Dark Promise (Underworld #1) by M.L. Guida

[Eva Millien]

Blurb:

(Off Goodreads):

Love can unlock the secret to saving two worlds.
As the Golden Aspen Tree withers, darkness consumes the Dragon Demons of the Underworld, turning them feral. Prince Eric Wyvern must keep his darkness at bay and woo the silver-haired human tainted with angel blood whose touch is prophesied to save the Golden Tree and restore light to the Underworld.
Cassandra Wright, a gifted psychic, has dreamed of Eric her whole life. When her dream lover joins her on a ski vacation, he plunges her into a nightmare. Imprisoned in a dying world filled with abuse and torture, she must become the Demon Prince’s mate or remain trapped forever. If she fails to fulfill the prophecy, the darkness will spread to her world. But how can she give herself to this dark and frightening version of the man of her dreams?
Eric will give Cassandra the world, if only he can make her see past the darkness to the man he really is, and help him save it first.
Release Date: March 3, 2014

My Review:

The first book in the Underworld series is a fascinating paranormal story that keeps readers on the edge of their seat.  The Golden Aspen Tree withers and darkness consumes the dragon demons turning them feral. Their only hope is for Prince Eric Wyvern to mate with, Cassandra Wright, a gifted psychic.  Only one problem, Cassandra’s seeing the dark and frightening man that he is becoming instead of the passionate man she’s dreamed of her whole life.

This fast paced plot keeps the adrenaline pumping and the reader fascinated with this intriguing world and characters.  The author brings the story to life with vivid imagery, details and an engaging concept and prophecy.  All of the characters are strong and grab the reader’s attention, but the main characters are enchanting while the others strike an overwhelming fear at first because of what is happening in the Underworld.

The chemistry between Cassandra and Eric explodes from the pages but the conflict causes a lot of strife and hinders the building of the relationship.  Cassandra captures the heart with her vulnerable, insecurities and the overwhelming sexual attraction to Eric.  Eric inspires some hot fantasies, while also wanting to scream at him to get a clue.  

The author uses some unique spins on existing myths and stories and creates an exciting world that draw the reader deeper into the story. She hints at other breeds of demons that are unique to her world that also produces curiosity in the reader. 

The world and concept is strikingly different from other books that I have read which makes for a refreshing change and the characters and their stories are captivating.  While I wish it had been a little longer, there was a lot of punch to this short story and I will be looking for the next one in this series.

4 STARS 4 FLAMES

Purchase Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Promise-Underworld-M-L-Guida-ebook/dp/B0...

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-darkpromise-1444455-140.html

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-promise-ml-guida/1111320302?ea...

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dark-promise-3

http://books.google.com/ebooks?id=JWH0AgAAQBAJ&dq=Dark+Promise&...

About M L Guida:

(Off author’s site)

I have a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Regis University and I studied both creative and creative non-fiction.  My final Capstone was on A Pirate’s Curse, my paranormal historical manuscript, and I’ve decided to self-publish it in the fall of 2013. Creative non-fiction is actually subjective journalism and this helped me learn how to write columns, basically blogging.

I live in Colorful Colorado and enjoy the Rocky Mountains. Many of my other stories, such as Dark Promise, which will be coming out in March 2014, are based in the mountains, specifically Frisco, Colorado where my family owns a cabin.

My home backs up to open space and I enjoy taking my cocker spaniel, Sadie, on trails behind my house.

Where to find the author:

http://www.mlguida.com/

http://www.mlguida.com/?page_id=16

http://www.facebook.com/ml.guida1?ref=ts#!/MLGuidaauthor

http://twitter.com/mlguida

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5177984.M_L_Guida

Books by M L Guida:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5177984.M_L_Guida