Reviewing Born of Defiance by Sherilyn Kenyon

Born of Defiance (The League #9) by Sherilyn Kenyon 4*
BLURB: Born an Outcast, Talyn Batur has spent the whole of his life fighting against the prejudice of his people. An Andarion without a father is not something anyone wants to be.
But when his companion’s brother draws him into a plot against the Andarion crown, he finds himself torn between the loyalty to their planetary government that his mother has beaten into him and his own beliefs of justice and right.
Now, he must decide for himself to remain a pawn of their government or to defy everything and everyone he’s ever known to stand up to tyranny. It’s a gamble that will either save his life or end it. And when old enemies align with new ones, it’s more than just his own life at risk. And more than just his homeworld that will end should he fail.

My Review I really enjoy Sherrilyn's League series and looked forward to reading this one (I had it on pre order for months). So, because of other life stuff happening, I didn't actually open it until yesterday. That wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't done so quite late at night. Big Mistake as I ended up reading it in one sitting because it was so riveting and I was still up at 2 in the morning. I loved Taylin and felt so sorry for him and all that he had to endure even though I was expecting it to be like that*. But on with my opinion of the story. Well the bad guys were evil enough to make me want to spit and the heroine was truly feisty making me adore her almost as much as I did Taylin. the story itself actually runs alongside the earlier books in it's timeline and once I realised that I enjoyed it more. It was interesting seeing the same things happen from a different perspective, especially as they were mostly kept in the background of the story being told. I highly recommend this to any League fans or anyone who enjoys a dark action packed romance. Oh and a small note here: in my opinion if you are new to the league this one can be read as a stand alone to give you a taste of the beauty of Sherrilyn's writing.

*After all it's a trademark of Sherrilyn's that the heroes succeed even when the whole universe seems determined to stomp them into the ground.

Reviewing Born of Fury by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Born of Fury (The League #7) by Sherrilyn Kenyon 5*
BLURB: The war is on...
Counted among the fiercest Andarion warriors ever born, Hauk is one of the five founding members of the Sentella- an organization that has declared war on the League that rules the Ichidian universe with an iron fist and terrifies it with an army of well-trained assassins. Hauk's enemies are legion, but he fears nothing and no one. He will do whatever it takes to survive and protect his Sentella brethren.
Sumi Antaxas is one of the best assassins the League has ever trained. In her world, failure is not an option and she has never met a target she couldn't execute. So when she's assigned Hauk, she believes it'll be a quick and easy mission.
But nothing is ever as simple as it seems, and Hauk is far better trained and skilled than his dossier shows. More than that, as she pursues him, she stumbles upon the key that will bring down not only Hauk, but the entire Sentella organization.
In the race to report her information, she is overtaken by enemies out to end her as effectively as she intends to end Hauk. Now her only key to survival is the one man she's been sent to kill. And Hauk doesn't trust her at all.
The only question is, will he help her to live... or send her to her grave

My Review: If you have ever read any of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books then you already know that you are in for a feast of angst containing a tortured hero, a torn between duty and heart heroine and a lot of loyal friends helping the two find a happy ending. This story follows that formula but with it's own individual traits that make it so much the same and yet so different from the previous League stories. I can only say it was as good as the others and I can't wait for book 8 to be done, especially as it will be about one of my favourite characters after Hauk.

I've also read the following Love's Landscape stories:

Displaced by Sofia Grey 4*

Window by Ali MacLagan 2*

The Raven's Luck by Laylah Hunter 4*

Guarding Dizzy by Casey K. Cox 4*

Reviewing Cloak and Silence (The League) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Cloak and Silence (The League) by Sherrilyn Kenyon 5*
BLURB: One of the fiercest soldiers the Phrixians have ever produced, Maris Sulle has been an outsider from the moment he was born different from the rest of his family. He grew up with a secret that cost him everything——his birthright, his family, and his military career. In all his life, he’s only had one love, and he has sacrificed his own happiness to see his best friend reunited with the woman he loves. But now that his good deed is done, he feels lost and adrift. Even though they do their best to include him in their new family, Maris is once again on the outside looking in.
Ture has spent his life hiding from everyone around him——his family, the world, you name it——while trying desperately to fit in. Badly hurt by everyone he’s ever known, he trusts no one except his own best friend. And honestly, he can’t understand why he trusts her. Nor can he believe her when she describes a loyalty between friends the likes of which he’s never seen.
But when Ture is in his darkest hour, he’s saved by a hero he thought only existed in novels. A man who is every bit as scarred and mistrusting as he is——one who has no interest in being dragged into another relationship with anyone.
Having spent his life as a living study of doomed relationships, Maris is well aware of the courtship and fiasco that invariably follows. Still, there is something about Ture he can’t resist. Something that won’t let him walk away when he knows he should.
But when old enemies return to threaten them both, they either have to stand together or die alone.
My Review So, before I start raving, I need to warn everyone that I am biased towards Ms Kenyon's League stories. That being said, I have to admit to the only thing wrong with this story was the length - it just wasn't long enough to give me more of one of my favourite characters from the series (one among many). I love Maris and was so happy to read his happily ever after story and Ture was the perfect companion for him. So empathic and understanding and totally hot too (I love men who can cook!) I just wanted to hold them both close. Added to all that manlove the war with the League continued on with lots of action, blood and gore, as is the norm for these stories, so those who only read it for that won't be disappointed either. I was really disappointed to get to the end so quickly, but I won't complain for too long, as I am sure Maris & Ture will appear in future books as secondary characters. *hint, hint Ms Kenyon*