Darkness Awakened (Order of the Blade)

This book was a real shocker to me. I was looking threw the free romances and came across this book! It had me from the start. You really get into the characters of this book. I didn't think I'd like it but,I loved it! So much so I've read the whole series and can't wait until the next one comes out. And I have gotten other series from this author they are just as good.

Stephanie Rowe did a pretty good job with this book. The characters are well thought out and the women have dark sides or tragedies and powers that put them on equal footing with their men's darkness. It was great that the women finally had powers instead of just being the soul mates of each man and that each woman has some darkness in her life too.

Looking forward to reading more. Quick and easy read that you can pick up at any time but I do like that I don't want to put it down. Super nice escape from the daily grind and love the story and background of the warriors.

The writing makes this entertaining and easy to read. An enjoyment all around. The story has great characters and an interesting plot. Slightly reminisent of Blackdagger brotherhood series but still entertaining.

I couldn't put this book down! Amazing character development and a new and creative plot. I am so glad that this is only the first book. I can't wait to dive into the next and find out what happens with the Order and the other warriors! Down side...I haven't slept properly in three nights....stayed up too late reading!

It was a little slow going for me at first but it does start to pick up and turned out to be a fantastic read. The ending left me wanting to know more about the other characters and gave me hope for future good reads.

Loved the book and Stephanie Rowe's style. Have read the Blackdagger series and loved them only reason it didn't get 5 stars is you can see her style not ful developed yet. But great love story, twist, and reaction

Darkness Awakened is a great first book in the Order of the Blade series, with ten more books about hunky warriors to go.

Quinn Masters is a Calydon warrior, a race of ancient immortals cursed with a dark, demonic side. Each Calydon is destined to meet his Sheva, his soul mate, and unable to resist bonding with her, doom them both to a horrible end.
Quinn's Sheva shows up at the worst possible moment. All his trainees are dead, his weapon is missing, and it looks like one of his teammates had done it. But even his Sheva can't deter him from going after the guy.

Grace's sister is missing, and Grace will stop at nothing until she finds her, including taking on Quinn, one of the most dangerous Calydon warriors, and asking him for help.

Grace never imagined the kind of passion and ultimately love that she will find with Quinn. But first they have to find her sister; survive Quinn's teammates, the mating and each other; and try to change their world and avert their cursed destiny.

This was such fun and exciting read, and I'm looking forward to spending long hours enjoying the rest of the series, and reading about these big, tough guys and the soft but strong women who will change their world.

Everyone only dreams of truly being loved and honored, respected for who you are..Loyalty is so rare..This story maybe fiction, but it felt good while I read it. Thanks for a great story..The men are hot and is necessary ..loved it

Really enjoyed reading this book .It has some great moments of lightheartedness as well as lots of serious action stuff :) also I am in love with strong manly characters that don't take themselves too seriously all the time ;)

I usually give 5 stars to books I thoroughly enjoy reading but there were a few inconsistencies throughout this one. I don't blame the author tho, the editor should not have allowed them to be there. Other than that, totally enjoyed the plot. Undecided whether I should purchase the last two but these men are HOT so i probably will :P

Found this as a freebee, and now I am hooked. It is like a Laura Adrian series, sexy as hell, dangerous, tall and dark what more can you ask for.. The story is a page turner that you don't want to put down.

The book started off a little slow, then when this ride gets going, it has you speeding on through not wanting to put it down and dying for more. If you like forbidden love stories, this book would be great for you.

Really wasn't impressed by this book. Spent too much time going over the same couple of lines about how they were soulmates and destined to destroy each other, and how he had hunted his brothers for 500 years ad nauseum. There was nothing wrong with it the first time. I could have handled a reminded every 30 pages or so. But the H/h just couldn't shut up about it. They literally had to spit it out on every oage until I finally gave up on the book.

I picked up Darkness Awakened because of J.R. Ward's approval of the author. I didn't know what to expect. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline, all of it was amazing and believable. I will be reading more by Stephanie Rowe.

