Pure Healing

Pure/Dark Ones #1

by Aja James

Older edition of ASIN B0080LVZA0


In the world of Pure Ones, where sexual intercourse with anyone other than one’s Eternal Mate leads to a slow, painful death within thirty days, love comes with the warning label “fall at your own peril”…
 
Rain: the Healer

From the first time she beheld him, she yearned to sooth his pain and torment and nurtured a secret, selfish desire – to have him for her very own…

Valerius: the Protector

Despite their instant attraction, he has staunchly avoided applying to be the Healer’s Consort, haunted by the brutality and violence of his past…

As the decadal Phoenix Rite draws near, as threats from their vampire nemesis intensify, Rain and Valerius must decide whether they let their histories and duties dictate their destiny or whether they risk all for a chance at everlasting love.

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Adult

334 pages, ebook

First published May 4, 2012

About the author

https://aja-james.blog/

Best-selling author, Aja James, just completed the Pure/ Dark Ones paranormal-fantasy romance series in 2020. If you want your heart battered, bruised, shattered and skewered, then put back together in the most glorious ways, check out the series below. Every couple gets an HEA, but they fight like hell for it on the way.

Aja is now working on her new series, Dragon Tails, because dragons are her favorite shifters of all!

Check out Aja's expanded distribution of the Pure/ Dark Ones series on Google, Apple, Kobo and Barnes & Noble Books.

Visit Aja's blog or join her reader-started Addicts group to learn more:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

She loves to hear from readers. Email her at:
megami771@yahoo.com

Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I really, really wanted to like this more. People have been recommending it to me for YEARS. A lot of my friends really love it and were cheering me on as I read it...and I feel like a total asshole who let them down for not loving this; but in the end, we just all love different things.

And I didn't hate it, it just didn't blow me away.

Paranormal romance is one of my favorite, most read, romance genres and I have been reading it for over 20 years. I am basically a connoisseur here, people. I started with Christine Feehan and then, over the years, have read numerous series from Lora Leigh, JR Ward, Karen Marie Moning, Kresley Cole, Suzanne Wright, Nalini Singh, Laurann Dohner, Aline Hunter, Rebecca Zanetti, Thea Harrison, Gena Showwalter, Lucy Monroe, Elisabeth Naughton, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Slyvia, and Eresse...you know, just to name a few.

That said, while reading this, I kept finding myself thinking, "I feel like I've read this before," only better (sorry), somewhere else. The world system just didn’t feel all that original and I feel like I’ve just read PNR with better world-building, characters, and plots. In fact, this book almost felt like an amalgamation of BDB, Showalter, Naughton, Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, the baddie here felt like a direct rip-off of Drusila from Buffy.

The world-building was decent, but had a very clunky start, and the Zodiac group lacked cohesiveness. One of my favorite things about Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Feehan's Dark, and Wright's Feral and Mercury series, is that strong sense of team and brother/sisterhood within their group. And that felt lacking here, for me. There weren't enough moments built in that made me really believe that this group of warrior men and women had been together for centuries and would loyally live or die by each other swords.

Also, I just didn't like Rain. In my opinion, she acted more like a confused and immature 16 year-old than a wise healer who had been alive for more then 2,000 years. Her and Val had zero chemistry and I felt myself much more interested in what was going on with other characters.

All that said, I am definitely not giving up on this series. I know from experience that book ones are always the clunkiest in series like this and have a tendency to get better as the series continues. As I said earlier, I didn't hate this, it just didn't blow me away; however, I am definitely interested enough in the characters and the world to see what James does in book two and on. I think it definitely has potential to be a win for me later.

[Princess under cover · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, HERE is my REBOOT review, all in bold. Rest is from BEFORE. And yeah, I've read this a few times since it's come out in 2012 (I was one of the FIRST devoted readers of this series!!) but this is the REBOOTED new edition with 1) lots of editing, 2) streamlined story with more Val and Rain, less other stuff (in my opinion, still too much Sophia blah blah, but there are readers out there who love her, so whatevs), 3) more steamy goodness.... 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Bam Bam challenged me to find the perfect male model for Val, and I really can't. Monique uses the guy from Spartacus (unfortunately passed away), but he isn't the best match either. Val is almost 6 and a half feet, muscular, military cut, green eyes. He used to be a Roman gladiator. You do the math.

Here's the closest I found on short notice. Not beefy enough, but has sort of the VIBE...model name Joshua Saari (in case anyone what to obsess over him :P)



I think he's wearing too much clothing... And the eyes aren't green, but you get the gist





I don't read books for the females, so you'll have to use your imagination for Rain.

My reviews below kinda don't change. But I will give this new edition a solid 5 stars whereas I was a bit torn before. I LOVED it when I first read it in 2012. If I recall, the first edition was FAR from perfect. And yet it resonated with me so well that I overlooked all the "issues" and got lost in the couple and the world.

Now, 8 years, later, having read the rest of the series, almost to the last book now (HURRY, AJ! but also don't hurry since I want it to be PERFECT!) this series has come SUCH a long way, and the writing with each book just keeps getting better, so my expectations have totally escalated. If I were to read the original version now, I prob wouldn't give it 5 stars.

But this new edition scratches my itch. Not the least of which THAT COVER!! *lick*👅 👅👅👅👅👅

I fell deeply in love with Val all over again. He's simply delish!

******************************

Now that I know the baddie's POV... I'm reading everything with a fresh pair of eyes...and OMG! The clues! The wherefores! It's mind-boggling!!

There's only so long I can hold off finishing this book, because my head is already deep into Book 2!!! And because this book tees up so many different threads, my head has also dived in books 6.5 and 7 - SETH!! I'm coming for you!!

People, GET OUT THERE AND GET THIS SERIES - I promise you won't regret it. It's just sooooo addictive - and you know what - no pain no gain. It's complex, it's mesmerizing, it's NOT EASY! Enter this world at your own risk, but ENTER. I'm now salivating (have been since I finished book 7 ARC) for the next book... How many times do I have to re-read before I get my grubby little paws on it????

(I will impatiently await my buddies to catch up before I start book 2... but friends - HURRY!!)

Update: I'm giving this book 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 for the important role it plays in the overall series.

Caveat: I've read every single book in the series including Book 7 ARC, and I already know what Book 8 is about (cuz I'm aggressive about harassing the author!) Given that, I know how stupendously, ridiculously AWESOME this series is, and I've come to like AJ's later writing style (even though it's still very consistent with this first book) more. As most authors refine their style over time, her later books in the series 1) build off the incredible world this book set up, one on top of the other, 2) really gets into a pace and rhythm that work wonders for me. So given all that, this book in comparison, though it's the "mother of the series" falls a little short.

This book reminds me of why I never liked Sophia (and didn't start liking her until her novella in book 6.5. The irony is that people who LIKE Sophia (i.e., gravitating toward YA type books), tend NOT to like book 1. People who really love this book, tend to not like Sophia. She's annoying. As are all teenagers in my view. In reality and in books.

Because I now know the intricate threads that AJ is weaving in this book, I can appreciate them so much more, but I can also see from a first-time reader's POV, that all those threads can be daunting. I remember during my buddy group that several people said they were confused or couldn't follow along so well, but then after our buddies clarified what was going on, and they got into it, they are now die-hard fans of the series just like me@!

BUT, I get it. It's not for everyone. It's definitely not for people looking for a light, brainless fluffy read. It's intense, dark, passionate, makes you cry, rarely makes you laugh, this first book is a doozy. If this is the type of experience you want to have reading a book --HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!



Here's what I thought on the second read:

Since I just finished a fantasy series, I'm really digging the paranormal-fantasy vibe of Pure Healing. I thought it was a slow start when I first read it because I was expecting action from the very first page. But I think the story built up with the right pace (and not slow at all) on this second read.

I fell in love with Valerius all over again--I LOVE tortured heroes and destined true love.
And I really want to know about Sophia-Ere-Dalair love/lust triangle. It's clear to me which two are meant to be together, and having read the other books in the series, I already know that I'm not getting their story until LATER, which makes me want to rip a star right off the rating!!



Not cool, Aja! Making us wait for it!

I'll keep the stars for now, but don't make me too impatient, if you know what's good for you...



What I wrote 6 years ago when I first read the book:

I really really really loved this book! I have to say that it was kind of a slow start, and at first I thought it was going to be YA (which the cover does NOT look to be, neither does the book description). But it's only through the book and in the end that you realize it was some kind of stylistic device the author used - to wrap stories together and continue the saga. I get the feeling that somewhere down the line (maybe many books later in the series), Sophia the young Queen will mature enough to get her own story. With Dalair and Ere, most likely.

But of course, things heated up to the point that I swallowed this book whole (like eating a whole tub of Ben and Jerry's cookie dough icecream in 15 minutes) in a matter of hours. Just couldn't put it down!! Oh Valerius, where are you?? Ditch Rain and come to me!! OK, I guess Rain may be your eternal match, even if she looks like a "Kabuki doll."

I wonder what the next book is going to be. Reading the preview, I don't see any connection with Pure Healing. It seems like it's all about vampires. Maybe Ms. James is starting to tell the other side of the story. I really like that it's not clear-cut right vs. wrong. There is always another side to the story.

Hope the next one comes out FAST!!

[Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

REBOOT:

I'll start with this teaser, click the spoiler, don't worry, it's not really a spoiler....😛😛😛

@ Chap 14:

Now, onto the main event. My reboot review. So, PUC found a model for Val that's.... reasonably close. But here's mine. Never mind that he's black (Val is not black), but this guy has the "look" and the light-eyes (tho Val's are green), and the shaved head thing... He's hot... just imagine him with slightly lighter skin tone...



