I was asked to participate in a Blog Hop. The info below for prizes is where to go to see more information. Below is my review of the book the Blog Hop is promoting, ENSLAVED by Renee Murphy.
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In Enslaved--we meet Shayla and Deryck. Deryck has been an incubus for 3,000 years. He's tired of it--and tired of having to fulfill the sexual fantasies of women worldwide.
Shayla has secrets and mysteries. She's closed herself off from nearly everyone--seemingly only really having two friends. We learn bits and pieces via her dreams and some of the discussions she has with her friend, Faye. Apparently, calling her ex a bastard is too nice a word. But, we don't know the full extent....and man, does she have reason for her low self-esteem.
I found I did get a little irritated with her. She seems to have no sense of herself having any good qualities at all. I kept wanting to smack her and tell her to get over it, to be honest. Still, I found myself drawn in and wanting to know what happened to turn her so against men--and why she'd closed herself off from the world.
I felt bad for Deryck as well. He was a very likable character from the first. It was obvious he had heart and compassion. It seemed he didn't have many friends either--despite his very long existence.
Deryck has one chance to free himself from the bondage as an Incubus. Only one--and it's Shayla. The Powers That Be have shown him glimpses of Shayla--though he doesn't at first know why he's been given these forays into the mortal realm--as they are never allowed there.
In Murphy's mythology, the Incubus are children of a god and a mortal. They are conceived and taken to another realm to be raised and trained--the mother none the wiser--and all children of gods with various abilities.
The problem is that Deryck isn't the only one that knows Shayla can free a Incubus--and there is danger lurking in the shadows for Shayla. Just when she finally decides to enter the world again....Can she survive? Does she have the will to do what is necessary?
My only real problems with the story, to be honest, was the time spent on building the world and characterization. I felt the author did a great job explaining and showing their motivations--but I'd have liked to have seen more of Shayla and Deryck together than there was.
All in all, I'd still give this a solid 4 stars. I'd love to know if there are more books planned.
