Destined to Crave: Descended of Guardians Book 1, Setta Jay

Knowing who your mate is when you're young is both a blessing and a curse.  Lucy knows Rykr is hers and meant for only her.  But he's five years her junior and once she hits maturity, if she gives in to the mating frenzy, she feels that she'd be taking away his chance to know himself as a man.  Rykr knows in his heart that she's wrong but nothing sways her decision.  What follows sets them and all the worlds on a collision course with demons.  Their bond will either free them or doom them.  With Lucy and Rykr fighting for their future in two different ways it'll take courage and a little deception to push them in the direction of their fate.

...Okay, so first, can I mention that the heroine on the cover appears photoshopped terribly?  Her proportions and body size looks terribly awkward, like they were trying to make her bare torso much slimmer than her upper body suggests.  It's like they tried to shrink her to be super small compared to the dude.  In the story Rykr grows immensely and is much larger than her, but don't force it on the cover.  Can't tell you how many times I've read a book where the woman is a brunette but the cover shows a blonde...or how about when the female lead is supposed to be curvy or voluptuous and the cover shows a slim woman?  Nothing is wrong with a naturally slim woman, nothing at all.  But when she looks unnaturally "posed" like this it's pretty dang annoying...

Lucy is fiercely protective of Rykr.  Sharing a bond with him makes her happy until she forces herself to think of him above herself.  I enjoyed her strength of will as well as her devotion.  During their time apart nothing keeps her from maintaining her heart's loyalty.  When the danger that has kept Rykr from her is revealed she wastes no time in picking up the mantle of protector, willing to fight for their mating by forcing Rykr's hand.  Her determination is admirable.  Aside from knowing her fierceness and her history of having a good heart we learn about her the most during the long flashback scene.  We get to see her feelings about animals but don't truly learn what her power and "light" is.  It heals, cool, but what really is it?  Where did it come from?  Who stole it?  What made it begin to come back in part if David later claimed to give it back to her in full?  There are quite a few questions and gaps that aren't filled in during this short story and introduction to the series.

Rykr is much the same.  He is a fierce protector as well and a good man.  His heart is for Lucy and Lucy only.  No matter what he experiences he's true to her, even after his heart feels shattered when she delivers the blow of forced separation.  His struggles with demons is a major problem and brings the plot racing forward as soon as his dilemma is revealed.  To find out what the real issue is, why he was chosen for the possession/habitation, what his and his mate's roles are in this mess, the ancient records, the "bad" guys...all of these things are connected but only touched on in this book and will need the subsequent stories in the series to become clear.  And speaking of clarity, what we get in the extended flashback as well as Lucy's musings are all we really get about who Rykr really is.  We have a general belief that he's good, that he's protective, that he loves Lucy immensely...but that's kind of all we get.

Overall this was a good story with a lot of attention to background and then the forming of the bond rather than an evolution of emotions and a progression of series drama.  The way the demon habitation problem is solved is quick and easy compared to what we were expecting with all the emotional angst.  Kind of disappointing even if it was a relief to have the MC's "triumph".  We get more questions than answers in this story and very little about the MC's themselves.  Despite that they are actually likable.  There are numerous characters with intriguing powers, interesting personalities, connections that I'm curious about, and an overarching story line that I'd like to see through to the end.  I would continue this series if given the choice even though this first book was heavy on drama but light on follow-through and basic with conflict resolution.

*99¢ on Amazon!