THOSE EYES!!!!







Soooo I have to cite Cecile's review. Don't know how to top it (and I'm also lazy :P):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And Carmen's review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And my own review of the original edition below...

So what to add for the REBOOT?

Well, there were only pluses, zero minuses. They are as follows:

* better flow.
* flawless editing
* More sexy times (💦💦💦❤️❤️❤️🍆🍆🍆😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥)
* more Rain and Val
* Less characters we don't really care about
* HOTTTTTT Covers!!! (both Alt 1 and Alt 2, I chose Alt 1)
* I got to pick up even MORE clues than my first go-rounds. DID ANYONE ELSE CATCH...Sophia alluded at one point to the fact that the C might have multiple personality disorder! When she was trapped in the tunnel!! NOT a coincidence I'm thinking!! It was in the original too, I checked!
* Still wouldn't have guessed some things even tho I know them now, but I TOTALLY see how they evolved!

So yeah... honestly ZERO downside, ALL upside with this REBOOT. I can't wait to get it updated on my Kindle!!

Go out there and get this book folks!!



______________________________________


Now that I figured out how to link my kindle notes, I can track everything that goes on in this book so much better! And boy! A LOT FREAKIN GOES ON@!! I love it!! Makes me want to dive right into the next book! This series just pulls u in and doesn’t let go!



It was slower for me this time around, prob because I'm so used to the accelerated pace of the books starting from 30% of the way through book 2. This series flies! And because this one is also longer, to lay all the world-building foundation I guess. I was going to rate it lower this go around, but I've ultimately decided to keep the 5 stars because the last 30% really hit the spot for me. And I'm reminded of why I LOVE Val and Rain, why I'm breathless with anticipation for the next books (even tho I've read them all! TWICE!) and why I'm a die-hard fan of this series. So the 5 stars stay :)

Updated review on second read:

If you're starting out in the Pure/ Dark Ones series, I definitely suggest you start with Book 1. BUT. It's been a while since I read this book. I started with Book 2 with a buddy read over the last couple of months and read the whole series through to book 6.5 (ARC), and now I'm just coming back to Book 1.

So my second suggestion is - to get the maximum impact from this series - read it in order all the way through, and then read it again!! Seriously!!

My level of appreciation for the characters, the world, the interconnections, the mystery and intrigue, is just so much higher now that I actually "understand" what's going on! Or think I do anyway. And I've reached a level of comprehension that lets me theorize about the mysteries that still need solving with some pretty damn good authority, and I'm so invested in the characters now, ALL OF THEM, that I can't wait for Book 7.

So Book 1 in a nutshell:
* Tortured hero who is one of my fav heroes ever in the PNR genre







* Tortured (but kind of to a lesser extent) heroine
* you get the tip of the iceberg of an intriguing new world
* A cast of very interesting characters
* Mysterious vampire threat
* Pretty cool action sequences
* Hot, emotionally connective, but HOTT and intense sex (did I mention HOT?)
In a word: Addictive

My original review:
If you like paranormal romance with a fantasy element, you won't regret picking up this start to an epic series about Pure and Dark Ones. Vampires and "Elves"? I don't know what you'd call the Pure Ones, but there are a lot of similarities between the two races.

There's a lot of world building, for those who like fantasy books, but maybe too much for those who like straight-up paranormal romances. I don't think the world building takes away from the central story between Rain and Valerius, however; I actually enjoy it, and can't wait for more books in the series.

Sex is pretty HOT! It's definitely not gratuitous. It's like the sex is a representation of the couple's emotions, which I love and which make the scenes tug at your heartstrings. Made me tear up a few times throughout this novel, which is always the sign of a good writer.

If you're looking for a light bluff piece with lots of bump and grind, this book is definitely NOT it. If you're looking for something you can sink your teeth into, that transports you to a whole new world, pick it up. You won't regret it!

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This got to me from the start!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💜💛💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 🧛🏻🧛🏻🧛🏻🧛🏻🧛🏻‍

The setting: Present day, Boston, MA

The Hero(s): Valerius Marcus Ambrosius (a.k.a. The Protector) - Val is one of the Elite guards of the Queen of the Pure Ones. Queen Sophia is human, seventeen years old and goes to Harvard. Val is the strongest and has the most kills of all of the Elite and is the oldest, born around 200 BC, Val’s age dates back to ancient Rome. He was a sex slave while he was human and now can’t stand to be touched, so much so that his weapon of choice is the chained scythe.

The heroine: Rain - she is the Pure Ones royal healer. She gets her healing strength renewed every ten years by taking on a consort for thirty days, who is chosen in a rite. She feeds off the sexual energy and if the consort is strong enough, that holds her through ten years until the next rite. Rain feels slighted that The Protector hasn’t applied to be her consort since he is the strongest male she knows.

The Love Story: Valerius met Rain ten years ago at the time of the last rite. He was instantly attracted to her despite his history and aversion to being touched. Though he would not apply to be her consort for that very reason and the fact that he thinks his past makes him unfit and unclean. Rain also felt something strong when she met Val, and thought of him while with her last consort.



I really liked this book. Valerius had a similar life to Zsadist from BDB, though Val is gorgeous and his scars are only on the inside while Zsadist had scars on both the inside and on the outside. That is really the only comparison with the BDB I am going to make. I loved Zsadist’s story and this one as well. I often hate it when the Hero is so damaged, but I loved Valerius because he was quiet and brooding and like Zsadist, who didn’t like to be touched, it ends up making for a super steamy love story!

I am now going to discuss the origins of the Vampires (Dark Ones) and the Pure Ones so if you believe this to be a spoiler, please don’t read any further… I’ve read a few books in the past about Angels who fall and turn into vampires and it seems very similar in these books, but different enough to be wholly original. Though the Pure Ones do seem extremely angelic and are pure of heart. Plus they become Pure ones after their human death.

The Vampires (Dark Ones) are basically fallen Pure Ones. They “fall” when they fall in love and aren’t loved in return or if they have sex with anyone who is not their true mate which breaks their law. Though I really don’t understand why there is animosity between the two groups. I suppose it will be explained more in the next book.

One thing I didn’t like about the book was Sophie and the exceedingly low opinion she has of herself. I mean it is one thing to know you aren’t as beautiful as some people, but another to have such a low opinion of yourself as to fell you aren’t worthy of attention. She is the Queen of an immortal race and has known that since she was born. I highly doubt someone raised as a queen with all those immortal warriors as guardians would really have such a low opinion of herself. But that is part of the story so we will see where it goes. I see she has a few books down the line devoted to her story so that should be interesting. I did read the blurbs of all the books and now I can’t wait to read all of them and I haven’t yet finished BDB, which I planned on doing before starting this series, I just couldn’t wait any longer to dive into this.

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[Coco.V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outrageously entertaining: epic, explosive, complex and addictive!

Pure Healing was a fascinating story that left me satisfied. Aja James is a formidable storyteller and I can definitely say that I’m a big fan of this author, now.

Despite this being an action and plot-based story, the emotional and romantic elements are not given short-shrift at all. Seeing the deeper emotional connections between Rain and Valerius blossoming is sweet and endearing. The characters are well drawn, and complex. AJ has a good handle on description and story flow and seamlessly brings the characters to life in a way that keeps the story interesting. The beautiful, rich language in which it’s written provides a reader with a particularly enjoyable experience.

If you love fantasy, this book definitely should be on your to-read list. Not only it is an extremely well-written page-turner but it will transport you into a world you will not want to part with even after you turn the last page of the book. I fell for all the characters that were presented in this first book. I’m anxious to learn everyone’s story and carry on with this series. Overall rating, a solid 4 stars!

[Penny Well Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

I can see the appeal for this story. I can see why so many people loved this book. But I didn't feel it.

This book has many different characters perspectives being told. We have the two main characters from whom we get the romance (Rain and Valerius), we have another main-ish character that seems to be an important one (Sophia), and then we have many others. Sometimes, I can find this technique interesting and productive, like I do with the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. However in this case, I found this way of narrating to be very distracting, and it prevented me from being able to get attached to the story and its characters. I felt some lack of interest towards most of these secondary character, specially due to the fact that I didn't feel connected to them. Maybe these characters weren't powerful enough to keep me intrigued, or maybe their presentation weren't developed enough so it made me see them from a distant; but over all, I wasn't into them, I wasn't connected to them or what was happening to and around them. Another reason might be because with the exception of one character, the rest of their POVs where told in 3rd person omniscient, and I might have felt more involved if their points of view had also been told in first person like Shopia's.
Furthermore, it took me a while to get into the two main characters’ love story. I believe that the main reason was that we start the book with Shopia's 1st person POV to then change to the main characters 3rd person and then to the secondary characters'. Thus, at the beginning I though I was reading Sophia’s story, I was ready to get invested in her to immediately having the story change towards Valerius and Rain, so my main focus of interest had to change, and right when I was getting into this new main characters, we are cut to get other characters POV, and thus my focus got changed again before getting immerse into any of them or their stories.

The world this book revolves in is not really made clear. We get information without really being explained. So we have to form our own ideas of how it relates. I suppose that this world will become more rounded and justified as we keep reading the next installments, but as it is right now, it leaves me with too many questions since I get a little frustrated at not knowing how it all works and I want to make sense of it.


The sex. I read a few reviews from friends and most of them say that the sex scenes are very hot. I get that, I really do. Unfortunately, it is not so for me. I am pretty sure that the reason why it isn't that hot for me is because of my personal preferences and not because any fault of the narration. I like alpha and dominant men, take charge kind of personalities, specially sexually speaking. Valerius, on the other hand, is a sexually submissive kind of guy, basically the opposite of what I find sexy or attractive. Perhaps, here is another reason why this book failed to engage me.

