I’m looking forward to telling you about Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward.
Sexy magi, a reluctant healer, and an ancient evil.
What more do you need!
Enjoy my review and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
In the shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop.
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Ashor Vlahos, as Prime Magus, the leader of the last eight magi, is duty bound to find a healer. One is needed, and needed now, as an old enemy has returned.
The Gods have chosen Doctor Kira Hardy. She saved Ashor ten years ago.
Kira agrees to help when the magi are devastated by a daemon attack. Now Ashor insists she stay and become their healer, their akhrian.
There’s a big problem though. Kira likes her life. She doesn’t believe in these Gods, and she just wants to go home.
An even bigger problem is the attraction between Ashor and Kira.
It’s is forbidden for him to be with their akhrian, but since Kira doesn’t believe in the Gods, she sees something she likes and goes for it.
And she sees Ashor. Toned muscles, rock hard abs, and those tattoos. She would love to do things to those tattoos.
Poor Ashor is already half insane, close to his turning. Kira could be his undoing.
He’s been experiencing blackouts brought on from fighting with deamons. Their evil souls are poisonous and work on a magus, corrupting their kem-seki and causing them to go berserk..
When that happens, there’s no going back, and they have to be destroyed by another Magus
Ashor is so close, he knows it’s only a matter of time.
But still, he gets all twisted up in his boxers when Kira entices him to crawl between the sheets with her. He senses she is his senariai, soul mate, but their union is strictly forbidden.
“He’d sought her soul, but discovered he’d lost his own.”
It’s all he can do to turn away and obey the Gods.
Now the enemy approaches, and it wants to finish them off, get rid of the magi and the healer and let darkness loose upon the world.
Why did this story work for me?
Because of several things.
First, great characters.
I couldn’t help but fall for Ashor and Kira. They are in the middle of a battle to save mankind and still have to deal with their raging desire for each other.
I think the Gods were laughing while they watched Ashor struggle to stay out of Kira’s bed.
You know how they say almost dying can make you fall into bed together, just so you know you’re alive? Kira and Ashor have to deal with this a lot and it gets funny and pretty steamy.
But this thought always stops Ashor from going too far.
“If he horizontal mamboed with her, the gods wrath would pour down on them.”
Second, the peripheral characters.
Each is well written with distinct voices and personalities.
They helped flesh out the story and I grew quite fond of some of them.
The magi are sexy, fierce warriors and the bad guys are truly vile.
I would like to read their stories.
Third, originality.
It’s hard to find a book with new beings and a new twist on an old story.
The Magus are unique and fascinating and the forbidden love is more fun than frustrating.
The author kept the sexual tension just right. And she also kept me guessing as to whether these two would ever be together, or would I have to wait for another book.
Fourth, editing.
If there were any typos and such, they were so minor they didn’t make a blip on my radar. The book read smoothly, keeping me up late, turning the pages to hurry and see what was coming next.
Fifth, sarcasm.
I like some sarcasm, or snark, in my characters. Makes it fun and keeps me grinning. As long as there’s not too much. In this case, it was just right.
So, there you have it. Five reasons I recommend this book.
Then there’s the pure enjoyment I got out of reading it.There was plenty of action, it was never dull. I could picture the scenes in my mind and visualize the characters. I left feeling like I knew them .
4 Stars
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Giveaway
I have one signed paperback to giveaway.
****US/Canada Only****
Sorry to my International friends.
To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question:
Do you think a man with tattoos is sexy?
Giveaway ends July 17th.
~~~~~~
About the author
Zoe Forward writes action-adventure paranormal romances. She has a special love of archaeology, especially anything Egyptian. Although a deep part of her wishes she had pursued a career that would have her at a dig site in a hot, sandy country, she’s a small animal veterinarian, caring for everything from chinchillas to dogs…and even one hermit crab in there.
Contacts
I love the man with the tattoos…very sexy! My email is tjtmtsc@aol.com.
