Cruentus: Rise to Power
Book 1, The Cruentus Series
By LS Broomfield
A prophecy of old continued to burn in the embers of time; long left dormant until the Cruentus family rose above all others as darkness ascended the lands. Greed and deception were the name of the game, and Arturo Cruentus would stop at nothing as he concocted the ultimate scheme to get everything he wanted. No price was too high. The scene was set, the pieces strategically placed. The Gallo family could not come against him, and in the end Guido and Palmiria Gallo would come out the biggest losers, watching their only daughter, Emiliana, be taken away to render a debt settled.
Young Emiliana Gallo, a victim of circumstance, was thrust into a world she did not understand and forced to marry a man she did not know. But what no one expected, not even Arturo, was that Emiliana and his son, Donato, would fall in love against all odds. For Arturo, love made one weak, but for his son, it was love at first sight. Donato became an opportunist in his father’s dirty schemes and did everything in his power to ensure the woman he admired for so long not only took his name in marriage, but also fell in love with him. Donato wanted it all, his gamble paid off richly, and he achieved both marriage and love. However, on the day they said ‘I do’ and the Cruentus and Gallo families were joined, Emiliana was ripped from their home like a thief in the night.
An unknown force too unsettled to let the vision spill and strengthen the Cruentus family decided to do the unthinkable—double-cross the Cruentus family. Rage and disdain fuelled Donato and Arturo. Though their reasons were very different-their goal unified them. They squared off with the leader of the Russian Coven to take back Emiliana, and in the end the Russian coven paid the highest price as the leader’s blood was spilled in retribution for his crime at the hands of Arturo. News spread quickly to the Magia Council, and before long Arturo was called before them to answer for his crime of murder unjustly. The Ancients of the roundtable at Mount Blanc, the mountain range bordering Italy and France, was now enacted as they listened to the tale that had unfolded. Little did they know that they were a part of the grand scheme Arturo Cruentus shrewdly planned for the ultimate betrayal.
My Thoughts: What a great way to start a series! It was the first book of The Cruentus Series and it showed great promise on how awesome this series will be. It is filled with mystery, magic, romance, action, and betrayal. It sent me on a thrilling adventure that had me asking for more.
The story was easily read but full of action that had me gripping the pages. From the first chapter, I wanted to know who the Cruentus family was and why they desperately wanted Emiliana to marry into the family. It had me guessing as to who was really being honest and if true love really existed between Emiliana and her betrothed. My curiosity peaked some more about the mystery behind the vision on Emiliana and how it was causing other covens to go against the Cruentus family. Though this book did not answer all of my questions, it did have me looking forward to the next book in the series.
The world and characters created were quite interesting. This was a world were magic was part of everyday life. There were witches and warlocks, but they were not seen as a big threat; they were just another part of human kind. The witches and warlocks belong to powerful covens that ruled the lands, and the Cruentus family was the most powerful. Being the most powerful brought evil intentions to keep the power and we get to see that with Arturo Cruentus. He was the mastermind behind everything. He planned ways to get Emiliana to marry his son, Donato. He was cold-hearted but intelligent. When things didn't appear to go according to plan for him, Arturo seemed to be able to make it part of it. Then there was his son, Donato. He was a complex character because I didn't know how true he was to Emiliana. Did he really love her or was he playing along with his father's plans? Lastly, there was Emiliana. She was pure, kind, and innocent. Though she was taken away by force from her family, Emiliana found a way to turn a negative situation into a more positive one. As the story progressed, Emiliana began to show strength, which lead me to believe that she will be a very powerful character in the following books.
To sum up, this was a great read. I enjoyed how it was not only about paranormal romance, like it was tagged, but how it was filled with action and mystery. It was told in a simple fast manner that had me flying through the pages. I was fascinated with the world and characters that Ms. Broomfield created. This book was almost perfect for my taste. I cannot wait for the next book! I rate it:
About the Author: L.S. Broomfield lives in God’s country – Central Labrador, Canada. She wasn’t born there, but it’s where she and her family call home. Born and raised in Hawkes Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, L.S. is published author who is currently working on book two of the Cruentus series, a series of tales about the Cruentus family; namely, Dragos Cruentus who who will make his appearance in the second book. She is full of talent and takes a fresh look on the paranormal world.
As a child, Lisa always wanted to write. She didn’t have any predilection of what to write, as long as she was writing – she was happy. She remembers growing up and traveling to Flower’s Cove to visit family and letting her imagination soar as the pen sketched across the paper. At such a young age, it was perhaps mostly incoherent thoughts tossed across the pages but still for all, it was a desire even then to write and tell a story.
As an adult, Lisa met an amazing group of individuals, and with their support and encouragement was brave enough to write and let people read the stories in her mind. While writing is one thing, allowing others to read the words one has spent hours putting to paper is entirely another thing. It opens the author wide to both praise and criticism. Lisa found it to be scary, yet wonderfully exciting.
Lisa has many people to thank for helping her to reach where she is today, but none of this would be possible without the support of her husband, Shawn, and her amazing kids, Brittany, Daniel, and Jacob. These people fill her world with color and make it worth writing – they enable her to do what she loves.
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