Dark Protector (Paladins of Darkness, #1)

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Dark Protector (Paladins of Darkness #1)

by Alexis Morgan (Goodreads Author)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 2,013 ratings · 132 reviews

Devlin Bane: Born a Paladin, he is a member of an ancient band of warriors locked in a centuries-old war against evil.

His destiny: To die over and over again to protect mankind from the Others, only to be revived each time by his mortal Handler.

But his fierce strength and courage cannot save him from gradually becoming one of the monsters he was born to destroy.

Dr. Laurel...more

Paperback, 322 pages

Published June 27th 2006 by Pocket Books

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Mar 28, 2009 Christel rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal romance readers

WOW!!

A very different Paranormal read. I really enjoyed this book. It is different from all the others that I have read. It goes on it's own tangent and it's not a rehashing of some other series.

Devilin is a Paladin, a member of an ancient brotherhood of warriors. They battle against the Others, monsters from a different dimension. Devilin is the leader of the Seattle branch. Paladins are guardians of "The Barrier", an energy barrier between our world and the Other's world. The barrier is the we...more

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Feb 17, 2010 Zeek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr, own

Brilliant Doctor Lauren Young has an unusual job- she is a "handler" for a group of men called the Paladins, a band of immortal men who fight along a barrier that separates us from the evil "Others". Although immortal, the handsome, rangy warriors can die- and as their physician, it's her job to bring them back.

Devlin Bane is one of the oldest of the Paladins and he knows he only has a certain number of deaths left in him before he turns "Other". But when Lauren revives him after his latest brus...more

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Jan 28, 2010 MK (Consultant, Corporal Therapist) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of fantasy, PNR

Shelves: romance-paranormal, series-no-rush-to-finish

Dr Young is a Handler. She fixes the Paladins when they come back from battle. Devlin is a Paladin, a protector of humanity from the Others an alien race. Dr. Young starts falling for Devlin even though she knows she may have to end his life if he turns Other due to his coming back from the dead. Then there is that pesky "who is that human who killed me while I was fighting the Others" Delvin has to figure out.

While I like the main characters. The story (The Others, the plot) fell a litte flat....more

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Sep 17, 2009 Mitabird rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

2.5 stars

This book was pretty ho-hum. Paladins protect the world from the Others. Paladins die, but can be revived. However, there is no explanation on what exactly the Paladins and Others are. We know the Others are bad, but that's it. We don't know what makes them bad and it's very sketchy where they come from. What makes the Paladins tick? Are they born this way? Is there something in their DNA? What? It was very poor world building, in my opinion. None of the characters had any depth and I d...more

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May 01, 2013 Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, not-young-adult, romance, supernatural

I decided to read this book because I am totally into this author's Warriors of the Mist series. I knew it was not going to be anything like those books, but since it involved swords and such I decided to try it. It probably is better than a three star read for those who read and enjoy romance novels and especially ones with a supernatural twist. Although the premise of the story was good, there were some things I that are just not my taste in reading. I liked the two main characters, one being...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Mistress of the Dark Path rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Laurel Young is a doctor whose primary job is to take care of gravely wounded paladins (and the ones who temporarily die). She has managed to keep her relationship with those under her care at a strictly professional level until now. Devlin Bane has been the one paladin she has kept a soft spot for and her resistance weakens when she realizes he feels the same way. The both attempt to fight the growing attraction, but dangerous circumstances keep throwing them together. Now they, along with othe...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Spacklefritz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, paranormal, romance

2.5 rating because there were parts that were kind of interesting.

The Paladins are a group of warriors, able to regenerate, that fight against the Others that try to crossover into our world. Devlin is one such warrior. The only problem is, that each time he comes back from the dead, he (and Paladins on a whole) progressively loses more and more of his humanity.

Enter handler and doctor Laurel, with whom he shares an attraction, which causes some amount of conflict. Oh and there's a guy out to of...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Kelly *that's me* rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. It felt fresh and a bit different than the usual alpha male warrior defending/saving the world type book.

The story moved quickly, but not so fast that it felt rushed. You end up falling in love with the other characters in the book, not just with Laurel and Devlin. Laurel didn't get on my nerves, stayed true to herself and didn't whine. Total plus in my book!

