Book Review: Black Orchid (Svatura Book 4) by Abigail Owen

Title: Black Orchid
Author: Abigail Owen
Series: Svatura #4
Published: March 23, 2014
Pages: 224
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Heartbroken... Adelaide Jenner feels nothing... she is completely numb inside. Her te'sorthene, her fated love, abandoned her and joined their enemy. On that day her sister turned off all Adelaide's emotions in order to save her from a heartbreak that could push her over the edge of sanity. But great power wielded without compassion or love can only lead to pain. Deceived... Nate Pierce believes Adelaide used her extraordinary powers to deceive him all these years. So he destroyed a relationship he thought to be false and hungers for revenge. Now, Nate serves Maddox, unaware that his new leader is using him as a pawn in a bid to enslave all Svatura. Unraveling... The only hope of finally defeating Maddox is for Adelaide and her sisters to combine their growing powers against him. But the the key to a Svatura's power is the heart, and Adelaide is still missing hers.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

The last installment of Miss Owen's Svatura series was full of twists. I think I even experienced more emotions than Adelaide did throughout the book (and trust me, she goes through a LOT)!

It was nice to finally get to know Adelaide and Nate more. In previous books, they have served as more quiet, reserved characters. Who knew Adelaide had such an attitude...or that Nate loved The Princess Bride so much (who can blame him; it's a great movie!).

All of our favorite characters play a role in Black Orchid, which I absolutely love! The ending was everything I wanted it to be! My only problem is that there wasn't more! I am super sad to bid some great characters farewell. Over the course of this series, I have gotten to know each character more and more with each installment. Even though all the characters are great, I have to say that Lila may be my favorite!

This was a great series full of surprises! I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to read them, and I can't wait to see what else Owen has to offer!

Book Review: Crimson Dahlia (Svatura #3) by Abigail Owen

Title: Crimson Dahlia
Author: Abigail Owen
Series: Svatura #3
Pages: 265
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

When Lila Jenner leaves her family and friends to start a new life for herself, Ramsey Pierce lets her go. Determined that the fire raging inside him will never harm her, he denies the magical bond that could be theirs alone.

When an old enemy resurfaces and Lila suddenly disappears, Ramsey realizes that he'll do anything to win her back and keep her safe beside him. But Maddox, driven by a centuries-old quest for revenge, is stronger than they ever imagined. And Lila could be the key to his ultimate power.

Friends and enemies must band together against this shared threat if any of them are to survive. Even then, they may all discover too late that one dragon is not always enough…

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I don't know how it is even possible for this series to get better, but somehow it does. Going into Crimson Dahlia I thought that there was no way for it to live up to Hyacinth, however, I was terribly wrong!

In this installment, there was romance, action, and a whole lot of mystery. Every time a question would be answered, I felt as if five would magically appear. Of course this means that I can't wait to read the next one and finally figure out what is going on! So, despite how I know that I'm going to be wrong, I'm going to go ahead and say that Crimson Dahlia is my favorite in the series (Miss Owen will undoubtedly prove me wrong with the next installment, I'm sure of it!)!!

One of my favorite things about this series is how each installment focuses on a different couple, however, the characters you have came to know and love are still involved in the story. This enables the characters to be more developed and you get to see multiple sides to every character...and, these are some really great characters! Also, who would have known how awesome Ramsey would have turned out to be!! The chemistry between him and Lila was absolutely on fire!

"I just said I love you."

"Of course you do. You're like a brother to me."

Oh, hell no. He wasn't letting her take it there.

"I'll never be a brother to you."

"Sheesh. I get myself a little bit captured, and all sorts of interesting things happen."

Book Review: Hyacinth (Svatura Book 2) by Abigail Owen

Title: Hyacinth
Author: Abigail Owen
Series: Svatura #2
Pages: 200
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Book #2 of the Svatura Series

Selene sacrificed everything when she took her brother’s place as ruler of the Vyusher, including her secret love for her one-time adversary Griffin Aubrey. When nightmares that are just a little too real start, Selene fears she’s turned into a cold-blooded killer…the monster that Griffin thinks she is.

