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The Brethren #3
Dark Passion
Augustus Noble is a man with secrets. His entire life has been built on half-truths, betrayals, and lies--desperate measures ot keep the woman he loves, Eleanor Trevilian-Noble, as his own. The patriarch of the Brethren, he has struggled for centuries to create an empire of wealth and prestige for her. Now all that he has fought for is in jeopardy--his grandson Brandon has risked it all in a desperate bid for independence and freedom. And just as Augustus can't allow Brandon to escape the ages-old traditions of the Brethren race, he also can't let the Brethren--and especially his longtime nemesis--discover a truth that, if revealed, would see them all killed.
322 pages, ebook
First published May 26, 2009
4 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Sara Reinke
37 books145 followers“Definitely an author to watch.” That’s how Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine describes Sara Reinke. New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards calls Reinke “a new paranormal star” and Love Romances and More hails her as “a fresh new voice to a genre that has grown stale.” Sara writes romance, urban fantasy, horror, and young adult fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 24, 2009
This was pretty good, except I kept feeling like Reinke was only tying up loose ends. The book kept trying to make me feel sorry for a bunch of people that I did NOT feel sorry for. A lot of things happened in a small space of time and then when one thing was solved, something new and randomly awful would take it's place. There were also instances when I couldn't account for all the people around there. Lina and Michel Morin disappear for a good chunk of the book and then don't come back until the very end and I found that very disappointing.
Overall, though, the book was a fun read and it was interesting seeing where everyone came from, but if I keep going back and thinking about it, I feel like Reinke could have re-written some parts to make them a little clearer and not so bad ... At the end, I couldn't help but feeling I just walked out of a very bad romantic comedy.
Overall, though, the book was a fun read and it was interesting seeing where everyone came from, but if I keep going back and thinking about it, I feel like Reinke could have re-written some parts to make them a little clearer and not so bad ... At the end, I couldn't help but feeling I just walked out of a very bad romantic comedy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2015
Despite its flaws, I really enjoy sara Reinke's Brethren series. I enjoy the lore, the characters are interesting and varied, and I particularly love Brandon Noble and Rene Morin.
As some other reviewers have mentioned, this is a series that is best read from the beginning, starting with book #1: Dark Thirst. Taking the advice of friends and curious for the prospect of a deaf-mute vampire, I picked it up and was immediately hooked. While Dark Thirst was interesting and engaging, Dark Hunger (Book #2) was lacking. After reading some reviews of Dark Passion (book #3), I was tempted to give it a pass and forget the series despite my enjoyment of the whole Brethren concept.
Thankfully, I went ahead and downloaded the sample onto my kindle and read it; it snagged me and I decided to take the plunge and give the book a shot.
Although the book doesn't have as much Bradon in it as I would have liked, in some ways, it's the best of the first three installments. For the most part, I thought Reinke did a good job of balancing all the characters, something I thought was sorely lacking in previous books (especially Dark Hunger). The character development, especially for Augustus, was incredible. I was shocked that she managed to make him into a sympathetic character and turn him from the fairly one-dimensional villian he was in Books 1 & 2 and transform him into something much more rounded and dynamic.
What fans of the series will really enjoy is that nearly all the major plot holes and dangling threads from Book 2 (man, there were so many of them!) are addressed in Book 3. You learn about the history of the Brethren, of Augustus, Eleanor, and Michel. You learn about Brandon's special abilities (finally!) and why Augustus suppressed them.
The book has a lot of flashbacks from Augustus's and Eleanor's perspectives, and while many of these scenes are enlightening, they can cause the pacing to drag a bit at times. You'll be dropped into 18th-century Kentucky or 17th-century France but all you really want is to get back to Brandon or Rene or whomever and find out what's happened to them.
I also did find it disappointing that a lot of build up was given to Michel, and yet he's absent for nearly the whole story; he and Lina leave early in the book to find and rescue Brandon and you never even see them until the resolution, after the big showdown is over. I thought this was a big flaw in the book and was a real disappointment that kept the book from being even better. Likewise, I was disappointed by how Reinke has treated Brandon in Book #2 and #3. In Book #1 (I'm assuming you read it!), Brandon goes from being a scared kid to someone who is empowered and strong. I felt like Reinke backpedaled a bit in the next two books, and I found this disappointing.
The best thing about the book is it ends satisfactorily; it doesn't end with a major cliffhanger (like book #2 did), nor does it feel like any major threads were left unresolved.
So if you enjoy the series, I would recommend it. I haven't read books #4 or #5 (which deal with Tristan, whom you meet in this book and a brand-new couple, respectfully), but I did love #6, and it helps to have read this book if you want to skip ahead.
