New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall brings readers the first novel in a thrilling new sci-fi series full of action, intrigue, humor, and romance.
Taelon searches the galaxy for his younger sister, who mysteriously disappeared while on a diplomatic mission. When an ally reveals that she was seized and is being held prisoner on Earth, Taelon descends upon the blue planet, intent on … intent on freeing her and exacting vengeance. However, all does not go as planned. Before he can find her, Taelon is captured and becomes the subject of torturous experiments. For what feels like an eternity, all he knows is pain and fury… until a mind tentatively touches his own and a woman’s voice forever changes his world.
After suffering tragic losses, Lisa is finally beginning to carve out a future for herself when chance sends her to the Anomalous Cognition Research Institute. What at first appears to be a benign organization seeking participants for a psychic study instead turns out to be a government facility harboring a much darker intent. Lisa discovers this too late and soon becomes the unwilling subject of a terrifying experiment. Just as fear and desperation threaten to consume her, a deep, compelling voice penetrates the looming insanity and lends her hope.
Having seen only the worst of humanity, Taelon is shocked when Lisa risks everything to free him. Together the two make their escape, and Taelon finds himself fascinated by the small human woman who—despite all she’s suffered—can still laugh and tease and lure smiles from him. Friendship swiftly grows between them as they work together to evade soldiers intent on capturing them and find themselves hunted by mystifying preternatural beings. Through it all, Lisa steadfastly remains by his side, stealing more of his heart each day while she helps him unravel the mystery of his sister’s fate. Can they find his sister before the hunters find them? If they survive their quest, will Taelon have to bid Lisa farewell… or can he coax her into leaving her planet and joining him for the adventure of a lifetime?
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I don’t know why I haven’t read any of Dianne Duvall’s books before. This sci-fi romance was awesome!
Combining science fiction and paranormal romance together, this one was a GREAT start to a new series.
I came by The Lasaran via another author’s recommendation. That particular author is aces in my book because I thoroughly enjoyed this story!
The Aldebarians are searching for their princess, who came to earth seeking an alliance between the two planets. Taelon only wants to rescue his sister, Riska, and return her home, but fate has other plans–the humans capture and study him torturously for years.
Lisa Holt is a down on her luck college student who has no one and nothing to call her own. She is eeking by taking on medical trial gigs that provide the basics like free food and rent money. Neither she nor her mentor knows whether the governmental trial for psychics is the real deal, but it looks promising as far as a payout, and she needs the money.
How Taelon and Lisa end up together is a horror story you have to read the book to discover, but I did go and one-click her Immortal Guardians’ first book for further background on those characters because you see them in this book. Riska is Ami, Marcus’ mate from book two of that series, Night Reigns. And you meet many Immortal Guardians in this book.
There is a touch of insta-love here, but I was okay with it because it was also an emotion under stress thing. I wish more of this book took place off-world because I’d love to have understood more of Taelon’s abilities as they are in their natural environment.
So much of this story is still left untold! I can’t wait for book two. I hope there is more to be seen of the characters Janwar, Eliana, and Ari’k.
I just finished reading The Lasaran and I was blown away at how much I loved it! I am a HUGE Dianne Duvall fan and absolutely LOVE her Immortal Guardians series!!!! I highly recommend her as an author, and very often do recommend her to my reading groups (and to anyone who will listen really!) That being said, I love paranormal romance books…sci-fi romance, eh, not really. Until this book!!!
(By the way, I purchased the Kindle version and added the narration. Another bonus of Dianne Duvall’s books- Kirsten Potter!!!!!! OMG! I love this woman and the excellent job she does at narrating! She makes the books come alive even more, if that’s possible!)
I was really drawn into the characters and the storyline! It was nice to get to see some of the characters I’ve come to know and love from the Immortal Guardians series since their worlds do come together and are related in a way. There is action, romance (and sexy time scenes that never disappoint!!!!), and suspense! I laughed and I cried. I started the book and couldn’t put it down! Once the setting was set for space and everything that comes with that, I was so pleasantly surprised! Dianne Duvall just has a way of drawing you into the world she has created. The storytelling is vivid and exciting and surprising!