I could see why Devlin fell in love with her, and I loved how it seemed that she was the only one that seemed to...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Bissfan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bissfan by: Feder

3,5
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Devlin Bane gehört einem geheimen Wächterbund - den Paladinen - an, dessen Aufgabe es ist, die Welt vor den Übergriffen der Anderen zu beschützen. Sie riskieren täglich ihr Leben, um das Gleichgewicht der Erde zu schützen. Ihre Stärke ist nicht nur ihre Kraft, sondern auch ihre Fähigkeit, aus dem Tod zurückzukehren. Doch für diese Gabe müssen sie einen großen Preis zahlen. Denn wann immer ein Paladin aus dem Tod zurückgeholt wird, verliert er einen Teil seiner Menschlichkeit u...more 3,5
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Devlin Bane gehört einem geheimen Wächterbund - den Paladinen - an, dessen Aufgabe es ist, die Welt vor den Übergriffen der Anderen zu beschützen. Sie riskieren täglich ihr Leben, um das Gleichgewicht der Erde zu schützen. Ihre Stärke ist nicht nur ihre Kraft, sondern auch ihre Fähigkeit, aus dem Tod zurückzukehren. Doch für diese Gabe müssen sie einen großen Preis zahlen. Denn wann immer ein Paladin aus dem Tod zurückgeholt wird, verliert er einen Teil seiner Menschlichkeit und nimmt dafür ein Stück jener grausamen, zügellosen Wesen an, die er so erbittert bekämpft. Devlin ist der dienstälteste noch lebende Paladin und seinen Zustand stufen seine Betreuer als äußerst gefährdet ein. Er ist launisch, unbeherrscht und menschliche Gefühle scheinen ihm schon vor Jahrzehnten abhanden gekommen zu sein. Das Einzige, was ihn noch mit den normalen Menschen zu verbinden scheint, sind seine männlichen Bedürfnisse – bis er auf die junge und überaus attraktive Ärztin Laurel Young trifft. Allein sie vermag in ihm Gefühle zu wecken, von denen er dachte, er hätte sie vor langer Zeit verloren. Doch während er noch mit diesen neuen Sinnesregungen hadert, droht mit einer Intrige gegen die Paladine im Allgemeinen und ihn im Besonderen eine Gefahr ungeahnten Ausmaßes. Denn wer auch immer hinter dem Ganzen steckt, scheint einen Pakt mit den Anderen geschlossen zu haben. Einen Pakt, der die Welt aus den Fugen reißen könnte …

Inhaltlich bietet das Buch „Traumwächter“ von Alexis Morgen zugegeben auf den ersten Blick ziemlich wenig Neues, obwohl sich die Story an und für sich recht vielversprechend angehört hat. Große, muskulöse Krieger, die mit altertümlichen Waffen in wilder Raserei auf ihre Feinde einstürmen und eine intelligente, gutaussehende Ärztin, die ein verbotenes Stelldichein mit einem der „bösen“ Jungen eingeht, hören sich auf Anhieb wirklich etwas abgedroschen an, aber man sollte sich davon nicht täuschen lassen. Blickt man tiefer, erkennt man eine zwar sicher noch nicht ganz ausgereifte, aber durchaus interessante Story, die mit Altbekanntem durchsetzt ist, dies aber facettenreich und in neuem Gewand präsentiert.
Im Vordergrund steht ganz klar die hocherotische Beziehung zwischen Devlin und Laurel, die eigentlich keine Zukunft hat. Und die beiden schaffen es wirklich kaum, die Finger voneinander zu lassen. Devlin Bane scheint einer Frauenfantasie entsprungen zu sein: Einsneunzig groß, ein bisschen wild, dunkle Haare, grüne Augen und einen Körper zum Dahinschmelzen. Aber auch charakterlich hat er überraschenderweise ziemlich viel zu bieten: Seine innere Wandlung ist besonders gut beschrieben und kann problemlos nachvollzogen werden. Aber auch wenn er sich innerlich verändert hat, ist er doch am Ende des Buches immer noch derselbe. Das finde ich wirklich sehr gelungen, da ich leider schon bei einigen Romanen dieses Genres feststellen musste, dass die Personen zu Beginn denen am Ende gar nicht mehr geähnelt haben.
Doch auch Laurel ist ein Charakter, den man liebgewinnt. Das hängt weniger mit ihrer perfekten, wohlgeformten Figur und ihrem Intellekt zusammen, denn das hebt sie nicht wirklich aus der Masse der Heldinnen hervor. Nein, was ihren Charakter so einprägsam macht, ist die Facettenreiche ihres Wesens. Sie ist die Erste, die an den Paladinen nicht nur die vorgeschriebenen Tests durchführt und Ergebnisse vergleicht. Sie liest zwischen den Zeilen und zeigt Mitgefühl für sie und ihr Schicksal. Sie hat eine grundehrliche und weiche Ader, die sie hauptsächlich auszeichnet. Aber andererseits ist sie taff genug, die ihr zugewiesenen Aufgaben – und sei es die Eliminierung eines gänzlich verwandelten Paladins – mit der nötigen Entschlossenheit durchzuziehen. Zwei ziemlich schwer zu vereinbarende Wesenszüge, die sich im Charakter der Laurel Young aber harmonisch aneinanderschmiegen und ihr so etwas Authentisches geben.
Auch die übrigen Charaktere sind ein lustig zusammengewürfelter Haufen, die der Geschichte eine eigene Note geben. Das Einzige, was mich bei der Konzeption der Charaktere etwas gestört hat, war, dass ziemlich zu Beginn des Textes stand, die Paladine würden mit zunehmendem Alter zu Einzelgängern mutieren. Devlin hat sich dafür aber einen ziemlich großen Freundeskreis bewahrt, den er ab und zu auch zu sich nach Hause einlädt. Ein kleine Unstimmigkeit, die aber das Lesevergnügen nicht weiter stört. Ich finde nämlich, gerade diese freundschaftlichen Zusammentreffen zwischen den Paladinen sorgen für eine gehörige Portion Witz, weil sie untereinander schon mal einen derben Spruch parat haben.

