I began reading Guardians of Eternity back in 2014. I have always stated that it is one of my all time favorite paranormal reads and this story just affirms that. In this one we meet the mer-folk and the fraud king that holds the throne. He has imprisoned Tarak a clan leader and is using his powers to hold the throne. Tarak escapes and his only focus is to kill the one who held him prisoner.
He meets Princess Waverly the mermaid who was in charge of feeding him to keep him alive. With her help, they devise a plan to rid Riven of the throne.
We meet old friends in this story my favorite Styx, Anasso of Vampires and of course of Levet the crazy little Gargoyle.
This story take a twist when Inga half mermaid and half orgre becomes aware the she is of royal mermaid blood. This is a great addition to the Guardians series and can't wait till Ms. Ivy releases another.

As always this is sch a great series to jump into. I liked this cast of characters and as always the authors writing.

I was sure happy to once again enter into this author's world in this series. Having not read too many vampire lately since it has not been on the radar this author made me remember the joy I receive from paranormal with vampires.
Instead of taking what is given Tarak he wants to go into a different direction. Someone whom has helped him up until now is Waverly. They end up going into something else when it unravels to peel back what is really what. You want to embrace them also.
This author has given us an adventure that will encompass passion wrapped with many other emotions. There was also a big bonus in this whom is our favorite. You also roar when the right turn of events begin singing yes indeed.

BEWARE THE DARKNESS is one of those books that is an "up all night" read. Tarak and Waverly are amazingly well-written characters. Both have their own agenda, but both want to find the truth and end the reign of terror, and that means eliminating the false ruler.

Annetta Sweetko, reviewer for Fresh Fiction

Complete review may be found at: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=69026

Beware The Darkness is the 14th volume in the Guardians of Eternity series by Alexandra Ivy. It’s the second volume of that new arc of which I reviewed the first volume Darkness Returns.

Beware The Darkness is a direct sequel to Darkness Returns in which our actual hero Tarak was freed after a 5-centuries imprisonment. When the story begins, we know he’s vanished into thin air.
The story needs a bit more time to begin between our heroes compared to other times. Indeed, in the first chapters, Alexandra Ivy focuses on two characters of the entire series who’ll have an important part in the book: Styx and Levet. By the bye the whole book places emphasis on several characters, good ones as the bad guy of which we‘ve known the name since the previous volume. Concerning our heroes, we meet them for the first time here.

So Tarak is a vampire. He was a clan chief and everybody thought him dead. Because of his long captivity, Styx fears he’ll be a danger for everyone. However we soon realize that’s not the case at all and the only thing motivating him is revenge. And if he could stay sane, it’s because of only one person: our heroine, Waverly. She’s a mermaid and during all his imprisonment, she was the one feeding him.
We soon understand there has been for centuries a light love-hate relationship. They are very attracted to each other, however the conditions never allowed to exploit this attraction to its full. At the beginning of the story, our hero is still too much irritated by the bad guy to accept his feelings toward Waverly. The later, however, is very clear about her motivation, be it at the beginning or after. So it’s the hero’s obstinacy that causes a problem, that and his arrogance that makes us want to shake him at time.

The book is full of action and big surprises, from the beginning to the end. All the readers will be surprised by the story’s evolution and its resolution. The rest of the series is already programmed and will feature a character met in Darkness Returns: Ulric, the hero Chiron’s right-hand man.
Concerning Beware The Darkness, when we close the book, we have all the answers to the questions we were thinking about in the previous volume. What’s more, because of this forced return in the past, we have again a vision more terrifying about the former Anasso and his abuses. Once more Alexandra Ivy proves us she knows how to reinvent herself while keeping the elements that made her success: likeable characters, strong heroines, secondary characters we love following and bad guys we want to see dead.

The love story keeps a central place in the story. So we have a beautiful evolution of the realization of each one’s feelings, of the sensuality, some love scenes that arrive lately for evident reasons and of course, a great HEA we believe in.

It would be useless to say more without spoiling. All I have to say is that once more, Alexandra Ivy succeeded in bringing me in her novel and once begun, difficult to stop as I so wanted to know what would happen to our different characters. If I have a reproach to make it’s the fact we don’t see enough of the still present interaction between our previous couples, especially concerning Styx and Darcy. Of course he speaks about her but we don’t see her anymore and it’s too bad.

