Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited by S.L. Morgan

Wow! Now this is how you write a sequel! Morgan took us to the beautiful world of Pemdas in The Legacy of the Key and brought us back for another adventure in The Uninvited (the title isn't directed at you, you're invited). I looked at my book rating record and it would appear that the second book in a series scores lower than the first. Not this time.

Characters

They usually get a makeover...when they didn't need it. You spend the first book learning about them, understanding their background, getting in their head. Excited for book 2, you look forward to picking up where you left off and catch up with the characters you have come to love. Finally, you get your hands on the sequel, settle down for the reunion, and wind up with strangers thinking  Who are these people? They do or say something that is so far out in left field and out-of-character that I'm checking the name and going back to the first in the series to see if I'm going crazy. Thankfully, Reece and Levi are still Reece and Levi along with Harrison and the rest of the gang. No switching out Terrance Howard for Don Cheadle for the character of James Rhodes in Iron Man. Sorry, that just bugged the crap outta me. I don't care about the reasons why but if you are going to replace someone, make them a different character! Change the role! Anyways, Reece is her down-to-earth self (well, down-to-pemdas now), Levi the passionate and fiercely protective prince, and Harrison the ever witty and loyal friend. If there is anything different about our lovely couple, they are more affectionate and by that I mean very affectionate. Which brings me to another reason that can make or break a sequel: the chemistry.

Romance

Sometimes you wonder if an author ran out of ideas or they were so focused on finishing their story that the romance became an afterthought. It's hard to feel the butterflies when the chemistry feels forced or is non-existent. In LOTK, I fell in love with the believable relationship of Reece and Levi. No insta-love. Honest to goodness love. While we got a few kisses, it was more of a spark that simmered. Does that spark continue to burn?

Levi’s lips drew up into her favorite grin, and Reece was instantly entranced with the vividness of his humored, electric-blue eyes. “I have missed you.” His expression grew more serious. “I must admit, not having been in your company has made this week somewhat trying on me.” He slid his hand around the back of her neck, eyes now fixed on her lips. Reece bit her lip with eagerness as he drew her face closer to his. She smiled faintly in response, and her mind became fuzzy as Levi softly kissed each corner of her mouth. He gazed intently into her eyes as his thumb traced along her bottom lip. “And all I desire now,” he brought his lips to her chin, “is to indulge myself in the woman I love.”

Oh yeah. 

In that moment, Levi’s lips claimed hers in a crushing kiss. His hand braced the back of her neck as he deepened his powerful kiss, and Reece sighed with satisfaction.

*Swoon* The scene isn't over. To get the rest and all the other swoon-worthy moments (there are so many I lost count), you will have to read the book. And yet, Morgan somehow manages to keep it completely clean! Well, extremely steamy at times but nothing unnecessary. No crude language, no sex (they aren't married yet), and absolutely nothing distasteful. In other words, perfect. This author has a knack for giving the right amount of details and awesome details at that.

Action

Even the most romantic of romance stories have some sort of physical confrontation where the hero fights to either rescue the heroine or prove his love. If not written well, this can become "filler"- unnecessary and uninteresting. LOTK had some butt kicking scenes but The Uninvited takes it up a notch- several notches actually.

He stood in front of Areion and gazed into his horse’s fierce golden eyes, letting bloodlust consume him. This is who Levi was; this is who the Guardians were. They were as fierce as the horses on which they rode, and equally as fearless. They didn’t fear death, and they didn’t carry the weakness of emotion within them. They craved the fight. They thirsted for victory; and most of all, the bloodshed of those who would seek to destroy them and their cause. They were valiant men who were born to train for battle unremittingly.

I'm not gonna lie, what happens next is siiiiiick!!! Like AWESOME!!! I never would have thought that a man and a horse would be cooler than an MI6 agent with gadgets or a superhero from The Avengers but WOW! I LOVED watching these action scenes in my head when reading. How cool would it be to have your own Guardian horse???

“Archers!” Samuel shouted. At the announcement from the commander, the Guardian horses stormed through the vortex. The line of horses each approached his respective rider from the rear. As the horses passed at full speed, in one swift movement, each Pemdai warrior grabbed a handful of mane, and successfully mounted his horse without breaking its stride. The Pemdai charged full speed down the hill as the arrows fell into the grass behind them where they once stood.

World

I've noticed that authors seem to sacrifice detail in their world building because, well, they already "built" the world in the first book. Why waste time describing the landscape when the reader was already told where the story takes place? I suppose I don't really have a problem with this...didn't have a problem, I should say. Morgan has sorta ruined all other fantasy series I've read because her imagination is AMAZING! If you read any review of LOTK, Morgan is praised for her world of Pemdas. I wasn't expecting to be awed even more:

When the ocean came into view, it was absolutely breathtaking as she imagined it would be. Aquamarines, turquoises, silvers, and a brilliant jade color sparkled brightly off of the surface. The white foam of the waves rushing toward the shoreline appeared as if someone had thrown silver glitter into the water, and it shimmered brightly as the waves surged toward the seashore. It was like a whole new world inside of Pemdas was opened up to her. There were people walking arm in arm, using umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun. The trees were similar to palm trees, except their leaves were an iridescent green, and their trunks were shimmering white. The glittery sand gave Reece the overwhelming desire to ask if they could stop, so they could walk barefoot through it.

I seriously hope I am not giving away too much but I just had to share with you my dream vacation spot. And that's not ALL! The architecture described of houses and buildings and worlds would be truly breathtaking if built in reality. I can't wait to visit Pemdas again. What will Morgan show us next?

My point: you will not be disappointed in this sequel of the Ancient Guardians series. The Uninvited has everything LOTK had and much more. Looking forward to book 3! ^.^

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...and I really couldn't be more honest if I tried; LOVED IT!