Review: Enraptured (Eternal Guardians #4) by Elisabeth Naughton

by davincikittieApril 19, 2012

TLDR Recap:

On a mission to recover a powerful relic, Orpheus comes face to face with Skyla, one of Athena’s Sirens, and knows that shaking this chick is not gonna be easy, especially with this eerie soul-deep attraction he’s suddenly plagued with. When Skyla finds Orpheus chasing down his innocent target, she jumps in to protect the girl, not realizing who he is or that will be the toughest challenge she’s ever faced… not a trial of the bow, but of the heart. As events unfold and secrets are exposed, Orpheus and Skyla will have to choose whether to trust in the love that mysteriously binds them or the cruelty of their intertwined fates. Enraptured is a GraveTells “Must Read”!

Title: Enraptured
Series: The Eternal Guardians #4
Author: Elisabeth Naughton
Prominent Characters: Orpheus, Skyla
Recommended Reader Age: 16+
Sexual Content Level: moderate

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE. Read on with confidence! ***

Thoughts:

Even having never read a book in this series, picking it up at book 4 with no knowledge of the existing world and lore, Enraptured doesn’t take long to barrel into full must-keep-reading mode. The passion between Skyla and Orpheus is both steamy as hell and confusingly disturbing at first.

Orpheus is stubborn, gruff, and domineering, but it’s really just a shield to protect against anyone seeing, or even acknowledging to himself, how deep his feelings of honor, loneliness, and commitment to his brother run. Technically, as a marked member of the Argonauts, he’s a literal hero, but O does everything he can to keep others at arm’s length, to keep them from caring about him.

Skyla is just as stubborn and bossy, and has been atoning for her role in her soulmate’s death for over 2000 years. A social butterfly, she is not… but rather a seductively lethal assassin who can accept no other life for herself. Together, they share a depth of passion and commitment that is stronger than honor, more permanent than time, thicker than family.

There is a large cast of secondary characters, most of whom I assume have been introduced in previous books. As a reader new to the series, I had to do a little backtracking here and there to keep up with it all. There are obviously some overarching storylines from the first books in the series here, but it’s not debilitating to the plot for someone new to the universe. The opposite, actually; I’m looking forward to reading Marked and starting this saga from the beginning. The bonds and friendships of all the characters are immersive and comfortable, like meeting old friends for the very first time. When you have a TBR list 30+ books long, this kind of expert character development and interaction makes it that much easier to commit to reading the whole series from the start.

The action in this book is very well presented. For all of the major events, I found myself sinking into the imagery without scrutinizing grammar, word usage, or annoying writing habits… because there just weren’t any. Ms. Naughton has created a world rich with lore based on our existing Greek mythology (which makes it much easier to assimilate and understand), and a diverse cast of characters that never get boring or dull.

The ending of Enraptured nicely wraps up the overarching storyline of the book, but segues into a heartbreaking tangent that promises heart-stopping adventure, intense emotion, and devious machinations.

Memorable Quotes

Is it hot in here…?

“You’re full of yourself, daemon,” Skyla said from below.
“No,” he purred. “You were full of me. You’re wondering what that would be like again. You’re wishing you could have it right now. Admit it.”

Oh, will you now…? Bring it, O!

“Okay, close your eyes.”
“If I get a snowball in the face, you’re going to be in big trouble.”
She grinned. “Will you spank me?”
“I’ll do more than that.”

If you liked Enraptured…

If you enjoyed Enraptured and the rest of the Eternal Guardians series (starting with Marked), check out Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series. It also features immortal warriors created by the Greek gods, who will have you wrapped around their pinky fingers as book after book of riveting storylines, compelling characters, and twisted fates storm across your e-reader. Make time to read this series, as it’s more than 30 books long! You can start with either Fantasy Lover (read my GoodReads review here) or Night Pleasures, but I recommend going with Fantasy Lover so you can get to know the delectable Julian of Macedon oh-so-much better. *grin*

Final Thoughts:

What started out as a seemingly straight-forward mission and a sizzling, inevitable attraction, quickly grew into a story rich with adventure, drama, honor, brotherhood, passion, and tantalizing twists, culminating in an ending that will have you jonzing for the next installment. Enraptured is a “must read”! You should probably start with Marked though, just so you don’t spoil the first three books!