Royal House of Shadows

Four books, four authors, one amazing family!

Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter
Years ago the Blood Sorcerer tried to overthrow the kingdom of Elden by killing the king and queen and their four children. Before dying the king and queen used magic to send their children off to four different locations to keep them safe. This first book in the series is the story of Nicolai, half-vampire, half-witch, and crown prince of Elden.
When his parents tried to transport him to safety, something in the spell went wrong and Nicolai ends up as a sex slave in the kingdom of Delfina, with no memories of his past. Nicolai finds a way to connect with a human in an alternate world, Jane Parker.
Jane worked as a scientist studying creature of the alternate world, such as vampires, and trying to find ways for things to cross between the two worlds. Now she is suddenly pulled into Nicolai’s world and has no idea how or why.
The two of them quickly come to realize that they need each other to escape the evils of Delfina; and to fulfill their darker needs. As they battle ogres and witches to escape from Delfina, Nicolai begins to get back the memories of his family and Elden. Now Nicolai knows he has to escape Delfina, figure out a way to keep Jane in his world, find his siblings, and kill the Blood Sorcerer to regain control of Elden.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to a continued story with other authors that I enjoy. I can’t wait to meet the rest of Nicolai’s family and watch them take their rightful places in Elden.
Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe
Book 2 in the Royal House of Shadows series is the story of the Princess of Elden, Breena. When the Blood Sorcerer attacked the castle in Elden, the king and queen used their magic to transport their children away so they could later return and seek their vengeance.
Princess Breena finds herself in Ursa, a realm once occupied by a clan with the affinity to the great bear. It is believed that there are no more Ursans, but Breena stumbles across a cottage that houses 3 of them! She is hopeful that there is a warrior there who can help her seek vengance for her family. Osborn is used to people using him for his warrior skills and is upset to learn that is what Breena wants from him. He becomes more and more upset with each new piece of knowledge he gathers about the mystery woman who showed up in his cottage.
Osborn finally agrees to help Breena but can't help but wonder why she is really there and what will happen when she decides to head home. Will he return to his life of isolation or will he risk trusting Breena?
Breena and Osborn are great, as are Osborn's brothers Torben and Bernt. Osborn and Breena are both set on vengeance- Osborn against a group of people he thinks are his enemy and Breena against the man who pulled apart her family. Breena takes advantage of her situation to remove herself from the life she was meant to live, that of a princess with no responsibility other than marrying the right man for the good of her kingdom. She takes control of her life and her situation by accepting what has happened to her and vowing her vengance. Osborn witnesses the death of his village and his people and he swears vengance on those responsible. However, he does not like the life he seems destined to live either, that of a mercenary. When he meets Breena he is challenged to combine his life as a mercenary with his life of isolation.
Great story of trust and self-confidence.

Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen
Let me start by saying that getting advance copies of books is great- except when you get 3 out of 4 in a series. With only one book and one sibling left to read about, I am now stuck wondering how this great stories ends.
So this is book 3 in the story of the Princess and Princes of Elden who were magically transported away from the kingdom by their parents. The king and queen used their combined powers in the moment of their deaths to protect their children so they could later return and regain command of the kingdom.
Dayn, the second oldest son, gets transported to the wolfyn realm where he lives among the wolfyn, keeping his identity secret, for 20 years waiting for his "guide" to come and lead him back to Elden. When Reda shows up they both realize that neither knows who they truly are or what they are destined to do together.
All three stories have ended with the siblings making their way to Elden, so now we wait for the final story to see the siblings reunited and fighting for their kingdom. This has been a great series to read and has fit together well even though it has been three books written by three different authors.

Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh
Lord of the Abyss is the fourth and final book in the Royal House of Shadows series.  This series was an amazing collection written by four different authors.  Lord of the Abyss takes us to the final and youngest Elden sibling, Micah.  When the Blood Sorcerer takes over the kingdom of Elden, Micah is relinquished to the Black Castle and becomes the Dark Lord.
Somehow, a mysterious woman is able to find her way to the Black Castle.  Liliana knows that Micah is the young, lost heir of Elden and want to help him remember his destiny.  She and Micah have an instant connection and she begins the difficult task of helping Micah remember his family and his home in Elden.  What Micah doesn't know is that Liliana holds a secret- she is the daughter of the very man who destroyed Micah's family and home. 
Together Micah and Liliana work to overcome all of the evil the Blood Sorcerer has brought to Elden and Micah's family. 
This book, as with the rest of the series, was great.  My only sense of disappointment came in not seeing all four siblings together in action against the Blood Sorcerer.  I was hoping for a dramatic family reunion followed by a group charge into battle.  There was good conclusion to each of the siblings' stories, which was nice.