Maria Del Voscova is a powerful witch with a past. When she’s asked to become a member of the elite Guardians she knows she can’t risk sharing the truth about her messed-up family. But we don’t always get what we want. Sometimes, we don’t always know what we want. Though Mar absolutely knows she doesn’t want Neeren, King of the Parthen. She alone sees the darkness in him and it reminds her too … her too much of the past. She knows better than to fall for his stoic, tortured soul façade.
She’s training to be a Guardian, a shadow; tasked with keeping the balance between good and evil in the world. It’s what she wants—to be better than her family was.
But the past has a way of catching up to Mar and the future has a morbid sense of humor. On her first mission, she’s kidnapped by the enemy she’s been running from her entire life. Thankfully the guardians look after their own. As it turns out, so does Neeren.
As Mar finds herself caught between the past and the future; between blood and bond; between the light and the dark, she realizes her only chance at surviving may be in trusting a man who is the most dangerous of them all.
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She’s training to be a Guardian, a shadow tasked with keeping the balance between good and evil in the world. It’s what Maria Del Voscova wants – to be better than her family was and she absolutely knows that she doesn’t want Neeren, King of the Parthen. But as she finds herself caught between the past and the future, between blood and bond, between the light and the dark, she realizes her only chance at surviving may be in trusting a man who is the most dangerous of them all.
The second book in ‘The Guardian’ series is a very engaging and suspenseful read with strong, memorable characters. The chemistry between Mar and Neeren sizzles with vivid intensity and their passion scorches the page but mostly their relationship is energetic and witty with a bit of a push and pull which keeps the emotions flowing and the readers captivated. Mar is feisty and full of life while Neeren keeps his emotions locked down tight which also makes this relationship a sweet and powerful one as opposites attract.
The plot is fast paced with stunning twists and non-stop excitement and suspense that keeps readers glued to pages as kidnappings, twisted plots and secrets and betrayals being revealed keep readers on their toes. The relationship between Mar and Neeren began in the first book with a kind of fight the attraction action so readers may find that the relationship came on a bit too fast but hey, he became her ‘knight in furry armor’! In regards to the bad guys, wow, what a convoluted way to get your greed on! Readers don’t want to miss one second of this story and of course readers will be impatient to read Lachon and Quinn’s story to find out what happens next.
I want to give Magic Born 5 stars, because I really enjoyed the characters and the story arc. But, there are a few things that keep me from doing so.
First, is a continuity error. In Fire Born, Mar is Italian, but now in Magic Born, she’s Spanish. It’s likely not something you’ll notice unless you read them back-to-back like I did, but it’s still something worth noting.
Second, are the incorrect uses of Spanish. I noticed an odd phrase in Fire Born, but I assumed it was because Mar’s Italian, and my Italian isn’t great. Of the top of my head, there are a couple of incorrect phrases in Magic Born. I don’t expect everyone to have a perfect grasp of any language not their own. However, it is very simple to turn to Google Translate or even ask someone who does speak the language you’re using.
Third, are the errors. I noticed several as I read through Magic Born. Normally, I keep track of them by highlighting so I can decide later if there are enough to lose a star. However, the copy I received was a PDF, so I couldn’t highlight in my Kindle app.
NOTE: I’ve received word from Ms. Haines that Magic Born has, in fact, received a second round of edits and updated files are being uploaded. So, hooray!
This all left me at a loss as to whether to rate Magic Born 3 stars or 4. Ultimately, I decided on 4 because I really love the story and characters. Mar is another fabulously strong female lead who still has flaws and weaknesses, like Alex in Fire Born.
I’ll likely read Air Born when it’s available. I want to know Quinn and Lachon’s story. It isn’t surprising that they’re next. It was quite clear in Fire Born that Lachon has a thing for Quinn.
I hope Air Born gets an extra edit to bring it up to the standard set with Fire Born. But, even with the problems in Magic Born, I’d still recommend it as a good read.
Magic Born is the second book in The Guardian series, and it does follow on from the first, so you do need to read this in order. We met both Neeren and Mar in the first book. Neeren is Alex’s brother whilst Maria is her BFF, and a kick ass witch too.
In book one it became obvious that these two would end up together, although they would both fight it too. And they do, although it changes very quickly. Now, you may consider the circumstances extenuating and say that there was simply no place for games. For me though, it just felt a bit fast, all or nothing!
The pace is fast in this book, and it is excellently written. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep your attention, plus lots of steamy action. If I was being really picky I would say that I wish we had had more of the ‘big bad’ before we found out who it was. There wasn’t really much of a shock involved, simply because a) we didn’t really know the character, and b) it made sense!
This was a great continuation of this series, and I am really looking forward to Quinn’s book. I really want to see if Lochan has forgiven her for how she left him in book one.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
I enjoyed the different characters and there personalities. I like a book that shares more than one persons point of view. The only thing I did not like, the whole book built suspense and then the answer was about 2 pages long.
DIFFERENCE IN THE MAKING!!!
Talk about tripping. You have it all right here. A fast paced, action packed, nailbiting, nerve racking rollercoaster ride of emotions and unexpected danger that keeps you captivated from the start. Not knowing which way to turn, who to trust and the clock is ticking. The characters were intriguing, complex and realistically on point and believable. Following the characters as they embark on a journey that will forever change their lives. Personalities transform, blend and sometimes clash but continue to evolve into their true selves. The scenes were so vividly detailed and descriptive that it gives the illusion you were right there in the middle of ground zero with them. Twists and turns abound with a suspense filled adventure that keeps your attention focused on this page turning bombshell. Haines did an incredible job bringing this read to life. Great job Haines, thanks for sharing this remarkable tale with us.
Magic Born is book 2 in The Guardian Series. This book explores Mar’s life. Mar is a powerful witch. We learn many secrets that leave us questioning everything we thought we knew. The relationships between Alex, Collum, Mar, and Neeren are steadily evolving. This is a fast paced adventurous love story that will keep you wanting more. I can’t wait to dive into the next book in this series.
I loved this story. It is the kind that you can identify with the characters and immerse yourself in the story. Very well written and characters to win the heart make this book a must read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loving this series! It’s smart, sassy, and sexy.
What an amazing book!! I love the characters and story line. I loved how we learn more about Mar and still know what is going on with Alex and Cullum.
It starts off with the chemistry between Nareen and Mar heating up. These two are a riot to read about. The story is crazy and heart pounding. So much so that you don’t realize you are holding your breath. Boy does it heat up as well. Make sure you are in a cool environment cause I swear that I felt my body heat rise as I read. I love Nareen and Mar and their constant bickering until the craziness happens.
If you want to know what happens with Nareen and Mar then you need to read this book. I fell in love with this series in book one. This book just cemented the fact that Rayanne Haines has a fan for life. This is a hidden gem for sure.
***This is an advanced readers copy that I received for a voluntarily honest review.***
Maria is a powerful witch, she didn’t plan on falling in love with Neeren, the King of Parthen, but sometimes life throws a curveball, no one knows that better than Maria. She is asked to train as a Guardian, a group of powerful beings that tries to keep the balance between good and evil. Unfortunately, she is kidnapped on her first mission, and the past she had hoped to keep hidden will be revealed.
Sexy, unique, paranormal characters that fight for each other, travel to other realms, face darkness, and will die for each other. Exciting, with action packed magical battles in a sizzling hot romance.
I am voluntarily leaving an honest and non-incentivized review of this ARC.
The second book in the Guardian series a story that had me smiling at somethings. There is suspense, drama, danger, evil entities, and romance. A book I enjoyed reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.