Vom Stil her liest sich das Buch flüssig und leicht. Ein einfacher, geradliniger Erzählstil, der trotzdem in jeder Situation die richtige Atmosphäre heraufbeschwört und detailreich genug ist, die Fantasie auf eine Reise zu schicken.

Was ich es zu Anfag ein wenig schade fand, ist, dass die doch interessante Idee hinter den vielen kleinen und großen erotischen Aktionen von Laurel und Devlin zurücktritt. Aber obwohl ich jemand bin, der eigentlich gerne viele Informationen an die Hand bekommt, habe ich mit fortschreitender Lektüre diesen Umstand zu schätzen gelernt, denn es ist genau dieser Mangel an konkreten Details der der Geschichte ihre Spannung verleiht. Eine Methode, die zwar nur allzuleicht nicht aufgeht, aber bei Traumwächter muss ich sagen funktioniert es.
Ein wirklich geschickter Schachzug der Autorin, um Lust auf die Fortsetzung der Reihe zu machen, denn mir kribbelt es schon richtig in den Fingern und meine Spekulationen über die offenen Fragen dürsten nach Antworten.
Meinen Respekt verdient die Autorin dafür, dass es mir bei dieser Geschichte nicht gelungen ist, den Drahtzieher eindeutig zu entlarven. Normalerweise habe ich bei Geschichten immer ziemlich zügig raus, wer der Feind im Verborgenen ist, doch hier war das anders. Zwar wusste ich nach geraumer Zeit um die Identität des Helfershelfers – was aber eher auf Zufall beruhte, da es wirklich nur absolute Nebensächlichkeiten sind, die ihn verraten
Auch dass bis zuletzt kaum etwas über die Anderen bekannt ist, steigert die Spannung der Geschichte über das Ende des ersten Bandes hinaus. Das zusammen mit dem interessanten und ziemlich vielversprechend klingenden inhaltlichen Konzept macht „Traumwächter“ zu einem würdigen und spannenden Einstieg die Reihe.