I cannot wait for the second book in Dianne’s Aldebarian Alliance series! A sneak peek is included at the end of the book and the teaser for it was just as great! Once again, two characters have managed to draw me in within a span of a couple of pages, that I can’t even imagine how awesome the rest of the book is going to be! And that fact, I think, just speaks volumes to how talented she is as a writer! She just seems to know what the reader wants!!!! I am definitely in for the ride!!!
This is my first time reading a Dianne Duvall book. The Lasaran is perfect with just the right amount of romantic element. I can’t wait for Book 2, The Segonian
Book source ~ Purchased
Taelon has traveled 13 months in space to Earth from his home planet of Lasar. His sister had been missing for years and he’s finally had a good tip that she’s been on Earth. He and his family have not heard from her and they assume the worst has happened. With good reason. Amiriska was captured and tortured for 6 months before she was rescued, but before Taelon can discover this nugget of information and find out where she is now he himself is captured and tortured. Some welcome that is. Yikes.
Lisa has lost people she loved and she’s finally getting her life back on track. Earning some extra money doing research while attending classes has really helped her financial situation. Until she answers a flyer from the Anomalous Cognition Research Institute asking for people to participate in a psychic study. Lisa thinks it’s a bit too woowoo for her, but the pay is good and when she advances to the next round she accepts. She has no idea that she really is psychic and the institute is a cover for a malevolent government organization. But she’s about to learn that fact the hard way.
Taelon and Lisa end up in the same facility and they have to work together to get out and stay hidden. A little help from the Immortal Guardians is just what they need to beat feet. However, they are both in a bad way, they have no idea who to trust, and Taelon still needs to find his sister. But they have each other and a tentative trust that grows each day. Will it be enough though?
Holy shit! I’ve been so busy that I had no idea Dianne Duvall was creating a new spinoff series to my beloved Immortal Guardians. But after the ending of Death of Darkness it makes sense and I feel like an idiot for not seeing that coming. Duh. The Lasaran has everything I love about the Immortal Guardian series: snappy dialogue, action, humor, steaminess, and paranormal elements, but now I can add space travel. Booyah! All of the characters are so awesome, the writing is fantastic, the world just keeps getting bigger and bigger (this is a good thing), and the author makes me love every single thing about it. Which is both a blessing and a curse. I stayed up WAY past my bedtime trying to finish this huge book and finally had to admit defeat at 3:00am. I finished it the next day and wanted to go back and read it again. I am so looking forward to the next book in this series and the Immortal Guardians.
Loved, loved, loved it! The characters, the story, everything about the novel was great!
Looking forward to the next novel in this series.
The Lasaran by Dianne Duvall is a new series that takes place in her Immortal Guardian world. The Lasaran fits well into the current universe, and it generates an intriguing opposition that will seemingly affect both stories moving forward.
The conflict is such that it draws the reader in immediately. I concluded this story in less than 24 hours. The leads are charming, brave, intelligent, and committed to doing the right thing. It was extremely easy to side with them through the various challenges in the story.
Simply put, this book is an excellent start to the Aldebarian Alliance series. If you enjoy sci-fi romantic thrillers, The Lasaran is a must-read. And if you have not read the Immortal Guardian series, a great deal of background information is present. Although it is unnecessary to enjoy The Lasaran, it will provide a more broad picture of what is going on in their universe.
Loved it, Great Start to a New Series
Aldebarian Alliance is a spin off of the Immortal Guardians series and features Ami’s family (Darkness Dawns/Night Reigns). Can be read with out having read the IG series.
Taelon a Prince of his people ‘s beloved baby sister went missing a few months ago on a diplomatic mission. A pirate friend has traced her to the barbaric backwater planet of Earth. Taelon and is ship head out to rescue her. He underestimated the Earth’s military and was captured. For three years he has need drugged, tortured and experimented on.
Lisa Holt is a nontraditional collage student. She put off college to care for her mother with terminal cancer. Lost her father and home a year later. Now she struggles to keep a roof over her head, food on her table and make it to class. With the help of one of her professors she has been participating in paid studies. He helps her vet them and offered guidance. Testing for psychic abilities is the easiest and best paying study she has found to date. Then she wakes up in a white windowless hospital room 7 months pregnant and no memory of how she got there. She knows for sure that the doctors and nurses are lying to her. A man’s voice in her head offers comfort. Her brief connections with fellow prisoner Taelon becomes a life line. They vow to save each other of they can.
A grad student friend has found her and has a plan to help her escape. An attack on the facility by vampires changes the plan. Lisa goes in search of Taelon, and they escape in the chaos.
