I am not much of a Paranormal romance reader. I have found that each author has there own mythology that can create confusion for some readers.

Unforsaken starts off painstaking slow because the author wants to introduce all of her characters that will be though her series.

For paranormal romance readers this might be a new author. The story stalls around the middle of the story but it picks up once again towards the end.

The author gives a unique take on the paranormal world that doesn't add up for this reader but others will love it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher The Wild Rose Press for a copy of Cassie Laeyn Unforsaken

A well delivered and promising first book by Cassie Laelyn. Unforsaken if the first in The Fallen Guardians series with compelling characters and an engaging storyline, I enjoyed this story and will look to explore more in this series and by this author

This was one of my first paranormal books I've read! I've read plenty where they dip into it lightly but This was my first deep paranormal. This is Raven and Tayla book, Raven is a guardian assigned to protect his chosen, Tayla is a mortal woman set in the middle of the battle of good and evil! This book was ok for my first in the genre it was filled with action, angst, suspense, heartbreak, and really 🔥🔥🔥! But for me I think I'll just go back to my non paranormal books lol it's not really for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

The debut novel by this author has us jumping into the world of angel, fallen angels and Fate. What control do we all have over what happens to us? Well, Fate and her Guardians may have something to say about it.

A bulk of the book is spent on world building. We meet the Guardians, they battle the Fallen and we run across the super baddie himself--Blaine. Mixed up in it all is Tayla. She has been chosen by Fate for a special purpose. The Guardians protect her until that purpose is complete.

Raven has spent hundreds of years on earth, guarded many Chosen but Tayla is something more. She is his soulmate. He fights the connection for a long time, but when he finally gives in, his world and soul are complete.

The book ends with the current story arc complete but it was hard to tell whether Raven and Tayla will continue to be the lead characters in the next book or if the focus will move on to another of the Guardians. No breadcrumbs on that! There is still work to be done. Excited to see where the author will take us!

A bit slow for me and hard to get into. Characters were good and well developed. I just couldn't really connect with the story.

ARC received for review

A great debut book from Ms. Laelyn. A whole new paranormal series with angels and demons (aka Fallen). Make sure you have a box of tissues handy.

The beginning was slow, very slow but it picked up after Raven and Tayla met at about 25%. I enjoyed the interactions between Raven and his team. They are on Earth to save Raven's brother, and can't return to heaven until they do. Raven is assigned to Tayla to protect her, but instead of just protecting her they fall in love. Of course, he takes forever to admit and commit. I keep having to blink the tears out of my eyes near the end, so I could keep reading.

I can't wait to learn more about Aric, EJ, River, Raine, Cole, Gabe and hopefully Blaine.

Unforsaken is the first in the brand new Fallen Guardians series by Cassie Laelyn, who is also a brand new author. And while Fallen Angels may not be a totally new concept; Ms Laelyn’s interpretation is definitely refreshing. As with any PNR story involving conflict, there are good guys, bad guys and the ones that somehow get caught in the middle. This is the story of Raven, the immortal Fallen Guardians leader, and Tayla, who is a mortal Chosen and Raven’s to protect. Then there’s’ Blaine; he’s a bad guy, who just happens to be Raven’s brother and a smartarse to boot!

Ms Laelyn’s world building is wonderful, with realistic descriptions of the elements and terrain, while her plot ensures reader interest and definitely provides a need to know how everything ends flavour. I did find the story a little slow around the middle, but the desire to continue was never an issue. Queue the cast; Raven is troubled by guilt and failure to save not only Blaine, but his closest companions and return them all to the Heavens. Tayla is trying to start life anew, and escape the crippling fear she has harboured since her attack by an unknown evil. Aric is essentially Raven’s second, and has his own personal demons, while EJ is the class clown and go to tech geek of the group. As the story progresses two additions are added to the trio, but there is some serious mystery surrounding River and Raine’s arrival and the underlying reason for their inclusion in the discarded assembly.

Overall, this was a fabulous start to what is sure to be a rather addictive series, and I’m sure there will be more mystery, mayhem and scorching romance to come in future books by MS Laelyn; well I certainly hope there is!

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for Cassie Laelyn's newsletter at the end of the story (there's a link to follow) as there is a BONUS epilogue you won't want to miss!

It takes a brave author to sit down nowadays and pen a whole new paranormal romance series in my opinion. This author has done just that so it was with some trepidation that I sat down to read this the first book. With so many readers and indeed authors turning away from this genre it's hard to find something new, original and frankly interesting that doesn't simply rehash others ideas. Yes I've read about guardian Angels and indeed fallen Angels before but I really enjoyed the twist here with Fate seeming to have the upper hand.
Now everyone knows that freewill is what always leads humanity on its merry way so I enjoyed discovering that Angels might not always do what is expected of them. Raven bartered with Fate for a chance to save his brother but for hundreds of years has felt tricked and stuck on the mortal plain. His latest charge is Tayla but the connection Raven has with her is totally screwed up as he struggles to hide that he's slowly losing his faith and he's on a slippery downward slope himself. Tayla hasn't a clue what is going on but one thing she does know and that is that things exist in the world that frankly scare her . So when she has odd dreams about the man who rescues her when she gets lost whilst following a mountain trail can she trust her judgment or perhaps follow her instincts ?
There's a strong feeling of redemption permeating this book which will appeal to many readers. I wanted to like Raven but at times found him weak and thought he let down those who supported him. Tayla I actually wanted to shake at times as no matter what she's told she still goes her own, sweet and often dangerous way ! Yet I stuck with it and in spite of occasionally wanting less navel gazing and more action this story did perk up with supporting characters that clearly have back stories the author is itching to tell. It sets up the world building quite well and as I love a bad boy I'm actually quite interested to find out what happens next because I suspect the fallen have quite a lot more planned.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair