Release Blitz / Review: BloodLust by Auryn Hadley

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

I simply couldn’t put it down

Title: BloodLust
Author: Auryn Hadley
Series: Rise of the Iliri – Book 1
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Release Date: April 2nd, 2016

On a world where metal is nearly non-existent, a war for steel has waged for more than a decade. The front lines are populated by pallid iliri and iliri-human crossbreds. Seen as little more than beasts, their lives are cheap and easily replaced, destroying their culture as the body count rises. Being purebred, Salryc Luxx will die, she just wants to make sure it counts. That’s why she applied for elite forces.

Becoming a Black Blade means that, for the first time, humans would have to show her respect. They do the impossible, and the country calls them heroes. Military command just hasn’t realized it’s because the Blades have a secret. They’re all iliran crossbreds. Their innate abilities make them the perfect soldiers, even if they’re a pack of predators. It’s the reason the enemy wants to exterminate their species. The intercepted crate of ancient history proves it. So why was it heading to Parliament, not an enemy outpost?

The Black Blades are caught in the middle. The enemy wants to slaughter them. Their own country wants to enslave them. Their leader wants them to act human – but that’s impossible. They’re iliri. If military command finds out, the Black Blades will be disbanded, ripping apart the only family Sal has ever known. And now, the enemy is on their tail.

But there’s a chance she can save not only her pack but her entire species. History says iliri were perfected by men. Maybe it’s time for them to see the monster they created.

Sal? Zep asked, turning her face to his. What do your instincts say? That part of you that isn’t human. Why does it love him?
Because he’s stronger than me. He can protect me. He keeps me safe.
And you didn’t let him do that. You protected us. You took over, you challenged him, and you made him feel weak.
She nodded.
And you encouraged them to embrace their natures. I felt it, Sal, we all felt it. You made a human feel like an iliri, what do you think that did to him? He’s more proud than you think. You showed him that he’s caught between two worlds.
So what do I do now? she asked.
I wish I knew. Talking about it would be a good start, but what do I know? I’m human, Sal. I’ll never see things the way you both do.

Reviewed by Jean

I simply couldn’t put it down

While a slight deviation from my norm because BloodLust isn’t classified as a romance it still hits all of those areas that draw me in and keep me glued to the pages of a book. While it may not be a romance it has plenty of romantic elements. One of the main story arcs is definitely the romance between the main characters. If you are expecting the standard H/h romance, don’t. Keep in mind that the characters are of another species with totally different values and customs. Part of what I liked so much about BloodLust was the multiple story arcs that were interwoven so skillfully into the story and the growth of the characters. You don’t find out the history of the Iliri until further into the book… in fact, even the Iliri don’t know the half of it. Suffice it to say human invaders came to their world and subjugated the indigent population of Iliri. Then they proceeded to breed and manipulate their lines into two distinct types… one kept in slavery as pets and beasts of burden, the other bred for their predatory skills as a warrior. Even those conscripted into the military have no value other than as fodder for the human wars. They are looked down on and treated with contempt.

Salryc Luxx was sold into slavery as a young child. She has no memories of her parents or other Iliri. She doesn’t know their history, their customs, their language. All of her life has been lived as a slave aping the mannerisms of the humans around her. With her very purebred Iliri features, it doesn’t much matter how human she acts she will aways be treated as less than… as no more than a beast. Then when she emphatically denies a human officer when he makes sexual advances and she swears she would rather die, she is conscripted into the military. A step up from the slavery she has always known , Sal does everything in her power to advance. She has applied for every elite team known. Finally, she is given her chance with the Black Blades.

Being down a member, the Black Blades are searching for someone to fill the ranks. Lieutenant Blaec Doll is the officer in charge. He runs an elite team of eight that are able to do what no other team does seamlessly. When they recently lost one of their ranks it created an opening they are seeking to fill. He has reviewed all the candidates and selected a limited few for the trials. However, what none of the candidates know is that with the exception of one human the team consists of all Iliri crossbreds. Keeping that secret is paramount with any new recruit they take on. And, while Sal would be the easy shoe-in for the team they will have to maintain every appearance that she has fulfilled every condition in being named to the team. That being said, Sal is everything they could hope for in a teammate. She is hands down exceptional in fighting, intelligence and leadership skills.

With the team elimination trials done and over with, the team is called upon to eliminate their enemies. It’s in the midst of this that Sal learns what bloodlust is. She grows to accept herself as a true Iliri and she discovers what it means in terms of relationships with the men on her team. It’s a double-edged sword. While one moment Blaec, the man she has fallen totally in love with is demanding she acknowledge her Iliri roots, the very next he is demanding she act more human. It makes for a very precarious situation and some major conflict between the two.

Bloodlust is full of internal and external conflicts both for the individuals, the team and their romantic relationships. It’s a wonderful start to the series and I can’t wait to see where Ms. Hadley takes the Iliri next. If you really like fantasy/sci-fi in a well thought out world you’re going to enjoy this one.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

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Also by Auryn Hadley

WHEN WE WERE KINGS

Tossed into the gladiator arena, everyone expected the delicate girl in the fancy pink dress to be the first to die. Leyli had other plans. Surviving was at the top of her list. Revenge was a close second.

Having grown up behind the sheltered walls of the Oberhame Palace, she knew what the crowd wanted. Norihame had built their culture from the scraps of their neighbors. Gladiators were just one part. Evidently, political coups were another, and she’d just become a pawn in the games of men. But why was she still alive? They’d killed her brother, the heir to the throne. Had they gotten to her father? Was the king dead?

In the cell beside her, the Lion of Lenlochlien was impressed. The first day, they all cried. Men, women, it didn’t matter. But this one was different. Her tears didn’t slow her down, they just made her stronger, and when he looked in her eyes, he saw it. Her desperation was feral. It meant she wouldn’t hesitate to do what she had to. She might be cornered, but that bitch was the kind that would bite.

When he offered advice, she took it. When he told her how to be better, she tried. When she kept coming back after each round, he dared to hope that she’d survive. He had no idea that he was about to become her best weapon. Leyli didn’t just want to live through the games, she wanted to protect her father’s throne, but to do that, she had to become someone else. She couldn’t be the Princess of Norihame. The Lion had to make her a Wolf.

Chained side by side, he’ll show her how to be a killer. She’ll give him a reason to keep fighting. Together, they’ll learn that it takes a friend to survive.

**When We Were Kings is a complete novel without a cliffhanger ending.**

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WHEN WE WERE DANCING

They called her the Gladiator Queen, the first female heir to the throne of Norihame. Leyli never wanted this, but her cousin’s scheming left no other option. He’d killed her brother, trying to claim the throne for himself, and sold her off to be a gladiator, hoping to get rid of her. It didn’t work. Now, she’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Palino can’t destroy the country her family fought so hard to keep safe.

On the sands of the arena, death was honest. Men fought for their lives and nothing else. In the palace, everything is different. The threats are veiled in fancy clothes and whispered rumors. Spies lay in wait around every corner, bribed with promises of power and wealth. Once, she thought this was normal. But no longer can she care about petty scandals, not when her citizens – her friends – are dying because of laws her family made.

To win this game, she has to keep her cousin far from succession. The best way is an heir of her own. She needs a noble husband who won’t kill her in her sleep and — hopefully — one who will ignore the hulking shadow of her best friend turned bodyguard. She never expected Tristan to become a weapon that could be used against her. How much of her own happiness will she give up for Norihame?

The game is King of the Hill. The music for their dance is made of politics. Fate gave her a chance to change everything, but he’s a fickle god. Leyli has to get this right. She may not be on the sands of the arena, but she’s still fighting, and the Wolf of Oberhame will not be defeated.

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Auryn Hadley

Auryn Hadley is a happy Texan who swelters in the summers with her husband, three dogs, and the neighborhood cats. Her coffee addiction is impressive and allows her to keep writing the next book. Her husband keeps telling her it’s great, even though he doesn’t like to read, so she ignores him.

With a degree in biology, a few decades in gaming, and a love for all things out of this world, she writes across genres looking for the story that is begging to be told. From love to loss, hopes and dreams, there’s always an escape waiting inside the pages of her books. She tries to capture the idealism of YA literature while addressing more adult topics because life doesn’t get any less exciting when you grow up.

To see what’s in the works, go to www.aurynhadley.com

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