What a wonderful fantasy novel!!

Soul Keeper is the first book I have read by this author and I was quite pleased with the overall characters and storyline.

Synopsis:
Fallen angel Luceire Garard has spent an eternity chasing redemption. So, when he’s given a mission to find and protect a defenseless young psychic, he jumps at the chance. But he never expected the beautiful woman who could help his mission to slam him in the chest with an impossible power.

Aurora Montgomery has always had a special connection to kids with disabilities. As more and more children reach out to her in pain, she knows she has no choice but to join the darkly handsome Fallen on a death-defying mission. But when a serial killer targets the innocent children, saving them may require tapping into an ancient, unexplainable gift.

As Luceire and Aurora hunt down the murderer, they discover his attempt to sacrifice souls could resurrect an ancient, indestructible darkness. And the only way to stop the end of the world may require shedding innocent blood.

The first thing I loved in this book is the amazing cover. Than the setting, the plot and the characters totally blew me away. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G paranormal romance read with angels. Very detailed, awesome world-building also. Good example in the category.

I wasn't sure what to think of this book. I was drawn to it from the description, a fallen angel, mortal psychic with ancient powers, a serial killer hunting children and vampires roaming the world. My interest was peeked. Unfortunately it wasn't exactly what I expected. Whilst I liked certain aspects, such as the different types of vampire's (psi and blood vampires) and their ability to absorb the essence of human emotions around them to get their fill, I had issues with the storyline and the main protagonist Aurora and her abilities. I couldn't get my head around it a majority of the time. What exactly is her unearthly power and how is she able to just know what to do and when? I thought the amount of power she was given and master in a short time was too much. I honestly couldn't keep up. I was too busy trying to figure out what she was doing with her abilities and how she was able to suddenly make them work than the actual story itself, I had to keep going back to re-read the story to understand what on earth was going on.

As far as I understand it; Aurora has been hidden away and watched carefully by her 'friends', or so they think, when in fact, a high level vampire who controls the city is absorbing her essence from a distance to make her weak right under their noses. Great start. A mysterious dark vampire brotherhood fallen angel of sorts, Luc, comes to her rescue (or something) and has been contracted to work with her to find a missing child without knowing how or why. Now she's back to 'normal' without the high level vampire absorbing her essence, but she begins to have uncontrollable (yet able to control somehow with Luc around) abilities such as astral projection and the ability to contact, not to mention absorb, the souls of the dead through her mind. Or something. Using her abilities causes her to be on every vampire's radar so the mysterious but attractive vampire fallen angel (who isn't drawn to her essence in that way as far as I can tell, or is he?) is determined to protect her but actually just wants to fuck her, which isn't allowed because of the celibacy pact he made with his brothers on his quest for redemption, which makes no sense, which he breaks to fuck her to bring down her overwhelming overpowering ability that almost consumes her, or something. All the while a serial killer kidnaps, rapes and murders children and teenagers in order to absorb their essence to unleash hell upon earth... OR SOMETHING. I mean, WHAT? I feel like I need to read it again, but honestly, I really don't want too. So this is my mess of a review for the mess that is Soul Keeper.

'She was a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a package so bewilderingly bright and unselfconsciously sensual and sexy that he could barely think straight.'
Yeah, Luc, couldn't have said it better myself... except the sensual, sexy part.

I do have to give credit when credit is due though, so as much as I feel this book wasn't for me, I want to make sure my review highlights all points. The storyline has so much potential! It had a great atmosphere to it, the settings were dark and dangerous which was perfect, but there was so much going on in them that I felt like the author had to just throw in information out of nowhere in order to put parts of the story together, there was too much unnecessary details that just threw more confusion into the mix where it wasn't needed.
I would have like to have more character build up instead to really get to know the characters and their decisions within the plot. I have to say, as much as Rory 'Aurora' intrigued me, she also frustrated me with her slang and inability to make a sensible decision without putting herself and everyone else in danger then getting defensive all whilst unlocking a new ability with confidence. OR SOMETHING. I can't begrudge her for wanting to save everyone, but she is too naive in the world that's changing around her with her powers and the fact that she has a target on her back. It would have been nice to see something other than lust for Luc too, I felt like there was nothing else between our two main protagonists at times which overclouded the story.