Nothing like sexing up a nice hunk of manflesh:)
I have seen men with intricate tattoos that seemed to draw my eye to the art work and the flesh it is painted on and i have seen men with tattoos that were full of gang style symbols and bad art. So I do find some tattooed men sexy. Ashor’s tattoos are diffidently sexy! amantedeborah@yahoo.com
Ashor and his tattoos are sexy.
I agrree some are in bad form and hurt to look at.
Yes and no. It just depends on the guy. lol Excellent review Laura.
Hey Sherry. I think Superbrain could wear some tattoos well!
Terrific review. I love the artistry of tattoos. Men with tattoos are like cake with icing. So it depends on the man and the tattoo. But overall, I think men with tattoos are sexy.
Like cake with icing. Does that mean finger licking good?LOL
Would be like cheesecake with strawberry drippings. Yummy!
OOOOOhhh I want to win this giveaway bad!!!! Great review there Laura! I have two answers to the question… LOL! YES I love tattoos on a hunk of a man who is sculpted and georgous. BUT NO if they are on a man like Jackie Gleason or John Goodman… yuck!!!! TOO FUNNY!!! Lots of love, Emily
Tabbruis could pull it off deliciously. As could all of the Castle Charmeine men!
I do think that they are sexy, provided that the tattoo is done well. Trashy tattoos are not sexy at all.
Just like art. It must be tastefully done.
Love tribal tattoo on a man. Notice I said tattoo, singular. Typically I don’t like tattoos at all. It also depends on individual sporting the tattoo. Some make me want to gouge out my eyes out! But oooo baby! I can look at a guy you have on the cover all day long!!!
Forgot to leave my email, elsa.carrion@ymail.com
Ashor is so pretty! He can where a tattoo well. LOL
Very sexy. Email is jynxirouge@gmail.com
Too sexy for his shirt! LOL
Ashor is a hawt muscled tattooed piece of man meat that I’d def like to try! lol I think tats w/ a reason are badass but tats that dont mean anything are kinda lame. So yeah, some ink is rad but badly done, unflattering ones I tend to stare at for all the wrong reasons.
emilymarie070750@gmail.com
Ha! I know what ya mean. A really bad tat makes me keep staring, wondering,. what the?????
Exactly! I was staring at one the other day – It was green and I think at one point was a tall lady but the tat looked like a a leprechaun (sp). lol YIKES!
It definitely depends on what sort of tattoos he has.
And what kind of body!
Pardon my French, but Hell f***ing yes!!! I love a man with tattoos! A very sexy thing indeed.
thomaslakeisha27@yahoo.com
You got that right LeKeisha!
Most definitely!
Amen! A pretty tat on a pretty man! Eye Candy!
YES!!! A man with tattoos is VERY sexy!!
luvs2read3fun(at)gmail(dot)com
Makes you keep looking and looking, and drooling! LOL
Yes! It’s living art.
Living art that can walk his body right over here. Closer…closer….!
If the tattoos are done as art and not crazy gang style (or messed up home style like i have seen done), then they can make a man very sexy. Fine man-art moving my way will never be turned away 8)
I agree. And as I said to andieleah, just enjoy the view:)
I say yes! Thank you. Great looking cover. This book sounds interesting.
This book had some new concepts. I liked that. It’s hard to find something new and this was very well written and just all out fun to read.
Definitely think men with tats are hot!
andieleah78@gmail.com
Just enjoy the view!
Intricate tribal tattoos on buff young men and women (as in your pictures) are aesthetically pleasing and very eye-catching! I am a heterosexual male, but I must say I would not mind it one bit if I looked like Ashor.
author (at) vampiresyndrome.net
He is a handsome one, isn’t he. Did you notice your own pun? One ‘bit’
I’m glad you noticed my “bit” bit… 😈
Some tattoos look amazing, some I wonder what was going threw someone’s head. All in all though…the right guy, with the right tattoos, definitely sexy.
ambrosia_raid@yahoo.com
I agree. Some just leave me shaking my head too!
