The second installment of the Amaranthine series plunges back into a world of blood and cruelty where the darkness holds dominion and vampires don’t sparkle.
After the events of Shades of Gray, Katelina seeks a moment's peace with Jorick, but such peace is hard to come by in a world shrouded in secrets and threatened by a brewing storm. Though Kateesha, a former ally, builds a war coven to fight the same battle as Jorick's fledgling, a common enemy isn't enough to overcome past betrayals, and the tempest explodes into a violent frenzy. Drawn into a deathly conflict, Katelina will have to make the ultimate decision between the world of sunlight and the world of darkness. Will she and Jorick band together and lay the memory of past mistakes to rest, or will they be haunted by their ghosts forever?
Excerpt
She stared in horror as two men, clad in long black coats, strode into the house as if they had every right to be there. One was tall and thin, with a ponytail of long golden hair, while the other was shorter and broader, his skin pale against a dark shock of shaggy black hair that stood at odd angles.
Before they could explain themselves, Jorick was in front of them, his fangs exposed in a dangerous snarl. “What do you want?”
The blonde closed the door and then turned green eyes to his challenger. “Hello, Jorick. It’s been a while.”
“What do you want, Beldren?” Jorick snapped.
“We have business with you.” The blonde glanced over Jorick’s shoulder, to where Katelina and Loren were standing in the doorway. As if by instinct, the teen vampire moved to block her from his sight.
Beldren smiled, flashing fangs. “You don’t need to worry. We knew in advance that she’d be here, but that isn’t why we’ve come.”
“Then why have you come? I have no business with The Guild,” Jorick stated flatly.
The Guild? What did they have to do with it, unless….
Beldren’s eyes stayed on Jorick, even as he snapped his fingers and held his hand open expectantly. “Zuri, the message.”
The shorter vampire produced a piece of folded paper from his pocket, and handed it to his partner. As he did, his coat opened to reveal a silver medallion that hung around his neck. A twisted, silver medallion that looked just like –
“Executioners,” Katelina whispered hoarsely. That word conjured strong, terrible images; pictures of fire and blood set to a soundtrack of screams. She well remembered the night when the Executioners had come and burned everything that Oren owned, including his wife and children.
“Yes,” Beldren replied. “That’s one of our titles.” He snapped the paper open and read loudly, “J, I must speak to you. Meet me where the roses grow. Signed, O.” He handed it to Jorick and waited while he scanned it. “Would you care to explain the meaning of this?”
Jorick shrugged and handed it back. “It means nothing to me. However, you’re intruding upon my den. I suggest you leave immediately or I’ll be forced to make you.”
Beldren ignored the threat. “It means nothing at all? Come, we all know you were with Oren a little over a week ago.”
Jorick snorted contemptuously. “And what does Oren have to do with this? For that matter what do I? J and O? The letters could mean anything. This message wasn’t meant for me.”
“Yes it was,” Beldren declared flatly. “It was sent, via messenger, to be delivered to you. Luckily, we intercepted him.”
“Whether it was meant for me or not is irrelevant. I have no idea what it means.” Jorick looked from one to the other. “I do find it interesting that you’re searching for him, though.”
Beldren gave Jorick a tolerant smirk. “Ah yes, I shouldn’t forget about your amazing perception.”
Jorick’s return smile was cold. “Nor I your ability. However, I don’t believe it’s needed here.”
Beldren handed the paper back to the ever silent Zuri. “We’ll find him, you know. Malick has a special interest in his plans.”
Jorick’s face twitched at the mention of that name, but his tone stayed unruffled. “Then I wish you luck. Malick won’t accept your failure easily.”
“He won’t have to, because we won’t fail.”
Professional Reviews
Wicca Witch 4 You - Legacy of Ghosts by Joleene Naylor
I love this series! I love all the battles but this book was mostly verbal fighting...lol...damn I wanted to slap some of them! Oren is so damn frustrating! I liked the interaction between Jorick and Katelina in this one it was explosive and raw and just perfect.
This book starts off where the last one left off with Jorick and Katelina going to his home. When they get there they are set upon by several people all of who have several options on whether or not Jorick should or should not Join in on Oren's war against the Guild. Jorick determined to have some peace at home with Katelina declines, but fate it would seem has other plans for them when Katelina is attacked by goons sent by and old enemy bent out for revenge and Jorick must join forces with Oren in order to retaliate.
Will they die in this battle? no one knows, but Katelina is determined to prove her worth no only to Jorick but to the others as well for she may be a human but she is no coward!
I totally love this series! Joleene is an artist! the characters are amazing, they are so much like real people it is amazing to me that they are not ...lol... except for the vampire thing ....lol.... if you could really throw that many annoying people in one room together it would soooo be just as she describes it she is a genius!....I so can't wait to read the next one.
Can't We All Just Get Along?
This is book two of four in the Amaranthine series, again featuring Jorick, a strong, dark and handsome vampire, and Katelina, a strong, beautiful human. These two characters feed off of one another (pardon the pun) in many situations, creating a very likeable duo.
