Lisa Renee Jones - The Legend of Michael (Zodius Series)

HE IS A LETHAL WEAPON...
One of an army of human soldiers injected with alien DNA, Michael is a legend within this new race, split between good and evil. Untamable, he has walked on the dark side and returned to the light. Feared and misunderstood, he leaves everything behind, including the one woman destined to be his mate.

HE IS HER ENEMY...AND HER DESTINY...
Cassandra holds the key to Michael's power, and his pain. With loyalties divided and against insurmountable odds, Cassandra's heart propels her to Michael's side-but can her love do anything but destroy him...

No ordinary woman can control a creature such as Michael, and only one thing is clear-the world will never be the same...

I was given this title by a fellow member of one of the many yahoo reader’s groups that I belong to. As soon as she mentioned soldiers, alien DNA and mate I knew that I would enjoy this book. I love the super soldier idea coupled with mate bonding as a by-product. In my opinion the best part of this book is the deeply embedded tension between Michael and Cassandra. If nothing else happened in the book the fact that Cassandra’s father, General Powell, created the immunization that altered Michael’s DNA is enough. I was unsure how the soldiers would treat Cassandra because of the fact that her father made them the way they are.

I enjoyed the pace of this book. Things moved pretty quickly before slowing down to the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the book. From their initial meeting, to their dating, and finally to their separation I wasn’t sure where the story was headed. I knew there was going to be a revolution from the military men altered with the alien DNA, but I had no idea Lisa Renee Jones would twist the revolution to split the men in two – Renegades vs Zodius.

I think starting this Zodius series with Michael’s story was a great choice. Michael, the Dark One, is supposed to be the boogeyman of the super soldiers. It impressed me how deep-seeded General Powell’s dislike for Michael goes, but what is even more amazing is the deeper you get into the book the more you see why he despises Michael. It’s not just because Michael is pursuing a relationship with Cassandra, but there is a full laundry list of reasons. I also like the fact that there is more than just one villain. There’s the obvious, General Powell, with his ‘save the U.S. agenda by any means necessary’ and coming out of nowhere is a super soldiers named Adam who has developed the ability to communicate with wolves. The fact that their enhanced abilities originated from an alien sample stored at Area 51 is the perfect basis for this series. Using Area 51 means Lisa Renee Jones didn’t have to create any involved alien back story she just used a pre-existing government cover up to explain the idea of super soldiers.

If you love sexy soldiers, smart women (no damsels in distress NEED NOT APPLY), and struggles for power in present day United States – you’ll love this book. Although, technically I didn’t pick up on any evidence that this was present day events. In other words, this could be happening in the future for all the reader knows.