Men with tattoos are extremely sexy. Gotta love bad boys! 🙂
alexandrahughes@sbcglobal.net
Yep. I’d like to see Johnny Depps tats!
I like a man who has put significant thought into the tattoos he arranges on his body
That’s a good comment. Where they are placed is as important as the thought behind them and how tasteful they are depicted.
Yes! I find men with tattoos sexy! Although I dislike it when they have extremely stupid tattoos that make no sense. I have tattoos so I like my men to have them as well 🙂
Lakeyg@yahoo.com
I agree. as long as they aren’t poorly done or distasteful, they are sexy. Don’t have any myself:)
If the tattoos are well done and not offensive they can be very sexy on a man.
winddancing@gmail.com
They sure can, but as you say, tastefully done.
Yes, if the tattoos are done tastefully, I do like a few, but too many are a turnoff.
Tattoos can make an already sexy man even sexier, but the key is to be already sexy!
loucks(dot)lindsey(at)yahoo(dot)com
A man with tattoos is extremely sexy to me! I’ll think even more of him if they are black/white and are in good taste! *my back shoulder piece is almost done*
Now add in the fact that he’s tall, dark hair, gorgeous eyes and good muscle tone, *Ka-Thunk*
Thank you so much,
Sebrina_Cassity at yahoo dot com
Absolutely 100% yes! Tattoos are very sexy and piercings are too. When I was single if a guy didn’t have any I usually didn’t talk to him. Lol
I love a guy with tats. But not a man that has too many. I actually am a fan of the tattoo shows that are on tv. I watch them religiously – don’t even mind if they’re a repeat. And if the guy rides a motorcycle, even better.
Lynn
lareynolds0316@gmail.com
A few tats can be sexy, but I personally don’t like a ton of them. sdoyle@sucocoopwb.com
Yes, love tatoos on guys, lol especially the right kind of guy!
For every day men, it all depends on the man, the tattoo and where it is placed. If it comes down to the perfect fictional alpha hero, HECK YEAH!
Yes I think tattoos are sexy on the right man. And as long as they are not “jail house” tattoos.
Yes and No, Most men look sexy OMG Good 🙂 but I have seen a few that look icky and make your skin crawl and not in a good way
Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
closkot at hotmail dot com
Reblogged this on rabidfeary's Blog and commented:
Druid themed protection tattoo’s and plain old tribal.
If the man has a body worthy of being adorned with good, well done tattoo’s that compliment his physique . Women can really compliment their bodies curves with the correct placement of the tattoo’s. random, meaningless , tattoo’s are ugly & messy. My email Is dreadfort77@gmail.com
A sexy guy is a sexy guy. The tattoos are just the icing on the cake. Yum!
allieb1969@yahoo.com
Depending on what part of the body and what kind of tattoos … it can be very sexy. Body type doesn’t hurt either.
Book looks very intriguing, and yes very sexy.
I don’t mind tattoos. But there is such a thing as too many. Also those tacky ones you get one night while drunk/high and you regret in the morning….those aren’t attractive.
YES. I don’t like too many though. My crush has one under his arm and on his forearm and chest, very hot! I especially like black ones or unique ones…the more artistic the better. Tribal tattoos, yuck!! Lol.
A man with tattoos well done by a good artist is so hot…. I mean very drool worthy. 😛
Tattoo’s happen to be my favorite. My husband happens to be covered in them. 🙂 Paperbacklass@gmail.com
depends on the tattoos – and how many there are, but yes, they can be sexy. leah.labbe@gmail.com
I love tattoos and when done right they can be very sexy. kdonovan221@gmail.com
My e-mail is MyOwnTigerEyes@gmail.com and I certainly think that a man with tattoos is sexy – incredibly sexy. Tattoos on a man always seem to have a certain air of mystery and intelligence if picked and tattooed correctly. My boyfriend has a gorgeous tattoo and I think he’s sexy!
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