Entwined (Eternal Guardians, #2)

by Elisabeth Naughton

[Stephanie]

This review was originally posted on Once Upon a ChapterCallia has been a good girl all her life and has never disappointed those close to her. She followed in her mother's footsteps and is healer to the king. For the past ten years Callia has been going through the motions of life. She works at her clinic and watches over the king's health. Ten years ago, the one person she thought she could always count on left her high and dry when she needed him most. After a tragedy that Callia grieves through alone, she goes through a ritual to help alleviate her pain but it serves a double purpose. The ritual also restores her father's position within Argolean society.

Zander is a very deadly Argonaut. He is descended from Achilles' line. He is immortal and he is filled with rage. When things start to get really intense, all Zander can do is hold onto the rage and let it direct his actions. Ten years ago Zander's world was finally coming together. After 800 years he had finally found the woman he knew he was meant to be with. They were both wildly in love. Then without a clue as to why, Callia shattered his world with one act. An act that Zander considers cruel and heinous and unforgivable.

Now Zander is set to bind himself to Isadora and to lead Argolea back into a time of prosperity and peace. Isadora must marry one of the Argonauts and Zander is the only one with nothing to lose. He volunteers for the position so that he may have something to live for and it may finally help him get past Callia. Atalanta is getting stronger and more brazen in her attempts to rule the world. She must be stopped.

Callia and Zander are about to have their world rocked and will find out that nothing they thought to be true is actually as it seems. Will they be able to piece together the puzzle before it's too late?

My Thoughts:
Wow! Elisabeth Naughton packs a lot of story into this novel! The action was wonderful, the dialogue great and the ending sweet. I wasn't sure how the book was going to end. There's a lot going into the story and there's a major cliffhanger as far as one of the main characters is concerned.

Callia and Zander are wonderful opposites. Callia is a calm, cool and collected kind of girl while Zander is fueled by his rages. Callia can calm him with a touch. Their shared history was also a tease. As a reader you have an idea of what happened but the who, what, how and why will elude you until Callia and Zander learn the truth themselves. The circumstances surrounding the event ten years ago is heartbreaking and you can understand it from everyone's viewpoint. I found it hard to be really angry with the offender but when the true villain is revealed I was pretty hot.

The secondary characters all make return visits to Argolea and the story line progresses nicely. Entwined is the second in a series and the first book is referred to a lot though I don't feel it's necessary to read the first book. It certainly will explain quite a bit of the story line if read in order. I can't wait to read the next in the series (Tempted) but according to Naughton's website, that won't be until October 2011 as she is now publishing under Sourcebooks. It's a long wait, but I'm sure it will be worth it!