As some other reviewers have mentioned, this is a series that is best read from the beginning, starting with book #1: Dark Thirst. Taking the advice of friends and curious for the prospect of a deaf-mute vampire, I picked it up and was immediately hooked. While Dark Thirst was interesting and engaging, Dark Hunger (Book #2) was lacking. After reading some reviews of Dark Passion (book #3), I was tempted to give it a pass and forget the series despite my enjoyment of the whole Brethren concept.
Thankfully, I went ahead and downloaded the sample onto my kindle and read it; it snagged me and I decided to take the plunge and give the book a shot.
Although the book doesn't have as much Bradon in it as I would have liked, in some ways, it's the best of the first three installments. For the most part, I thought Reinke did a good job of balancing all the characters, something I thought was sorely lacking in previous books (especially Dark Hunger). The character development, especially for Augustus, was incredible. I was shocked that she managed to make him into a sympathetic character and turn him from the fairly one-dimensional villian he was in Books 1 & 2 and transform him into something much more rounded and dynamic.
What fans of the series will really enjoy is that nearly all the major plot holes and dangling threads from Book 2 (man, there were so many of them!) are addressed in Book 3. You learn about the history of the Brethren, of Augustus, Eleanor, and Michel. You learn about Brandon's special abilities (finally!) and why Augustus suppressed them.
The book has a lot of flashbacks from Augustus's and Eleanor's perspectives, and while many of these scenes are enlightening, they can cause the pacing to drag a bit at times. You'll be dropped into 18th-century Kentucky or 17th-century France but all you really want is to get back to Brandon or Rene or whomever and find out what's happened to them.
I also did find it disappointing that a lot of build up was given to Michel, and yet he's absent for nearly the whole story; he and Lina leave early in the book to find and rescue Brandon and you never even see them until the resolution, after the big showdown is over. I thought this was a big flaw in the book and was a real disappointment that kept the book from being even better. Likewise, I was disappointed by how Reinke has treated Brandon in Book #2 and #3. In Book #1 (I'm assuming you read it!), Brandon goes from being a scared kid to someone who is empowered and strong. I felt like Reinke backpedaled a bit in the next two books, and I found this disappointing.
The best thing about the book is it ends satisfactorily; it doesn't end with a major cliffhanger (like book #2 did), nor does it feel like any major threads were left unresolved.
So if you enjoy the series, I would recommend it. I haven't read books #4 or #5 (which deal with Tristan, whom you meet in this book and a brand-new couple, respectfully), but I did love #6, and it helps to have read this book if you want to skip ahead.
August 16, 2010
AWESOME! AWESOME! I loved this conclusion in this series. It answered all the questions that were raised in the 2nd book and explained so much that did not make sense in the 1st book. Augustus, what he went through...WOW! His story certainly reminded me that everything we see and think we know about someone, more often than not is not the case at all. This book had my heart stopping a few times concerning the Morins and Nobles. The ending and even well before that when Augustus was explaining things to Brandon (his grandson) I was teary eyed. If you read these books as stand alones you will be able to follow each story, but if you follow the series it makes for a much much richer conclusion. I highly recommend this read.
December 4, 2011
This book is like WOAH! This has seriously made me call Sara Reinke the plot master. I read this book anxious as heck because how last book ended. Oy don't get me started on that book. lol. Augustus Noble. If you are like me and follow this wickedly good series, you are most likely asking yourself, why the hell does this bastard get his own book? He is fuhzucking evil as hell. I was seriously, doubting Ms Reinke's sanity.
She did the impossible. She made me like, if not love just a little, Augustus aka evil ass Grandfather. Do you see why I call her Plot Master?
Brandon is just as hot as ever and Rene is still a piece of judas doodoo!
She did the impossible. She made me like, if not love just a little, Augustus aka evil ass Grandfather. Do you see why I call her Plot Master?
Brandon is just as hot as ever and Rene is still a piece of judas doodoo!
February 18, 2011
Good ending to the Brethren triology. I have read some other reviews in which people were complaining that the book wasn't about Brandon and Lina. I actually liked that each book focused on a different couple, because the others were all deeply incorporated. I liked learning the backstory of Augustus and really appreciated his character development. Well imagined.
November 19, 2013
So in love with the first book and enjoyed the second, though not as much. Book Three explained a lot of what the back story was but we lost Brandon Noble and his story in the telling.
Want to read
October 5, 2009Dark Passion - Book Three in the Brethren Series by Sara Reinke (2009)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews