Leah Buchanan’s family has been in service to vampires for five centuries. Even so, Leah wants nothing to do with her family’s legacy. But when she’s summoned to her Selection by the Vampire Dominion, under familial pressure, she has no choice but to go.Lucien has been living under the strict edicts of the Vampire Dominion for centuries but he’s tired of these ancient laws stripping away … away everything that is the essence of the vampire.
So he’s taking it back.
And this is because Lucien has been watching and waiting for decades for Leah to become available for a Selection and he will not be limited with what he can do with her. He will have her, all of her.
Therefore, Lucien is going to tame Leah, even if he gets hunted and killed for doing it.
What neither Leah nor Lucien expects is the strong bond that will form between them, connecting them on unprecedented levels for mortals or immortals. And what will grow between them means they will challenge their ways of life and their union will begin The Prophesies which makes them one of three couples who will save humanity… or die in the effort.
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Take that book slump!
This book, well this series is just the best. I think this is my 5th time of reading and it just gets better and better!
‘For eternity. Until the end of days. Until the sun falls from the sky, all you and I will share is beauty.’
**re-read 12/29/2020**
I know, I know I just read this book back in July, but I got the audio on sale and just had to listen to it!! I was not disappointed!! Lucien and Leah’s witty banter really shone through, I felt myself laughing so much more but their chemistry was just as beautiful as the first time. This is going to be one of those trilogies that I revisit often.
**original review 07/12/2020**
Five “Until the sun falls from the sky.” Stars!!!
Paranormal romance at its finest with Until the Sun Falls from the Sky. I absolutely loved this book!! The whole story Ashley weaved was so unique and gave you a whole new look on vampires. Which, YES! I am all for. Sometimes, a take an old classic is great. When done right and this was done right.!!
Leah really surprised me the most because when they said she was forty I was like WAIT WHAT?? I would have thought she was in her twenties. She was not some little damsel in distress, she had her own thoughts and feelings about her new life and she was not afraid to stand up to not just Lucian but the other vamps as well. Yes, she freaked out on occasion but who wouldn’t learning some of the things she learned??
Lucian was a downright a** a lot of the time, but he was also very endearing when it came to Leah and the people he cared about. You know he has these feelings even though you cannot quite put your finger on what they are. At over 800 years old he has been through all kinds of loss and sorrow, but he has only had his heart broken once. Lucian has had eyes for Leah for over twenty years and now that he has her, he will do anything to hold on to her even start a war.
I feel like I just got a glimpse at this world and even though this book was a good length I still wanted MORE!! Dark, mysterious, sexy and at times frustrating this book will give you all the feels. I can’t wait to read book two where get to see a whole new part of Ashley’s three series. We get WOLVES BABY!!!!
Wrecking ball of a story.
Finally a book I have a real relationship with. I both love to hate it and hate to love it. The story is beautiful. But I can not take more of this angst and drama. I feel like this book held me hostage for a year. Which is the time it took me to finish listening to it. And finally I am free. Yes, I need the rant. Finally the day has come. I have no idea how often I have started on this book. It is glorious. The beginning is awesome. The end is rewarding. The heroine is totally wonderful, the hero is hot and glorious, and such an ass. If you feel like getting emotionally drained, this is your book. Just be warned the story is 16 hours and 26 minutes. With an awesome beginning and rewarding end, it is about 12 hours of passion and angst. Which is totally awesome. But emotionally draining. The narrator is out of this world. Which is why the story is such a nerve wrecking obsession. The author is truly brilliant too. Flawless story in every way. Beautifully written, with lovable main characters and host of supporting cast in an epic tale. Highly recommendable. In a year or so I will buy the rest of the series. Am that curious. But highly doubt I will ever read this story again. I am exhausted.
P.s.
Sorry, forgot to mention one of the best parts of the story. Humor. The story has this part comical heroine, she is absolutely fantastic. As one would have to be to get kicked out of studies for passing notes, at 40.
Book one in Three series by Kristen Ashley
Leah comes from a long respected line of Buchanan’s that for years have sign contracts with vampires to be there concubines until they are released.
