SHELTERED
The
Cities Below Book 4
by
Jen Colly
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pub
Date: 1/9/2018
Only love can save her from certain death. Too bad, she doesn’t believe in love . . .
When Bette Dautry comes to him, seeking his protection, Guardian Rollin Casteel suspects the mysterious beauty has an ulterior motive. Unable to resist her seductive charms, he soon hungers to mark her as his. Only Bette disappears before he can sink his teeth into her tender flesh, leaving Rollin with one mission: to find her—and to claim her. . . .
Bette seduces Rollin intent on conceiving his child, believing the mother-child bond to be the only kind of love she can sustain—the only kind of love that can keep her alive. But she never expects to feel so much for her strong and silent lover. Then she discovers Rollin is none other than the heir to the Balinese throne—a man too noble—too dear—to play a role in her dark scheme. A man she would willingly die for, if only he would set her free. . . .
Momma Says: 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My feelings went back and forth on this one for a variety of reasons. The world of The Cities Below is still just as fascinating as it has been throughout this series, but this one felt more laid back on the action side of things. Rollin and Bette both have secrets and there is plenty of romantic tension, but after so much intrigue and action in the series, I was a little disappointed at the lack of it here. The story is still good and if you've followed the series, we get more of so many beloved characters. There are still some unanswered questions and the epilogue raises a few more. I'll be interested to see where this series goes from here.
-Momma😘
Bette woke from a sound sleep, consciousness returning with a burst of adrenaline. Eyes open and searching, she could barely make out a single object within her dark bedroom. She sat up in bed, perfectly still and listening intently for the noise she thought she’d heard. Had she imagined the footsteps? She heard nothing now. But if she’d truly heard someone walking, had they only passed by her door? Or were they inside her home?
No, she couldn’t pinpoint what had woken her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was inside her home. Bette dove for the lamp at her bedside, and when she switched it on, the soft click echoed through the room. Her hand trembled in the glow of the light, and she drew in a shaky breath, afraid of who she might see standing in here with her.
Bette glanced around her bedroom. Everything was in its place. Nothing moved. No sound carried to her from outside her bedroom door, or even beyond, but she couldn’t dismiss this fear.
Something thrummed inside Bette, an intuition, a warning. Reaching to her nightstand, she curled her fingers around the handle of her jewel-encrusted letter opener she kept within arms’ reach. She poked her bare feet from the covers, then gingerly touched her toes to the soft carpet and stood, the hem of her satin and lace nightgown sliding down her legs to brush the tops of her feet.
Tiptoeing across her bedroom, she reached out a hand to her highbacked green and gold chair, steadying herself as she stepped around it and headed for her bedroom door. She slowly opened the door, but hugged the frame as she peeked into the great room. A part of her wanted to call out, to ask if anyone was in her home, but fear blocked out the words, choked off her voice.
Several nerve-wracking moments passed without a whisper of a sound, but Bette couldn’t put her mind at ease until she checked the locks. She would have to cross the great room. The soft glow of her lamp behind her did little to give her courage, but she dare not look back, not now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness ahead.
Crossing should be easy, just put one foot in front of the other. She could do this. Bette stepped into the great room, and suddenly something moved beside her, a shadow shifting in the darkness, visible from the corner of her eye. She jumped, unable to suppress her gasp of surprise, and scrambled back into her bedroom. There was no thought behind her reaction. It wasn’t as if the dim light at her bedside could save her, but somehow seeing what was coming seemed less terrifying than being attacked by the unknown.
Bette covered her mouth to keep silent, and to stop her lips from quivering. Her other hand held the letter opener, her grip tightening in preparation. The edges of the makeshift weapon weren’t necessarily sharp, but the tip was pointed enough to damage flesh. Would inflicting an injury be enough of a distraction for her to escape the intruder? She wasn’t sure. By the size of the shadow, she assumed a man had entered her home, and men were indomitably resilient.
With long, deep breaths, she forced her breathing to calm. She needed to hear beyond her own panic and listen for movement in the next room. If she could hear the approaching steps, she might be better prepared to strike. Excruciatingly long moments passed with no sound, no hint of movement. Had anyone been there? Had she imagined the shadow, and perhaps even the sound that had woken her?
Bette no longer trusted her senses, but this instinctual, driving need for self-preservation was difficult to ignore. With no further proof of a trespasser, she decided she needed some clarity.
The light switch to the great room was close. She needed to dash down the short hall and reach around the corner. Bette stepped from her room, and that shadow moved with her, followed her… It was her shadow.