„Traumwächter“ bietet trotz einiger Schwachstellen im Inhalt ein kurzweiliges Lesevergnügen voll knisternder Erotik, das auf jeden Fall Lust auf die Fortsetzung macht. Für Freunde der Romantic Fantasy ist dies durchaus ein Buch, bei dem es sich lohnt, einen Blick darauf zu werfen.
(less)

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Jul 27, 2011 Hollie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would start off by saying that I was somewhat trickseed into reading this book. It was one of many I bought off of amazons recommendations for me. Since I buy all my books on kindle, they make good pretty good recommendations and I find a lot of new stuff I probably never would have found on my own. Since the majority of my reading is fantasy, these recommendations are pretty consistently of that genre, and since I usually shop on my phone, I don't see the genre when I buy. So upon reading the...more I would start off by saying that I was somewhat trickseed into reading this book. It was one of many I bought off of amazons recommendations for me. Since I buy all my books on kindle, they make good pretty good recommendations and I find a lot of new stuff I probably never would have found on my own. Since the majority of my reading is fantasy, these recommendations are pretty consistently of that genre, and since I usually shop on my phone, I don't see the genre when I buy. So upon reading the title, I assumed that because the book is about paladins, its fantasy right? The synopsis indicated a love story, but that's not uncommon, it was well reviewed, though I didn't read any of them. I guess I should have taken a closer look at the cover...

I am not a big romance reader, I've read one or two to see what they were about, but I'm more into romance as a part of a larger plot line than a plot line composed entirely of romance, so I'm no expert. Despite all this, I enjoyed the book. After all, if I'm going to read romance, I'd rather it be with a fantasy twist. It was predictably packed with steamy sex scenes and downright unbearable sexual tension, but the story was decent enough to carry it.

I used to avoid romance novels like the plague, and this could be an ominous sign of impending female middle-agedom, but I'm starting to see the appeal. It's not the sort of thing I'll be reading all the time, but the occasional "tryst" with a fantasy romance novel helps charge up the married sex life ;) Which I'm suspecting is what keeps these novels sales going strong.

I am a big fan of Anne Bishop's books, which is about the closest I've gotten to romance in the past, and this author uses a similar premise and style, and even a few turns of phrase that Bishop is very fond of. But where Bishop is fantasy that's heavy on the romance, this is most definitely romance heavy on the fantasy, as further evidenced by the comparative length of this book...fantasy is never that short. All in all I would recommend this book (and most likely it's many sequels, which I shall read well spaced over time)to female fantasy fans looking to try out romance, or like me just likes some variety when the blood an violence of the usual fantasy fare starts to get wearying. (less)

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Jun 12, 2011 Shannon C. rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars: an OK read

What I liked:
1. Overall premise of the series--Paladins protecting the world from the Others
2. Lead gal is a doctor--smart, likable, hard working
3. Lead guy is a hot alpha warrior type
4. Setup of the group of Paladin heros working together--I liked the scenes of them interacting but would have liked more of that

What could be improved:
1. Emotional depth--one of the critical things I look for in a great romance is the ability to make me feel emotion and emphathize with the ch...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

They're not vampires, but Alexis Morgan's Paladins are warriors who can't die. Well...they can, but it doesn't stick. Unless they're seriously wounded, anyway. Like decapitation-type wounds. A bullet to the brain or a stake through the heart might do it, too...but they're not vampires. They're humans...with a bit extra. Honestly, though, at the core, the Paladins are a group of warriors who stand against the Others, a murderous, wrong race of creatures that spew into our world when geologic or s...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Ana T. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013, paranormal

I was feeling like reading something different (meaning non historical) and found this one in the TBR pile. I hadn't heard much about Alexis Morgan before but I found the blurb interesting and decided to give it a try.

I must admit I had some trouble understanding who the Others were and why they were attacking mankind. But they are and the Paladins are the warriors who defend the human world. They can be killed in battle and revived several times but eventually they loose all their humanity and...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, free-ebooks, paranormal-romance, 2011-favorites, read-in-2011

This was exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked up this book. Metaphorically speaking because I read it on the computer. Which, for the record, it not really the point. What I'm trying to say is that this book gave me everything I wanted and more. I wanted something with action. I got that. I wanted something with sheet-twisting shenanigans. I got that, too. I wanted a group of bad-ass, hard to kill warriors who protect the world from nasty critters. I totally got that. Bonus: These ba...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Chanelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: introduction-to-series

I managed to read this book because I had my hand on all first five books along with my weakness for fantasy and series. However, I can only give this one 2 stars.