Anyways, to summarize, and as I said before, I found this book distracting.


P.S.: I am interested to know more about Sophia. Maybe it is so because we get her in first person, or maybe because I want to read about a threesome.

[MG *Bury Me with My Kindle.. & a REALLY Long Charger* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Christine Feehan's Dark Series, and this reminds me a lot of that. I always find it interesting to discover different authors' takes on similar folklore concepts, especially in the supernatural realm with respect to Vampires/Immortals. I liked the concept of this book and where Ms. James took it, especially with the depth she was able to achieve in terms of the MCs and their back stories. I like the complexity she achieved without getting long-winded or "over-explaining" things are many authors are prone to doing. I still don't quite have the hang of the whole concept, but I believe that is intentional in that we are meant to learn more as we read through the rest of the series. I already have book 2, and I am looking forward to learning about this subset society the author has created.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason why I gave this book 3 stars even though I loved is because this series is too much like The blackdagger series by JR Ward, so there goes originality. Apart from that I loved this book.

The writing is awesome, it's written in multiple perspective of the main characters, even though this is the first book in the series and the author was introducing the readers to the world it was awesome. She did a great job for just 300+ pages.

Apart from the love story of Rain and Valerius lots of other things was happening in this book. I for one love their love story, even though it was instant connection there was no insta love, it took 10 years, now that's something.

The POV of the psychotic vampire isn't so bad, I have an idea of who the person is already. I also like Sophia and the other warriors that lived together.

All the characters have a good character development, hopefully that will not decline.

[Azet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like i am scarred for life right now and i am never gonna be the same!This book opened up a whole another world to me than i am used to in this genre,and with Aja James compelling way of writing it made for an amazing keeper that i will never forget.I love vampires-and their dark natures but in this book we get presented to another supernatural creatures called Pure Ones who were given another chance at life by a Goddess and have pure souls and gifts to help them defend the balance of the Universe.They have a sacred law that a Pure One can never have sex unless its with their soulmate,or else they die within a month.I gotta admit that i like that rule and expect many celibate heroes from here on,lol.

Many characters are introduced and we get many POV from almost all of them,but the central characters are the warrior Valerius Ambrosius who becomes the consort of Rain who is a Healer.The Healer is the only exception to the rule for a month every ten years and have to choose a temporary consort to take Nourishment from him-which includes blood and lots of sex.I found this world facinating and dark in a alluring kind of way.I had to google some of the chinese food and names mentioned because i was so curious about it all,even the old ancient chinese tales that Rain mentioned.

Healer of the Race,Rain to me was a goddess of her own.She was a stunning lady with so much wit,compassion,grace and light.Sure of her gift and sexuality-i loved how confident she was and never had any bullshit about her.It is obvious how drawn she was to Valerious when they first met in China ten years before.I loved how she wanted to get to know him and tried to destroy the walls around him.When she found out the source of his demons she didn`t turn away from him-but choose to love the tormented soul he was.Valerius Marcus Ambrosius was a hero unlike any other i have met before.My soul called out to his at his first appearance and i never became the same again.He was so raw and tortured and had so much agony and pain inside him that it hurt me when he hurt.I really felt it when he wanted to crawl out of his skin!His past as a human living during the Roman Empire made me want to hurl the book across from the room and just weep with the unfairness of it all.It just hurt so much inside me for what he went through.No wonder he couldn`t stand it when anyone touched him,and NO WONDER he rejected the offer of being Rain`s consort.I realize that Valerious recognised his eternal mate in Rain,but he had been so much haunted by his past that he was afraid of what it would bring back for him.Watching him love Rain did something to me.How he gave everything he have,but still longing for Rain`s love thinking it was unrequited.He was so incredibly sexy in his own way in that while he was a badass merciless killer in battle-in front of Rain he oozed vulnerability and self-doubt thinking himself unworthy of her.Oh dear my...i love Valerious with my whole heart.!

Rain and Valerious are soulmates with a bond so intense that my eyes hurt in their every moment together.There was so much angst,passion,torment,longing and love between them.They are ONE together,and i honestly thought them so attuned with each other that i sighed with the pleasure of it.Its one of the most fascinating ascpects in romantic relationships to me!(Dreamy sigh).There are many more intriguing characters in the series i want to get to know:Seth and Jade have tons of chemistry in just THAT ONE scene and i am craving more,Sophia as a teenage Queen are fun and adorable but her crush in Ere are irritating me despite Dalair being her true soulmate.There are more to their story and i am desperetaly wanting more of that!Cloud and Aella have sparks and i can`t wait to read their book in "Pure Surrender".This is my first book by Aja James and she really impressed me with this dark,vivid,sensual world of the Pure Ones.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 'my gladiator' stars

Ok, it is official now. This is how my Valerius looks like (but taller and with green eyes, as PUC says 😄)



Now, after I've been staring at this gorgeous picture for quite a while, I'm supposed to write a review. LOL Ok, let's do this. But don't expect anything too coherent. My brain is somewhere in the fantasy dreamland.

Anyway, I started reading this series with book 2 and continued with book 3, so this one is my third visit to this world. Pure Healing has the lowest rating in the series but it was actually my favorite so far. Mostly because Valerius and Rain were such a wonderful couple. They had a very difficult and complicated beginning of their relationship but all these turmoils of emotions were fabulously written. And changes in their characters - well done. When Valerius finally leaves his past behind. So beautiful.

“You are all I see, Valerius. I do not notice anyone else whenever you are near. Right now, you are my entire world. I have no past, no future, only the present. With you. Only with you.”

************************************

“Hear me well, my heart,” he spoke to her in the deepest, gentlest, calmest voice. “I love you. I have ever, and ever shall, love only you.”

Also, I was able to fill some holes in the plot which I missed before. I got to see Seth meeting Jade for the first time (can't wait for these two. I mean, come on, I just feel they're gonna be so hot together) and I got more insight in the Sophia - Dalair - Ere triangle. I'm still undecided about Ere but Dalair seems absolutely delicious. And I mustn't forget about Cloud. I wasn't really paying him attention in Dark Longing. Which is a shame because in this book he's very intriguing. I wouldn't mind seeing him brought down to his knees by Aella. Or the other way around. I guess we'll see who will turn out to be more stubborn.

Just a little complaint here. I know that this Nourishment is essential for Pure Ones to survive but it kind of made a feeling that they have sex just because of survival. Especially in Rain's case because as a healer she needs Nourishment the most. And Nourishment is not exactly sexy word (see, I used it three times in a row and I already feel weird). Otherwise, I'm completely ok with it, it's an interesting feature, I only wish it wouldn't be used so many times.

Now, I need to continue to get to TAL!!! And MAXIMUS as well!!! Yeah, I've got myself a pretty impressive harem here. Starr, our Tal is in a good company of Roman warriors. Do you want to add anyone else?

P.S. If you want some more eye candies, do scroll down through the comment section. A lot of surprises down there *wink*

[Cécile Smits · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we reach the end of this fabulous,fantastic,mindblowing series,it is a good time to go back to the beginning. To a new,rebooted,Pure Healing. A beginning that introduces the beautiful people i love so much. One that some found difficult to read. Because so much happens in it,it could be a bit....overwhelming. Not for me,i loved it from the start as you can see in my original review.





But i understand why Aja decided to give it a sort of makeover. And the result is more than worth it,trust me! It is different,but still the same,if that makes sense. More detail in some areas,and a little less in others. And by more detail,i mean MORE DETAIL! I already loved Val and Rain as a couple,but with the added heat? HOTDAMN! Valerius’ past is still as painful,the abuse he suffered still as heartbreaking. But Rain ís his cure,for all eternity.






And seeing the other members of this beautiful family again,knowing what i know now? The road they still have to follow? The growing up? Those little hints that are still dropped throughout? The overall storyline is still the same,but the reboot has an extra sparkle. One that makes it shine more than it already did.....



My fellow Muses’ reviews can be found here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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The second time i read Pure Healing,i took my time. Time to take a closer look at Val and Rain’s story,the story that nestled deep into my soul and will stay there forever....And time to take a closer look at those surrounding them. Knowing what i know after reading the series so far....I see so much more,i see the layers Aja has woven into this series from the start and i wonder what i’m going to find in the others!


*******************************

WTF did i just read? I need to find my breath....
This was an introduction to a world that doesn’t simply have vampires in it. No,this is a world that has Pure Ones. And Dark Ones. And,yes,they’re different. And they don’t get along,as in at all. Even though they’re two sides of the same coin. This first story introduces the people that live in this world,their background,their place in this world and the people they love.


But the couple this story revolves around? Those 2? Valerius the Protector and Rain the Healer? With the heartache,the torment and agony they’ve experienced in their very,very long lives it’s a miracle they’re still standing strong. Rain needs to take a Consort every ten years to rebuild her strenght and Valerius finally applied for the job. His feelings for Rain run deep,but the scars of his past are deep as well....Rain has feelings,too.....but scars from the past as well.
With trouble rising,can they find a solution? Do they even have a chance to stay together?

After this story,i need to know more....more of what happens to those i’ve gotten to know, and more of this world!

[❦O❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hear me well, my heart,” he spoke to her in the deepest, gentlest, calmest voice, “I love you. I have ever, and ever shall, love only you.”

