Reviews

One of the most wonderful things about being an author is when you find out a reader has really, truly connected with your characters or understood what you were hoping to achieve in your book/series.

Google Alerts notified me of this review of ALLEGIANCE SWORN on Amazon. While the 5 star rating was awesome, even more satisfying were the comments made about the characters and plot, particularly in the final paragraph of the review.

Wow. I enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, but this one took it to a whole new level. It's dark, edgy, and oh so hot. I love this couple. Arek has been a favorite from the beginning. Oddly enough, I had it in my head that Liselle was the lucky girl in this book. I was several chapters in before I realized that couldn't be the case. Had to go look it up. Glad I was wrong. Imhara is hands down my favorite heroine yet in the Light Blade series. I suspect one of my favorites in any series.

This book, being amongst the Na'Reish, was much grittier, darker. I'm not sure I would have seen it as something Griffin could or would write (silly since I'm basing that on 2 books and I don't know her.) Writing Imhara as someone who could bring headstrong Arek to heel was impressive. I pretty much read this book in a day because the dynamic between those 2 was delicious.

I doubt I've said it, but I really like how Griffin writes villains. We aren't forced to sit in their POVs the way many do. If we are with them, it's time well spent. They make you ache to put a Light Blade enhanced dagger in them (by way of Arek's hands will do nicely.)

Overall, our epic plot continues, moving nicely forward with this installment. I care about how the overall plot plays out as much as I care about the individual couples featured. That is certainly not always the case in many series where the overarching plot is clearly secondary to the romantic elements. This series has both.

WMMcCall really gets my writing. My heart soared when WMMc acknowledged & recognised not only Arek & Imhara's romance but the epic plot as well. I find both these elements as important as one another when I write any story, and to know they balanced and resonated with this reader was a real thrill.

Thank you, WMMcCall, you've made my day!

INTERVIEW at The Reading Cafe!

Mosey on over to The Reading Cafe to read my catch-up interview with Barb, talking about the Light Blade series & ALLEGIANCE SWORN. One book & tote bag up for grabs!

And while you're there, you might want to check out Barb's review of ALLEGIANCE SWORN!

REVIEW of ALLEGIANCE SWORN

A heart warming review of ALLEGIANCE SWORN from Aimee at The Window Seat on a Rainy Day.

I do like her reactions to this book!

REVIEWS for ALLEGIANCE SWORN

Some lovely reviews from some early ARC book blog readers for ALLEGIANCE SWORN.

Alyssa from Riverina Romantics gave it 5 Hearts!

"To say I was blown away by this book is an understatement. This was everything I love about a romance novel and more. All the necessities were there--captivating story, amazing characters, hot sex—but what I wasn’t expecting was the depth and entrancement of the world this book took place in."

Full review here. 


Mrs Clare's Books had this to say about the book.

"Arek and Imhara's story just grabbed me by the heart and yanked...Never have I felt such a range of emotions while reading a book. When they hurt, I hurt. When they were touched, I was touched. When they felt empty, I felt empty. It was just profound. I loved it."

Full review here. 


And Cath from My Book Chatter gave it 5 stars.

"...I was and still am, very emotionally invested in these characters and I have been blown away with the sheer honesty and believability that Kylie is able to bring to them, most especially in Allegiance Sworn. Kylie's writing is smooth, enveloping and addictive, leaving me in a state of book withdrawal that has yet to be sated.
A fantastic continuation of a story that has well and truly captured my heart."

You can read the full review here.

Thank you to one and all - I really appreciate the heart-felt reviews!

Review for ALLIANCE FORGED!

A lovely review for ALLIANCE FORGED from Minding Spot! Thank you!

Snippet:

The perfect mix between conflict and suspence and sexy, sweet romance. Alliance Forged has that special spark that keeps the pages briskly turning from beginning to end. This book has amazing depth and completely transports you with Griffin's amazing world building abilities. It is very well written with characters that are complex yet likable. It picked up right where Vengeance Born left off and sweeps you right back into their world. I anxiously await the release of book three " Allegiance Sworn ".  Great urban fantasy series that I would highly recommend.

Full review here.

REVIEW of ALLIANCE FORGED

This 4 Ribbons review comes from the Romance Junkies blog! 

ALLIANCE FORGED is the second book in the LIGHT BLADE series. You'll definitely want to pick up the first installment, VENGEANCE BORN, even though this book can be read as a standalone. An urban fantasy with just the right blend of action, romance and plot twists that has this reader excited for the next installment, ALLEGIANCE SWORN, due out in April 2013. 

You can read the full review here.

REVIEW of ALLIANCE FORGED

Errant Dream Reviews had this to say about ALLIANCE FORGED!

