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ParaNormal Romance calls Brothers at Arms "fast moving and very stimulating!"
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Four Cups from Coffee Time Romance!
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Julio Mendoza is surprised to receive a tarot card in the mail. He learns he is keeper of the card, and must protect it. Then again, it means he is a target and vampires will be after him. Michelle Bryson is a Seeker for the House of François Arcée. The responsibility falls to her to locate Julio before the House of Pierre Arcée. It is a mission she must not fail. Julio knows nothing about the mysterious tarot card and becomes skeptical when his mother explains its existence. The Houses of Pierre Arcée and François Arcée are in a rival to locate Julio. Michelle must make sure she reaches Julio first. She never imagined him to be so handsome and appealing. While he tries to cope with the fact that vampires are coming for him and it could mean war, Michelle tries to explain the mystery, even offering to bite him if he needs further proof. She will have to move in and protect him. In no time the two are being drawn together as they learn things are not as they appear. Someone is not playing fair and it puts Julio in the middle. Is it a night that Julio will be able to make historic, or will war break out causing much havoc? Brothers at Arms is an action-packed read. I could really sense the feelings running through Julio after learning about the vampires. I liked Michelle and her gusto type character. This well-written tale had me turning the pages. Ms. Lee tells a story that mysteriously unfolds and sweeps the reader into the events. I like how she gives Michelle some human qualities as she tries to get past obstacles to help Julio. Great plot, intense moments and a read that is still lingering in my head. Cherokee Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Brothersatarmsthechariorcard.html
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Four Tombstones from Bitten by Books
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Talk about your family drama! This book gives a whole new meaning to sibling rivalry. Francois and Pierre Arcee are brothers who have been at war with each other for 250 years. Both are leaders of their own House of vampires. They are equal in strength and neither brother will back down. Every 50 years they must move the war to a new city to keep the mortal world from knowing they exist. A new Keeper has been chosen and the next 50 years have begun. Francois sends a vampire named Michelle Bryson to take over for a fallen Seeker and locate the new Keeper of a special tarot card. It is her first time as a Seeker and so she must prove herself. Knowing that the other Seeker from Pierre's House is also searching, she must hurry to find the Keeper first and protect them. Since it has been another 50 years a new Keeper is chosen. Julio Mendoza had no idea that vampires existed much less were warring with each other. Now that he is the Keeper, he must be found and protected. The Keeper is the one human that each side must find first in order to gain the next city and advantage over the other. This is the first book by Desirée Lee that I have tried so I went in without knowing what to expect. I really enjoyed this book because you get to watch the chemistry grow between Michelle and Julio. First they dislike each other and slowly soften towards one another. Throughout the book you kept trying to figure out which brother to believe. Who was telling the truth and who was just trying to get possession of the Keeper? She had me guessing up to the end. The secondary characters were well written and made me giggle a number of times with the humor. Giggles are always a great sign. Desiree does not make it easy to predict the next scene. You think you know what is going to happen next and she surprises you again. Megan Reviewer for Bitten by Books http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=575
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Five Pixies from Dark Angel Reviews!
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A piece of hand addressed mail is about to change Julio Mendoza’s life forever. When a mysterious tarot card slides out of the envelope, Julio promptly consults with his mother, who is a talented tarot reader. The information that Julio’s mom imparts to him is so outrageous, he can scarcely bring himself to believe her. She tells him that vampires are real, and not only are they real, but they are about to become a very important part of Julio’s life. Two vampire brothers are at war with each other and have been for 250 years. In the midst of the death and destruction caused by the battle, some checks and balances were put into play in order to help temper and hide the number of casualties. Every fifty years, the two factions would move from one city to another when The Chariot tarot card was delivered to a new Keeper. The Keeper is now Julio, and the vampire race is on. Each brother strives to find the Keeper by sending out a Seeker to gain control of the magic that the tarot card brings to the group who gains the support of the Keeper first. BROTHERS AT ARMS rocks the vampire genre with passion, desperation, familial feuding, and love. You first meet Julio, who is thrown unwillingly into the middle of the age-old fight between the Arcée brothers. Next, heartbroken Michelle, who is the Seeker for François Arcée, and has everything to prove, enters the picture. When Michelle is victorious and finds the new Keeper before the Seeker of the other house, things get interesting for Julio. Michelle is attempting to secure her groups hold on Julio, when her previous lover appears as the Seeker for Pierre Arcée’s House. The angst, turmoil and pain, rolls off the pages, as Michelle tries to cope with her ex-lover’s defection to the enemy. Desiree Lee superbly draws the reader into the bubbling embroilment of emotions through great character development. Each character is distinctly their own, with just the right amount of pizzazz to make them memorable. Lee’s story line streams along at a fast-paced clip that builds intensity with each sentence. BROTHERS AT ARMS is a must read for anyone who loves the world of vampires! Manda Reviewer for Dark Angel Reviews https://www.darkangelreviews.com/Brothers_At_Arms.html
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Four and a Half Stars from Manic Readers