You’ll have understood that I loved this story and I recommend it. Fans will be thrilled to discover Tarak and Waverly. I can’t wait to discover Ulric’s story in Conquer The Darkness planned in December 2019.

3.5 stars

Beware the Darkness is book 14 in the Guardians of Eternity series and while I enjoyed it I did have some issues. Tarak has been held prisoner for 500 hundred years. He was released at the end of the last book and is focused on revenge. Waverly is the mermaid princess who feed him throughout his time as prisoner. I loved their connection and although they have known each other for so long there was still so much to learn. Now for my issues, the beginning was really slow and boring, I didn't like how Tarak and Waverly's story was split between Levet and Inga. While I loved the fact that Inga learned the truth and honestly the revelation made me cry, I didn't like how their story just ended without any resolution. I still have no idea what happened to Levet and where did he go. Also since Chiron spent so long looking for Tarak I would have loved seeing them reunite. As I said it was another enjoyable addition to this series but I feel like there were a lot of loose ends.

BEWARE THE DARKNESS (Guardians of Eternity Book 14) By Alexandra Ivy

This is the 14th book and picks up where the 13th Darkness Returns left off. This is the story of Tarak the vampire, he had been imprisoned for 5 centuries and released at the end of the last book. Waverly the mermaid, was tasked with supplying his needed blood. Now he is out for revenge! This book brings back Levet. We have mermaids, ogres, gargoyles, witches, vampires, the Anasso Styx, and more. I enjoyed this story. The series does not appear to be getting stale at all.

Beware the Darkness (Guardians Of Eternity, #14) by Alexandra Ivy ... I LOVE this series....I can't say that enough. Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Tarak..the vampire who was freed after five hundred years from an evil mer-man Riven...he is seeking revenge. Waverly .. mermaid princess ..who has helped Terak ... It was good to tough base with old friends and frenemies like Inga and Levet.. There is plenty of action, some laughs, tears and steamy stuff all getting us to a HEA. I can't wait for the next book to find out what happens next.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Easy-to-read Great world building Happily Ever After Entertaining Page-turner Unpredictable Witty Romantic Funny Steamy Wonderful characters

Kindly provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.......

Alexandra Ivy and her Guardians of Eternity series is PURE GENIUS !!!. This was Tarak.....my poor darling being imprisoned for so many years !!!! and Waverly.....what a sweetheart. For quite a while and rightly so !!!!!. Tarak is so focused on revenge, he is missing the most important person in his life right in front of him....his mate Waverly !!. I was so glad when he got his head into gear !!!!
Riven (Tarak's capture gets hers !!!) this was a tale about revenge - YES, but very much about freedom and choices and LOVE !!!!. What more can a reader want of be smitten with?!!!
From start to finish.........on tender hooks....addicted and LOVED EVERY word and chapter. God I want more, more, more !!!!.
A huge well done to Alexandra and thanks you for this opportunity xx

A MUST READ ! Later peeps xxx 5+ " I am under your spell stars from me"

A massive castle along the remote cliffs of the Himalayan Range, 1500’s Asia. There was a rumor that the King of Vampires, The Anasso was addicted to feeding on prey with opium and alcohol in their system. It was common knowledge that tainted blood would eventually drive the vampire mad. Being a loyal servant of the King, Tarak refused to believe these rumors. For it was he, who brought his clan to the Anasso, for the overwhelming fact he believed in what the King was trying to accomplish. However, during the evening fest, Tarak had to come to terms that The Anasso was addicted to tainted blood. Now, Tarak has to come to terms…the one person he thought he could trust was actually an enemy from within. But first Tarak must find a way to escape the hell that he finds himself in.

Beware The Darkness is the 14th book in the Guardians of Eternity, written by Alexandra Ivy, picks up right where book 13th, Darkness Returns left off. Tarak is freed after 500 years in captivity. Learning that the old Anasso was dead and his friend that he thought as a brother was now the King, gave him peace. However, there is one thing he must do before he goes home to his people…revenge.

Beware The Darkness was a quick, well=written paranormal. Giving that this book was only 191 pages long, it was surprisingly how well you came to know the characters of Tarak and Waverly.