I was sucked into the story from the first page. The characters are so real and relatable with the growth from each character flowing seamlessly with the story line. The chemistry between Quinn and Grace is STEAMING HOT!Although I wouldn't have minded a bit more details in some of the scenes...lol. As more characters were introduced it wasn't in a way that they were forced leaving you to guess "which one is that again?" each time they're mentioned. The story built at a perfect pace with a flawless ending. It wrapped up in a way that didn't leave me frustrated while still leaving mystery for the rest of the series that I can't wait to dive into! This is a great book,with perfectly developed characters,a unique story line, with romance,danger,mystery and even humor. You can't ask for more in a book! 5***** HANDS DOWN!

Good start to the order of the blades series. I enjoyed watching the build of the relationship between Grace and Quinn. I also enjoyed the world that Stephanie Rowe created in this book. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.

It felt like I was reading this book so quickly - and I was because it was so good - but it was also because of Rowe's writing. Awesome. The word on each page make you feel like you are being swept up right along in the whirlwind! Loved every bit!

Loved the connection between hero & heroine but my heart connected and loved the supporting characters so much that I hated to see them go. I love paranormal romances, but I've decided that I like the lighthearted ones best. I've pursued the romantic erotic stories to escape harsh realities of daily living.

However, I value the author's ability to conjure a fantasy world that I'd be willing to escape into should time permits. Now that I know what to expect, the next book should be a fascinating read.

I didn't know what to expect. This is just such an awesome series. This first storyline got me hooked and I am so anxious to keep going. This first installment sets the bar really high for those that follow.

A bit hesitant at first to read a book like this but was trapped intoto the story almost immediately! Great characters, great story lines. Great choice for a free book, so good I paid for the rest of the series.

Loved the book. An easy read but well-written, with an understanding of descriptive language and proper grammar . Suspenseful, a love story with a supernatural bent. Like that it has a happy though incomplete ending. Looking forward to the next book

I absolutely love this book. It does not disappoint just leaves you wanting more. I have fallen for the Order of the Blade characters and can't wait to read more about them! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal romances!!!!!!!!

l really enjoyed this book. I would recommend to anyone and can't wait to download the rest in the series. I liked the fact that for a change the author didn't go crazy with sex scenes. thanks for a Great Read!!! Marlene

Eh, I quit this one about 30% in. If you want a great read try the Breed series by Lara Adrian. Because it seems this was loosely based on inspiration from those books.
I'm also so sick of these ready made relationships, the author would be better served by figuring out how to form a relationship than 'soul mating' one.
And then to be hit with a whole new plot point a third of the way through... ugh. Done.

I really wanted to enjoy this book and I really like the premise and the whole Calydon/supernaturals set up. What bothered me A LOT was the grammar errors, continuity errors, and repetitive dialog. I want to read the other books in the series but I just can't make myself purchase them unless and until I know that they're better than this one.

One of the best books I've read in a very long time, it is a page turner from start to finish and i'm so glad she has other books for me to read....i take inspiration from her as a want to be writer myself

Darkness Awakened is truly an incredible book. It has danger, adventure, romance, and humor. The story of Grace and Quin is filled with every emotion you can imagine. I was reading well into the morning hours, for several days. This isn't a short read. The story is full and completely fulfilling. I highly recommend you read this and I bet you'll be on to the next one, just like me!

i am an aspiring author and avid reader this was a great series just finished the 3rd installment ans eager to read kanes story in the 4th stephanie is wonderful descriptive and very imaginative.... love it!!!!

Very hard to get into, maybe because it was the first book in a new series? The second half of the book was definitely more fast paced &interesting. Although I will want to read the second book I don't have a burning desire to get it & read it now. I'll be taking a break from the Order & read something else.

