Just not working out for me, the characters were too qucikly into each other, it felt too random and forced. No chemistry...and just boring.

The story was hard to get in to. The storyline is interesting but it wasn't a favorite of mine. Thank you for the arc

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was a pretty good story. I loved the beginning and the end was good. The middle was a bit long and slow but it has the content dump to get caught up on what was happening. I liked the attraction between Rowan and Alyssa but also thought it went way too fast for virtually strangers just meeting.

I'm glad I got the chance to read this book!

A mythic fantasy novel mixed with epic battles and hot and steamy romance what more could you ask for!? Maybe something that was not so overwhelmingly “man is Hunter” type hero. The Warriors are all men and they must find their woman before they turn 28, but the women are weak and portrayed and just the supporting act in battle and just an object of sexual desire and lust...unless you’re their talisman then they love you but mostly you’d still be an object of desire.. A number of times Alyssa woke to find Rowan turning her on, I’m not entirely sure this should be portrayed as something to be encouraged in any media format. But the gender stereotypes are strong, almost forgivable based on the Celtic mythology the story is based upon but I just couldn’t accept so blindly.

This was a disappointing story. The description sounded good, but I really didn’t care for the characters and the flow of the book once I got into it. DNF.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

It is always interesting when mythology is brought into modern times, at least to me. Though I can’t say I knew much about Celtic mythology. I do love a good paranormal romance with some good action and adventure. Interesting well written story with intriguing characters. My first read by the author but not my last especially not in this series.

I felt like I was getting a lesson in Celtic Mythology in this book. There was so much god and goddesses talk and mythology it was really hard to get into a grove and read this book. It was a bit choppy in parts but her constant resistance to what was happening was a real downer. Rowen is the ultimate big brother figure and alpha in this book, he takes charge of the situation and just goes for it. There is little romance in this book, lots of Celtic mythology and sex.

I liked the storyline! However, I got lost a few times with the history the author created. Overall, the book was a bit too wordy and descriptive for me.

I thought the ideas of this world, bringing Celtic mythology into the current world, were really good. And the idea of a warrior who meets his shy bookish 'fated mate' (talisman) intrigued me.

Sadly Rowan was too much the take charge warrior - grad students are by definition quite bright and able to learn, but he didn't take the time to explain things to Alyssa. (And don't get me started on the grandmother hiding all this from Alyssa 'for her own good' - way to infantile her and treat her like her opinions are irrelevant). Rowan's taking over just seemed to me in direct conflict to meeting the needs of your talisman and doing right by her. He was rather too much the steam roller and I felt Alyssa was flattened rather than brought along with him. A shame.

Enjoyed this book it was a fresh look at a well-used subject of late paranormal romance. Even though both charters are human. They are from a world within ours. Well hidden facts that make them special druids, warriors, and talismans. Warriors must find their talisman by their 28th birthday or die away. So when they find their talisman they must bond to keep them safe. Its fast-moving and a fin read.

Each warrior must find his mate, his Talisman, by the end of his twenty eighth birthday or he faces death or a sort of betrayal. Alyssa does not know she is a Talisman and is suddenly introduced to a world that she studies for her degree in Celtic Mythology. Rowan is forced to move fast in order to meet his deadline and Alyssa needs time. I was swept up into this world of warriors, Talismans, druids and Gods. There was a fun mixture of modern times and historical fantasies.

If you're wondering if this book is as good as it sounds, IT IS!! If sexy Celtic warriors are your thing(which I'm sure they're everyone's thing, right ;) ) then Talisman is for you! I loved this book and couldn't put it down, I finished it in one sitting. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. I liked the premise and the writing was fine but I just couldn't connect to the H/h and kept putting the book down due to lack of interest. Sadly this story was not for me.
Disclosures: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Hot, Sexy and Dark!!! This book was fabulous, I stayed up all night to finish reading this book and it was worth it!! try it!!!!

Romantic Fantasy; Adult

First Person, Multiple-POV

This is book #1 of the Talisman series.

"For a man to be a warrior, he needed three things: his name, his weapon, and his talisman."

WHAT HAS REALLY WORKED FOR ME

Addictiveness: 4.5/5 I loved it. From the first chapter I was invested in Alyssa and Rowan’s future. It was an easy, fast read! As addictive as ice cream!!!

Character: hero 4/5, heroine 4.5/5, secondary characters 5/5, growth 4/5, real 4/5 Multidimensional characters that had lot of layers and good backstories.

Alyssa was an amazing heroine. She was smart, loyal, friendly and a bit shy. Really she was the true warrior. So much was thrown her way in such a short amount of time and she handle it all really well. I loved her personal growth during the story. This was a journey of self-discovery for Alyssa.

Rowan was a good hero. Yes he was a warrior and had all this supernatural abilities that he has known from birth, but he was still a bit overbearing. I know he was working against time and gods/goddesses but he had a hard time putting himself in Alyssa’s place. I think he should have explained better. He was still dreamy, hot and a loyal mate. I just believe he didn’t have as much growth than Alyssa in the story.

Secondary characters… so many interesting stories to come. Yeah, the moment Rio entered the story I knew he would be for Josie. I’m really looking forward to reading their story, even though I don’t like Rio at all. The one story I can’t wait, because I know he is going to be an awesome hero is Seamus!

Villains.. antagonists… I enjoyed how the author transformed Morrigan’s three supernatural abilities into three different god/goddess for the story. The battles felt more powerful against several god/goddesses.

All characters were easy to love, connect and understand!!!

Cover: art 4/5, title 5/5, color-font 5/5, buy 5/5 I’m obsessed with book covers. I love to find snippets of the stories within the art. This cover was really good and sexy, even though a couple things felt a bit disconnected for me. I really liked the color of the background because it felt a bit like a fire, or fog. Before reading the book, I was trying to understand the ring on his necklace. I still don’t know what it was about. Also all the tall buildings and highway vibe in Montana, it didn’t really worked for me. One detail that I really enjoyed was the rainbow colors on the bridge, it sort of felt like how I would imagine Rowan’s warrior supernatural speed worked. I love the title and subtitle, their placement in the cover really worked. I would easily buy this book by its cover without needing to read the blurb.

Freshness: 4.5/5 This feels unique! It’s different than what it is out there. I loved how the author played with gods, goddesses, Celtic mythology and history. It worked for me! As fresh as ice cream in a hot summer day!!!

Plot: believable 4/5, conflict 4/5, dialogue 4/5, , ending 3.5/5, enjoyment 5/5, opening 4.5/5, pace 5/5, setting 5/5, subplots 5/5, twists 4/5 A very enjoyable plot, with good conflict and dialogue. Excellent opening to an ok ending. Amazing pace, great setting, interesting subplots and good twist. High level of enjoyment!

I was really hooked in how the Celtic mythology was written for this story. The author did such a great job of exploring it, at the same time giving the reader a sexy romance. It was very well balanced the myth/history with the smutty romance.

Romance: believable 5/5, chemistry 5/5, description 4/5, development 4/5, steam 4/5 This is a real fast romance. The supernatural fact, the mating, paring aspect makes it believable. The couple’s chemistry was undeniable and the description of the smut was good. The development of the romance was so so for me but the overall love story was great. I loved them together and I hope I will see a lot more of them throughout the rest of the series. Mythical love!!!

Writing Style: 4/5 This was my first book by the author and I’m looking forward to read more. The characters were amazing and felt real. The plot was creative and new. The romance was hot and dangerous. Amazing writing!!!

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

Plot: The ending… I expected more focus on the end of the curse. Did it really end? I’m not even certain. I mean, it was barely mentioned at the end of the story. The battle was good, but also, I felt that something was missing. I didn’t end the book feeling “wow, they ended the curse!” Yes, I know this is a series, and I can’t wait to read the next book.

MY THOUGHTS

I decided to read this book, because I saw the second book of the series and was interested. I’m so glad, that I decided to give the series a try.

It was different! It felt fresh, different than most books that I read, at the same time offered me everything that I enjoy in a book. I got my romance, I got tasteful smut, but I also got complex characters and creative plot.

I’m not only really looking forward to read the second book, but I’m already envisioning Seamus book that I hope will be #3.

Can’t wait to read more!!!

A fun love story within a promising new series!!!

29/35 STARS – 4 STARS (between 28 stars and 31 stars)

Addictiveness: 4.5 Character: 4 Cover: 4 Freshness: 4 Plot: 4.5 Romance: 4 Writing Style: 4

Action 4/5 Angst 2/5 Darkness 0/5 Humor 2/5 Romance 5/5 Suspense/Mystery 2/5

Would I recommend? Definitely! If you like unique, romantic fantasy, this is a good one!!!

Would I re-read this book/series? Yes!

Would I read more from the author? Yes, I will be on the look out for more.

"…to be victorious in battle, a warrior must have his talisman, the one woman the fates chose to complete him, or he was nothing but an ordinary man with ordinary skill-a foot soldier easily bested in combat."


You MAY read this because you like romance; you SHOULD read this because these characters are amazing ; you MUST read this because myth, history and fiction have been blended splendidly well!!!

Didn’t like this at all, Rowan forces his way in , strong arms his talisman and basically forces himself on her, ever heard of consent ! I like instant mates, fated mates etc but I’ve never read once that basically begun with pressured sex bordering on assault. Not at all for me, DNF and I never do this but I can’t accept this.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I was given a copy of this book through @netgalley netgalley and I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
•
•
⚠️Spoiler Warning ⚠️
I really enjoyed this book. I love stories with love at first sight sort of stories but they have to be done well and somewhat realistic, which I think this story did. The characters fell in love/were intensely attracted to each other almost immediately but that didn’t not keep them from doubt or drama. Alyssa life is completely changed when she meets Rowan, everything she once believed is no longer the full truth and she is forced to train and learn enough to fulfill a prophecy and save hundreds in just a few days. I love that she handled it with real human emotions and didn’t just power through it as if it were natural or easy. I love that she left Rowan for a time because of how he acted. I love that she stood up for herself, and I love that Rowan fought for her.

I love urban fantasy and having it based on Celtic mythology is an added bonus. The prologue set in 10th century Scotland begins the and the reader knows from the outset what is at stake and why, but there’s also a little known, hidden secret that is brought forth in this first novel.

In the 21st century, grad student Alyssa Mccaulay has been having dreams that have become more urgent and frequent since the death of her beloved grandmother. She thinks the dreams are a result of her intense studying and the writing of her thesis and they’re leaving her edgy and exhausted; then she finds evidence that someone has been prowling around her house. Shadow is her Great Pyrenees protector but she decides to have a security system installed as an added bonus. She makes an appointment with Security Consultants which is owned by the Sheridan family and Rowan Sheridan is the manager of the Montana office. During their consultation he receives a call, apologizes that he has to run for a service call but tells her his secretary will set up a time convenient for both of them so he can come out and see what type of system she needs.

After leaving his office, she goes to her office and falls asleep at her desk where she has another dream where she sees Rowan Sheridan dressed in battle gear and fighting with claymores and to her horror she watches as the battle unfolds. She wakes up when the battle is over and is amazed that she is having them during the day, the details are so vivid and becoming, how vivid they seem and how easily they are recalled.

After a disastrous relationship with her ex, Alyssa has sworn off men, all she wants is to complete her thesis, get her degree, continue teaching and possibly write a book on the subject that she has been fascinated by all her life. She will soon learn that fate has much bigger plans in store for her, but Rowan will have to work hard to gain her trust and undo all the damage that was inflicted by the louse she was with previously. Failure to do so will mean death and another thousand years before the curse has the chance to be broken again.

4/5 STARS: I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. I sincerely thank Netgalley, author and/or publisher for giving me this opportunity.**

Talisman by Tam DeRudder Jackson is the first book in the series of the same name and is a thought-provoking tale of magic, mythology, gods, warriors and so much more! The story is definitely attention grabbing and an imaginative plot and storyline to keep the readers interest. I’m keen to discover what happens in book two!

I really wanted to like this book but it came up short. The premise is okay. A warrior must find his talisman by his 28th birthday to activate his and his talismans powers or become Maeve’s sex slave then become a pawn of Morgan. This book came up short. First off, Rowan finds his talisman, Alisa. Instead of explaining things to her, he pushed his way into her house and makes aggressive sexual advances on her. In a fantasy world I guess it’s okay but in the real world and the Me, too generation this felt uncomfortably controlling and stalkerish. Alisa seems to have such a low self-esteem that she puts up with it. The next day he moves all his stuff into her house without asking or talking with her about it. Not realistic. Everyone was nice to her, trained her and welcomed her with open arms but when she returned from her ordeal, no one asked her about what happened to her when she was in captivity. No one. That was weird. She believed everything Maeve and Morgan showed her which shows that she has no self-esteem. Roman is clueless and doesn’t even try to talk with her. When he finally confronts her on her misconceptions he starts with asking why she isn’t grateful that he saved her. Overall, I didn’t like the characters and thought a lot of the behavior was inappropriate in this day and age. There was a preview of the next book presumably telling Rio and Ceri’s story. Rio in this book. Is an ass throughout. Ceri is Alisa’s best friend and seems really nice. Maybe it’ll work out for her but I’m not interested in reading about it, Rio is an ass. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.