I'm not sure what to make of Luc's character. He's a fallen mess who is desperate for redemption however seems to throw everything out of the water when it comes to Rory. He's completely infatuated with her, which I understand the premise, she's an attractive mystery who makes him feel completely powerless but he's determined to save her and to prove himself. He felt really lacking in some areas, it didn't exactly feel like she was the first women he'd felt anything for in some millennia. Some of the other characters I felt were unneeded or hard to connect with without enough build up or backstory.

Overall I appreciate being given a copy via Netgalley, I felt the story had so much potential but it wasn't for me.

Fallen angel Luceire Garard has spent an eternity chasing redemption. So, when he’s given a mission to find and protect a defenseless young psychic, he jumps at the chance. But he never expected the beautiful woman who could help his mission to slam him in the chest with an impossible power. Aurora Montgomery has always had a special connection to kids with disabilities. As more and more children reach out to her in pain, she knows she has no choice but to join the darkly handsome Fallen on a death-defying mission. But when a serial killer targets the innocent children, saving them may require tapping into an ancient, unexplainable gift. As Luceire and Aurora hunt down the murderer, they discover his attempt to sacrifice souls could resurrect an ancient, indestructible darkness. And the only way to stop the end of the world may require shedding innocent blood. Can Luceire and Aurora avoid the unthinkable and stop the end of humanity?
This book sounded really interesting, unfortunately it didn’t really deliver though. I thought the premise sounded really interesting but it fell a bit flat. The world-building and details got a bit tedious and I didn’t really care much for Aurora. I also didn’t see much in the way of genuine feelings between the two main characters.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

DNF @ 35%
Sorry but unfortunately I couldn't continue with this book. Although I did enjoy the lore aspects and world building, I felt the lust/sex completely overshadowed the overall story. I honestly thought it was overkill and found it exhausting to the point that I had to put the book down. It may get better as the series progresses, but in my opinion there was nothing at all romantic about it.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Conflicted maybe. The instant lust/soulmate thing just didn't quite...click for me. And I think that's it - for a book that's about the instant spark, everything felt like it sputtered and died before it really took hold. It was an enjoyable read if you're looking for something that isn't too taxing and kind of a 'beach read' level of engagement, but I was hoping for compelling, and it missed the mark.
Still worth it if you like the tropes contained in the books. It might click with you.

Angels, vampires, enhanced humans and a baby. Reader beware, you'll find yourself rereading passages so that you can fully understand and grasp the characters, there's a breakdown at the end of the book, and so you won't miss any of the plot details. Aurora is a dancer, still grieving her father's death when Luc crosses her path. She literally and figuratively knocks him on his bum. They race to save enhanced humans, children and a baby all while fighting their attraction to each other. The love scenes are steamy and do not leave much to the imagination, you will be cheering for some and hoping that others die painful and prolonged deaths. This is an excellent book and I can't wait for part two.

Soul Keeper

Review- 3 stars

The premise and cover of this book really drew me in. I am a huge fan of soulmate tropes and through in some sexy, smutty supernaturals and I AM THERE. Unfortunately this book just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The instant love between the main characters, Luc and Aurora, was more instant lust and a bit unbelievable and almost too much for me in the opening chapters.

The introduction of characters and organizations in the book is interesting. They are mentioned during a paragraph with the impression that the reader should know who or what they are. It is then explained usually in the next paragraph to catch the reader up. Personally I am not a fan of having information introduced in this way.

I did enjoy the lore within this book and the immense work the author has put into creating their supernatural world. I loved the unique names given to every character as well.

The cliff hanger at the end does intrigue me to read the next installment of this series.

