Book Review: "Enslaved" by Elisabeth Naughton

Enslaved
(The Eternal Guardian Series, Bk # 5)
By Elisabeth Naughton

Synopsis: 
GRYPHON—Honorable, loyal, dependable…tainted. He was the ultimate warrior before imprisonment in the Underworld changed him in ways he can’t ignore.

She calls to him. Come to me. You can’t resist. But Gryphon will not allow himself to be ruled by the insidious whispers in his head. And there’s only one way to stop them: kill Atalanta, the goddess who enslaved him. But with so much darkness inside, he can’t be sure what’s real anymore. Even the Eternal Guardians, those who protect the human realm from threats of the Underworld, want to exile him. They’re not sure he can be trusted.

Finding Malea is like a miracle. Somehow he doesn't feel the pull of the dark when she’s near. And he’s determined to keep her as near as possible, whether she wants him close or not. But proximity spurs temptation. A temptation that will test every last bit of control he has left. One that may ultimately have the power to send him back to the Underworld or free him from his chains for good.

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Available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Viviana's Review: 

Elisabeth Naughton has done it again!! “Enslaved” is filled with action from the very beginning. The story picks up about two months after “Enraptured” and we quickly learn that Gryphon is still struggling with his inner demons. 

The Argonauts are torn and worried. They want to help Gryphon return to his old self, but is that even possible with everything he went through in the Underworld. Gryphon’s behavior is beginning to concern not only the Argonauts but Nick as well. They cannot and will not put the colony at risk.  Orpheus, his brother, believes there is still hope and that with time and support from his warrior kins, Gryphon will begin to move forward in his journey towards healing. 

Maelea has heard the rumors of the Guardian that is now mad and extremely dangerous. She’s heard how he was once the playboy of the Guardians, but now was crazy and no sane woman would want him. She is no stranger to ‘talk’. She herself has been ‘talked’ about for years. Thousands of years in fact, which is why she kept to herself and preferred it that way. There was something more to Gryphon and the pull she felt towards him made her curious. 

Elisabeth creates strong heroines, one of the things I LOVE about this series and Elisabeth herself! Though some may not always seem to be in the beginning, they quickly learn that they are individuals with their own powers and become that strong, independent heroine.  Maelea was one of these heroines. We met her in “Rapture” and she seemed weak and meek; hiding from the world, able to only run away instead of taking a stand and fighting. However, we did learn why she had to hide. In “Enslaved” we have the opportunity to see if she will finally take that stand and be the heroine we want her to be.  

Two months have passed since he was rescued from the Underworld, but the voices have not gone away. The physical twitches and always being on guard, even when he was alone, haven’t stopped. The darkness, the evil was still with him.  His kin were treating him like a child and seem to have lost hope that things would go back to normal. But he was damaged. He could never be the Gryphon he once was. No one understood the shame, the pain, the fear or the isolation. Except for…. He washed her every night from his window. Every night she walked the gardens, by herself. Basking in the moon’s light, she was a ray of light in his dark world. She also didn't belong here and perhaps she was his way out. 

Gryphon has been to hell and back, literally. Add the fact that he’s been cursed and that he is ashamed of what occurred in the Underworld, two months is really not that much time, really. Everyone is watching him, waiting for him to snap. That’s not a good situation either. You feel bad for Gryphon and want to smack everyone else for trying to rush the healing process. Then go back to give Gryphon some more hugs….. What, the Guardian is HOT!!! You’re telling me you wouldn't want to be the one to make everything better for him? Back to the review…. Gryphon is a tortured soul that needs to redeem himself and fight that battle on his own. He believes Maelea holds the key to his escape and will not sit and wait for it, he will take it. 

You can now image the tension between the hero and heroine. Again, Elisabeth excels is building that tension between the characters and creates a world for them where they can thrive and learn to work with each other to accomplish their goals, missions, well just about anything really.  

I have to say that I was thrilled to have back some of the other Argonauts in this book! I had missed them!!  In fact, I was excited that Titus, one of my favorite Argonauts play a more pivotal role in this book which leads me to believe and hope that Elisabeth has set the stage for her next book!! 

Will I purchase “Enslaved” when its released on Nov. 6th even though I've already it? HELL YES!!! She is one of my “Auto Buy” authors and I still LOVE the feel of an actual book, plus I have all her books in paperback!! Will I re-read it when I get? Again, HELL YES!! I devoured “Enslaved”, so rereading it will definitely provide me with the opportunity to take my time and see what I may have missed the first time around. It’s also JUST THAT GREAT!!  This entire series is one that you will be “re-reading” so grab it and buy it if you don’t have it already!! 

Now for the withdrawals to start waiting for the next installment of the “Eternal Guardian Series”. The good news is that while we wait, we can read her other series (insert links to the names of the series & books)

Rating: 5 Stars - Perfection!