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Review and Tears! Blood Broken by Lindsay J. Pryor


Brace yourselves, the finale is coming. In fact - it's here! Today it is my absolute pleasure to share Blood Broken, book eight, in the stunning Blackthorn series. As it's the final book wailing into your cup of tea is totally allowed and likely unavoidable. Here goes...*deep breath*

Blurb

‘Our love could save us both. Or it could destroy everything.’ Leila McKay is both blessed and cursed. Her potent serryn powers are growing stronger, but they come with a heavy price. And to prove her love for vampire leader Caleb, she needs to bring his murdered brother Jake back to life. The only way is to cast a spell no one has dared to attempt before, that could tear apart the fabric of time itself… But Caleb fears that treachery runs deep in Leila’s veins. Although the heat between them grows hotter by the second, Caleb’s past has left him with a hard heart and a mistrustful nature, and it was at her sister’s hands that Jake was killed… but with his brother’s life in the balance, giving in to his primal instincts is more tempting than ever. Time is running out for Caleb. In a matter of hours, Jake will be past the point of saving: and around them, all-out war rages in Blackthorn. With genetically modified lycans and vicious convicts roaming the streets, Sirius Throme at the Global Council has secret plans that threaten to devastate the whole district… and Leila is the only one powerful enough to save them all. But can Caleb really trust her? With countless lives at stake, will Leila and Caleb’s fierce attraction be strong enough to see them through the ultimate test? Or in unleashing the darkness within, will they destroy everything they hold dear? The explosive, action-packed conclusion to the utterly addictive Blackthorn series will leave fans of paranormal romance breathless. Blackthorn is an eight-book series with an overarching plot, so if you’re at the start of your Blackthorn journey, read BLOOD SHADOWS to discover how it all began… Read what everyone’s saying about the Blackthorn series: ‘I don’t think I have read such a finely executed dark PNR world before…This series truly surprised me. I didn’t think I would love it that much or be intrigued by it. I couldn’t stop thinking about these books once I was done with them… The world-building is spectacular. The characters are enthralling and addicting… Plain fabulousness.’ Gaga Over Books ‘I am completely enthralled with this paranormal series. You get so wrapped up in the story and characters that you lose track of time… This is one of my favorite series so far this year!’ Paranormal Book Club ‘This is a paranormal universe like none you have encountered before… There are stories that are so powerful, so intense that I do not believe anyone should warn you about what is to come… I truly do feel that if you love the Paranormal genre and have not yet discovered Lindsay J. Pryor or these novels then you need to read them, experience them firsthand.’ Keeper Bookshelf ‘I am officially addicted to this series. Why, you ask? Because Lindsay Pryor is my kind of fearless author. She isn’t afraid to “go there”, to create characters and situations that challenge me as a reader.’The Demon Librarian ‘Not only are Pryor’s characters and fathomlessly dark love stories fabulous, but her continual world building of Blackthorn blows me away.’ Gravetells. (less)

My Review

This. This book. It’s a climb a mountain and hold it aloft, Lion King style, without the need for words, book. It’s that good. And I’ll be that person holding it aloft whilst the tears flow from my eyes. Blood Broken broke me! This entire series broke me. It breaks my heart to say that Blood Broken is the final book of the Blackthorn series. Yet it ends perfectly. This series is so unique, in that it’s a continuity series, and so unique in the way that each of the eight books in the series is as equally strong throughout. A rare talent. The best series I have ever read. The Blood Broken plot is ridiculously clever. My heart raced the entire way through! It’s spine tingling. Known as the queen of twists, Lindsay J. Pryor, did not disappoint. Never, not once, throughout the entire series, have I ever become anywhere close to guessing the outcome. I thought I knew Blackthorn, thought my beloved characters couldn’t possibly endure more conflict, yet everything I thought I knew was tipped on its head. And oh, THE TENSION! THE TENSION! In Blood Broken, Leila returns to Caleb, sword in hand, with a plan to bring Caleb’s brother back to life. Except, everything action in Blackthorn seems to have a consequence to the prophecy. But with cons and the fourth species on the loose, and humans putting the safety of Blackthorn on the line, is there enough time? Will Caleb’s actions have the biggest consequence of all? It’s a race to survival. Tick tock! That’s as far as I’m willing to go with the plot, it would be an injustice to reveal any more. What I will say is that it’s clear that the author cared about Blood Broken, cared about the characters (even when putting them through hell) and cared about her readers. What you don’t appreciate, until you read Blood Broken, is everything that happens from book one, through to book eight, really does have a significance. From secondary characters, to settings. Everything is meaningful. Everything. And that’s what makes Blood Broken so incredibly powerful. And what made my heart swell, was the little nods to previous favourite quotes. The tenderness between each pair, despite their dire situation. Kane and Caitlin, Jask and Phia, Eden and Jessie and Caleb and Leila, are all fighting for survival, trying to avenge wrongs, yet there are still moments of humour (take a bow Eden), and importantly, love. Including the bromances! As readers, we often get so consumed in the finished product that we tend to forget the author, living a real life, working damn hard to get the book out to the desperate fans. For those who follow Lindsay on social media, you may know that she was having a difficult time whilst writing Blood Broken. Yes, authors are real people, often going their own personal hell. We often don’t appreciate that enough in our need for the finished product. I am completely in awe, now having read Blood Broken, of how this author managed to produce a plot so complex, with characters so real I am now married to one and the rest are my friends, and achieve it so beautifully. Lindsay J. Pryor, I applaud you. You put your heart and soul into it and you did it. I sobbed at the beautiful dedication, wept, yet smiled at times, throughout the story and bawled at the author’s letter and dedication. I was more than broken. I felt shattered. It was the ending I never expected and never knew I wanted. It was perfect. And, I have tears rolling now as I write my final Blackthorn review. Farewell, Kane, Caitlin, Jask, Phia, Eden, Jessie, Caleb and Leila. Thank you for an amazing journey.

To Lindsay J. Pryor: Thank you for years of absolute joy. You did the Blackthorn fans proud, you did yourself proud. No need to search for Narnia anymore, you created your own wardrobe! Thank you for taking me with you. An outstanding finale, to a phenomenal series. Stunning.

5 Butterfly Rating!

About Lindsay J. Pryor

Lindsay J. Pryor is the author of the Amazon bestselling BLACKTHORN series, her dark, complex and gritty urban paranormal romances having achieved numerous Gothic and PNR number ones in both the UK and the US. LOWTOWN, a spin-off from the Blackthorn world, is her upcoming urban fantasy series of standalone books.

Quickly deciding that fantasy was more interesting than reality, Lindsay has been creating stories since she was nine years old. She holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Psychology and Communication and is a qualified Psychology lecturer and English teacher. She taught for eighteen years before becoming a full-time author.

Lindsay was born and grew up in Wales and now lives in South West England with her husband, their rescue bunny and a plethora of wild woodland creatures.

BLACKTHORN is published by Bookouture. Her LOWTOWN novels are being published by Piatkus (Little, Brown Book Group).

To find out more about Lindsay and her books, please visit her website: lindsayjpryor.com

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