Taelon’s injuries are great. His healing ability has been compromised and telepathy, except for his link to Lisa, useless. Hiding in a run down motel he learns of his baby.
The immortal ‘s come looking. They don’t know who to trust. A glimpse of Ami in the mind of one has Lisa and Taelon making their way across country. Along the way they forge a strong bond. Taelon wants nothing more than to find his sister, and bond to Lisa and take her and their child home.
The reunion with Ami is bitter sweet. The return home nearly cost them their lives.
Fast paced, steamy action, sifi romance. Loved Taelon and Lisa’s story. Looking forward to his brothers finding their bonded among the women of Earth. A great sneak peak of Eliana’s story.
Good reading.
Dianne Duvall did it again, An amazing story and amazing start to a new series, cant wait for more
Tightly written, action packed, and with awesome character development, the author really outdid her previous great works with this one. Fantastic doesn’t even begin to describe it! In this spinoff to her Immortal Guardians (IG) series you’ll get to revisit old friends and meet some new ones who are, literally, out of this world. Also, we’re moving from not just paranormal, but to sci-fi crissover – which she handles exceedingly well.
While reading the previous books from her IG series is recommended, because they are just that good, it isn’t necessary. But, I encourage you to read them anyway because you’ll understand the back story much better.
The Lasaran introduces you to the Immortal Guardians and then takes you on a trip across the galaxy to the planet of Lasara. Along the way you’ll meet a bunch of really cool paranormal and new alien beings, which then sets the stage for THIS series – The Aldebarian Alliance.
In this one our h/H, Lisa and Taelon, meet under awful circumstances, both having been held prisoner and experimented on. Their escape, from the labs they’re held in, brings about a sweet romance, even as they struggle to stay free from those hunting them.
Taelon arrived on Earth to search for his sister, Amiriska (Ami), who we meet, briefly, in the 1st book of the IG series, with the 2nd book focused on her (I’ll list all IG books at the bottom). Lisa was taken after performing in a “research study” on psychic talents. She is the missing “Gifted One” Seth, the leader of the Immortal Guardians, was searching for in the previous IG story, Death of Darkness. Again, no worries if you haven’t read the others, you’ll be fine as things are explained throughout.
Romance, action, danger, heated passion, long-awaited family reunions, sweet babies and toddlers, paranormal abilities, sci-fi space travel – it’s all yours in this excellent addition to Dianne Duvall’s writings. Don’t miss out on this exceptional series of adventures.
I cannot wait for the release of the next book in this series, The Segonian. There is a sample of it at the end of The Lasaran. After reading, what I believe is the 1st chapter, I was left wanting to stomp my feet in frustration of having to wait for it, lol!
Immortal Guardians series:
1. Darkness Dawns
2. Night Reigns
3. Phantom Shadows
4. Darkness Rises
5. Night Unbound
6. Shadows Strike
7. Blade of Darkness
8. Awaken the Darkness
9. Death of Darkness
Aldebarian Alliance series:
1. The Lasaran
2. The Segonian – not yet released as of April 22, 2020.
Duvall is one of my go-to authors for paranormal romance, but her Aldebarian series have become insta-buys for me! This book, the first in the series, combines the best elements (and characters) from her Immortal Guardians series, with sci-fi romance action. Clear and understandable sci-fi romance.
LOVED IT!
I think I’ve read it at least ten times and it never gets old.
This is the 1st book in the spin-off series of the Immortal Guardians. Ami’s brother is the main character and we get to find out more about Lasara. I love, love, loved this book. Anything by Dianne Duvall is amazing.
Dianne Duvall’s The Lasaran is the brilliant, out-of-this-world opening salvo in her new paranormal/sci-fi Aldebarian Alliance series. If you are a fan of Dianne’s, you’ll be thrilled to know that this ingenious series is a spin-off from her amazing Immortal Guardians (IGs) series. Dianne gave us a hint in Death of Darkness (IGs#9) as it featured a teaser referencing the Aldebarian Alliance.
IF you are a newbie to Dianne’s books, you absolutely could start with The Lasaran as it provides a brief introduction to the IGs before it whisks readers away on an adventure across the galaxy to the planet of Lasara. Although I can’t imagine condensing the complex world building, lore and vampire virus history in the IGs series-to-date into a pivotal bridge book between the two series; Dianne pulls off a tour de force as she accomplishes exactly that – adeptly trekking the fine line of not boring her legion of fans whilst not losing newbies.