This story was a mixed bag for me. It had some good ideas, but with world building the start of a new series, it was too busy. I came to like Luc, fallen angel and psi vampire, but he was a little bit caveman at first. Then there is Aurora-Rory. I felt for her because she had a rough time her early years, but as her powers emerged, she was immature and bordered on TSTL. Her heart and mind were in the right place, but she didn't plan and charged into things, putting those who cared for her in danger. I did enjoy portions of the story, there were a lot of things to like, but the story was uneven. I will probably try the next story and hope it evens out.
I received a review copy from NetGalley for my honest opinion

This is a wonderful story that has fallen angels that guard humans. A woman who has special abilities falls for a fallen angel. They are fighting a battle with demons trying to prevent the end of humanity. It's action packed throughout the entire book. The love scenes are hot and erotic. Anyone that likes supernatural stories will love this book. I cried when a child died. This writer has a gift for writing stories that touch your heart. I will definitely reading more of her books.

In a world where the supernatural, the immortal and the human all co-exists it is a fine balance to keep the equilibrium of power stable. Luc, a fallen angel with a past as long as time itself that is cold and dark is sent to take care Of Aurora, a human who is just starting to display some other-worldly powers.
This is definitely not my usual genre to read, but I enjoyed all the same. I did get a bit of a shock at how explicit the sexual references and sex scenes were, so I would say to bear that content in mind when you decide if you are going to read it.
I thought the psi vamps were a great character group...I haven’t come across anything like that before, a very clever addition from the author.
I also loved the little extracts from The Lightway Codex at the beginning of each chapter, they were a really nice touch and a great way to introduce new facts and info to the reader.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book. My thanks to #NetGalley and #BrokenoghinBooks for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

So, what did I like about it?
I requested Soul Keeper through NetGalley for a number of reasons; the front cover caught my eye – you’ve got to agree, it is beautiful, the story description piqued my interest – a main character who helps children with disabilities, the hunt for a serial killer, a fallen angel, an ancient evil, secret magical powers and a romance, yes please and of course I love supporting debut authors. Unfortunately, Soul Keeper didn’t turn out to be quite what I expected.

I loved the rather terrifying but well written opening prologue titled Before and enjoyed the first chapter finding it easy to read; it felt like an intelligent story with inspiration taken from a few sources including the myths and beliefs from the Abrahamic religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

We met four of the main characters in that first chapter, each having their own voice; which I wasn't expecting, however, I didn’t feel overwhelmed as it was clear whose point of view we were experiencing. I have read romances featuring angels and fallen angels before but I don’t think I’ve ever read a story where the heroine was a dance therapist who helped children with disabilities and I was intrigued to see how this unique occupation would come into play.

The first chapter also gave us a great view of the world that was created for the series; not so dissimilar to the world we live in that we can't relate to it but with many paranormal elements and a history of human acceptance of the supernatural thrown into the mix.

This book has some serious adult heat and darker themes; I do enjoy getting my teeth into gritty background stories when reading adult paranormal romances and liked the premise here.

As a first in a new series, there is a huge amount of world building and character introductions to squeeze in. There's a lot of inner dialogue, much of it to help us (the readers) understand and get a picture of the world and our characters' places in it. I must confess, however, that it was after reading the first few chapters that my enthusiasm for this story began to wane due to a number reasons including the way this writing duo chose to impart relevant information, the personality of our leading lady, Aurora (Rory) and the discrepancies in the prose used, i.e. the words used in the narrative and dialogue.

So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
As you can tell from my low rating, there was a lot that didn’t work for me and I need to be honest and admit that I started skim reading before reaching the halfway point. I’m not going to list everything that I didn’t enjoy, however, I will highlight my main grumbles.

Firstly, I struggled with the writing style. I understand that I read an Advanced Reader Copy that was pre-publication, so I expected to see proofreading needs, what frustrated me with the writing style, apart from a couple of plot holes that jumped out at me, was the inconsistency. I felt that the prose was contradictory, modern slang and profanity one minute then PG rated expletives and descriptions the next, the narrative frequently felt over described and on occasion even used obscure vocabulary that forced me to stop reading so that I could look up what a word meant plus there is a huge amount of “information dumping” throughout the book rather than letting the reader gain the necessary knowledge through experience which all contributed to the disruption to the flow of the plot.