I love Varian and Kymora as characters...Varian has a darkness to him without falling into the romance “haunted/angry man” stereotypes, and Kymora has a lovely sweetness to her without falling into the spunky or naive stereotypes. Their personalities—and the ways in which they interact—are original and lovely.

Thank you, Heather!

You can read the full review here.

Another REVIEW of VENGEANCE BORN

Seems to be the day for reviews popping up on Google Alerts! :-)

This one is from Errant Dreams Reviews. A snippet:

I even ended up reading that part of the book a second time—it’s one of those fictions where it’s fascinating to go back and look at what came before knowing how the rest of the story ends. I’m certainly glad to have discovered Griffin’s Light Blade series.

Full review here.

REVIEW of VENGEANCE BORN

An insightful review of VENGEANCE BORN over at Ren's Little Corner. I've linked to the English version and while some of the sentence structure and cohesion of Ren's review is lost (thanks to Google's literal translation), you get the gist of it.

Thanks, Ren, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the first in the Light Blade series! :-)

REVIEWS of ALLIANCE FORGED

Ignoring your family and telling them to fend for themselves so she could read a book is an amazing thing to do, but that's what this reviewer did when she read ALLIANCE FORGED.

That's an image dear to my author heart!

Awesome story, great characters that easily worm their way into your heart, sweet and sexy romance that will leave you breathless, and enough prejudice between the races to spark a revolt; setting the scene for a war that you know is going to go off!

You can read My Book Chatter's full review here.

And how cool is this?

Picture a dedicated author, determined to get out her word count and ignore her latest new release/in the post arrival. Goes to a friend's house with said book, intending to lend it to her (aka removing temptation), but then makes the decision to read a few pages of said book, then takes it home to read it cover to cover in a single sitting.

Read the full story here!

REVIEW of VENGEANCE BORN

An incredible review for VENGEANCE BORN from Kaydid in Oz.

Snippets from the review:

Here’s the thing that’s really great about this series: the religion. Stop backing away. This isn’t a scary-religious-fanatic fantasy romance. But it is a fantasy romance where religion plays an enormous part in the world, and therefore in the story. And, if you want it to, it can work as a pretty powerful message about the role religion plays in this world too. But it’s never a ‘hey look at me and my allegory! Aren’t I clever with all this allegory I’m doing here?!’ narrative...

...there’s the deft handling of spirituality in a way that I haven’t seen in recent times, an acknowledgement that a belief system is a powerful force, even if we try not to recognise it, and that for all the strife it can cause, it can be an enormous force for good as well.

Bottom line: Vengeance Born is a thought-provoker, but you might not necessarily notice, wrapped up as it is in the trappings of an entertaining fantasy novel, with a little road trip romance in the middle.

All I can say is wow and thanks! :-)

Full review here.

REVIEW for ALLIANCE FORGED

A very nice review from Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club...

"...The author writes a novel that romance readers will cherish...While I admired Kymora’s compassion and courage (she is no push over), Varian was the true star of this book.  He must make many difficult decisions when those he cares for revolt and he must brutally squash the rebellion to keep the human alliance. These tough choices deeply affect him yet he forges on for the good of his people.
As Varian struggles against his dark demon side and the passion he feels for Kymora, the reader can feel his anguish.  He is a noble man who suppresses/denies his needs for others. And when the perceptive Kymora sees the good in him and loves him even when he does not believe he deserves it this emotionally charged book was poignant and addicting.
A battle scarred, noble hero and a valiant heroine caught in a war of deep prejudice make for a powerfully affecting read."

You can read the full review here (scroll down).

REVIEW of ALLIANCE FORGED

The Reading Cafe has been busy reading the Light Blade series! They've just posted a lovely review of ALLIANCE FORGED.

A snippet:

This is an amazing love story, to watch Kymora break the shield around Varian, and how they both explored their growing love, something neither had experienced.  Very nicely done, as I really enjoyed this romance, as it was totally different, and very nice to see...A great story, and wonderful ending.

Thanks, TRC!

REVIEW for VENGEANCE BORN

A very nice review for VENGEANCE BORN from Barb over at The Reading Cafe!

Vengeance Born by Kylie Griffin, is the first book in her Light Blade series.  This is a book about two couples, one a half demon and the other a human warrior. Vengeance Born is a Fantasy Romance, and totally different then most romance stories.  It is a story of two unlikely people, who come together to help each other survive a deadly situation.  It is a story of trust, prejudice and how love can change anything.

Thank you, TRC!

Review for VENGEANCE BORN!

A very cool review for VENGEANCE BORN from We Fancy Books!

Snippet:

Would you trust a person who was born to kill your kind? Will you trust a demon because she saved your life? A journey of trust, love and acceptance Kylie Griffin will hold you into your seat gasping for more!