The book starts off where book one left off. But the more time that Jorick and Katelina spend together, the more angry and frustrated Katelina becomes. She's tired and hurt, but needs to heal from the last vampire battle that she got mixed up in...again. So Jorick takes her to his house, hoping to get a little peace and quiet with Katelina.
Of course, they're vampires...they seem to be always fighting about something. I keep thinking as I'm reading, "Can't we all just get along?" I guess if you're a vampire, you're in a perpetual state of fighting because invariably, you're going to do something to tick one or all of them off.
At his house, Jorick is constantly spending hours upon hours alone in this secret room that he keeps locked at all times. Katelina has asked him about it, but he refuses to let her in or tell her what's inside. She begins to get angry and decides that maybe she should go home since he refuses to tell her anything at all. After all, he does tell her that she shouldn't be there with him.
While waiting outside for Loren, who is supposed to pick her up but doesn't show up, Katelina begins to think this is a bad idea. But when a couple of other nastier looking vamps do show up, and Jorick is no where to be found, Katelina knows she's in trouble. By the time they're done beating her and stabbing her with a knife, she is close to death. Jorick gets back just in time. What does he do to save her? Does he change her?
Oren, who was a vamp in the last book that lost his family, has decided to strike up a fight with Kateesha. But he needs help. He needs the help from Jorick, a much older and stronger vampire than himself. Is Jorick going to help Oren fight Kateesha? Can Oren be trusted? Can any of them, including Jorick? Can any good come out of all this fighting?
If you want action and don't mind the occasional vampire bite, this book series is for you. So much goes on, and with the writing so well done, you feel like you're right in the middle of it. And now that something special has happened with Katelina (*spoiler alert*...no, she's not a vampire), she can either help or be a hinderence to Jorick...although that is just a minor spoiler, I won't say what has happened to her. You'll have to read it to find out.
What amazes me is the author and how she has taken basic human acts and made them less for the vampire characters. For example, Jorick often "forgets" that Katelina needs to eat three times a day. Or, he'll "forget" that she is affected by the cold. He shrugs it off like it's no big deal. The author makes you want to smack some sense into Jorick, but then you realize that he's a vampire and that he only has to feed once a day and that cold doesn't bother him...so, naturally, he would "forget" for Katelina.
I'm actually enjoying the bickering that Katelina and Jorick are displaying since it makes them seem more like a "couple". Jorick is the typical kind of guy who is fighting with his woman, and then an hour later, when it's time for bed, decides that he wants some hanky-panky. Katelina is the typical woman who tries her best to stay mad at him, but finds herself letting it go...at least for the moment.
There are many graphic scenes in this book as well, and it amazes me that Katelina can survive them at all. The author does an amazing job of bringing you into the story and keeping you there. As I said before, I like the Twilight kind of vampire the best, this one is shaping up to be a great series....one I'm sure you won't be able to put down.
Looking forward to reading book three. 5 stars!
- Beth Muscat
A Non-Sparkling Vampire Love Story
This is the continuation of Katelina and Jorick's story from Shades of Gray. Katelina is desperate to return to some sense of normalcy after dealing with the psychopathic vampires who've taken away everything Katelina ever held valuable or dear. Her best friend is dead. Her former lover is dead. She's been beaten, raped, and had her life threatened repeatedly. She can't return back to the world of humans, where vampires are nothing but a myth. She can't pretend that things will ever be the same as they were before. She needs time to heal, both physically and emotionally. Though Jorick is a vampire too, he's proven to Katelina that he's no monster. He invites Katelina to join him, to live at his house by the sea, while she gets her life back together.
Although Katelina wants to open her heart to Jorick, she's been hurt too many times to trust him or any other man, and Jorick isn't from the "school of fluffy vampires." Jorick is dark and brooding. He's lived a long and mysterious life. He drinks blood. He kills without remorse. Jorick isn't exactly "boyfriend material." Jorick is an honest to goodness, old-school style vampire. Katelina knows she shouldn't have feelings for Jorick, but she's also seen the good in him. What's a human girl with a skewed reality to do?
While there is a strong love story that threads throughout this book, Joleene Naylor has managed to effectively pepper this story with some exciting battle scenes, lots of blood, and a good bit of humor. There are lots of twists and turns throughout this book, as well as an interesting ensemble cast of characters. Joleene Naylor has an interesting take on the vampire phenomenon. While I don't expect any "tween-agers" to be chanting Jorick's name anytime soon, I think that those of us who enjoy a traditional vampire story, will love Legacy of Ghosts, Book Two in the Amaranthine Series.
-Brown Thumb
The fortunate inherit riches, prestige, positive notoriety. Those not so lucky bear legacies filled with poverty, infamy or, worse yet, the unhinged insanity and murderous urges of their ancestors.
Grab those side-irons, saddle up and join former Civil War sharpshooter Luther Henry for a ride into pure terror, western-style…think ‘Wild Wild West’ meets ‘The X-Files’.
Happy Halloween. A volume of Horrible Haunts & Twisted Tales taken from the horror books La Belle Rouge has written every October for a decade and a half. If you have read her works in the horror genre, you know the invitation is for you to enjoy thr