Griffin and Ellie Aubrey are finally safe for the first time in over a hundred years. But when an unknown menace drives Selene to leave her family and ask for help, Griffin must decide. Can he move past his hatred of everything she is? Or will the bond that could bring them both the greatest joy now be the source of their deepest despair?

The threat of the danger stalking Selene in her dreams might be too much even for this powerful group. And Griffin doesn’t want to easily forgive the woman he blames for killing his family…

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

While reading the first book in this series, I found Griffin to be one of my favorite characters. However, he has been surpassed by Selene. It was almost as if the tables had been just completely turned, flipped over, and maybe even thrown around. Because, instead of liking Griffin as I did in the first one, I found myself having a love-hate relationship with him.

Griffin complained about how stubborn Ellie is, but I'm starting to see that this is more of a family trait. He is super stubborn! But, he only thinks he is doing what is best, and you still can't help but love him.

Not only are you introduced to Griffin's stubbornness, but Hyacinth also introduces you to Selene. And trust me, you will absolutely love her too! She has been through so much in her long life and has endured a lot of pain and heartache, which has made her extremely closed off. So, when that shell starts to crack and break you can finally see the true Selene. After all she has been through, she has managed to be a kind and gentle person, which is truly amazing!

All the other characters you came to care for in Blue Violet also have roles in Hyacinth. So, don't worry you will still get to see Ellie, Alex, and company!

"We wouldn't dare. That dragon trick is just too intimidating."
"Wait a minute..." Ellie held up a hand to Selene's forehead. "Was that humor? Are you sure you feel all right?"

"The timing couldn't be more horrible. Or awkward for that matter. But sometimes you didn't get to pick your moments - the moments just sort of happened."

Book Review: Blue Violet (Svatura Book 1) by Abigail Owen

Title: Blue Violet
Author: Abigail Owen
Series: Svatura #1
Pages: 260
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Book #1 of the Svatura Series

Ellie Aubrey is a centuries-old gypsy princess whose extraordinary abilities once inspired her Roma ancestors' fairytales (or nightmares). Along with her twin-brother, Griffin, Ellie has spent most of her life hiding from the Vyusher, a rival tribe who destroyed their entire powerful family. But after a mysterious dream, Ellie risks discovery in order to find and watch over the Jenners, another group of similarly gifted people. She refuses to let them suffer the same fate.

Alex Jenner has come home to protect his family. His adopted mother can sense danger coming, but not who or when. Suspicious of the new girl in town, Alex challenges Ellie in ways that will spark one of two possible outcomes: they'll spontaneously combust, or she'll lose control of the one power she's fought so hard to contain.

When the Vyusher once again threaten everything she holds dear, Ellie will have to face her worst fear, and Alex will have to face an impossible decision. In this fairytale, the dragon that the prince must slay is also the princess who holds his heart.

* I received a free copy of Blue Violet in exchange for an honest review *

Blue Violet  follows Ellie, a girl who has had only the company of her twin brother Griffin for the majority of her life, and by life I mean over a century. Ellie and her brother are not normal human beings, they instead belong to an ancient mystical race that has almost been completely wiped out.

Although Ellie does enjoy her brother's company, she yearns to be around other people like her. Being around the same person (and no one else) for years on end can get a bit boring. So, when she gets a strange vision showing her that more of her kind does exist, she jumps at the chance to find them. However, she is not the only person searching for them.

Even though Ellie is supposed to be over a century old, she does not act like it at all. Actually, none of the characters do. I don't know if this is correct or not, but I really liked that about this book! The characters were not depressed and brooding around throughout the book, but instead were a lot of fun. They seemed to get themselves into one sticky situation after another, which was super entertaining!

In addition to having these "old" characters not act their age, I also really liked Ellie and Griffin's relationship. They knew each other extremely well, and some of my favorite parts were when Griffin would make comments about Ellie's behavior! The bickering was absolutely perfect!

"She'd read tons of books with female heroines who swooned at the sight of their true love and had thought them to be incredibly wimpy. Now here she stood, barely able to keep herself upright. Not that she was in love...far from it. But a girl could appreciate a bona fide hottie when she saw one, right?"

"I just finished running, and I look and smell like nothing very pleasant. Why, oh, why did he have to bump into me now?"