Lucien has been waiting 20 years since meeting Leah previously at a party for her to become available.
Lucien is a absolute twat at the start of this book, treat Leah like shit even though the reason he was attracted to her was because of her strong personality and I will be honest that Lucien turned me off wanting to finish it but I never or very rarely ever not finish a book thank god I didn’t because this book massively improves through to end.
Definitely finishing this series and hoping for hea with all of them
Tons of action and intrigue. Leah is the definition of stubborn with a hair-trigger temper. She’s also kind, loving, and loyal; all things that Lucian sees and loves, even when Leah is frustrating him to no end. Lucian is high-handed, demanding, and short on patience so you can see the fireworks between these two before they ever get started. There are a lot of side characters that add a wonderful layer to the story.
Highly recommended author
Audiobook: the narrator has a very intriguing voice that is nice and clear.
4
Leah and Lucien
The start of this book got me hooked right away, the description of Leah and Lucien was so detailed that you’ll be able to picture them in your head. Though I understand where the author wanted this story to be, there are some parts on this book that I didn’t like. Leah who was in her 40’s acted like she was in her twenty’s. It really frustrated me how Leah acted all throughout the story. Another thing is that their story has less action, I was hoping since he was the “Mighty Vampire Lucien” and the way they describe him was there will a part that he will be able to show how mighty he is.
At the top of the steps stood a man.
No, not a man, a vampire.
Man or vampire, he had no equal.
Still I loved their story and this one just seemed to be a prologue for the series, Lucien still captivated me and how the characters grew.
“Love is a blanket that keeps you warm, not one that traps and suffocates you. You never paid it any attention no matter how many times I explained. You kept pulling that blanket over my head.”
“You live your day to day life hiding the essence of who you are; you don’t want to let someone into that life who won’t accept you for that same thing. Even embrace it. Even rejoice in the beauty of it”.
“Vampires are again free to take mortal mate. You love me. I love you. We’re connected. What we have is beautiful and that’s all it’ll ever be. For eternity, until the end of the days. Until the sun falls from the sky, all you and I will share is beauty.”
“my love. I’m not lying. I am not playing you. Swear to God, this is all truth.” He pulled me even closer. “I love you, Leah. I’ve loved you for twenty years and I’ll love you for eternity. My beautiful Leah, listen closely. What I say is pure truth. And on this truth, you have my vow.”
H is 822; h is 40.
Reading this gross “romance” as the Epstein sex scandal plays out adds a different perspective.
In the universe this is set in the heroine’s female line has essentially pledged themselves as concubines to vampires for generations. The vampires can marry and have mates, but use the concubines as a life source and sex. OK, so they are mistresses. The upside to being a vampire’s side piece is you get taken care of for the rest of your life and your looks improve from the bloodsucking and vamp pheromones. Our current H still visits his decrepit old squeezes on their birthdays. What a sweetheart.
The heroine is dragged to the Regency ball encounter by her sycophantic mother to meet her new Master. The h is a special snowflake as unlike the other very willing victims she doesn’t try as hard with her makeup and hair. Oh yay.
Their romance begins as he breaks the rules and stays over night. He even beats up his wife who shows up and wants to kill the heroine. Yes, he’s married and he beats the squat out of his wife, but it’s okay cause that’s how vampires settle domestic disputes. She’s not a good wife anyway. After fifty years she still can’t identify good champagne.
Epic stuff happens that I skimmed over because I was just too grossed out. I don’t think KA was trying to make a statement about cheating, stalking, women being pimped out by family, an unfair power exchange that can still exist between men and women, exchanging a starter wife for a trophy wife, mistresses, D/s relationships, etc and so forth. I think she was just trying to write a fun book because, hey, vampires are sexy. Usually.
As much as I hated the alpha/Dominant/arrogant H, I hated the heroine’s mother and family even more. Hated them. Pimping out your daughter to protect your lifestyle is never a winner.