✨4,5 ”True love requires no reciprocation. True love is unconditional.” stars✨

🎶【 𝕍𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕦𝕤 & ℝ𝕒𝕚𝕟’𝕤 𝕊𝕠𝕟𝕘 ➺ The Only Reason ~ JP Cooper 】🎶

From the very first moment i read the blurb of Pure Healing, i knew i was gonna love it. First, because Paranormal-Fantasy romance is one of my favorite genres ever. It’s like crack to me, very addictive. But, most importantly, because:

✨Tormented hero + strong heroine + mutual pining + fated mates + explosive chemistry = a very happy and satisfied Oumaima *le sigh*✨

This book had all the imperative ingredients that i love in my PNR books. It was my first book by Aja James, and i can confidently proclaim that it won’t be my last. In fact, I’m already more than 50% in Pure Longing, and just like i thought upon reading the blurb of Pure Healing, this series, to my delight, is proving to be extremely addictive.

With that being said, i think it’s only fair that i introduce y’all to the best part about this book, namely:

✧༺♥༻∞ Valerius Marcus Ambrosius~The Protector: ∞༺♥༻✧

Before all, i must paint a vision of Valerius, in all his glory.

”The warrior was starkly beautiful in his minimalism and brusqueness.  He stood six feet six, over a foot above her own height if they were standing toe to toe.  He was endowed with incredibly wide shoulders, deep chest, lean hips and long, muscular legs.
His face was intensely masculine, all sharp angles, hollows and edges, his nose a narrow blade with a bump on the bridge.  But he was undeniably beautiful, deeply sensual with his heavily lashed light green eyes and full, wide mouth.”

Valerius, to me, is the highlight of this book.
From the get go, i was smitten by this beautiful warrior.
But, it wasn’t just his empyreal beauty that drew me to him like a moth to a flame.
Really, it was the stoic, emotionless, lonely and mysterious air he exudes, that ultimately captured my interest and left me wondering about his convoluted backstory.

Valerius, as a result of his tragic past, is extremely reserved. He loathes being touched and is emotionally stilted.
Ultimately, it was his heartbreaking past, which tugged at my heartstrings, triggered my most protective instincts, and seamlessly cemented my love for him.

Anyone who knows me, knows that i have a soft spot for damaged and broken characters, as some of my all time favorite books revolved around said characters.

Valerius was the epitome of damaged, both emotionally and physically.
What happened to him in the past, is beyond traumatizing. Reading about him in pain, made me want to jump in the book, destroy every single person that laid a cruel hand on him, rid him of all his suffering, engulf him in a healing embrace and convey my undying love and respect for his unyielding strength and courage.

Perhaps what hurt me the most, was the devastation of what happened to him.

“One month crawled into a year.  One year stretched into several.
Valerius became intimately familiar with every kind of debasement, every sort of pain.”

Witnessing the change in him through the flashbacks, and the cruelties inflicted upon him, stealing his innocence and robbing him of his childhood, hit me full force.

”A wave of pain washed over him as Valerius recalled the day he’d lost his virginity. Two thousand years was not long enough.”

”Silently he sobbed out his pain and degradation. Though he tried to be the man his father taught him to be, though he fought against their breaking of him, right this moment he wanted to curl into a small ball and hug his brutalized body to himself. Just for this moment, he allowed himself to mourn. For his murdered father. For his unprotected mother and sister. And for the innocence he would never reclaim.”

”His body racked with shivers, and he made a low sound of pain. Rain immediately stilled, opening her eyes, and saw that his eyes were tightly shut, his face contorted with anguish.”

After reading about the torture and the abuse he suffered at the hands of sadistic monsters, nothing made me happier than Valerius meting out his revenge on said monsters.

“Valerius advanced slowly and purposely upon them, a spatha at the ready.
Wordlessly, he dragged his tormenters to the floor and urged them to their knees.
As he poised to strike with sword raised, he was oblivious to their groveling and blubbering.  The accumulated pain and grief for his family rose within him, blotting out all else.  Death was too good for these two demons from hell.  And their death would not give him any comfort, any absolution.
But death would have to do.”

Thus, ending his life as an enslaved and tortured warrior, and prompting his rebirth as Valerius the Protector, a free man haunted by the atrocities of his past.
Suffice to say, Valerius is what made this book for me.

✧༺♥༻∞ Rain~The Healer: ∞༺♥༻✧

“Rain inhaled the Protector’s intoxicating scent deeply and sighed. 
Her arms wound around his lean waist and she held on with everything she had. For the first time in all the centuries of her existence, she felt like she was finally home.”

Although, Valerius was undoubtedly my favorite part of this book, that’s not to say that i didn’t love Rain.
Even though i didn’t connect with her as deeply as i did with Valerius, for obvious reasons, i still very much liked her.
Mainly, because of the limitless love she had for Valerius. Okay, so yes, my main reason for loving her, was Valerius. But let me expand on that.

Rain is the Pure One’s royal healer, she’s the most powerful healer of their race. However, her gift requires her to choose a consort every 10 years through a three day Rite of the Phoenix, as the chosen male then provides the needed nourishment(sex and blood), which rejuvenate Rain and allows her to carry her role as the healer of the Pure One’s for the next decade.

What does this have to do with Valerius, you may ask?

Everything.

Valerius is one of the most qualified Pure Males the race has to offer.
However, because of his trauma and as a form of self preservation, Valerius can’t bring himself to apply for the role of consort, despite his uncontrollable reaction to her ethereal beauty.

Rain, despite not understanding the reasons for his glaring avoidance and aversion to touch, was extremely understanding and accommodating to the point where it became detrimental to her health.
She was the embodiment of kindness and gentleness. Compassion and understanding. Loving and healing. That is why i loved her.

↳Exhibit A:
“You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever beheld.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and wow, you more than meet all my aesthetic requirements.  But the Healer in me wanted you for another reason.”  She softly nuzzled his face with hers, the kittenish touch startlingly as arousing to him as her lips around his cock. 
She met his gaze again and said in a saddened whisper, “You are one large, open wound.  I can practically feel the pain and torment radiating from your body.  How can I possibly resist wanting to heal that wound.  It is the purpose of my very existence.”
Valerius dropped his gaze and felt himself withdraw, even as his body stayed still. 
“Don’t hide from me, Valerius.”  At her use of his name his eyes flew to hers once more. 
She smiled her Mona Lisa smile and said, “I can’t make promises, but I truly feel that this union will help heal us both.  You provide me Nourishment.  Let me take care of you in return.  Let me love you for a little while.”
Valerius’ breath hitched and his heart stuttered.”

He’d never, ever, felt this way, not even in his dreams. For the first time in his long, stoic existence, he yearned for something more. Not for his people, not for the world he protected, but for himself. He wanted to matter. To her.

Rain engulfing Valerius with tenderness, makes me so happy 🥺
But, although she was a great support system and source of healing for Valerius, she did have her obtuse moments, which made me despise her:

↳Exhibit A: “The Rite will begin tomorrow, and I will select from the three qualified males in attendance.  My chosen Consort will satisfy me in every conceivable way until I overflow from his Nourishment.”
Valerius’ heart thudded heavily, painfully in his chest, as if it wanted to burst through its cage and release its agony.
She paused at the threshold, and without turning around, splintered him completely with—
“He will fill me and fulfill me in ways you never could.”

Ummm, I’m sorry hun, remind me again, WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? also, WHO THE FUCK GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO HURT MY PRECIOUS VAL?
Nobody? Exactly, that’s what i thought!

I will say, to her defense, she was hurt by his avoidance even when he desperately needed her to heal him, and when the haze of rage and pain finally lifted, she cried and regretted her words deeply.
So i guess, i forgive her in this instance, because i understand that being hurt by someone you love, makes you lash out without thinking of the impact your words can have.

↳Exhibit B: “I release you from your duties as Consort,” she announced without preamble, hands clasped before her, back straight, head high.
The words were like a physical blow, and Valerius barely managed to hold his ground, though his soul staggered from the impact of what she said.
“Why?” he forced out, though he couldn’t hear his own voice for the ringing in his ears.
“You have a more important and urgent duty now, and it will take all of your strength to fulfill,” she answered placidly, as if she’d rehearsed her words beforehand.”
“When Valerius made to object, she put up one hand to still him.  “Besides, I find myself in need of solitude.”  Her eyes flickered ever so slightly, but her voice did not waiver.  “I no longer desire your Service.”
This time, Valerius did falter.  Overwhelming pain engulfed him in black, merciless waves.  He felt the blood drain from his face, from his limbs. He couldn’t breathe, and his vision began to blur.”

Valerius’s reaction may seem a bit extreme. However, if you know the depth of his self loathing and the intense revulsion he feels for himself before anyone else, you will truly understand how deeply this rejection hurt him.

“Valerius sat on his bed, elbows on his thighs, hands in front of his face, palms up as he examined his wrists in wretched silence. 
He was deluding himself to think she would want to take Nourishment from him.
Not from these veins.  Not from this body.
He could barely stand to be in his own skin, much less expect others to bear his presence.”

This. This sense of self worthlessness that plagues Valerius is why Rain’s rejection hurt him, and by extension me, so profoundly.
But, again, since her words came from a place of care and a misguided sense of compassion and desire to alleviate his suffering. And because, she did grovel at the end, i again forgave her, and went back to liking her.

Ergo, I guess, to aptly describe my relationship with Rain: it’s a fickle hate-love relationship.

But, i have to say i was kind of disappointed in this scene, because once Valerius said this to her when she approached him to talk to him after the fight:
“If you want blood, come and get it. If you’re here to fuck me, name your place and position. Otherwise, get out.”
I was expecting hard, angry, make up sex, because wow that was hot. 🥵
But unfortunately that didn’t happen.
Still once i got over my disappointment, i loved the way things developed and how Rain and Valerius reconciled.

