Touch of Surrender

When Lycan Watchman Kierland needs to find his brother and stop Kellen from carrying out a suicidal rescue mission, Kierland will have to accept the help of the last Watchman he'd ever choose as a partner, the gorgeous Morgan. Despite her 'betrayal', Morgan's the one woman Kierland can't resist and the one woman he can never allow close to his heart. Even though Morgan doesn't know the reason she's had Kierland's enmity for so many years, Morgan will not back down because she knows that she's the key to finding Kellen before it's too late. But working together so closely is starting to breakdown the wall of animosity betwen the pair and it's making Kierland rethink his strategy with Morgan - instead of fighting the attraction, Kierland's considering indulging it in order to work Morgan out of his system once and for all - you can imagine how well that's going to work for him. I was hesitant to continue this series because of the over the top yuckiness of the sadistic villains in the past books. But I love the Watchmen and I was dying to know what the deal was between Kierland and Morgan. So I bought Touch of Surrender and planned on skipping the chapters with the Casus, fortunately, I didn't have to - no Casus on screen in this one, which made it so much easier to deal the aftermath of Kraven and Casus brutality - instead of the play by play in the moment sadism of the previous books. If you are like me and have read all five books you are likely to find the first third of the book slow, but new readers will probably appreciate the info dump rehash of what has gone before in the series. I actually set the book down for a bit at this point, when I found out what Kierland considered Morgan's BIG betrayal. It just didn't seem so much a betrayal to me in light of his actions and I was mad at Kierland for being such a major-jerk to Morgan for all those years and mad at Morgan as well for still loving Kierland after he treated her so shabbily . But I did pick it back up and WOW, Kierland and Morgan come together explosively - it's very very steamy. And the intense sensual connection pretty much continues for the rest of the book with brief interludes to look through all of the characters' baggage, to clear up misunderstandings, and to introduce more supporting players who just 'have to' get their own books - I definitely want to see more of Morgan's vampire 'ex' Ashe (and I want to Ashe find the woman who will make him 'burn') and the vamp Juliana, as well as Ashe's absent brother both have potential - maybe Byrd will do a vamp trilogy next after Kellen's story which is up next. Overall since Touch of Surrender was heavy on the steamy stuff it fell a bit more on the erotic side - even though the language didn't go there. Comparing Touch of Surrender to the rest of the series, Kierland and Morgan win hands down for sensual intensity and the toning down of the villain material was a welcome relief. But heroine Olivia in Touch of Seduction beats

Morgan Cantrell wants to become a super Watchman. In that regard, she has worked diligently to achieve her objective overcoming hurdles until now. In Prague, she must work with Kierland Scott the lycan who broke her heart; he loathes her, but she vows even he can be leaped over with her motive saving his brother. Kierland loathes Morgan because she has the power to control him. He uses every weapon in his arsenal including kisses to keep them apart while blaming her for his need. Now he must work with the female he loathes, fears, and wants to save his brother. Using anger to conceal his feelings, he is shocked into reality when she faces a life threatening situation; he fears he may be too late to make amends and tell her he loves her. The fifth Primal Instinct urban fantasy is a great entry as two "enemies" team up on a rescue mission in which their respective hearts are at risk from one another as much as their lives are from the death Walkers. Readers will relish the trek from Prague across Europe as Kierland's world implodes when Morgan is in danger. Harriet Klausner

With evil circling from three collective fronts, the Watchmen prepare for war as it looms on the horizon, dark with inevitability. A combat trained group of shifters that watch over the paranormal species of Earth, the Watchmen are in the race of their lives as they scramble to find the Dark Markers. These magical ancient relics are not only successful in killing a particularly vicious tribe known as the Casus, but they also may very well prove to be the key to closing the gates to the Meridian - the dimensional Casus prison. As both are Watchmen soldiers, our hero's and heroine's story takes place on a specific outer ring of this overreaching plot arc, allowing for bountiful page time to be dedicated to the complex layering of mistrust that infects their tumultuous relationship. Morgan Cantrell, a shifter of indeterminate species, and Kierland Scott, a werewolf, have been embroiled in a personal feud for over a decade. Each carry secrets that could easily reverse the hostile course of their relationship to one of passion but neither can let go of their formidable pride. Instead they fight and fling jealous accusations at each other all in the hopes of protecting their hearts from what they've determined to believe will be an inevitable gut-wrenching fallout. When Kierland's younger brother, Kellan - his only remaining family, takes off to rescue a witch from an extremely protected enemy compound, Morgan uses her blood connection to Kellan to force Kierland's cooperation and bring her along to provide backup for Kellan's rescue plans. Irritated that he must utilize the one woman he can't stand in order to save his foolish brother, Kierland grudgingly follows Morgan as she listens to the "pull" of Kellan's blood which just so happens to be leading them into the Wastelands in Northern Europe. A magical prison for vampire families that have committed incredibly heinous crimes, the Wasteland is one of the most dangerous places for an outsider to travel with the hopes of making it out alive. And things just keep getting better for Kierland when Morgan reveals her plans to engage Ashe Granger, vampire and ex-boyfriend, as their guide. Kierland has been disturbed by his possessive feelings for Morgan for ten years. He wants her badly but he won't ever let himself have her. His is a long line of possessive and fiercely jealous males and what he fears the most is his already abundant and long standing jealously where Morgan is concerned. Afraid that he'd manage to fatally harm her, Kierland has instead built and maintained an image of Morgan as a biddable whore, one who'll do whatever the Consortium, the governing body that controls the Watchmen, says for her to do even if that means seducing and sleeping with the mark. By doing this, Kierland has managed to mentally keep Morgan at a distance, but that doesn't stop his seething emotions from boiling over when she's near. Deciding that he's going to rid Morgan of his system once and for all, he persuade