Book review: Enslaved (Eternal Guardians book 5) By Elisabeth Naughton

GRYPHON—Honorable, loyal, dependable…tainted. He was the ultimate warrior before imprisonment in the Underworld changed him in ways he can’t ignore.

She calls to him. Come to me. You can’t resist. But Gryphon will not allow himself to be ruled by the insidious whispers in his head. And there’s only one way to stop them: kill Atalanta, the goddess who enslaved him. But with so much darkness inside, he can’t be sure what’s real anymore. Even the Eternal Guardians, those who protect the human realm from threats of the Underworld, want to exile him. They’re not sure he can be trusted.

Finding Malea is like a miracle. Somehow he doesn’t feel the pull of the dark when she’s near. And he’s determined to keep her as near as possible, whether she wants him close or not. But proximity spurs temptation. A temptation that will test every last bit of control he has left. One that may ultimately have the power to send him back to the Underworld or free him from his chains for good.

This is book 5 in the Eternal Guardians series. At this point i have only read this one and the one before it. I plan on eventually going back to read the first three. I was afraid that i would have trouble not reading in order but so far i don't feel that's a problem. I'm sure it helps with the whole picture to do that though. I would recommend you read at least book 4 before trying 5. Enslaved will be much clearer if you do as the set up for Gryphon the hero of this book is set in book 4 which is Enraptured.You get to meet Gyphon and Malea in book 4 and if i remember they both had pretty decent size roles in that book. I never in a million years could see Malea as a strong female role as she is pretty meek in book 4. Both Gyphon and Malea are staying at the colony. Malea for her protection and Gryphon for the same reason but also to try and help him. In book 4 he is imprisoned in the underworld and put under a spell by Atalanta a goddess. He was forced to endure terrible things. His brother and his mate saved him with the help of Malea but he is still under the spell. The night Malea plans on running away from the colony Gyphon intercepts her while making his escape and plans to use her in that plan. Eventually they discover Malea keeps the voice of Atalanta that's always whispering in his head at bay. Both Gryphon and Malea learn who they really are and who they can be by being with each other. It's not always pretty because for a long while Malea is afraid of Gyphon and just wants to get away. They have to face dameons and hell hounds who are on their trail. Somewhere along the way they figure out they need each other and are mates. Malea totally becomes a kick ass heroine by the end and the love between then is so strong although it's hard won.  I thought Gyphon was going to blow it right up to the end though. I absolutely loved this book. 5 out of 5 stars for Enslaved! 

Find out more about the book and the series including excerpts on Elisabeth Naughton's website here www.elisabethnaughton.com

Book review: Enraptured (Book 4 Eternal Guardians) by Elisabeth Naughton

ORPHEUS—To most he’s an enigma, a devil-may-care rogue who does whatever he pleases whenever he wants. Now this loose cannon is part of the Eternal Guardians­—elite warriors assigned to protect the human realm—whether he likes it or not.


Orpheus has just one goal: to rescue his brother from the Underworld. He’s not expecting a woman to get in the way. Especially not a Siren as gorgeous as Skyla. He has no idea she’s an assassin sent by Zeus to seduce, entrap, then ultimately destroy him.


Yet Skyla herself might have the most to lose. There’s a reason Orpheus feels so familiar to her, a reason why her body seems to crave him. Perhaps he’s not the man everyone thinks… The truth could reveal a deadly secret as old as the Eternal Guardians themselves.

This is the first Elisabeth Naughton book for me. I was aware of this series and wanted to read them but never got around to it until Enraptured came up on my radar. I think i saw information about it on twitter and thankfully Netgalley.com had it. I started it hoping that not reading the first 3 books in the series wasn't going to be a bad thing. I was drawn in pretty quickly in the first chapters and decided i was going to like this book a lot. Orpheus is on a mission to save his brother who was sent to the underworld. Gryphon was always the worthy one the good that was a real hero. Orpheus feels tremendous guilt that he is free and his brother is stuck in the underworld being tortured in ways he can't fathom. His mission puts him in contact with a Skyla a Siren who works for Athena and Zeus. Skyla has been a Siren for thousands of years. Essentially she was hiding from herself after something happened to her with the man she loved who she discovers is Orpheus reincarnated. In the beginning she doesn't trust him. In his old life he hurt her terribly and she cannot let herself go there again.  As the story goes on their relationship evolves. It can't be helped the attraction is there no matter how hard they try to deny it. Both keep getting flash backs but only Skyla knows what the flash back or visions are. Orpheus was given a second chance a new soul by the fates to prove himself but he was never supposed to remember the past. When he's with Skyla something about her triggers the visions and he doesn't understand what they mean.  This is a fast paced story it moves a long quickly and there is plenty of action. You get to see many of the Argonauts in action as they come to Orpheus and Skyla's assistance in getting to Gryphon and bringing him home. It's a journey of love and trust and finding something in yourself you didn't think you were capable of. Orpheus comes to care for Skyla deeply and Skyla finds she never quit loving him in the first place. Then there is this realization at the end that could make it all come crashing down. Wow what a ending. I was afraid that Ms. Naughton was going to go in a different direction that what i was hoping for. lol I will say for me anyway that this book would probably have been better had i read the first three books. You can read as a stand alone but some of the secondary stuff will not make as much sense and you have to make assumptions on some things. The story between the two main characters is solid though. 4 out of 5 Modokker Book Pick stars for Enraptured ( love that title) by Elisabeth Naughton. I plan on reading the first three book in this series and following along with whatever book comes next in this series.

Find out more about Elisabeth Naughton, this book and her other works here www.elisabethnaughton.com . There are excerpts there for all four books as well.

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