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Talk about your family feuds!!! For 250 years the Arcèe brothers have been at war with each other with no sign of an end in sight. The concessions made between the two powerful houses provide for the battle to be moved every fifty years to protect mortals and prevent discovery. It also provides for a neutral party, a keeper, to choose the dominant side in a new city and even determining what city that will be, passing the responsibility on to a new keeper. This year is a changing year. When the card designating the new keeper and city is passed on, each house must send out seekers to try to discover where the card has gone and who the new keeper is. When the card is passed to Julio Mendoza, he finds that he is caught up in a conflict that is not his own, and he is determined not to accept it meekly. Michelle Bryson is a seeker for the house of François Arcèe. She is pitted against a more experienced and ruthless rival from the house of Pierre Arcèe to see who gets to Julio first. Michelle is a new seeker and if she fails the price may be her life. What she did not expect was to find a keeper unlike any other that she had met before; sexy, stubborn and with a rebellious spirit. He is not content to just hold the card and be neutral. Julio knows that the vampires are coming for him and he can't hide forever. What he doesn't know is that he would be so attracted to Michelle, an attraction that her rival seeker will make them both pay for if he has his way. Brothers At Arms is a genuinely great book. I love the fact that Julio and Michelle are able to overcome Shakespearean type problems to build and maintain their relationship. I also love the way the she finally explains the beginning of the war. Being a twin myself, perhaps it is easier for me to see how a sibling rivalry could turn into a grudge match if left to fester with misunderstanding. The love scenes were so well written that they seemed to flow naturally. My favorite part was the end though, when Julio and Michelle were rewarded by those around them for everything they had done to end the war. As my mom would say "Try it you'll like it." Valerie Reviewer for Manic Readers http://manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=reviews&bookid=1524
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Four Moons from Debsbook Reviews
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Julio Mendoza worked as a security guard, he also had his passion for his art. But in a blink of an eye he world would be turned upside down, with his future hanging in the balance. Michelle Bryson, an 158 yr. old vampire as a first year seeker she wanted to prove herself. When the time came she did exactly that in the end it almost cost her everything she holds dear. It has been 250 years ago when the first war between the two houses began. Two twin brothers link in more ways then one, they sought out each other for betrayal. The Arcee Brothers Francois and Pierre own each a house doing battle with each other over the love of a woman. Julio upon finding a tarot card in his mail box had no idea what he was in for. The battle was just beginning. He was the Keeper of the card, next in line to pass on all he learned on to the next keeper. He knew the battle would come to his town St. Petersburg, Florida God Help them all. In the end he knew what he had to do but it might cost him the one only thing he had left dear to his heart, but he knew by doing this he was saving her. Brothers at Arms {The Chariot} was magnificent! I was feeling the story from the beginning, the pull Julio was feeling by doing what he wanted and what was right for his and everyones future. Desiree Lee is astounding! She writes with a imaginative pen. Holding her readers in suspense till the last page. Deb Reviewer for Debsbook Reviews http://debsbook.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/brothers-at-arms-the-cariot-by-desiree-lee-review/
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3.5 Cherries from Whipped Cream
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Unsuspecting Julio Mendoza receives a ‘Chariot’ Tarot card in the mail and wonders what it could mean and why someone from California would send it to him. He is familiar with Tarot because his mother makes her living at reading and is quite proficient at the art. After mulling over it for a while, he decides to take the card to his mother for her thoughts on the matter. Instead of shrugging the errant piece of mail off, his mother becomes visibly upset. That is the precise moment his heritage comes into play and his life becomes a quest for peace and survival―His. This story grabs you immediately and moves quickly along building to a nice crescendo. Ms. Lee has woven a wonderfully unique story with likeable characters. The only pitfall I found was the weak editing. This author tells a fabulously imaginative and unique story but it lacks an element of imagery and a system of beats to place the reader within the scenes. The dialogue is true and realistic though it seems to ramble without little side actions and beats to keep the reader ‘seeing’ and ‘feeling’ the scene. Other obvious edit issues pop out throughout. Even with the above-mentioned issues, which brought the overall rating down, this book is definitely worth the read. When Seeker, Michelle, and Keeper, Julio, get together under one roof, things explode. Between the warring brothers, the past romance issues and the attraction these two discover for one another there is never a dull moment. Will Julio still the dueling brothers from senseless killing amongst the two houses and will Michelle deal with the lost of her first love turned traitor? The only way to find out is pick this one up and give it a hearty read. Kudos to Desiree Lee for a unique and enthralling tale. I’d definitely read more from this author. Review by Buttercup http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/1108/BrothersAtArms-DL.htm
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Five Delightful Divas from Dark Diva Reviews!
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Two vampire brothers have been at war for 250 years. After all this time, the battle is still fierce, but with strict rules that must be followed. The most important rule is that they move battlegrounds every fifty years. Previously chosen Keepers receive a tarot card in the mail. That tarot card holds a scent detectable by vampires, especially those that have dedicated their lives to being Seekers. When the card is mailed, each House of vampires sends out their Seekers, in a race against one another to be the first to find the Keeper. The first House to find and hold on to the Keeper has the upper hand in the war, in the new city. When Julio receives a tarot card in the mail, one that he has never seen, and from an envelope with no return address, he immediately goes to his mother for answers. She is a tarot card reader and will know what it means. He is astounded to hear the story of the two vampire Houses and the 250 year war; and even more so, that he is the chosen Keeper and has no choice but to wait for them to find him and watch as his home becomes a battleground. The first Seeker to find him is Michelle, and he is instantly attracted to her. The passion that Julio and Michelle find together could cost them and Michelle’s House more than they could have ever imagined. Desirée Lee has written another great book! I enjoyed every aspect of Brothers at Arms. Julio, although a mortal, is very open minded because his mother raised him that way. The Arcée brothers and the other vampires misjudged him and did not give him credit, but he quickly proved himself to be more than worthy of the role as Keeper, and so much more. Michelle, the voice of reason for the vampires, has a long history of heartbreak, but has maintained her intelligence and kindness. This story flowed together very nicely at a quick pace, filled with hot sex scenes and heart stopping action. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys erotic paranormal romance! Reviewed by: Melissa http://darkdivareviews.webs.com/paranormal.htm
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