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A review by lvlewis
South of Surrender by Laura Kaye
5.0
SOUTH OF SURRENDER MAKES ME THROW UP MY HANDS IN SURRENDER!
This series is the most original I’ve read in a while in terms of mythology. And the titles themselves: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender, are hands-down the most clever titles I’ve ever seen for a series! Kudos Laura Kaye for bringing readers of paranormal romance this wonderful experience.
While this installment of the series and each of them can be read as stand-alones, if you want to make the connections between the characters, all the Gods of the Anemoi, you’ll want to read them in order. South of Surrender begins a few months after the end of West of Want. Chrysander Notos, god of the South Wind and youngest of the four Anemoi brothers, prepares to battle his elder brother Eurus, god of the East Wind.
Painted as somewhat of a playboy in the previous books, Chrys gets banged up pretty bad when he tries to handle his brother alone creating a turbulent summer season, and this leaves him weak even though at this time he should be much more powerful. He is found in a bruised and battered state by Laney Summerlyn in the form of a Pegasus, which is his spirit animal form. Laney Summerlyn, nearly blind as a result of a degenerative eye disease, discovers an injured, winged horse has crash landed through the roof of her barn during a thunderstorm. Overnight the horse transforms into a tall, blond, incredibly gorgeous half-naked man. Laney’s sight limitations don’t allow her to see this right away, so she’s able to concentrate more on who he is as a person over his appearance as their relationship grows.
Chrys’s proximity to Laney places her in danger due to his feud with Eurus, although fate eventually reveals their meeting was no accident. The way they are drawn to one another, and the way they mesh so well, leads one to believe they are soul mates–made for each other. Although his guilt and intimacy issues cause him to pull away, Laney proves to be irresistible to him. She has become a virtual loner due to her disability, but doesn’t find it difficult to share her heart with this strange man she shares an obvious kinship with.
The Hearts of the Anemoi series has become increasingly action-packed as these three installments have unfolded. Laura Kaye has a skill for crafting protagonists who connect well emotionally. This is no different with Chrys and Laney, whose alternating narratives draws the reader into their world almost effortlessly. She also has a knack for writing very sexy love scenes between her love interests, and this one is no exception.
Laura Kaye, uses the conflict with Eurus to set up the fourth and final installment of the series The plot is fresh, well-drawn and exciting. Kaye didn’t just tell us a story, she showed us one that will make a reader feel like they have a front row seat from which to witness everything. The timing and pace of the story was kept throughout to the climax. The character arcs suspended belief just the right amount to give the reader a story that rang true (as it can be for paranormal romance). There was a terrific twist that didn’t seem contrived or overblown. However, it tugged on my emotional heartstrings in several places. Kaye ended the story in exactly the place where it should have: leaving the reader wanting to read the final installment of the series, post haste.
I don’t do this often, but I gave South of Surrender Five Stars!
~
This series is the most original I’ve read in a while in terms of mythology. And the titles themselves: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender, are hands-down the most clever titles I’ve ever seen for a series! Kudos Laura Kaye for bringing readers of paranormal romance this wonderful experience.
While this installment of the series and each of them can be read as stand-alones, if you want to make the connections between the characters, all the Gods of the Anemoi, you’ll want to read them in order. South of Surrender begins a few months after the end of West of Want. Chrysander Notos, god of the South Wind and youngest of the four Anemoi brothers, prepares to battle his elder brother Eurus, god of the East Wind.
Painted as somewhat of a playboy in the previous books, Chrys gets banged up pretty bad when he tries to handle his brother alone creating a turbulent summer season, and this leaves him weak even though at this time he should be much more powerful. He is found in a bruised and battered state by Laney Summerlyn in the form of a Pegasus, which is his spirit animal form. Laney Summerlyn, nearly blind as a result of a degenerative eye disease, discovers an injured, winged horse has crash landed through the roof of her barn during a thunderstorm. Overnight the horse transforms into a tall, blond, incredibly gorgeous half-naked man. Laney’s sight limitations don’t allow her to see this right away, so she’s able to concentrate more on who he is as a person over his appearance as their relationship grows.
Chrys’s proximity to Laney places her in danger due to his feud with Eurus, although fate eventually reveals their meeting was no accident. The way they are drawn to one another, and the way they mesh so well, leads one to believe they are soul mates–made for each other. Although his guilt and intimacy issues cause him to pull away, Laney proves to be irresistible to him. She has become a virtual loner due to her disability, but doesn’t find it difficult to share her heart with this strange man she shares an obvious kinship with.
The Hearts of the Anemoi series has become increasingly action-packed as these three installments have unfolded. Laura Kaye has a skill for crafting protagonists who connect well emotionally. This is no different with Chrys and Laney, whose alternating narratives draws the reader into their world almost effortlessly. She also has a knack for writing very sexy love scenes between her love interests, and this one is no exception.
Laura Kaye, uses the conflict with Eurus to set up the fourth and final installment of the series The plot is fresh, well-drawn and exciting. Kaye didn’t just tell us a story, she showed us one that will make a reader feel like they have a front row seat from which to witness everything. The timing and pace of the story was kept throughout to the climax. The character arcs suspended belief just the right amount to give the reader a story that rang true (as it can be for paranormal romance). There was a terrific twist that didn’t seem contrived or overblown. However, it tugged on my emotional heartstrings in several places. Kaye ended the story in exactly the place where it should have: leaving the reader wanting to read the final installment of the series, post haste.
I don’t do this often, but I gave South of Surrender Five Stars!
~