Things to ponder and …some spoilers
Why does he wait until she’s 40 to take her? He stalks her for about 20 years. He could have had her as an 18 year old nubile virgin. Was the 804 year difference between this very May-December relationship too much, but 782 years is no biggie?
Where is her father? And I write that in the same exasperated tone any mother would have.
Do these sub/mistresses not feel bad when they get kicked to the curb for the next blood fountain?
After their first night, he comes home to find her reading. Why oh why KA, did you not have her book be Twilight? Come on, throw us a fang.
Her whole family, the females, have been hooking up with vampires for generations and the heroine knows nothing about vampires or how this prostitution system works.
Are there any fat vampires? Geeky ones with big Adam’s apples? Wimpy ones in need of Charles Atlas training program?
If the victims gets drunk does the bloodsucking vampire?
As always from this author, I absolutely adored this book. You just can’t help but fall in love Leah and Lucian. Hot, sexy and emotional read.
The audiobook version’s narration wasn’t a big win with me. I didn’t especially enjoy the way she portrayed the men’s angry voices or some of the side characters. It was just annoying to me, despite the obvious acting ability of the narrator.
Until the Sun Falls from the Sky is Kristen Ashley’s version of a world with vampires, werewolves, and other such paranormal or supernatural beings. You may think you’ve read it all before, but KA’s vampire world is otherworldly in its uniqueness.
Summary:
Leah Buchanan’s family legacy is weighty, respected, coveted, and she wants not that first thing to do with it. Unfortunately, it’s also a legacy that she must follow through with. See, the Buchanan’s have been in service to vampires for centuries, and after dodging it for twenty three years, her time has come to attend Selection. Unless chosen for Selection, the inner workings of the vampire world are kept as a secret from mortals, so Leah is walking into the unknown, giving up her whole life, to be at a vampire’s beck and call. This, of course, does not sit well with the strong, independent woman. With familial pressure, though, a rejection of this process and life are not permitted. The vampire Lucien has been forced to live a mortal life, not advertising who and what he is, for hundreds of years. The laws he abides by are archaic and though once served a purpose, do not anymore. They have stripped away all that is essentially vampire, and left the species to hide, but Lucien is done with these laws. He’s been waiting twenty years to put his plan in motion, and now that Leah is available for Selection, he won’t wait any longer. He’s been watching and waiting for Leah for twenty years, and now he will claim what he wants an not be told what he can or cannot do with her. It’s been decades since he felt this way about a woman, and Lucien knows that Leah’s taming will be an exhilarating challenge. What neither could have known or expected was the incredible bond that would develop between them. A bond that is strong and unheard of by either mortals or immortals. Challenging their ways of life, will become overshadowed, though, when it is learned that their union has kickstarted The Prophesies, and spotlights them as one of three couples who can save humanity or perish trying.
This book, while an exciting concept and starting off with the intriguing unknown, was, unfortunately, slow to start for me. I adored Leah from the get-go. She was spunky, fun, unknowingly beautiful, passionate, stubborn, loyal, and much more. I enjoyed very much reading her, getting to know her, and even learning with her. Her quick-to-temper nature was entertaining, but I loved her ability to think on her actions, acknowledge and admit her mistakes, and apologize for them. Lucien was a bit harder for me to like, and I fully believe this is why I was having trouble diving into the story as deeply as I wanted or expected. Don’t get me wrong, Lucian was everything I’d want in a man and vampire, definitely, but the choices he followed through with, really irked me and had me wanting to strangle him at times. In my opinion he made some mistakes (as did Leah, although his seemed worse), and went about getting what he wanted in the wrong way. Together, him and Leah were explosive. I loved the passion, excitement, and challenge in their relationship. You never knew what would happen next. Supporting cast is an important part of a story for me, and KA did not hesitate to provide us with a good one. The people we meet are varied and abundant, but their roles provide comedy, danger, wonder, intrigue, mystery, and more. This story is about being who you are in harmony with those that may be different from you. It’s about the freedom of a people you wouldn’t expect to be suppressed. It’s about love and the power it can hold over any species mortal or immortal. Over all, I really enjoyed the book, and after the slow start found it to be hard to put down. The fact that this isn’t just a repeat of what we’ve read before, but something new and unknown was refreshing. Not only am I caught up in Lucien and Leah’s world, but I’m eager to continue with the next two stories in the series. <3
First the bad. A couple of areas that jump. Not a lot, but enough to notice. Also, a couple of typo/editing errors. I think I found 3 instances. Last negative for me is the beginning (areas in the 1st 20%) has some slow parts. This hindered me from getting into the story at the beginning and that is very unusual for a Kristen Ashley book.