♥*♡∞:｡.｡ Valerius ‘The Protector’+ Rain ‘The Healer’: ｡.｡:∞♡*♥

Together, Valerius + Rain are 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖, they’re “Momentous.   Game changing.  So intense that the air around them whenever they’re in the same space together seems charged with electricity, singeing everyone within a five-yard radius.”

Upon meeting her, Valerius who prides himself on his self control and restraint, loses all control as his body stirs to life in a tingling, most pleasant way.

“To his utter confusion and dismay, his heart doubled its tempo, and every nerve in his body became overwhelmingly sensitized.  He suddenly felt drugged by the faint, elusive fragrance of lilies and jasmine, and in reaction, blood rushed to his groin, hardening him in an instant.  His neck and face got what was left as he flushed deeply in mortification and anger at his total loss of discipline. 
In his two thousand plus years of existence as a Pure One, he had never, never, lost control.”

This deep rooted and unshakable lure, is delightfully mirrored by Rain, as “There was an instant recognition and a blast of energy radiating from his body toward her, so forceful she had momentary whiplash from the dazzling currents.”

The atmosphere between Rain and Valerius was highly charged. They were each other’s wet dream personified.

“She would never tire of gazing upon his long, lean body.  She wanted to memorize every line and contour, every muscle and sinew.  Unconsciously, her fangs elongated as her eyes hungrily drank him in.  He was everything she had ever dreamed, everything she had ever wanted.”

She was so small; he was so large. The contrast between their bodies made his blood heat to molten lava, roaring primitively in his veins.

When they finally came together : 𝐵𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓈. 𝐸𝓊𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒶. 𝑅𝒶𝓅𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒.

“She had given him strength all along, he realized. She’d been healing him since the moment they first met."

Valerius and Rain shared a rare, soul deep connection, which is exactly why fated mates remains as one of my favorite tropes.
Because apart from the sparks of passion, they also shared an unparalleled intimacy and created a safe haven in which true vulnerability is achieved by dropping the tower of ice where emotions are locked.

Despite the fact that the road to the place in which healing and love is achieved and reciprocated, was bumpy and full with challenges.
This emotional sanctuary they found in each other, enabled them to share their traumas and uncover pains from the past, ultimately allowing the festering open wounds to be healed and at last their hearts to be fully connected.

⋆┈┈｡ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ｡┈┈⋆

Finally, i just have to include the part where Valerius, the man who before Rain hated being touched and was always reserved, is now being openly affectionate and hugging people.

“At first, I thought he was trying some abbreviated Heimlich maneuver on me or maybe a new way for training me to escape enemy clutches by enveloping me with those unyielding steel bands he calls arms. But then I realized he was just hugging me.

I call this ✨the Rain effect.✨

✧༺♥༻∞ Side Characters: ∞༺♥༻✧

Before starting this review, i wanted to include my favorite quotes about the couples that i hope will be together in future books, but because i went extremely overboard and ran out of characters on GR, i will only be listing the couples:

♕ 𝓢𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓪 & 𝓓𝓪𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓻
♕ 𝓐𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪 & 𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓭 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓴𝓸
♕ 𝓢𝓮𝓽𝓱 & 𝓙𝓪𝓭𝓮

Also i really wanted to see these two together so i have to include them even though it’s no longer possible💔😭

♕ 𝓐𝓵𝓮𝔁𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓻𝓸𝓼 & 𝓦𝓪𝓷’𝓮𝓻

[ren ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Before you go, warrior, consider this choice: what would you do if you had a second life? What one regret would you abolish?” a haunting female voice penetrated his consciousness. Valerius automatically replied, “I would protect the ones I love. I would protect the weak who cannot protect themselves.” “Then rise again, my Pure One,” the voice grew stronger and the light grew brighter until Valerius was blinded by the glare. “Rise again, Protector.”

Pure Healing was an average read BUUUUT it's also a book I see a lot of potential in. And good thing for me, I've seen many reviews that promise the series picks up!

It was hard for me to get into the story at first because these intricate plots always require a lot of world-building and exposition. But there was SO MUCH going on and this is a relatively small book (my Kindle version says: 274 pages). The MC's, Rain and Valerius, were constantly sharing their spotlight with other plotlines. I guess I'm just not used to it.

I really liked how the author brought in some Chinese culture into the paranormal-romance genre. I don't see that very often. And hooray for an Asian heroine! Unfortunately, Rain's personality could've been developed a bit more. Rain, the Healer, is supposedly ancient and wise (I believe she's around 2000 years old?), but she acted like a woman in her twenties half the time. Even I felt like I would've made better decisions if I were in her place.

My favorite character of the book was definitely Valerius, the Protector. My heart broke for him. 😭😭😭 The inner battle between his yearning for Rain and his self-loathing because of his past was just so heartbreaking. I wanted to climb in the story and protect him. I couldn't handle any of his flashbacks and often had to take breaks to collect myself. Take heed to the trigger warnings, guys! For a story that's supposedly a 'forbidden romance', did anyone find the resolution a little anti-climatic? It seemed sort of obvious that Rain would give up her job as a The Healer. In addition, I don't think his trauma was handled very well. I just don't think the trauma of being a sex slave can be erased because you've finally found your soul mate. But then again, Rain is a healer. Does she also heal emotional wounds too? I can't recall. It's been a while since I've come across a Hero that possessed the ability to shed a tear or even blush. Men who can show their feelings are on a whole different league, I tell ya! As much as I like alpha-male heroes, can we please bring this back?

Overall, Pure Healing is intriguing enough to make me want to continue with the series. The 3 stars are definitely for Valerius and the potential I see! I'm so curious about Sophia and Dalair. Okay, I was supposed to keep this review short, I didn't realize I had so much to say. 😅

Rating: 3/5

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, hello there my little re-read. Thank the smut gods, because I fell back in love with Rain and Val. Even if the whole push/pull thing can be very annoying. Plus the whole dying part kind of sucked donkey balls but I knew it was all for show. I JUST KNEW IT!

The one thing that kind of annoyed me was Sophia. Just because she's just really naïve and young. So it's not that surprising she made some bad decisions but the girl is a queen. Not a princess. A QUEEN. So I'm expecting some Queen-like things in the next book because I am not going to re-ghost this series whatsoever. Especially since I have so many freaking questions about the vampire villain.

I am beyond pumped to dive into the next book. Also can Rain and Val make babies now? Please and thank you.
_________________________________
Holy smut gods!

Pure Healing was so freaking good. I'm happy I finally dove into this book because I'm pretty sure I was supposed to read it months ago - sorry buddy! Anyways.. this was such a great start that I can't wait to dive into the second book of this series!

I loved everything and anything about Rain and Valerius. Even thought I first though Rain was a stupid name that maybe a celebrity would name their child (or something). Eventually I fell in love with their instantaneous love because holy smutballs guys! It was insane! SO freaking good and insane that I couldn't put it down. I just had to see this book out and where their relationship would take me (as well as them).

I don't even want to mention anything else but the world building and how insane it was. If I wanted to mention Sophia.. UGH, I just can't! I'm already annoyed and mad. Other than that, I loved this book and the two main characters. I honestly can't wait to see what the next book will give me.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 3.5 Stars!!!***

This is going to be be an interesting series! I did find this first book to be a lot of information to be taken in at times... plus there are many POV’s which was distracting at times; but once I got the characters figured out, I enjoyed it more.
I have got to get some sleep, but will try to do a review when I can keep my eyes open! Lol!

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My feelings for this PNR are a little all over the place. I really liked some of the stuff we got but the flaws held me back from truly being able to get lost in the story.

The basic premise of the story leaned heavily on a PNR trope I hate. Pure Ones, basically just vampires with a superpower added into the mix who protect humanity from evil vampires, are only able to have sex with their Eternal Mate. If they break that rule it is death within 30 days! I do hate the old magic bonding trope with a passion as it hints towards destiny rather than a couple just, you know, actually liking each other as people!

The main focus on this story was on Rain the Healer of the Pure Ones. The Healer is the only Pure One that can have sex without dying. She actually needs it to suck magical energy out of her Consorts! The Phoenix Cycle ritual happens very ten years where Pure One males apply to prove their worth to be Consorts to the Healer for a 30 day time period. Our hero in this story, tortured former Roman slave Valerius, has avoided applying to be Consort for hundreds of years despite being rated as one of the strongest Pure One males. A few things happen in this one that leads him to finally apply for the position. This is a PNR so you guys can guess how things progress from here!

The main romance arc was a tough sell for me due to the premise being bad but it actually ended up playing out better than I expected when the weirdness of it all wore off. The romance still ended up falling a bit short for me because I failed to warm to Rain much as a character. She was OK but the romance was damaged a bit by the way she treated Valerius early in the story. She needless hurt him at one point and I always hate it when characters lapse towards violence:( It also had that slight instalust feel about it. I felt the physical desire between the characters but was never convinced they had anything beyond that going for their relationship.

The big plus for this series was the fact that it was BDB inspired PNR. By that I mean it took a similar approach as the BDB series and did not limit the POV's to just the two characters in the story's lead romance. Valerius and Rain both had POV's and plenty of screen time, as they should, but so did a lot of other characters in their inner circle. I really like that as it adds depth to the story and helps flesh out the secondary characters and build them up a bit for their own stories later in the series. The standout secondary character for me was probably was the young Pure One Queen Sophia. It was fun to follow her as she tried to balance a normal life at college with being Queen of the Pure Ones. There was a bit of a love triangle in her story arc but it actually played out quite well so I was not irritated with it and both the guys seemed intriguing enough in their own way.

The big negative for the story was the writing. I just never really gelled with it and it never truly sucked me into the story. It was not awful just not super engaging. The dialogue was probably the biggest problem. It felt a bit unnatural and weird.

