Published: July 14, 2014
This book is a complete first volume of the Masters of Seduction series which is a compilation of works by 4 different authors. Each wrote a story for this volume and each story built upon each other. I had already read Donna Grant’s story Soulless: House of Romerac as an individual book and was slightly lost. But when read in total the story line made so much more sense. Each book tells the story about a Master of an Incubus house and how they find their fated mate.
The first book is Merciless: House of Gravori by Lara Adrian. In this book we are introduced to the Incubi and the Nephilim and their precarious balance that is held between them. Devlin Gravori confronts the three Nephilim priestesses about the murder of his bother by a Nephilim Blade. The Blades are the weapons for the priestesses and only act on their command. After he “storms” the temple he takes the Blade commander, Nahiri, captive and plans on making her pay for the priestesses’ crimes. Only to his profound disbelief he cannot bring himself to hurt her. All he wants is her happiness but when she is taken from him he knows he must get her back no matter the cost.
The second books is Soulless: House of Romerac by Donna Grant. As previously stated I have read this book before and own it individually. It wasn’t until I had read it that I realized it was part of an anthology and I knew I would need to read all of them in order to get the whole story. In this book we are introduced to Canaan Romerac who is the Master of the Incubi House Romerac. Or at least he was before his betrayal. After 500 years in the Oubliette (a type of purgatory for supernatural beings) he escapes and is determined to get his house back. No matter the cost. However, after being away for 500 years he is woefully ignorant of the modern world until he meets Rayna. She is a Nephilim who wants nothing to do with her family or the Nephilim/Incubi world. To her utter disbelief she is soon pulled right into the middle of it.
The third book is Shameless: House of Vipera by Laura Wright. In this book we get a better look at what the Nephilim Harem is really like. When Scarus Vipera visits the Harem it is only because he is in desperate need of the power that he can gain from sleeping with one of the Harem females. He has no wish to get a woman pregnant after the last time he visited and chooses his bed partner based on whether she is fertile or not. However, when he chooses Rosamund he is getting more than he bargained for. Rosmund has done everything in her power to not be chosen by an Incubi. She only has to endure 4 more days until she is released from the Harem and sent home. When she meets the Master of the House Vipera her plans are called into question and the foundation of her life is rocked.
The fourth and final book in volume one is Ruthless: House of Xanthe by Alexandra Ivy. We finally get to see the Master of the House of Xanthe, Jian Xanthe. The entire house has made their name as assassins for hire since the Sovereign (the reigning lord of the Incubi) killed the Master of their house, Jian’s grandfather. When Jian is hired to find out where the Sovereign has been and what he is up to he follows him into the Oubliette. There he meets the mistress of the Oubliette and finds out that not all is as it seems.
This anthology is freaking good! Each book is a complete story with a complete HEA but they compliment each other exactly like a series would. I love that. Also, fact that it is about the Incubi is new and refreshing. In the world of paranormal romance you just don’t see the Incubi and Succubi very much. They are mentioned but never really play a prominent role. So having the Incubi pair with the Nephilim is new and frankly unexplored in paranormal romance. There are two volumes to this anthology so keep a look out for my post on volume two!
Nephilim and Incubi. Who’da thunk?
Angie
bookishlyromantic.com 