Review: Relentless by Lauren Dane

Have you ever read a book that moves you? You know it’s special before you finish the first chapter it will have a place on your keeper shelf forever. You know you will re-read it often. I’ve read one recently Relentless by Lauren Dane.

I should have this review posted weeks ago, and I sincerely apologize to Lauren Dane for not having done so. As I told another author recently life got in the way of my fun with family issues, personal health issues, the EDJ (Evil Day Job), not to mention physical and mental exhaustion have slowed me down the past few weeks.

Back to Relentless the second book in Lauren Dane’s futuristic ‘Verse series is packed with lovable characters, overwhelming emotion, and the resounding certainty that true love conquers all obstacles.

Roman Lyons is the leader of the Known Universe the most influential and powerful man of the “Ranked” and “Unranked”. Roman is distinguished and debonair. He is protective of those he loves and carries the all the troubles of the Known Universes on his shoulders. As a reader it is so easy to fall in love with him.

Abbie Haws is a barrister among the unranked and is the leader of MRD “Movement for Representative Democracy. Abbie is a feisty and fair. She has over come a brutal attack and has survived to fight for others.

Roman and Abbie are perfect for each other and they both now it however they know their relationship will come to an end simply because Roman is “Ranked” and Abbie is “Unranked”. There is no question that these two love each other and should be together.

I cried tears of sadness when Roman and Abbie tried to say goodbye to each other. I became angry and cried tears of frustration at the traditional thought of the “Ranked” not marrying the “Unranked”. I cried tears of joy as Lauren brought Roman and Abbie together for their HEA (happily ever after).

Relentless by Lauren Dane released on May 5 and if you have not purchased this book, it is not too late. This book will not disappoint. As I stated earlier, this book is a keeper. I will be reading it twenty, thirty even forty years from now. Sometimes words really can’t express how much you love and enjoy a book and Relentless falls into that category for me.

In this erotic universe, passion knows no rank…

Since the first settlers came through the portals from Earth, fifteen Families have held the rule of the Federated Universes in their hands. There’s never been a better time than now to throw out the old and usher in a new order. Give voice to the unranked. Abbie Haws has spent her life battling the system. A fighter, she’s always been too busy and driven to pay much attention to finding love. But when she’s granted audience with Roman Lyons, the head of House Lyons, who stands for everything she hates, her instant attraction catches Abbie off-guard…

It’s common knowledge that the Known Universe revolves around Ravena—and that Ravena revolves around Roman Lyons, bred to lead since birth. Roman dreads his meeting with a defiant—if stunning—rabble-rouser. But, sometimes, headstrong personalities in the conference room make for hot-and-heavy, guilty trysts in private….

Now, Abbie will show Roman the parts of her world he wouldn’t otherwise get to see. And he’ll give her a glimpse of the Families’ age old tradition and unleash a sexuality he’d never given rein to before.

for an excerpt

Available for purchase now!

ISBN-13: 9780425227602

ISBN-10: 042522760X

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Date: May 2009

Page Count: 352

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Lauren Dane is making her own rules!

I’ve got two books out this month, first there’s WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS…AFTER DARK from Harlequin Spice and then RELENTLESS from Berkley Heat. As it happens, both of these are stories that required worldbuilding.

My first book was a paranormal set in New Orleans featuring a matrilineal line of witches. As I continued on through the last five years, I’ve kept to some of the themes I loved back in 2004 when I wrote Triad. 

Making up my own rules! I love paranormal or futuristic worlds where I can build my own universe and give it rules. Things run how I want them to. Of course, that means it has to make sense, even if it’s made up. Nothing is more annoying than a paranormal universe with all sorts of rules that contradict each other, or worse, leaves you totally confused.  Still, to me that’s the fun part. 

In RELENTLESS, I was able to expand the world I introduce in UNDERCOVER. I get to go into more depth about the system of rule, who is Ranked and why. I can dig into the meat of that because it’s very important to both my characters so it’s relevant to relate to the reader. That was fun too, creating a system of governance for this world, giving it heart, giving it flaws.

Family/friendship groups! This is something I use across genres from my contemporary Chase Brothers books to my Cascadia Wolves. I’m of the belief that you get to know a person or a character via his or her relationships with the people they’re closest to. It gives the characters a place to hang up their coat. Are they protective? Do they have a hard outer shell but they go out of their way for their mother or sister? It’s a glimpse into someone’s character.

In RELENTLESS you meet Abbie, who is very close with her siblings and who has a very complicated relationship with her father. And Roman, to whom Family is everything because he’s a single father and the most highly Ranked leader in the Known Universes. He seems remote and aloof, but when you see him with his sons or with his friends, you know he’s much more complicated than it appears at first glance.

And in SENSUAL MAGIC, Nell’s family are the witches in her Clan, she relates to the world via her position in her Clan and her relationship to them as the Hunter. Poor William, he’s rather alone in the world except for his brother, Nell is more than he ever expected.

For me, the joy of each book is when I feel like I’ve truly given readers a glimpse into a character they can root for. Doesn’t mean you won’t want to pop them in the nose sometimes, but in the end, characters and a story who make readers feel something, even for just a few hours.

That’s the joy of it, the joy of it for me as a reader, when I open up and book and get swept away (be it to a werewolf pack or a small town in Georgia). I hope I can do that too, I hope that when readers finish my books they feel their time was well invested and that my characters stay with them.

How about you all? Are characters important to you? Is the story important? Do you have settings or themes you avoid or go right for?

For more information on Lauren Dane and her books please visit her website at: http://www.laurendane.com/

***Leave a comment answering Lauren’s questions. She has graciously offered up a chance for two commenters to win their choice of either What Happens In Vegas…After Dark or Relentless. Good Luck***