Another thing hurting the story was the sex scenes. They were more cringey than sexy with some questionable descriptive choices thrown into the mix lol!

I did like the fact that the Pure Ones all had their own minor superpower. It was a fun twist and made them feel a bit like cool vampire X-Men!

All in all I was a little disappointed with this as I felt like all the building blocks were in place for a fantastic story but the execution just never quite worked for me. I might still read the second one if it makes it to audio as this was an OK read and because I'm mildly interested to read about a few of the other characters stories.

Rating: 3 stars.

Audio Note: I felt like the narrator did not do this book a lot of favours. Addison Barnes was well-spoken and had a pretty voice but had no talent for voice acting. Her character voices were fine and distinctive but she did not act out any of the scenes and that sucked the emotion out of some of them as she read tense emotional scenes in the same tone of voice as light humorous ones. It is the nuances like that which make or break an audio story! If Barnes can improve her ability to perform the story rather than just read it blandly then I feel like she could be a decent narrator.

[AlwaysV · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the blurb didn't perk up your interest so high that you just had to pick up this book, here's hoping my review might help too. This book was one of the best opening books of any series! The world of the Pure/Dark Ones was intriguing, fresh, compelling, and yes, sensual. The Glossary of Terms might seem daunting. I even wondered if the world would be too complex to enter, to enjoy. That wasn't the case at all. I did need to check out who the Pure Ones and the Dark Ones were, then it was a captivating joy ride all the way through. But, yes, honestly, the Glossary enhanced my enjoyment of the story ten fold! I was left yearning for more stories after the final page!

The 'sensual' comment described the relationship between Valerius and Rain whenever they let their guards down and allowed themselves to just be together. The writing and imageries created by the author were so gorgeous and stunning! And yes, HOT! So! what were Valerius and Rain's problems from the past? Rain carried too much past mistakes and self-doubts. She couldn't love any males enough. While Valerius was besieged by overwhelming pains and self-hatred, having suffered indescribable abused and been brutalized as a sex slave. I loved them both for who they were now; Valerius, the Protector, and Rain the Healer. Their heart-breaking struggles were mine. Their happy ending was totally mine too!

All of my negative feelings went towards the mastermind villain/vampire/creature! The enemies! OMG! Hated them all so much! Especially the super cunning creature who initiated and planned the battle like he/she was playing a chess game! The chaos, deaths, and destruction happened in this book were just the beginning of what to come. The bloody ending of the creature couldn't happen soon enough for me! Die! You Nasty Creature!

I wholeheartedly despised the Creature‼️ Like . . . Hate at First Sight ‼️ Seriously❣️

[⚜️Charlotte⚜️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Captivating Stars!

Wow... I have to say I loved it, there was a lot of information to absorb in this first instalment of what is seemingly going to be a great series, I throughly enjoyed the story line, the characters especially Rain and Valerius, whom I grew to care and connect with more with every page I read, the sex scenes between these two were scorching, with a captivating plot and intriguing secondary characters, I can’t wait to get into the second book, I highly recommend this one.

[Natalie ~ The Biblioholic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant... Beautiful... and WOW!! With Pure Healing, Aja James has officially earned a spot on my must-read list!

This book, or rather this series, is about exquisite fallen angels and their battle to defend and protect humankind. I loved it!!

The World-Building: while their base was in Boston, the Pure Ones got around. In existence for millenia, they've lived together, fought together, and loved together. I enjoyed the mythos that served as the history to this wonderful group of characters. From ancient Rome to ancient China to Amazons and humans... it was impossible not to become engrossed in the texture the author created with her imaginative embellishments.

The Characters: Rain and Valerius were the main characters, but everyone got a piece of the shine and I'm intrigued by them all. I wish some of them didn't have to die so I could get to know them better and see them get their very own happy endings. Anyhoo, what developed between Rain and Valerius was surreal. It was sensual and captivating and an ethereal feel to it. I got so much of them and still craved more.

The Plot: it was obvious to me that there are many moving parts to this story and while I'm unsure how the author keeps track of it all, it was never confusing. For every question answered, every secret revealed, more clues are left behind hinting at something more to come. So I may not know everything yet, but I'll be having a blast trying to learn it all!

I have absolutely no patience so I'm off to find out what happens next in Dark Longing.

[Mamacita aka MawMaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Eternal Healing Stars

This. BOOK...



The world building...



The characters (and there are alot of them) ...



Would I Recommend this book...



What did you first think about this author when starting this book?






Did I Absolutely Love the start of this new series??



*Trigger Warning ~ Dark content contains flashback scenes detailing rape & abuse

Favorite Quotes...

Oh she knew she was playing with fire, but how delicious was the burn.

“And when a Pure-male falls in love, hell, when any male falls in love, you’re a slave to age-old instincts to win her, protect her, provide for her, Nourish her,” Tristan said with passion. “It has nothing to do with being her Consort, my brother, and everything to do with being her Mate.”
“I see you’ve come to terms with the obvious. Now the question is what you’re going to do about it. In love, there’s no holding back,” Tristan told him with sudden, uncharacteristic insight. “You have to lay yourself bare, everything you are, at her feet and pray that she’ll put you out of your misery and accept you.”
"And if she doesn’t,” Tristan went on, “it has no bearing on what you have to do. You’re hers regardless of her choice. It is your duty, your very purpose for existing, to ensure her strength and vitality. You have what she needs, Val.”
"When Valerius’eyes became shuttered with self-doubt, Tristan laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You have what she needs,”he said again. “And you’re capable of giving her more than she’d ever bargained for because you love her. Whether she wants it or not, it’s your gift to give her. True love requires no reciprocation. True love is unconditional.”

I graciously received a copy of this book from the author. I voluntarily chose to post a review of my Honest Opinion of this book with No Influence or Interference from any company of person.

[lucia meets books · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: Rape and slavery

I don't really know how to start this review so...

First of all, let's talk about the sex scenes… They weren't fun or sexy which was a huge letdown since there are a lot of them in this first book and I've read a couple of reviews were the smut was described as great. I think the main issue I had with it was that it was referred as "Nourishment" , and every time it was mentioned that way I could only think about a mother with her child which had nothing to do with what was actually happening, it seriously took me out of the story and I had to concentrate to continue with it.

Once I realised the sex scenes weren't going to be good, I focus my attention more on the world and boy that was a mess too. I'm left with so many questions! I get that it's a long series so a lot of things are probably (hopefully) going to be explain later but at the same time I should have some answers since I read 334 pages of people living there. Basically I have no idea who is the voice that asks them what they would change or how she decides who to change to a pure one. Also, how does the mate thing works? Because of what I understood people risk having sex with someone they really like and it's like playing a game, you are lucky if that person just happens to be your mate or else you turn into a vampire. So the Pure ones never actually know who their mates are until they risk everything?. And those are just the main questions I have about the world.

And lastly, there were a lot of characters that I didn't care about and that weren't really important but we still got entire chapters narrated from their points of view which just drag the story for me. Thankfully the chapters aren't that long but while I was reading I couldn't concentrate because all I was thinking was "Can we please go back to Rain and Velarius?? I don't care about you!" . Moreover, the evil character was so confusing, I don't understand what it was trying to do with its plan, I was waiting for something epic to happen but at the end it was super meh. I don't know why it took all the time and effort to destroy Sophie's house just to get Dalair to say a secret, like what?.



Talking about Velarius, I loved him since the beginning of the book that's why he has made it to my list of bookboyfriends!. He's the type of character that's always with a straight face, that seems very stoic but once they fall in love they turn into a cinammon roll with their partner, those types of romance are honestly my downfall and in this one it didn't disappoint. What really took me by surprise was his past, I've read a ton of tragic pasts but his was so horrible and detailed, I almost cried while reading it. I couldn't bear to think about a poor 14 years old going through so much pain and abuse, I know for sure his story will forever be stuck in my mind from now on.



Rain, on the other side, was an amazing person and I loved how real her story felt, I was able to understand her motivations and decisions fully. I do have to admit that her powers were hard to picture from time to time as well as that she annoyed me when she wouldn't speak her mind. I understand she can't be with Velarius because of her powers but how difficult could it be to tell him "Hey, I love you but we can't be together because I love my passion more"? I definitely liked her but not as much as Velarius.

Another character that stood out for me was Dalair, one of Sophie's bodyguard, I'm really curious to find out more about him because he also has that vibe of tough guy that is a cinammon roll inside. I have this teory that Sophie and him are going to end up together and that Ere is from the bad side, if it's that way I'm gonna be hella dissapointed.

All in all, at first I thought this was a 4 stars for me but now looking back there are a lot of small things that took away from my enjoyment so I had to lower the rating to 3 stars. I would recommend it to anyone that gets attached easily to characters because I think Velarius really deserves to be known but aside from that sadly I don't think there were other things that I enjoyed as much.

[Silvia Drascall · Rating 5 out of 5]

F*cking F*cking LOVE IT... thx so much for sharing your Amazing Universe with us, Mrs. Aja James. One of the best story I've ever read. EVER. You blew my mind with your fascinating, creative and f*cking well written plot... There is nothing boring or monotonus throughout the story...NOTHING...
You know, I'm can't help myself... I just fell in love for your characters... ALL OF THEM - pure ones, dark ones, vampires... blah, blah... Perfect play!!!
Now, my only problem is that I'm addicted and can not read fast enough..kkk..(hope you love to write cuz I need more&more of it- kkkk). So, congratulations, Mrs. James - Your are on the same level of my great divas of paranormal romances: J.R.Ward, C. Feehan, N. Singh, K. Cole, L. Adrian, L. Leigh, C. Eden, Frost, Showalter, S.Wright, L. Dohner... Good job. Really Fabulástico Great Job.