The concept is excellent. These men called Paladins are responsible for protecting the world from otherworldly creatures called "Others" whose escape into our world wreaks havoc and affects the balance of life. Unfortunately, this concept is NOT well developed at all. This plot's weaving seems threadbare as the evidence presented does...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Laura Young rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dark Protecer (Paladins of Darkness #1) by Alexis Morgan. 5 out 5 stars. I was a little weary of reading this because I ordered it from my library in a random need of more paranormal romance. I clicked a couple books and ordered a bunch of books some weren't even the first. That was my little rant. Thanks for listening
http://darkelvengirl.blogspot.com/201...

So the main characters of this story were Dr. Laurel Young and Devlin Bane. Laurel is a handler someone that revives the fallen Paladin when...more Dark Protecer (Paladins of Darkness #1) by Alexis Morgan. 5 out 5 stars. I was a little weary of reading this because I ordered it from my library in a random need of more paranormal romance. I clicked a couple books and ordered a bunch of books some weren't even the first. That was my little rant. Thanks for listening
http://darkelvengirl.blogspot.com/201...

So the main characters of this story were Dr. Laurel Young and Devlin Bane. Laurel is a handler someone that revives the fallen Paladin when they die in battle. Why do they die you wonder? Because of the for ever going war against the Others. When the other cross over the border from their world and into the human world they bring the darkness over with them. So the Paladins are the one protecting the world from the darkness and Mr. Bane is one of the top people in his area so most people will listen to him and give him respect. Mr. Bane was freaking funny in my opinion he just had the he-man vibe going on, but that's what made him such a awesome character. Then add Laurel to that because she has a lot of guts. Never before had it been heard of a paladin and their handler getting together. Well boy did she change that.
the bad guys in this story were all complete idiots and let me add jerks. I gave them no respect at all and was glad when the story went the other way. Not to mention they were all very flat and lacked something in their character. I give the bad guy a 3 out 5 stars rating. The good guy character were all better and not to mention not flat. Was this done on purpose because that would make a lot more sense.
The story goes along the line of trying to find out who's smuggling jewels from the other side over because they're promising a safe trip over when they really only get to meet the tip of a sword. So now they are working on uncovering the mystery of who is the mastermind of the great plot. (I'm thinking the guy need to get some better henchmen maybe then everything would work out how he wants them too.)
The book left me wanting more so i quickly read the second book wanting to see some more Paladin action.(less)

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Apr 16, 2012 Amanda added it

Even though I enjoyed the book I felt that there wasnt enough foundation to laurel and Devlins relationship. We get to know Laurel pretty well she shares alot with Devlin about her and her family yet it seems like he didnt really share alot about his past and his background or even his now. The readerdoesnt even get much history about the Paladins other than theyre immortal warriors that can die and can be rvived and protect the barrier. They kill Others, creatures that come through the barrier...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Bennita rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ass-kicking-heroes, chicks-that-need-rescuing, fantasy, paranormal-romance

This entire series has been sitting on my bookshelf for about two years, so I finally decided to start it after my hiatus from paranormal romance. Not a bad start to the series although there were aspects that were unexplained, such as the origins of the Paladins and the Others. Because of this I felt the world building needed a little work. Laurel and Devlin's relationship felt a little rushed initially. She had been his Handler for quite some time but has only now acted on her attraction to hi...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Niina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Paladins are warriors fighting to keep the Others from entering our world through the barriers at all major fault lines across earth when they move - the warrior can die but also be revived by their Handlers. Toughest Paladin to date is Devlin Bane, and he is coming towards the end of his life, even though they cannot die, every revivement brings them closer to turning into the Others.

Dr. Young is Bane's Handler, she revives him and tries to find out just what makes these men special why they ca...more Paladins are warriors fighting to keep the Others from entering our world through the barriers at all major fault lines across earth when they move - the warrior can die but also be revived by their Handlers. Toughest Paladin to date is Devlin Bane, and he is coming towards the end of his life, even though they cannot die, every revivement brings them closer to turning into the Others.

Dr. Young is Bane's Handler, she revives him and tries to find out just what makes these men special why they can be revived and why they are losing their humanity - but besides that she's attached to Bane, the warrior attracts her and soon they ignite flames that should not exists, after all when he does loose what’s left of his humanity she will be the one putting him down.

With the attraction burning between the two Bane also has to come to grips that what killed him the last time wasn't an Other but a human, as weird details keep piling up it becomes evident that some is out to kill Bane and now that he's hanging around Laurel she's on under fire as well.