Another great book in the Guardians of Eternity series, looking forward to the next title.

The Guardians of Darkness series is a long-time favorite that almost wasn't. I read the first book of the series, and wasn't a fan. I don't even think that I managed to finish the whole book, honestly. But a couple of years later, I picked up the 6th book and was completely hooked. I went back and started from the first again, and was so glad I did. I was equally happy when after a few years' break, Alexandra Ivy returned to this world again. In this story, we focus on the newly-freed vampire Tarak and his quest for revenge. I really liked this one - it feels like a traditional Guardian's story, but with all new characters and settings that give everything a fresh, new feel. Great characters, lots of action, and a good love story. Definitely looking forward to more.

Tarak has awakened from his imprisonment and he is ready to decimate those who enslaved him. But he also has a strange attachment to the angelic female who fed him over the centuries, staving off the madness that should have consumed him.

Waverly is a member of the Mer Royal family. She has been forced to obey her ruler, who ousted her father. She made sure the vampire survived, but now she feels an affinity towards him.

Levet the gargoyle and a certain female part ogre also appear, which really amps up the comedy in the book. They are such a mismatched pair! Superb reading and a great way to switch off the world!

3.75* Follows on from the previous tale, so not a standalone. An expansion of the series, perhaps?

The Guardians of Eternity series has seemingly been resurrected with this book's precedent, Darkness Returns #13. It was nice to see the series back, but that book was quite repetitive, slow and with deja vu, ending on a cliff hanger of sorts. This picks up immediately on that cliff hanger, with a new set of leads and with the pair we've just met exiting the series after about a page or so. Styx makes his usual appearance and we get the same sort of intro, but then we do get introduced to a new offering: mer people and ogres.

There are some twists in this tale that I didn't see coming, and I also wonder if it maybe marks the exit of a certain gargoyle, as if I'm not mistaken, he falls in love here. Yes, I know he's been in love before, but here, it's a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder and other cliches, as he falls for the person you'd least suspect. I say 'falls', but there's no full admission, though a couple of times, I thought I was about to get one.

The actual tale is about freeing Tarak, who's been captured for 500 years, about setting right some wrongs in mer-land (sorry, there's no actual name used that I recall) and about his 'romance' with Waverly, a mermaid. The use of inverted commas is deliberate, as though there's a proper tale that is very much worth a read, their relationship doesn't get a chance to get going, though they manage to mate. Too much happens in too short a span of time and they've barely found each other, done the deed and have mated, before the tale ends. It ends rather unsatisfyingly, I'm afraid, in the sense that you turn the page expecting a reunion and a brief synopsis of how things turn out now the baddie is defeated and Waverly is free to choose her own destiny, as well as Tarak being freed, but there's nothing more than battle being done, full stop.

I did wonder if the next book, out in Dec 2019, will pick up the same way that this book did, but it doesn't appear so. The leads are Ulric, whom I'm sure has appeared before in the series, and Rainn, and it takes place in a different location and with a different feel, from what I got of the synopsis. It does make me wonder if we'll see this couple or not again, as they're not integral to the series. Then again, with a former 'cur' made into a lead in one of the earlier tales, with there now being mer people added to the mix, perhaps the series will expand. It does feel as if anyone could potentially be a lead. And, if a certain character stays with their true love, as I suspect will happen, maybe we will be revisiting the mer people.

One thing I particularly liked about the tale was the Tryshu and the legend behind it. It's a name for the trident of tridents, which yes, do appear in tales set in underwater kingdoms, but here, the author borrowed a bit from Hinduism, whether intentionally or not, as the 'trishul' is linked to the god Shiva and has great significance in Hindi lore and is equated with all things good and right, and a true leader. That was a nice touch to the tale, especially when the true leader of the mer people came to light.

ARC courtesy of Kensington Books/Lyrical Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

I adored this book. Then again, I have followed the whole series and each one seems better than the last. Tarak was amazing and the stuff he went through, just, wow. I wanted to be Waverly so bad. And then I wanted Waverly for my best friend. The resilience she showed and the love she showed for her people was unparalleled.

I can't believe this is book 14. I have been a fan of this series since it began and at last Tarak has his day and finds love with Waverly, a royal mermaid under the wrongful king, Riven, and who has been keeping him alive during his entrapment. The secondary story of Inga is heartbreaking and she also gets some justice in her hybrid life. Levet is also there to bring the story some humor. Another good edition to the Guardians series!

I received an ARC thru NetGalley for my honest opinion

Alexandra Ivy had me at Levet, but I’ve got to admit the pairing between Tarak, a vampire who has been imprisoned for 5 centuries, and Waverly, a mer-royal who had to feed his thirst during his imprisonment, made for some great reading.

You, as the reader, are thrust into a marvelous world where vampires, weres, mer-people, ogres and, maybe last on my list but not least, gargoyles become real. Real characters that you route for, laugh with and yes, even some you can’t wait for them to be squashed from existence. That is the ultimately what keeps me coming back time and time again. Ivy’s ability to connect the reader with her worlds, characters and wonderfully original imaginings.

I received this ARC copy of Beware the Darkness from Kensington Books - Lyrical Press. This is my honest and voluntary review. Beware the Darkness is set for publication Aug. 20, 2019.

My Rating: 4 Stars
Series: Guardians of Eternity (Book 14)
Paperback: 188 pages
Publisher: Lyrical Press (August 20, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1516108469
ISBN-13: 978-1516108466
Genre: Paranormal Romance

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Beware the Darkness
by Alexandra Ivy

Now that freedom has been achieved, now it’s time to extract his vengeance on the person who imprisoned him.

We open this new story with Tarak freed and chasing the Ogress Inga, through the swamp so she will take him to the mermaids. Riven, the “king” of the mermaids, who held him captive for five hundred years to harvest his power, will be needing all his spells to keep him in control and king.

This book gives you more twists and turns that will keep you reading. The characters will catch you by surprise, who saves the “day” and who gets their butt handed to them! And some interesting questions are answered, that you didn’t know you needed.

I throughly enjoyed this book and hope there’s still more to come with this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Netgalley

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Lots of twists and turns in this story and secrets are revealed as the story progresses. Tarak is finally free from his prison of 500 years but still needs to resolve who and why he was enslaved.

There is a cast of characters that keep this story moving along as Tarak tries to get back to kill Riven, the king of the Mer-men, and person who enslaved him. He comes across Waverly and is not sure if she is part of keeping him in prison or helping him.

Inga and Levet are another odd couple but you just hope that they work out. When all is revealed about Inga, it is a surprise and so sad that she has been lied to her whole life.

Loved the HEA and hope that we see more of all of these characters!

This is book 14 of the Guardian's of Eternity series and starts up basically where the last book left off. In this one we get Tarak's story after he has been released from his prison after 5 centuries. Now he is on the hunt to kill the one who held him captive all these years, Riven. But he never expected Waverly, the one who fed him all this time, to not only try to keep him alive but to help him take Riven down.

I absolutely loved this one! We got to see a new species and world that was previously not a part of these books and it was great! Waverly and Riven each have their own wants and needs and having them work out a way to get what they both want was great. I love that Tarak always manages to move beyond the things that have been done to him to do what is right and necessary. Waverly does everything she can for the ones she loves, even when it goes against what she believes is the right thing to do. But once she has other options, she takes the right path every time. She is a truly good person. They have unbelievable chemistry and I love how they put the past behind them in order to achieve what needs to be done. I even loved how Inga's story ends up!! Great read!

Alexandra Ivy’s Guardians of Eternity series is up to book 14 with Beware the Darkness. Yet the book is original, refreshingly so, written by a gifted storyteller. While revenge is not new in books, the complications, alliances, unknowns and the gift of love keep it a page turner.

The intro of new species, as well as the continue world building that go with them is marvelous done so that the reader feels as if they are too thrust into this intricate world. There is strong characterization in the imaginative plot with Tarak seeking revenge and holding onto his bitterness only to find love in the process. Waverly is just as complex with conflicting feelings about events in her life. Several of the past characters make an appearance or are part of a subplot. Really, it was great to see them again. However, that is one reason this story would be hard to jump into the series with. Also Beware the Darkness begins right where the last book left off.

Still it is an extraordinary read. If there are any paranormal fans who haven’t experienced the Guardians of Eternity, you are missing out. Start today.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.