Review: Awaited by Lynn Rush

Title: Awaited
Author: Lynn Rush
Series: Wasteland # 2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: E-book
Source:  Bewitching Book Tours
Pub. Year: 2012
Purchase: Amz/ B&N
I receive a free copy of this novel from Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Amazon:

The Voice is a Powerful Thing….

Russell Leonard is a centuries-old Guardian who’s lost faith in his purpose. So when he’s charged with procuring the first female Guardian in over two centuries, he can only hope it’s the red-headed beauty who’s been haunting his dreams for months. And if it is, he intends to claim her as his.

But when he finds his dream woman, Annabelle is mute and bears no Guardian’s Mark. He soon realizes she’s been tainted by an ancient evil. Russell must somehow release the secrets trapped within this delicate soul to help her tap into the only weapon powerful enough to silence a millennia-old demon-her voice.

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Random: Read the first book, it may appear to be a standalone book but I believe it helps to know what happen in the first book.

It’s been about a month and a half since I’ve read the first book and I’m wishing that I have read this book sooner. There are just some things that I’ve forgotten. The first book isn’t crucial to understanding Awaited but it helps to have read it before. The reason is that certain aspects of the world-building such as the hierarchy (Beka and David) or Jessica are not really explained. They are just taken for granted. Like I said, it’s not crucial but knowing makes the book feel more solid.

Character-wise, Annabelle is an interesting character because she is a mute main character. It’s rare to see a main character have a disability so she starts off being unique. Her uniqueness is built upon by giving her a depressing past and special abilities. She was similar to David in that she knows darkness first-hand.  She has a terrible past, filled with demons and torture. Russell as the Guardian is an intriguing character because I couldn’t understand why he lost his faith. He starts dreaming about a woman and he loses his faith in God, um, I don’t accept that. The dream was probably the catalyst but it’s not the sole reason. He is still interesting because of his faith and devotion to Annabelle. It’s unshakeable. I believe Jessica became more unstable but considering she was unconscious for the first book, she may have always been insane. She has a lovely personality though.

The first female Guardian in over 200 years plotline seemed secondary to Annabelle and Russell’s love story. No one was actively looking for her. It was much more in passing thought that the new Guardian was considered. She turns out to be a very energetic teenager. She is surprised but eager about her new future. Other plotlines are slowly introduced but there is enough information to keep them going at a good pace. The main focus is the love story that has a bumpy road but it never waivers the love between Russell and Annabelle. I’m not fond of that because they never doubted each other. It was just a complete certainty; Russell questions it at time but he never goes deeper than a superficial scratch.

One of the things that left me very confused is the the advancement of technology and laws. It’s been about 35 years since the first book was written and in that time, humans have decided to have brain chips implanted in their heads. Apparently, the chips work as identification cards and money (possibly). It is not explained why the brain chips rose in power or how the technology came to be. It’s confusing because the technology is not explained but more importantly, the chips do not have an actual purpose in the book. They are just there. About the laws, Russell gets freaked out when he falls for Annabelle and he thinks she is 18. He thinks society is going to look down upon their relationship but when he finds out that she is 19, he obtains a sense of relief. Did the age of consent move up or what just happened? I find there are certain world-building aspects of the book that were not explained properly.

Overall, it was a nice edition to to the Wasteland Series. The romance wasn’t as captivating as Beka and David’s romance but it was unique. I’m looking forward to the next book because it seems like the romance will include Jessica. Like I said, she is a little random so I can’t wait to read what she says.

4 BB-Ready for capture

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66th in the 150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: E-book, 2nd in a Series, Where are you reading?-Colorado

Review: Wasteland by Lynn Rush

Title: Wasteland
Author: Lynn Rush
Series: Wasteland # 1
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Format: E-book
Source:  Bewitching Book Tours
Pub. Year: 2011
Purchase: Amz/ B&N
I received this novel free of charge from BB Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Amazon:
Bound by the blood contract his human mother signed four centuries ago, half-demon, David Sadler, must obey his demonic Master’s order to capture fifteen-year-old Jessica Hanks. But as he learns more about her, he realizes she may be the key to freedom from his dark enslavement.

The only obstacle-Jessica’s distractingly beautiful Guardian, Rebeka Abbott. He must not give in to their steamy chemistry, or he will lose his humanity. But fresh off a quarter millennia of sensory deprivation as punishment for not retrieving his last target, he may not be able to resist temptation long enough to save what’s left of his human soul.

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Random: The best part of this novel is how everything hits the reader from left field.

If you like twists and turns, then this book is for you. There are so many that make the story really interesting. Rush enjoys making the reader believe they know what is going on but in reality, we don’t.

David is a half-blood demon, half human who happens to a decent demon. He constantly battles his demonic side in order to live with himself and the actions he takes as a runner (bounty hunter) for Locien, a demon follower of Lucifer. David is an interesting because he is willing to sacrifice himself for whom he cares about.He really cares about Beka who happens to be a Guardian of humans. She is a not an angel but close enough to one because she is over four hundred years old. They fall in love with each other instantly (I strongly dislike this) but obstacles are thrown their way to make their unity as a couple tougher so that is a plus.

The added addition of Michael the Archangel was a welcome sight because it showed heaven’s involvement in the life of David. Even though David is a half-demon, heaven cared enough about him to allow him a way to break out of his hellish duties. He also ended up revealing crucial information that explains the natural attraction of David to Beka.

The world building does leave for a little improvement because the concept of Guardians is not really explained. Guardians are not angels but they protect humans. They are not human because Beka is over four hundred years old. They have a Queen and a King so Guardians have their own hierarchy but how they are connected to God is up for debate.

This novel did surprise me with how it handled the instant-love romance. It is different from the total devotion to each other even though we only met once that is so common. Within a few pages, David is in love with Beka and she is in love with him without even knowing each other. There was an instant bond; I believe in instant attraction but not instant love. The good thing is that Rush throws in obstacles that questions the validity of their love. It’s a very good thing because the obstacles gives them the opportunity to actually to get know each other. I can accept this and it makes their declarations of love believable.

Overall, it was a really decent novel to read about demons and heavenly guardians. The instant romance is not a hindrance to the novel but adds character to it. The twist and turns are amazing and keep the novel at an interesting level.

4.5 BB-Ready for capture, Total keeper

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43rd in the 150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: 1st in a Series, E-book, Where are you reading?-Arizona

Promo Post: Awaited by Lynn Rush

Title: Awaited
Author: Lynn Rush
Series: Wasteland # 2
Genre: YA Fantasy
Purchase: Amazon/B&N

Book Blurb:

Russell Leonard is a centuries-old Guardian who’s lost faith in his purpose. So when he’s charged with procuring the first female Guardian in over two centuries, he can only hope it’s the red-headed beauty who’s been haunting his dreams for months. And if it is, he intends to claim her as his. But when he finds his dream woman, Annabelle is mute and bears no Guardian’s Mark.

He soon realizes she’s been tainted by an ancient evil. Russell must somehow release the secrets trapped within this delicate soul to help her tap into the only weapon powerful enough to silence a millennia-old demon—her voice.

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Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake.

Rush holds a degree in psychology from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. Originally from Minneapolis, Rush currently enjoys living in the Arizona sunshine by road biking nearly 100 miles per week with her husband of 15 years and jogging with her two loveable Shetland Sheep dogs.

Lynn Rush can be found at her Website, Facebook, and Twitter