This world is so different you constantly find yourself having to readjust your preconceived ideas and notions on many levels. Which caused me to have some interesting reactions to both Leah & Lucien, the main characters. While I wanted to smack them both upside the head, especially Lucien, I found myself VERY intrigued. Little by little you begin to understand why Lucien behaves the way he does.
There is an immense amount of angst, intrigue, and hot steamy romance. Some of the scenes could be considered shocking for their violence.
This is definitely an adult book.
And while it was a slow start for me, I ended up loving it.
Leah Buchanan grew up knowing that one day she could follow the footsteps of her families service to vampires. The Buchanan women are held in the highest regard when it comes to concubines, they allow the vampires who chose them at the Selection to feast upon their blood until they are no longer in need and released to a comfortable lifestyle throughout their days. However Leah is completely different than her family, she has temper, opinion, and isn’t quite sure she even wants to be a concubine and follow the strict rules cast upon them.
Vampire Lucien is one of the most powerful vampires out in there and he has had his eye on Leah for twenty years. He has been waiting until she was available before she was summoned to the Selection and he would enter into an agreement with her. Everything about her is different, she manages to fight him in every way possible. Lucien wants a different life with his concubine, he wants it all and plans to tame her. Causing the Vampire Dominion to come down hard wanting to intervene with the firm line Lucien is crossing with Leah. Neither Leah or Lucien realized though that their journey is only the first in three prophesies that will change everything they have known.
I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy a vampire story by Kristen Ashley, I am a huge fan of her books and this was a bit off the beaten track from her other stories. That said I was blown away, Lucien is a very alpha man. He says something and expects it to be done, Leah however doesn’t care and when a few well fought out fights lead to an unhappy resolution, Leah tries a different tact, driving Lucien nuts. It was like an intense chess game, game, set, match…loved this story and completely reread worthy. It was very rough in a few spots where you can’t believe what one of them did, but it perfectly blends with this mismatched couple and I think since Lucien has lived for centuries he forget the little things that make Leah tick. Another 5 stars for Kristen Ashley.
Knowing this was the first of three books about some of my favorite characters, I finished book one very quickly and went on to the other two immediately.
If you like vampires, werewolves and hybrids, read these three books. This one is first.
Our girl Leah is a feisty little thing, “the contract didn’t say one word about me having to listen to you. You feeding on me, yes. You effing me, yes. Me listening to you, no.” Lucien that boy is easily amused by Leah, “Leah was in a mood. This was excellent news. Slowly, Lucien grinned. Edwina gawked. Lucien turned back to the stairs.” He can sometimes give out compliments, “I can’t tell you how much it pleases me that you need no instruction on how to kiss me like I like it.” There were times I totally thought Lucien was on fire and he got me hot and bothered, “leave it to you to wear something I want to eff you in when I’ve been fantasizing for twenty years of effing you wearing nothing at all.” Sometimes Leah asks the dumbest questions:
“Are we only going to have sex once?”
“Eff no,” he clipped.
Lucien at times has to tell Leah how things are going to go, “your color is back. You’re sitting in my lap with no underwear on. We were seperated for nine days and reunited for one, the vast majority of which you’ve been sleeping. I want you fed and you’ll eat sitting next to me not wearing any underwear. Then I want to feed and do it while I’m inside you.” This was a different version of Kristen’s book that I’ve read, yes there’s an alpha male and Leah is a spirited woman so I enjoyed it. There’s another book in the series but from reviews I’ve read I’m not sure if I want to read it.