Para quem lê em inglês, é amante de paranormais 'calientes/hot' e prima por bons enredos - meu conselho: CORRA & LEIA A SÉRIE (e COMPRE TAMBÉM...kkkk)!!!... Vale super a pena. Essa Aja James É SHOW DE BOLA, não fica devendo pra nenhuma das rainhas do gênero.
Veja você, comecei usando o meu plano kindle unlimited para ler gratuitamente e, no entanto, gostei tanto e tanto e para além do tanto... que acabei adquirindo todos os livros lançados e ainda me vi na obrigação de alertar e recomendar a todas as 'famintas literárias' que uma nova 'bestselling author' acabar de nascer...kkkk

P.S. Thx, Princess under cover. I just love your recommendation

[Sweet and Salty Reviews by DD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet mercy I should have read this first upon my return to goodreads! New author for me and I am a complete fan girl!

Valerius, I do not believe I have read a hero like him before. I am awestruck as to how much I enjoyed him with his traumatic past (which I usually do not enjoy). Mostly an author has difficulty with a traumatized hero, they typically come off as the one that needs taking care of verses being the one the heroine can rely on, not the case with Valerius. He is a magnificent hero who is very reliable and strong not just physically but mentally as well.

Rain was the Healer in more ways than one. Such an exceptionally strong heroine, yet soft, understanding, and patient. These are things I typically do not like in a heroine. I want her sarcastic and an ass to be honest, but Rain broke the mold for me. Could not imagine her written any other way.

I felt every array of emotions happiness, sadness, shock, suspense, intrigue, but most importantly the desire to read more!

A must read IMO.

Happy reading! DD

[Claudie ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a far more enjoyable read that I’d expected! The plot was very engaging and complex, and I think it’ll be nicely developed in the following books. The writing style was lovely, even though the omniscient narrator isn’t my favorite thing — when it comes to multiple POVs, I much prefer to have a clean divide between them, and here, they were switching almost constantly, making the inner workings of the characters’ minds a bit too transparent for my taste.

I LOVED the main couple, Rain and Valerius, and how compatible they were. I always enjoy books with a tragic hero, and Val was no exception. The flashbacks were little windows into his tortured past, and made him truly three-dimensional. Rain was a little angel — except for when she almost killed him… — she was exactly what his poor warrior heart (and body!) needed. Their chemistry was great and the amount of drama was just right.

What I did not love so much was Sophia the Teen Queen… I suspect that I’ll see a lot more of her in the next installments as she’s one of the crucial MCs, so I really, really hope she’ll mature a bit (or rather a lot), because MAN, I did not enjoy her teenage angst! And she was just so perfectly imperfect… The contrast between her and the other 2k+ y/o characters was sometimes so extreme, it was actually funny. But she did have some moments near the end of the book where she hinted there’s more to her than that, so perhaps there’s hope.

The worldbuilding was really good here. The concept of the Pure Ones was very original, and the vampires did not sparkle — thank goodness — they were vicious bastards and main antagonists. At first, I was rolling my eyes every couple of minutes because of all the capitalization, but after a while, it all started to make sense and flow together, so I didn’t mind it so much anymore. This universe is somewhat similar to Ward’s BDB, but so far, there seems to be less emphasis on extreme masculinity — or rather, the females of the species are more badass here — so I think I like it more. I dunno if it’s a continuing trend throughout the series, but I’m hoping that’s the case. I’m digging the whole matriarchy thing, by the way.

Ahhh, I have other series that I need to finish, but I think they’ll have to wait until I’m done with this one! I have so many questions right now. Just WHO is this genderfluid vampire ‘demon’ and what does it want? What’s Dalair’s deal with Sophia? Last but not least, who is Ere and why is he so hell bent on charming the pants off Sophia? Seems a bit suspicious…

[☾Sabrina♡༄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hear me well, my heart. I love you.  I have ever, and ever shall, love only you.” 


6’6” stoic Valerius Marcus Ambrosius - 🥰finally bald Henry Cavill makes an appearance.

This is the first time I started a series simply because I got swept away by the excited fangirling comments. I read this with the awareness that books 1-3 aren’t the best but the series improves.



But I was not prepared for so much feels!! Valerius Marcus Ambrosius ! YES! I’m the biggest sucker for mutual pining. Pine for each other, yearn desperately for each other, come and torment me with your longing! He couldn’t even look at her out of self-preservation. I didn’t expect one of my favourite hero types to appear on the first ever book! The thing is it’s near impossible for me to rate books poorly if they present me with this hero and trope. I can just focus on that and overlook everything else haha. Valerius had a Kaz Brekker-like thing where he can’t stand to be touched and honestly I live for that. My kind of hero. Then I discovered his history. Oh god. I had to lie down for a bit because I was not prepared to see him hurt that badly. He was only 14 and he just lost his father!

“Before you go, warrior, consider this choice: what would you do if you had a second life? What one regret would you abolish?” a haunting female voice penetrated his consciousness. Valerius automatically replied, “I would protect the ones I love. I would protect the weak who cannot protect themselves.” “Then rise again, my Pure One,” the voice grew stronger and the light grew brighter until Valerius was blinded by the glare. “Rise again, Protector.”

That was my BIGGEST cry in the book. My sweetheart. (Speaking of which, I couldn’t take it when one of the first things Rain said to Valerius in present time was “What is it sweetheart?  What do you need?” He needs you! You’ve craved each other for years!) And the pillow/handkerchief scene, sobs. And all the times he blushed or cried.

You’re the most amazing warrior and selfless Protector, how could you ever have thought yourself unworthy?

“I want you anyway.  I have no pride where you’re concerned.  And apparently, after two thousand five hundred years, no self-control either.”

You are my first, Valerius thought.  And my last.

At the end of the book, when he was just so affectionate, freely hugging people until Sophia thought he was trying to give her the Heimlich manoeuvre, I was so happy for him.

So I know a lot more goes on in the book, but Valerius and Rain hurt me and I can’t focus on much else.

The writing style wasn’t the best—some parts were repetitive or awkward. I recently read some dark romances with really airtight writing that made you feel every emotion so strongly. Every word was placed perfectly. This book really paled in comparison. For example “His deep, husky voice sent shivers up and down her body.  How poetic that such a voice should be housed within such a body.  The sound was like a warm blanket that calmed her, while at the same time it was a roaring fire that ignited her.” Had me cringing a bit. And “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and wow, you more than meet all my aesthetic requirements.” And the time Ayelet was being all romantic saying her existence would have been meaningless without her mate while simultaneously covetously groping his bum? It can get cheesy too. But the pacing and plot was okay, something was always happening and you never got bored. And first books are usually tough to read anyway because of the world-building.

And there were so many couples to ship! I can’t wait to see more of Dalair. He was so calm and patient. And did the both of them really have no clue about the source of their dissatisfaction/frustration/irritation/resentment/anger? 😏

(Okay so I find Sophia the Queen of the Pure Ones super whiney and bratty, but I kept having to remind myself she’s literally a teenager. Her mental faculties aren’t fully matured yet, also I bet I was just as annoying as a teenager. So yeah I can’t blame her, but I guess I’m just too much of an old geezer to appreciate teenagers in books? She’s surrounded by centuries-old people, though. Hopefully their maturity will rub off on her soon. Also Sophia, get a grip on that Ere thing. His courtship is creepy. We hardly know each other but here’s some lame song lyrics, read it. And here’s the key to my lair so you can store your body inside it when I’m gone. Love, Ere. Weeeird wooing.)

Dalair moments:

“Are you sure you are not influenced by hormonal imbalances?” Dalair responded calmly.  “I can smell the onset of your monthly cycle.”

“For every bruise and hit you receive, you can revisit that pain upon me twice over, whenever and however you choose to deliver it.  I promise you that justice.  But right now, you need to get up.”

“Ewil.” “What?” Aella turned her head towards the young Queen. “He evil. Likes torture.”

3.5 stars for Valerius Marcus Ambrosius and Dalair.

[Meggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck it. 5 stars!

**Read for 2019 CYTBR challenge**

It honestly shocks me that this series isn't more widely read. Granted, the people that like it REALLY LOVE IT, but still; considering the popularity of PNR, I still can't believe it doesn't have more ratings. Especially since it's on KU. But anyway, I digress- the point is that I am not big into PNR/fantasy, yet this is an amazing first installment in a series that I will definitely continue. In the end, I decided to rate this one not unlike how I rated One Apocalypse, which is purely by enjoyment. Part of that could've been my mood, but I really did love this world and its inhabitants. The world-building was awesome but still not overly complex, which is usually where these kinds of stories start to lose me. I don't consider it enjoyable to have to reference a glossary of terms numerous times whilst reading for fun. I have a feeling the world will grow to be more complex over the course of the series, but I can handle that (as long as it doesn't take the path of True Blood).

This was between Rain and the warrior. It was their time of reckoning..

There were a decent amount of different storylines weaved together, but the main plot is the story of Valerius and Rain. Valerius is a Pure male, and also one of the Elite that protects the royalty. In fact, his title is Protector. Pure males Mate for life, and it is against the Law to have sex with someone they aren't mated with. That being said, there is one "get out of jail free card", and that is a huge component of this story. Rain is the Healer, and she's the only one in the race with the powers she possesses. I mean, that's a lot of responsibility, right? The fate of your people could very well rest on the fact that you don't fall in love.

He’d never, ever, felt this way, not even in his dreams. For the first time in his long, stoic existence, he yearned for something more. Not for his people, not for the world he protected, but for himself. He wanted to matter. To her.