As the story opens, we meet our hero, Prince Taelon of Lasara, as he assumes the mission of finding his missing sister, Amiriska. Prince Taelon reminds me of a knight of old – strong and protective. IGs fans will know Amiriska as Ami. Ami was captured and tortured on Earth before being rescued by Seth and David, the leaders of the IGs. IF you have read The Lasaran and want to go back to read her story, she is briefly introduced in the first IGs book while the second IGs book focuses on her story.
The Lasaran’s heroine, Lisa, is shanghaied after participating in a fictitious research study on psychic talents. She is a student alone in the world and in need of funds. One of her trusted instructors had recommended that she check out some research studies for extra cash. If you are an IGs’ fan, Lisa is the missing “Gifted One” Seth was searching for in Death of Darkness.
Fans of the IGs will find that The Lasaran provides a different perspective of the military base besiege than was previously relayed in the IGs books. Lisa and Taelon who have been held and cruelly abused in that same facility are able to gain their freedom in tandem with the IGs assault of the facility. Not knowing who is good and who is bad, Lisa and Taelon escape and go on the run in an action-packed, hair-raising and heart-rending journey. Taelon still must find Amiriska.
I experienced a myriad of emotions while reading The Lasaran. One moment I’d be on the edge of my seat barely breathing, then swooning, then laughing and crying. Taelon and Lisa were from two different worlds, but they clicked like two adjacent puzzle pieces. They met under horrible circumstances and were bound by horrific circumstances not of their choosing. The chemistry between them was clear from the beginning and it was apparent that they genuinely cared for each other. Their romance was sweet and steamy. Their banter was entertaining and their endearments cute – like when Taelon fondly called Lisa “my little Earthling.”
Following please find a few of my favorite lines from The Lasaran. The book contains many more:
“She drew her hand down over his biceps.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and something she couldn’t identify flickered in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice hushed while the alarm continued to blare. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. It’s . . . You’re the first person who has touched me—not with intent to harm, but with kindness—in a very long time.”
His words broke her heart.”
—
“He shook his head. “You’re making me revisit my opinion of Earthlings,” he admitted,
Her lips turned up in a faint smile. “Then we’re even. Because you’re making me see aliens in a whole new light.”
—
“Are you bonded to another for life?”
Her brow furrowed. “Do you mean romantically? Are you asking if I’m married?”
“Yes.”
“No.” She returned her attention to the road.
“Are you?” “No.”
A hint of humor entered her expressive features. “Then I don’t have to worry about some alien woman coming down and beating the crap out of me for seeing her man naked?”
He laughed. Again agony shot through him. “No.”
“Good.”
—
“Amiriska continued to gently comb her brother’s hair back from his face as she met Seth’s gaze. A muscle twitched in her cheek. “I want to kill the bastards who did this.”
“We already did,” Seth said.
“Then bring them back so I can kill them again.”
“Would that I could,” he muttered.”
Please know that I have lowered my rating slightly because I found the scenes at the military base depicting Taelon’s torture to be a bit more horrific than I normally read. However, there was no way that I wasn’t reading every word that Dianne wrote- so I persevered and am glad that I did as the rest of the story is FANTASTIC. My son says I’m super sensitive. (For example, I had to leave a movie theater during The Dark Knight Rises because I couldn’t handle Batman was being tortured.)
As this amazing story unfolds, readers will meet a slew of cool paranormal and alien beings – who I would assume and hope will be featured in future Aldebarian Alliance installments. Words cannot express my delight as favorite IG characters played integral roles in The Lasaran. The Lasaran is a fast-moving tale which ensnared my imagination and heart. It’s difficult to put down evidenced by the fact that I spent two days as a zombie with little sleep because I couldn’t stop reading it. The wonderful, feel-good ending still gives me a warm glow when I think of it.
The Lasaran includes a sneak peek into The Segonian, the next installment. Normally, I don’t read sneak peeks preferring to wait for the full book. However, I was so excited after finishing The Lasaran and didn’t follow my normal protocol. I can attest that the sneak peek ending will leave you screaming in frustration. I cannot wait for The Segonian and will be picking it up as soon as it’s available!