Wow! This was new! I haven't seen anything like it in PNR before, completely unique! Super-soldiers, meet the Wraith! Yes, I know, that was a Stargate reference. ;)

This book start the series of with a smack load of details which makes it perhaps a little slow, but not any less entertaining! The Paladins all get somewhat introduced and I can't wait to read their books as well. Especially Trahern's as he's pretty much the most "gone" of them all, least human.

I would have liked to have given this book a half a star more but it didn't quite earn it, I would have wanted more continuance in some parts and while there was plenty of sex it should have lead into something or held something up ( no bun intended, or maybe it was ;) ) so that it would have not been just "filler". Don't get me wrong, it was good, but I wanted something behind it as well. Oh, shoot! I just sounds like a total double entendre all the time! Enough.

This is for all Paranormal Romance lovers and people who want something new out of the shifter and vampire inhabited genre!(less)

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May 21, 2011 Dren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paladins-of-darkness, favorite-series

See full review at Dren's B-Spot

Dark Protector introduces readers to the life of a Paladin. You fight. You die. You come back. A Paladin's sole purpose is to defend areas that have been identified as portals to another world where human-like beings known only as Others break try to break through. Every Paladin has a medical Handler. Someone who monitors their health and looks out for the telltale triggers of Paladin madness. Each life they lose brings them closer to the end.

Devlin and Laurel are...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, fiction, romance

Another new-to-me series, and again, not quite a good fit. I might just need to take a break from the supernatural for a while and let my brain restock its suspension of disbelief reservoir. I might have connected better with this one if there'd been more introduction to the characters (I still don't have a strong mental picture of the hero and heroine, though my brain was quite happy to use Daniel Craig as a stand-in for the hero) and better justification of the main conflict. (My brain also ca...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Megan Lillian rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

YUCK! Seriously proud of myself for even getting through this one, and yet not somehow since it was such utterly awful writing. Would have been prouder if I had stopped reading. Or better yet, never started. Damn reviewers who gave this series high ratings! What do you see here??? Maybe I am spoiled by the world-building of Nalini Singh or Marjorie Lui, but wow! There is no connection between the main couple, their attraction lacks any genuine spark whatsoever, plus I kind of hated both of them...more

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May 21, 2011 Shell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, series

The premise of this novel is intriguing...that everytime an earthquake or natural disater occurs, it creates holes in barriers inside the Earth's core, allowing "Others" creatures that live inside the Earth's core to be freed to make their way to the Earth's surface. When to many others are freed, their "Other-ness" (chaotic feelings: evil, badness, etc) rubs off on humanity and chaos insues. Paladins, Protectors of humanity, become the last line of defense at the barriers to prevent the Others...more

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Nov 10, 2009 (Kelly)~DemonLover~ Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It grew on me as the story went on.
Devlin, the tower of strength, furosity and self control. He is a killer, plain and simple. He is their leader, the Paladins, keeping the "Others" from coming into our surface world. Risking life, injury and even death to do so.

Laurell, a researcher and doctor, is what you call a Handler. It is her task to put the Paladins back together again. How many times can she bring them back from injury/ back from being broken? and back from death? E...more

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Mar 25, 2009 Bitten_by_Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sally

Dark Protector is the first book in the Paladins of Darkness series. This is the story of Devlin Bane, a Paladin, and Dr. Laurel Young, his Handler. For centuries the Paladins have been fighting a war to protect the world from the Others. Paladins have a unique physiology that allows them to suffer mortal wounds and then revive time after time...

For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Review site on the web, Bitten By Books, for the review of Dark Protector in...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This book left me with mixed feelings. Some parts of it I really liked and others really rubbed me the wrong way.

I found the world that Ms. Morgan created in this book to be interesting. The concept of another dimension separated from ours by a barrier that shifts with seismic activity along fault-lines was pretty nifty. The idea of “Others” on the far side of this dimensional rift having a darker soul due to both lack of physical as well as moral light…ok I can dig it. Paladin warriors who cou...more This book left me with mixed feelings. Some parts of it I really liked and others really rubbed me the wrong way.

I found the world that Ms. Morgan created in this book to be interesting. The concept of another dimension separated from ours by a barrier that shifts with seismic activity along fault-lines was pretty nifty. The idea of “Others” on the far side of this dimensional rift having a darker soul due to both lack of physical as well as moral light…ok I can dig it. Paladin warriors who could regenerate more quickly and even come back from the dead; but whose self-same abilities were slowly bringing them over to the “dark side” and would one day make them crazed killing machines. Ok, check.