Secondly, this book is marketed as a “sexy, paranormal romance” but I think it was sorely missing the romance, lust, yes there was plenty of that as well as implied sexual “deviance” but although Luc proved he was worthy of Rory’s love by being her protector, never lying to her and giving her his trust, I didn’t read anything where Rory earned Luc’s, she just got him hard and horny all the time and didn’t seem to consider him in any of her decisions. I think that if you removed the explicit sexual foreplay scenes from this story, the way the characters thought and reacted to situations plus the general writing style throughout the book all screamed adolescent/YA genre. I am not a YA fan.

However, my biggest gripe which you may have guessed, was with our heroine, Rory. If you’ve read my reviews before, you’ll know that I crave leading female characters that are intelligent, resilient, resourceful and have plenty of gumption; Rory fell very short of the mark for me. I could never understand why she reacted to situations the way she did and I got very frustrated, with what I perceived as, her TSTL modus operandi – Too Stupid To Live. I felt that Rory was too gung-ho for me running into danger that was way over her head and needing to be rescued while putting those around her in mortal danger. In short I found her annoying, frustrating, a terrible sexual tease and extremely juvenile.

I don't usually choose to read New Adult, Young Adult or teen novels because of all the angst, thought processes and actions of these age groups; it all frustrates the hell out of me and my blood pressure doesn’t need that kind of stress from my “hobby”.

So, basically what I’m saying is...
I think that this writing duo have written a book that could happily be classed as erotic young adult – is there such a genre? It wasn’t the book for me but I am sure plenty of readers will love the mix.

Due to the explicit sexual content – although there’s no actual intercourse it’s definitely very steamy at times - I’d recommend Soul Keeper to adults who aren’t offended by content of this nature but are fans relationship tales set against a dark backstory but within the paranormal Young Adult or New Adult genre.

I like to try out new authors, so when I saw Soul Keeper I decided to request an arc. If I had to believe the commentary, it was supposed to be a fast-paced tale. Well... not quite. But this is mostly due to the fact that Cathryn Marr is creating a whole new fictional world with a lot of beings and stuff going on. And this takes some time and it is a bit overwhelming. So, in all, I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with this book. Probably the same as the main characters Luc and Rory have. At times I just wanted to stop reading, because it got so confusing, but on the other hand I really wanted to understand what Rory was and why she had all those fantastic powers. So, yeah, a bit of a struggle and therefore three out of five stars from me. I expect, though, that the second book in the series will be better, since the world is already explained in this part. So, keep an eye out for the next part from Cathryn Marr. With a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I couldn’t connect or engage with this story or the characters as hard as I tried, it sounded so interesting, but it just wasn’t for me.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Shadow Keeper is an interesting start to a brand-new paranormal romance series, with exceptional world building and a unique plot that has set the stage for what should be a promising series. However, as with most firsts of this genre, setting the foundation of a complex fantasy world can sometimes overshadow the characters and their budding relationship. I also felt there were some contradictions within the story-telling as there was no shortage of expletives within the dialogue, but the physical aspect was somewhat vague and often frustrating (especially for Luc). Overall, this was a good start to what I’m sure will grow into a entertaining series, I just hope the author takes pity on her future characters and allows the sexual interactions to be played out, rather than simply implied, as so much emphasis the sexual frustration becomes irritating to the reader as well.

3.5/5 - a fantastical story of the paranormal going’s on set in an alternate universe staged in San Francisco, CA.

The amount of characters and complexity of the world, while cool within world building, was a bit of a struggle to read. The first book of a paranormal/fantasy setting is always the hardest. The setting, belief systems, language, the romance or lack, enemies, etc., all need to be set up; but, this also runs the story into pacing issues. These issues almost always happen and are to be expected.