I liked Rain fine, but Valerius made this story. That poor, broken man. Usually I like my men to have a little more confidence, but I felt totally different with Val. He had a heartbreakingly horrible human life, and the scars from it haven't come close to healing. I just wanted to make him forget, because he is such a good, loyal man. I loved how his life's work revolves around protecting the vulnerable and weak. How could you not fall in love with a man like that? As for Rain, she is a strong, independent woman that carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. I may not have been drawn to her like I was Val, but I definitely respected and liked her. She's definitely worthy of Val, and it seemed more than fitting that a Healer be inexplicably drawn to the broken Val (and vice versa).

“You have what she needs,” he said again. “And you’re capable of giving her more than she’d ever bargained for because you love her. Whether she wants it or not, it’s your gift to give her. True love requires no reciprocation. True love is unconditional."

This story sets up what I'm guessing will be a hard-fought battle between the Pure Ones and the vampires. I know we haven't seen the last of their adversaries, and that thrills me. The side plots were all interesting, some more than others (omg SETH. I cannot wait to see what happens there!). All in all, Val and Rain's story was a great way to induct everyone into this world where the stakes are high and love is forever.

She had given him strength all along, he realized. She’d been healing him since the moment they first met.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rain and Valerius

Rain is the Healer of the Pure Ones race. The Healer takes a Consort "every ten years to draw strength from his blood and body to heal severe wounds." Valerius is the Protector. He hunts and kills rogue vampires who harm humans. One day Valerius decides to apply to be Rain's Consort. Rain knows Valerius doesn't like to be touched. How can they become a mated couple for thirty days with this lack of intimacy between them?

I found this novel to be intriguing. I have read Christine Feehan, J. D. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Anne Rice. There are some similarities but the story is uniquely its own. We start off with Sophia's (the Queen of the Pure Ones) voice told in first person. Then we hear from the other characters in third person. The romance of Rain and Valerius is steamy hot. The subplots keep the reader interested in how the plot plays out. The world building is slowly progressing. Perhaps in book two it will be fully developed. I will look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. SWEET. BABY. JESUS!

What have I gotten myself into here?!….

Read this book people. Please..

I'm on to book 2 :)

[Rhosyo MT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a promising beginning for this new-to-me series and author!🎉
Lots of great characters and many, many love stories to come!
(This could be a little spoilery!)
***

The worldbuilding was fun. The idea of a hidden vampiric world coexisting with the human one is not new, but the way it was pictured here was unique (at least to me), with a much appreciated twist on the typical gender roles expectations of the MF paranormal genre.
These vampires live in mostly matriarchal societies where females are able (and expected) to assume positions of Real Power, military control and free sexual exploration (that Queen Jade Cicada and her horny, diverse court... oh gods!); and males are given the opportunity to be the insecure, inexperienced or sensible ones without those things robbing them agency or weakening their “masculinity”. These heroes seemed more real and layered than the typical alpha vampires of paranormal romance (*cough* Blackdagger Brotherhood *cough*... I mean, I TOTALLY LOVE the Blind King and his boys, but I don’t think anyone who read their adventures could deny they all are the typical picture of the manly-man with their female mates... AND while their women are all great, they are mostly just that: “theirs”). I still like, and will keep reading, that other classic dynamics; it’s just very refreshing to find other formulas that work as good as those, or even better.

The idea of staying celibate until finding your “mate” was a little odd 🤔; maybe I’ll get some kind of explanation as to why in future books? It’s funny that even if the story had that ridiculous rule, the highly sexual vibe expected from a Vampire fiction was SO present with every character on page... poor, hungry people 🤣.
Another weird rule was the one where if someone fell in love and was not reciprocated immediately they’d be a Fallen one, not longer a “Pure one”... all that terminology and rules felt a little too much religious nonsense 🙈. Celibacy, sex only with love and only with one person, purity...🤨... I mean, as a personal choice? Sure! But if there is a sacred rule about it, bc if not you’ll die or be bad, the whole deal sounds extremely wrong.
I’ll see what future books have to said about these things.

I love the fact that even if this world is mainly about MF couples, the setting and characters seemed mostly queer coded to me. Girls take the initiative, men aren’t brainless animals in rut(😂), and I felt the story pictured attraction between characters regardless of gender. I know later on the series, as with the spinoff, queer couples are going to be common, but even in this first volume I didn’t feel the Hetero-normative atmosphere that usually chokes me on MF fiction. 👍🏼👍🏼

I wasn’t that much interested in the main couple of this book🙈. I liked them separately, but their love story bored me a little. This two were already in love at the beginning of the book, there wasn’t a “falling stage” and it felt too insta-love.
The idea of the race’s healer having to feed from sex and intimacy with a temporary male consort in order to maintain her strength was as ridiculous as the Celibate-until-finding-a-mate rule.
“You must release within her as often as possible as vigorously as possible, […]Didn’t she explain to you the Consort’s role? You are essentially her Mate for this duration. Blood is not enough. […]But if you don’t do your duty to the Healer, she will not survive another week”.
😬😬😬 yep, no. Those parts felt like I was reading bad porn. The more I read, the more crazy rules appear to complicate the story 🤷🏽‍♀️.
Oh, and these people were all OLD, like thousands of years old, and they are all traumatized bc of past tragedies, but none thought to maybe go to therapy? At least try? Nobody could guess in centuries of knowing him, that Val needed professional help?

I really liked Sophia!, the nerdy, awkward teenage Queen, and already love the complicated connection between her and the favorite, stoic bodyguard ❤️, I need to know more!. She reminded me at times of For Real’s Toby, or Lauren Gilley’s Nali: the mouthy, energetic, moody and a little bit shy teenager not yet aware of their own appeal. All that but in a female package, that’s new! 🎉
Also liked Aella, the Xena Warrior-Princess-ish girlfriend 😍.
They all seemed absolutely great characters worth their own books! But I must confess the ones who stole my heart were the bad guys... as they should!
The face-shifter evil vampire was 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼... I liked them a lot, and as “the good ones” couldn’t stop talking about “purity” and “people worthy with deserving souls”, I sometimes felt this vampire was right in trying to eradicate this cult of creatures with delusions of grandeur 🤣🤣🤣.
And Ere is so sexy and mysterious! (Could the evil, fluid vampire maybe be the same person?😱). Sorry Dalair, but if Sophia really had to choose between you two, you wouldn't last a second... I know, I have still lots of books to read, but yeah, Ere’s is the one I’m waiting for.
“I had a really great time. You’re a brilliant researcher and teacher.”
Ere smiled a little at her compliment. “Is that all I am to you?”
[…]”I’d like to think you’re my friend,” she responded, holding his penetrating gaze. “I like you very much.”
Astonishingly, it was Ere who took a slight step back. He looked away briefly, then returned to her with a different smile, a darker, almost ironic smile.
“I like you too, Sophia. Very much.”
Villains to love? yes yes yes yes.

[Debra Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purch Amazon Sept. 11, 2018
Pure Healing by Aja James
Genres; Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense.
4.5 Stars

This is a very complex story. A mixture of the old ideas of vampires and goddesses with an original concept of the 'Pure Ones'. The pure ones themselves are layered with mystery. How they came to be and come to be. That may sound confusing, but it is an accurate statement. There is so many different elements and layers to them. What I think is the most fundamental truth of what a pure one is, is their soul. A pure soul.

This story, 'Pure Healing' is mostly the story of Rain and Valerius. Though many other characters have large parts and interactions with the 2 main MC's.

Rain is The Healer and Valerius is The Protector. See, even their designations have a reason and a purpose that is involved with why they are pure ones. Both Rain and Valerius are very old. Over 2 thousand years. Think of and imagine all the baggage one can collect in that time.

Their story is captivating. Heart wrenching. Provoking and Intense.

While the romance between Rain and Valerius is steamy hot and very adult, there are other facets to this book. There is the mystery of the opposites of the Pure Ones. The Dark Ones. Even how the Dark Ones came into existence is complicated. They are connected to the Pure Ones, but in what way?

Then there is the suspense. Things are changing and Pure Ones are being changed somehow. Turned into something like the Dark Ones, but not. There are moments that make your heart pound and keep you on the edge of your seat. See, Ms. Aja James buts some real danger in this story. You may love a certain character or 2 or 3 in this story. But do not take for granted that they are safe for the next book. They very well may not make it past this one! She definitely has no qualms to killing off a character or two after she has allowed you to get to know that character.

Oh my at the twist and turns she has implemented into this one of a kind gem of a story.

Now you may wonder why I gave this story only 4 (actually 4.5) stars if I loved it as much as I did. And I did love it. However, I pride myself on honesty. It is harder to be 100% honest when a story invokes high emotions. Whether they are positive or negative. But I really do try. So here are the negatives....

1st. I found a few editing errors. They are the wrong word (once the wrong name) in the wrong place. A good editor should have caught them. I (not so secretly now) think the editor got so caught up in the story that they missed these instances. Throughout the entire story I think I found 5 of them.

2nd. There are a couple of small sections that seemed to drag just a bit. Just a little repetitive. These instances are so minor that I doubt many will notice them. I just happen to be one that has quirks about repetition so things like that stand out to me.

I have already purchased the 2nd book in this series and my anticipation may have me reading it before the other books on my 'Next' shelf. The high intrigue, the complex mystery, the absolutely beautiful, steamy hot, thank you very much Adult romance and Lord have mercy heart pounding suspense has got this 'Curious Cat' purring in excitement to get to it!

If you are a lover of adult pnr romance but want fantastic suspense and mystery intertwined, then this book is a Must Have.