of her blog tour, in my mind I was doing something for a dear friend.
Dark War Chronicles is her series. And while you'll only see my review of the book 1, In the Light of book on Buy the Series Monday October 20. I'll have it posted early afternoon.the Moon, you can read my review of the first three
But, enough about me. You're here to read more about A. L. Kessler and her series. I loved it. I realized I was a sucker for paranormal a while back. And when I got the chance to read the series, I jumped at it. I wasn't disappointed. And, I was surprised. A.L. presents all of paranormal's facets. The best in the characters as well as the bad. Enjoy the review.
In the Light of the Moon is book 1 in the Dark War Chronicles.
A shifter with no control...
As a panther shifter stripped of her control Kassity has no choice but to be a killer for Lucius. Obeying the vampire was simply her way of life. Until Jaxon comes to town, bring trouble with him. When she recognizes Jaxon as her fated mate, Kassity must deal with betrayal, secrets and Lucius in order to be with him.
A war rages on...
Jaxon must decide who he is fighting for and against. What started as a simple job turns into a complicated game of hearts when he meets Kassity, the woman he thought he was rescuing.
But not everything is as it seems in Lucius' territory...As a panther shifter stripped of her control Kassity has no choice but to be a killer for Lucius. Obeying the vampire was simply her way of life. Until Jaxon comes to town, bring trouble with him. When she recognizes Jaxon as her fated mate, Kassity must deal with betrayal, secrets and Lucius in order to be with him.
A war rages on...
Jaxon must decide who he is fighting for and against. What started as a simple job turns into a complicated game of hearts when he meets Kassity, the woman he thought he was rescuing.
Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way, right away. In the Light of the Moon is paranormal romance written by A. L. Kessler. It is part of a series, Dark War Chronicles. So far there are three books. And that’s where the typical paranormal romance ends.
Now the blurb touts Kassity as a panther shifter who has had
her powers stripped by Lucius a vampire. And the blurb will also describe Jaxon
as Kassity’s fated mate, who brings trouble to Lucius’ territory. Trouble that
targets Kassity. But, that’s only a small piece of what’s going on. Let me see
if I can take you deeper into the book.
Please forgive me, but my information is a little out of
order. I think it’s important to get to know the main characters within novels,
and while this book is Kassity and Jaxon’s romance, it’s not complete without
first getting to know Lucius.
Lucius controls his territory in Colorado. I know this
because I’ve read books two and three already. And, I’m giving you this so you
know where the action takes place. The reader doesn’t really miss that tidbit,
but personally I like to know where the characters live.
Lucius, think of him as a warlord. The story demonstrates the master manipulator that readers
will come to know in Lucius. He’s harsh. His will is law, he requires
absolute loyalty of those under his protection; and those who do not obey, suffer; those who are bound to
him, as well as his enemies. Yet, for all of that, Kessler shows there is a
reason for his actions.
In Book One, Kassity’s panther is under the control of
Lucius. And while he has stripped her of her control, so he can use her powers
to kill his enemies, it’s not all black and white, good or evil. Kassity has actually
given up control. She came to Lucius to
protect her from her clan. But, I suspect there’s more to it than that. And,
the wolf clan, run by her father, also controlled Kassity’s panther at one
time.
“Remember
when Josh brought you here?” He unwound his hand from her hair
and ran his fingers through it.
“Remember how scared and beaten you were?”
Her
mind flashed back to Josh carrying her through the woods while she clung to
consciousness. How her body
ached when she had outrun the rest of her family and
survived the game they played.
Never having to care for a Lycan before he did what he
could to tend to her wounds, but
still turned to Lucius for help.
“When
will you learn that you belong to me? That your beast recognizes that debt
that you must pay?” He moved her
hair to the side, his fingers brushing over her
pulse.
She
shivered and her breath caught in her throat as she turned her back to him. “I
was never good at being locked
up and owned.”
Lucius
has his own agenda for controlling Kassity, which is slowly revealed through
the series. But, there is a clue. He knows Kassity’s secret. And, he’s waiting
for it to come to fruition.
Jaxon
is hired by Kassity’s father. “My daughter’s been kidnapped
and I want her home.” Quinn crossed his arms and met Jax’s eyes. “She was taken
from our clan’s territory by a vampire.”
From the moment Jaxon sees
Kassity, he finds her fascinating. Not that she’s another rare panther like
himself, but she’s the first person to calm his beast. Soon he realizes Kassity
as his fated mate. And being near her, having her, and keeping her safe becomes
priority over turning her over to her father.
Jaxon is as cautious as they
come. He becomes suspicious of the werewolf who hired him. Quinn isn’t
the loving father, he shows himself to be. And, Jaxon finds that his motives are far worse than Lucius’. I won’t
say more or, I’ll be giving spoiler alerts left and right.
Throughout the novel, while
Lucius is manipulating both Kassity and Jaxon to do his bidding, the couple
begins to manipulate Lucius on their own. Lucius accepts their terms, and the
mates, mate as a good paranormal romance requires.
But there is so much more going
on. There is some good in Lucius and he’s not all powerful. He’s vulnerable, Tegan, his human is the only
thing keeping him sane. And she’s been compromised. You’ll have to read that
for yourself.
Secondary characters like Mae, a
human, who Lucius turned for helping Kassity and Josh. (Josh is a very minor
character). There is Tegan, Lucius’ human who was forced to send an important
artifact away by another vampire called an Original. There’s Coran and Orion. Werewolf
and Fae, respectively, who we see much more of in books two and three of the
series. They are important to Lucius’ plans and the survival of his little
family.
This book is stand alone in the
romance. It has an HFN, but to find out the bigger picture, one must read the
series.
Author BIO
A.L. Kessler is a paranormal romance
and Steampunk author residing in Colorado Springs. Since she was a teenager,
she's loved weaving stories and spinning tales. When she's not at the
beck-and-call of the Lord and Lady of the House, two black cats by the names of
Jynx and Sophie, training a playful puppy named Zelda, playing with her
daughter, or killing creepers and mining all the things with her husband of
four years, she's either reading, participating in NaNoWriMo, or writing in her
Blog Writing Rambles.
Published works: In the Light of the
Moon (DWC #1) - Novel
The Touch of Night (DWC #0.5) Note:
This short story is not required to read to understand the overall arc of the
story.
In the Light of the Moon (DWC #1)
Kassity's & Jaxon's Book
Dance in the Moonlight (DWC #2)
Renee's & Coran's Book
On Torn Wings (DWC #3) Orion's &
Dani's Book
Past Demons (DWC #4) Tegan's Book,
Due out Feb 2015
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