I was excited to read a paranormal book set very close to my hometown, about 40 minutes away. I love San Fran and have been going there ever since I was a young girl to baseball games and later shopping as I got older. The liberties taken for landmarks don’t bother me, this is not a true story. Angels and vamps have also been a big draw for me with the books I choose. I primarily read paranormal ROMANCE. This book is paranormal and light on the romance. Actually, that’s the thing that’s bothering me a lot about this story and why I gave it an average rating — lack of real connection between in Luc and Rory. There was a lot of pulling apart even though they were together, if that makes sense.

The story reads like Luc has more of a relationship with his hand than the heroine. There’s nothing wrong with that type of writing but for me the language of in the story doesn’t match the actions. The F- bomb is dropped a lot; however, the sexual stimulation and act are vague and fade to black. I feel bad for Luc his dick was almost always hard.

The story was good but not entirely my type of read. I appreciate the history behind angelical myths and seeing The City through a new lens.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest review.
Book release: July 9, 2019

I really liked the idea behind this book! Marr presented fallen angels in a way I'd never read before, forcing them to feed off human energy or blood. She also provided a unique and positive way of looking at non-verbal, or "crystal" children, giving them the ability to communicate telepathically and making them a large part of her story. The plot itself is fast-paced, romantic, and suspenseful, as you try to figure out who can be trusted, what creatures are rising from underground, and how and why it should be prevented.

Wowwwww, it will be hard to render justice to this astonishing read.
I have read very few stories with angels and their very complex world, so I had to make some research to find more about the angels universe, hopefully the authors (as it is a duet behind the name) added a glossary at the end of the book, very useful.
Because of her awakening powers and her I-don’t-care-if-I-go-straight-to-danger attitude, Aurora made me think for a moment of Charley Davidson, then the San Francisco city and its hierarchy of supernaturals of the Guild Hunter series.
But there stops any similarities.
The world in which the story is set is similar to ours but with immortals and unnatural/supernatural beings (like psi or blood vampires) known and part of it.
Different organizations from both sides (Light and Shadow) are running the humans world, and it seems like San Francisco is a hub for the fallen or not to be there.
Luc (Luceire Garard) a kind of psi vampire ( he feeds from people’s emotions) has been called to meet a young woman who could help him find a special child.
Rory (Aurora Montgomery) is nothing like he expected, his presence seems to catalyze the awakening of her powers and gift. While she brings out feelings he never thought possible from him, an outcast.
From their encounter, a chain of events is set in motion, obliging everyone to show its true color. Make-believe and betrayal lurk around them. With a small group of loyal friends, they will face darkness and the potential end of all beings.
It is not easy to imagine what can a being as old as the world can expect from life when he had seen everything and done worth but with Rory in his life, hope for once settles in Luc’s heart, for her he will give his soul, or what remains of it.
Rory is a very younger living, why she often acts impulsively and has everyone runs after her, but her youth gives her also confidence, why she does not shy away when she has to confront very powerful supernaturals.
She will be Luc’s redemption while he becomes her anchor in this world.

« She was a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a package so bewilderingly bright and unselfconsciously sensual and sexy that he could barely think straight. »

« Being truly immortal rather than just exceptionally hard to kill, he’d never thought of himself as someone with a life to live, but rather with an existence to endure. »

I can only recommend anyone who loves fantasy and paranormal to give this new series a try, I was sucked in and at time wondered where do the authors wanted to bring me and in all I’m happy to have followed their trail.
I’m still left with a lot of questions and I hope the next books will be centered on Jinx ( even if was not fond of the version of Solaya shown here), Senn and especially on Athan, he is a character I adored to see evolve and I want to learn more about him and see him find his salvation as he is as a victim to me as the poor children’s souls.
A big fat 5 stars.

I was provided an advance copy by Netgalley and the publisher Brokenoggin Brooks, but I purchased my own copy. It is my true and unbiased opinion.