The characterization was a mixed bag, filled with some memorable secondary characters as well as abusing some tropes in our main leads. Dr. Laurel Young, our main female lead, is a smart doc in charge of the Paladin’s welfare should they get banged-up or dead...m’kay this one I liked in theory, but on read-through you had a split personality going on here…smart and savvy doc by day and sexual deviant by night who gives over all judgment to strong man. Grunt. Yeah, not so much on that one. The secondary characters in this book were really very good; and if I do decide to pick up another book in this series, it will be because I want to find out what happens to them.

My biggest problem, I think, was the internal structure of how this world interaction was set up. You had the Paladins, the Research branch with the doc and then you had the Ordnance, which seemed to be made up of the human “guards” who sometimes helped fight the “Others” from the far side of the barrier and also comprised those who guarded those of the research branch from the Paladins. This whole thing made me irritated. Could be because I am not one for military drama, could also be that I don’t understand why this hierarchy exists as it does, or it could be that the head of Ordnance was an ass-hat and one of the lackeys a bad-guy. Either way; the structure of the command in this book was a no-go for me almost to the point that I stopped reading. I am glad I finished, as the twists Ms. Morgan created with Barak, one of the “Others,” being honorable (and in truth far more honorable than the human who was bat-shit crazy and doing bad things), and the possible salvation of the Paladins honor and sanity made me glad to have read this story. My only other loud negative was the epilogue. It pissed me off. The author couldn’t just have a happy ending; no she had to manufacture a cliff-hanger and tension to try to drum up interest in reading the next book. I’m sorry, but if by the end of the book I don’t like it well enough to give the next one a try, an epilogue is probably not going to convince me, and if I did like it well enough, than such an epilogue I find irritating.

All in all I give this book three stars

I may pick up the next book in this series.

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May 14, 2011 Lisa M rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, paranormal-romance

I'm not sure that Dark Protector deserves a full 4 stars, but it's definitely better than 3. Anyway, what has me on the fence is that the explanation of who and what the Paladins and the Others are is not fully fleshed out. And, in fact, a race of people living in the center of the earth is a little hard to swallow. But I liked the love story between Laurel and Devlin well enough that I'm going to give the series a second chance with Dark Defender. Would I recommend the book? With reservations.

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Nov 02, 2011 Crystal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, nook, own

This series was highly recommended to me so I fully intend on reading at least the next two books in the series; however, based on this first book alone I do not know how I will like the series. There are a lot of unanswered questions in this one and hopefully they get answered later on? The author pretty much starts off the book assuming you know what a Paladin is... guess what? I have no idea! Who are they? How did they come about? What exactly are the Others and this barrier the Paladins prot...more

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May 24, 2011 Vivian Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-pn

Well, the conclusion was a bit hasty, but since this is written as a series with the overall conflict not to be resolved until the end one has to deal with the disappointment of no resolution there. That said, Devlin and Laurel (our fearless protagonists)managed to find their HEA. I wish it hadn't been so frantically tied up. Seriously, this ending is the plummet and you stare up from the ground wondering what happened and it's over. The epilogue leads you into book #2 which of course I want to...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Sheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, kindle

I really liked this book. It reminded me somewhat of a cross between J.R. Ward's Blackdagger Brotherhood (but without the vampires) and Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series (without the mythology). Basically, if you like those series or are fans of books with big, strong alpha males who fight to defend our world against evil (or not so evil?) other-worldly human-like "creatures" and definitely evil humans, then I recommend this book to you. It's a quick read; I zipped right through it. What a g...more

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About Alexis Morgan

Alexis Morgan grew up near St. Louis and received a B.A. in English from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She and her husband have made the Pacific Northwest their home for more than thirty years, where she launched her career as a writer. She is published in contemporary romance, American West historicals, and currently writes paranormal romances for Pocket Star and Silhouette Nocturne. Her...more

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Books by Alexis Morgan

Dark Defender (Paladins of Darkness, #2)

In Darkness Reborn (Paladins of Darkness, #3)

Redeemed in Darkness (Paladins of Darkness, #4)

Darkness Unknown (Paladins of Darkness, #5)

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Dark Protector (Paladins of Darkness #1)

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