This was a decent-enough book to read. It took me a while to warm up to the characters, but after a bit I really started to like Quinn and Grace. The world she creates is fine, we don't know where or why this world is, but that's fine. However, there are a few instances where the technology is out-dated and common, even for 2012, that draws you out of the story. At the end I was interested in what happens to the other characters enough to buy the rest of the "trilogy". Overall it was an enjoyable read, but not one of my favs by this author.

This book has a lot of action and adventure along with heartfelt romance. This book draws you in making you feel like a part of the story allowing you to identify with each character. Definitely recommend this book.

Darkness Awakened (Order of the Blade #1)Absolutely Fantastic! Spellbinding. Page turner! One book you don't want to put down. It leaves you wanting more.

Not very interesting. Wouldn't recommend. Was boring at time needed more action. What's with the women always falling all over men characters all the time. Can't just have characters who live each other , because all the fantasy living making is just that a fantasy . Be realistic,

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow go and seemed to be rushed towards the end,but still worth reading the other books in the series. I do commend the author for her originality. I found the idea behind the plot very very interesting. It is good to read originality.

Although I didn't hate this book, there were a few things that I just couldn't get past enough to give a higher rating. I didn't like how intimate Quinn and Grace were so soon in the book. I know they are meant to be together and all of that, but they developed an emotional intimacy so quickly that it didn't feel believable to me (as believable as something like that can be in a paranormal romance novel anyway …). I also felt confused at the start of the book. Rowe did not explain WHAT a Calydon actually was and didn't really explain what going Rogue actually meant, how were they rogue? what made them a rogue calydon? what traits made a rogue a rogue as opposed to just an evil calydon? WHAT/WHO are Calydons? Immortal warrior is a pretty broad term in my view. I felt like a lot of the Calydon history should have been explained earlier, when you finally learn about Eziekel and Caleb and the history behind the race nearly half the book as gone by! I really only enjoyed the last 30 or 40% of this book and only when the other warriors entered the picture because they made it more interesting. By then I was sick of Quinn and his constant "I want to have sex with you" mentality and his and Grace's constant back and forth. I bought book 2 in this series to see if the series gets better, as sometimes the first book in a series is not the greatest. I am about 40% through it, it is better than this one but so far it hasn't sucked me in completely like say, Melissa Haag's Judgement of the Six series did. I am still undecided if I will bother with book 3 ...

Ready to shake this tiresome girl hard to see if it helps.. Doubt it though. Seems to have decided that all bad has to be his (Quinn's)fault and impossible to even try to do something about or try to avoid. Thankfully she tones down in between and the rest of the story is not too bad.

The concept behind the book isn't bad. There is even a descent story line. But with three pages at a time describing the characters inner monologue, I just couldn't actually read everything. I ended up just reading the actual dialogue and a page here and there in between after suffering through the first 70% of the book. I won't be reading the second book.

Interesting story line. Don't bother trying to figure out what everyone is, they won't fit in any of the typical paranormal molds. Many continuity errors that a good editor or even a good proof reader could have caught.

A slow start, I really had to make myself go back when I started but after a while I found myself wanting to know what was coming next.....I can only hope that the next book starts a little better. Strong ending makes me want to know.......

OK, so if you like your science fiction fantasy with a large dose of descriptive sex and reminders every 2 pages that he and she can't possibly live without each other this is for you. Personally after the first encounter where the guy and gal are getting it on and we're treated to every description, blow-by-blow, from of the physical "state of readiness" a male and female's anatomy can be in to the feel experienced and all the rest... well, someone slipped an x-rated storyline into what could have been a pretty good science fiction fantasy series. If you do like I do and scan through those parts and insert "and they do the nasty then get back to the story" you'll probably like it about as much as I did.

Immortally immature men who brashly charge into confrontations and say "screw that" a lot. Redundant writing... tepid heros. Most of the other 1-star reviews are right on the money with this one, so read them before buying this book.

I just started this book and already it is very difficult to read it. It seems there are two drafts mixed together so the sentences are reading double but with different wording. Please hire a new editor to review your work before it goes out to the customers.