I have been reading a lot of duds lately, so I'm glad that I had this as a palette cleanser. First, this is an original take on urban fantasy/paranormal romance that I really like. We have elves, dwarves, mages and they got here from a cataclysmic 9/11 type event that changed the world as humans know it. Second, I appreciate the use of a creature that isn't a vampire or werewolf. I think we can acknowledge at this point that it is a cliché, a cliché that is acknowledged in universe. The point is that things are not as they seem. The racism allegory is on the nose, but what can you do? Our protagonists have to save the world by preserving this weird mish-mash of realms. It is a fun ride. The only missed opportunity was that the author dropped the thread with the relationship with the father. I really think that should have been the emotional climax of the book instead of having a low stakes version with the brother (who is called Dad 2.0), especially since the book starts with the father and it would have resolved some of the setup from the first chapter. ( )

Wont read another-The good: Original world. Interesting characters.XHRXXHRXThe bad: heroine was not very believable. Her dialogs seem to contrast with how she was written. It made it hard to relate and believe the character ( )

Sexy times
PNR
Humor

Purchased from Amazon January 22, 2016

"4 out of 5 stars, this intensely suspenseful romance will keep you on your toes while it keeps you hoping for more. I enjoyed reading about how these two worlds came together and how some of the "typical" creatures that you read about in other books have other nuances in this one that you wouldn't expect but were intriguing to learn."

Read more of this review and a teaser here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2013/07/feasted-on-entwined-realms-ser... ( )

My friend Deanna is a gargoyle junkie. She loves reading about gargoyles, and even ordered several for her yard. So she got me intrigued into the idea of gargoyles as main characters... plus I loved the gargoyle secondary characters in [a:Kim Harrison|17054|Kim Harrison|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1435095735p2/17054.jpg]'s Hollows series. I was surprised though when I started the audiobook and I was hit with orcs, werewolves, vampires, dragons, and a whole slew of paranormal characters. Rock on - I love the paranormal world. So I think this series is not focusing solely on the gargoyle clans, but will have a little bit of each species as main characters and romantic interests.

Our heroine is Larissa Miller, a human female who was born during an earthquake in which the magic and human realms became entwined. We see the heartbreaking story of Larissa's father, a law enforcement officer, losing his beloved wife in childbirth. Then we jump ahead more than 20 years to when Larissa is an adult and living on her own, but is still very protected by her father and four brothers. Actually, she has been more than protected, she has been sheltered to the extent that she is nearly ignorant about the other realms and all the paranormal creatures now co-existing in her society. This becomes a detriment to Larissa when, for some unknown reason, she is targeted by a group of paras and is starts undergoing attacks by zombies, orcs and the like.

But an oracle has told our hero, Terak, that the human Larissa will be very important to the future of his gargoyle clan. So Terak has been watching over Larissa and is able to intervene to save her during these attacks. He must get Larissa to accept his protection and discover why she is the focus of this plot. The protection detail obviously brings the pair closer together, but Terak fights his feelings for a good portion of the book. It's not quite a forbidden romance... but more like Terak is trying to follow his clan traditions rather than go with what his heart wants.

I liked Terak - he was a stoic and honorable lead who was all about the good of his clan. He was a tad broody and alpha (always good), but he wasn't a lady killer with a wide swath of broken hearts in his wake. And you don't have to worry about those sexytime skills, for all his virginity, he has read lots of useful books! Larissa was an okay heroine for me, she was a bit too passive for my taste but she wasn't overly annoying. I am not a big fan of willful ignorance, and she definitely had her head stuck in the sand, blindly oblivious to the world around her. It was liked she lived in a bubble created by her father and brothers. She also had one big TSTL moment where I was literally yelling at her. But the romance between Terak and Larissa was sweet and built at a good pace. I hope they continue to appear in future books so we know what happens in their future relationship.

The world building was quite nice and I look forward to more stories in the New Realm. I think that if I would have had more time to dedicate to the audiobook, I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, I was listening for about an hour at a time over the course of a week. This made it hard for me to stay "in" the story, if you know what I mean. So that's no fault of the narrator or author, but more my inability to give this one my undivided attention.

3.5 stars / 3 flames. ( )