She pressed her hand to her forehead. Lack of sleep had finally taken its toll. Sounds woke her, kept her on edge. Catnaps no longer sustained her energy, and now she was jumping at her own shadow. When she could no longer slumber soundly through the day, she’d tried to sleep at night, but sleep was not only illusive, it left her vulnerable, to both real and imagined dangers.
It was all in her head. Again. Bette loathed her fears, her confusion, and the lack of control over her life. Could she even classify this existence as life? Babette, the wealthiest woman in Valenna and the last of the illustrious Dautry lineage, had been reduced to cowering inside her home, fearful of the people living within her own city.
Beneath the Night
The Cities Below Book 3
Sometimes
survival means surrendering everything . . .
Lord
Navarre Casteel wakes from a long sleep to find the vampire city he
rules forever changed and his future in the hands of a mysterious
beauty who offers her life for his. Fiery-haired Cat survives his
feeding, fueling Navarre’s body and mind—as well as his suspicion
that she is one of the Forbidden—a lethal mix of vampire and human
blood. Yet that doesn’t stop the throb of Navarre’s desire, the
feeling that she is destined to be his mate, to hell with
consequences. . . .
A
solitary fighter sworn to protect the children in her charge, Cat
never expects to feel so much for Navarre in the face of his savage
feeding. Which is why his offer of protection is nearly her undoing.
For how can she let down her guard when she has always walked alone?
But Cat has never faced an enemy like the one she faces now, never
felt such a powerful need to surrender to the force of love . .
Momma Says: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lots of answers in the action packed, third book in the series. Navarre wakes up to find things have changed quite a bit during his sleep, including a new addition to the city. We get a bit more romance in this one as Navarre and Cat work closely together while he pursues her. We also finally get the answer about who is behind all the demon attacks, and while I saw that one coming, it didn't take away from the suspense and intrigue of this book. The story is fast paced and loaded with action as the vampires of Balinese fight to keep their way of life intact.
-Momma😘
Bound
The Cities Below Book 2
The streets are a battleground for humans, vampires, and demons alike—where survival is a skill, love is a weapon, and the most dangerous act is to care for another . . .
Keir is an assassin devoted to Lady Arianne, the last of her royal bloodline. He is sworn to protect her, and that means eliminating any threat to her life. But while on a mission, he is set upon by a pack of demons, barely escaping with his life.
Cleopatra lives by a set of rules so rigid she no longer knows her true self. But her kind and loving nature resurfaces when she finds a man, bloodied and dying. Moved to help him, she risks her future and her life to save a stranger far below her aristocratic station.
Their attraction to each other is as powerful as it is forbidden. But even as their love grows, Keir keeps his true identity a secret—and this lie is not the only threat to their love . . . or their lives.
Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bound picks up where In the Dark left off and much like that first book in the series, the romance side of this tale is more side story to the political intrigue and battles with demons going on in these vampire cities. Most of the story takes place in Galbraith, but we do get some peeks at Balinese and the aftermath of their battle with demons. The romance between Keir and Cleopatra is a slow build with the added bonus of being forbidden. We also have quite the cliffhanger to ponder for the next addition to this series.
-Momma😘
In
the Dark
The
Cities Below Book 1
Demons have returned, a vengeful enemy waiting to strike. Soren and Faith must find a way to survive the evil and darkness.
Faith's spur of the moment vacation, meant to free her and boost her spirits, has left her lost on the streets of Paris. And apparently, Paris is populated with something more than just humans. Vampires, suave, seductive and oh so sexy, and one such warrior vampire has set his sights on her.
When Soren hears Faith's terrified screams, he rushes in and saves her life without considering the consequences. Two problems: one, she's a human and clearly aware of his vampire qualities, and two, the men who attacked her were not men at all, but demons. Their target, his beloved underground city of Balinese. He can never let Faith go home again, but can she learn to love his people. . .love him?
Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
I waffled back and forth on my feelings about this one. I went into it expecting a romance and while there is a couple who fall in love, it's more romance light. There's a kiss here and there, and some trust issues that can be expected considering the circumstances, but it's not an all-consuming love story. Nevertheless, the more I read, the more interested I became. This first book does a great job of introducing the reader to the world of The Cities Below. We also get a bit of intrigue and action as tension builds between the vampires and demons. We do get a bit of a cliffy on that front, and even though the romance lover in me was a little disappointed, the paranormal/fantasy lover truly enjoyed this tale of complete vampire cities beneath our feet.
-Momma😘
Jen Colly is
the rare case of an author who rebelled against reading assignments
throughout her school years. Now she prefers reading books in a
series, which has led her to writing her first paranormal romance
series: The Cities Below. She will write about anything that catches
her fancy, though truth be told, her weaknesses are pirates and
vampires. She lives in Ohio with her supportive husband, two kids,
one big fluffy dog, and four rescued cats.
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