From the very start of this novel I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. It got me awhile before I finish it because I don’t really want to end the novel so soon. It was an awesome read. A story back up with a great characters; I was totally in it!...I rarely read Paranormal Romance but I think it’s safe to say that this is a great start of a wonderful series. 

Thank you, WFB!

REVIEW for ALLIANCE FORGED

Just discovered my first review for ALLIANCE FORGED - it received 4 stars in the July issue of the Romantic Times magazine!!!

It's on p.61 in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section if you want to look. :-)

For those who don't receive the magazine, here tis!

"The tentative alliance initiated in the first Light Blade novel is in danger of collapse in the second outing of Griffin's exciting fantasy series. A major theme of this book is co-existence and the acceptance of those with differences. The old saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' works, but old prejudices are hard to combat. Griffin does a stellar job envisioning her world and its compelling protagonists. Well worth your time!"

SUMMARY: Hunted for extermination by the demonic Na'Reish, the half human/half demon Na'Chi are desperately searching for a home. When the opportunity arises, they accept an offer of alliance from human Light Blade leader Kalan and his new Na'Chi wife, Annika. Kymora is Kalan's sister and the temple-elect of their goddess; she is also blind. Varian is the warrior leader of the Na'Chi, and a man struggling to control his demon half. The shaky coalition between humans and Na'Chi is jeapoardized when Light Blade rebels attack the Na'Chi settlement. Kymora is nearly killed in the attack, but is saved by Varian. Their budding attraction is threatened by Varian's trust issues and treacherous plots - not to mention a war with the Na'Reish.
Jill M.Smith

Snoopy dancing!

REVIEW over at Not Your Ordinary Book Banter

How wonderful to discover that a book group based at the Bangor Public Library (Maine, USA) had VENGEANCE BORN on their summer reading list.

To top it all off, a lovely person called Jan reviewed it for their Not Your Ordinary Book Banter blog AND ordered a copy of both VENGEANCE BORN and ALLIANCE FORGED for the library!!!

I gave a hoo-rah when I read this snippet in the review.

I came across this author while downloading a bunch of samples to my eReader.  For the record, I have decided that eReader samples are a marvelous thing.  I usually get my first twenty-five pages from a sample, and from there, if the author has intrigued me, I borrow it from the library.  Or, if I just can't wait one more day---I buy the book!


I bought this book.

Then I let loose a squee, for this comment!

For those of you who like books by Nalini Singh, I would recommend you try this author.

And I was grinning like a loon with these closing thoughts.

With that said, there was depth to this story, especially concerning racial prejudice.  I was engrossed by the fantasy world Griffin created.  She formed a believable war between two races fueled by ignorance and prejudices on both sides.  It was an enjoyable read, and in many ways thought provoking---with a happy ending, of course!

Alliance Forged is the next book in this series.  I have ordered both books for the library's collection.

You can read the review in its entirety here.

REVIEW over at We Fancy Books!

A lovely VENGEANCE BORN review to wake up to this morning over at We Fancy Books!

A snippet from the review:

"... I was totally entertained and I cannot wait to read the next one. I recommend this to everyone who wants to read a Paranormal book but doesn’t know where to start. I suggest you start with this one. It’s a great start of an epic series you won’t get disappointed. Vengeance Born has the right mix of Paranormal and Romance it and that I think you will surely enjoy!"

It's been such a thrill to hear people who don't usually read paranormal romance say they've enjoyed the book. :-)

Thanks, We Fancy Books!

People called Kylie write awesome books...

What a cool title for a book review - "People called Kylie write awesome books... or, my review of Vengeance Born by Kylie Griffin."

Have to admit that it made me smile - I mean, how can the reviewer be wrong? (cheeky grin).

This review was written as part of the 2012 Australian Women's Writers Challenge.

Snippet:

Kylie Griffin is a pro at plotting and world-building. She has an unhealthy obsession with LOL Cats but you’ll forgive her that once you’ve read the book. It’s great.

I don't really have an unhealthy obsession with LOL Cats, do I? :-P

Check it out over at Kylie Scott's Love An Apocalypse blog.

REVIEW over at Riverina Romantics

Riverina Romantics has posted a lovely review of VENGEANCE BORN over on their blog this week.

Had to smile at the opening...

I don’t know how many Cover God’s Kylie Griffin went down on but she must have done a damn fine job because this is one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen.

Not only was I drawn to this book on first glance but it is one of the most ‘true to story’ covers I have seen in a damn long time. After reading Vengeance Born I took another good look at the cover and loved how so much effort was put into the tiny little details.

Nice way to end the week, don't you think?