In Plain Sight by Senayda Pierre

Blurb:

“Hide in plain sight. Grandfather’s mantra is forever ingrained in me.”
Sahalie is the last of her lineage, bearing supernatural abilities gifted by the Spirits. She knows that in order to unlock her full potential she needs to find her mate. Yet in order to protect herself Sahalie knows she cannot reveal her secret abilities nor share her lineage with anyone but her true mate. She feels an instant and an undeniable connection with Yuma. Her Spirit Animal, a sassy little red fox is also drawn to the man’s Spirit Animal, a powerful tiger.

The problem?

Yuma is the son of an Elder. An Elder’s son means Yuma is neck-deep in community politics and drama. And she wants none of that. While Sahalie tries to avoid Yuma, the pull of true mates is evident and soon they find themselves unable to stay apart.

“What is it about you Sahalie?” I voice the question that’s haunted me since I first locked gazes with her.

Yuma has a very difficult decision to make… Will he follow his heart and Spirit Animal’s wishes and claim Sahalie as his true mate or will he uphold his duty to the communities and follow through with an arranged mating?

Yuma’s life-altering decision will affect everyone… not just him and Sahalie but the future of all their communities.

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25426143-in-plain-sight?ac=1


Buy links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LUBz0w

B&N Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-plain-sight-senayda-pierre/1122360610?ean=2940152042795
iTunes/iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/in-plain-sight/id1021338385?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/in-plain-sight-39

REVIEW

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I agreed to review this new release for Senayda Pierre. I am familiar with a previous release of hers Willfully Compelled and I enjoyed that book a lot. The idea of Spirit Animals struck me as a unique idea and was definitely interested to see where the author would go with it. 

What a roller coaster this book was!

Within the first few pages it is more than obvious that the author did a great deal of research. I was intrigued with the idea of Silver Fox and Sky Woman. As the book unfolded I have to be honest and admit that I assumed this book would be a cut and dry - hero[ine] finds mate and are revealed to be Silver Fox and Sky Woman reborn. WRONG!
 
Sahalie has been hiding her true heritage among her people her entire life. [Sidenote: the author makes it plain that these people that live in within this community are NOT human. They are more in tune with the elements Earth, Wind, Air and Fire and are paired with an actual animal that is their Spirit Animal] Unlike the majority of her community, she has the ability to possess two Spirit Animals and has to conceal this or else her life would no longer be her own. As a result of bad pairings in the past their race has become severely diluted and a lot of the prominent bloodlines that once existed have now disappeared. It is Sahalie's wish to temporarily leave the community to go to college so that she can study genetics and figure out what her community's issue is. Unfortunately, while pursuing her education a member of her family passes away and she returns home.

Sahalie returns home and that is where she meets Yuma. It is obvious to me that Yuma and Sahalie are true mates and I am ecstatic. I assumed that the rest of the book is Yuma's pursuit of Sahalie and then their final come together.

Yes they are true mates and yes Sahalie leads Yuma on a merry chase, but Sahalie's initial path is not with Yuma. And this was so hard for me to accept because of the way that it is delivered. Yuma has community responsibilities seeing as how he is being groomed to be a future Elder. He is meant to have a political marriage that will tie their particular community with an equally successful community. What is messed up is that Sahalie is never told this. She goes through the motions of discovering and falling in love with and never being told, by Yuma might I add, that they can't be together. It was absolutely horrible to have in the back of my mind that this beautiful pairing of Yuma and Sahalie can't last. I stayed positive and assumed at the end of the day that Yuma would go against tradition and his father and make the right choice i..e. Sahalie.

The journey for Sahalie to become who the Spirits mean for her to be does not completely include Yuma and I found that to be refreshing. She has a destiny and a purpose - to help her people and the way to do so takes her away from her comfort zone and the community she has grown up with. 

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters, no matter how flawed and spineless I initially found some of them to be. The author took great pains to impart upon the reader all of the emotions that these characters are feeling at any point in time and I felt them. They were amazing. Each scene leading up to that horrible moment was so bittersweet, but I loved how it paved the way for Sahalie to accept and fulfill her destiny (for lack of a better word). I absolutely loved every character in this book and appreciated each one. I want a Spirit Animal! 

I will most definitely read this book again and would love it if the author were to revisit these characters.

Much thanks to the author and Rock Star PR for allowing me to read this book via Netgalley. 

Check this Author out:

WordPress: https://www.senaydapierre.com

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Sena313

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Senayda_Pierre

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/SenaydaP

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/Senayda

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/SenaydaPierre313

Willfully Compelled (Unintentional Sacrifices Book 1) by Senayda Pierce

Review:

Thanks to Rockstar Lit PR for giving me the opportunity to read this book. 

I am a sci-fi fan and this was right up my alley. The first thing I noticed when reading this book was the sense of desolation, loneliness, danger and grief. I felt so bad for the main character Lysandra. Her family was gone and her best friend was fading. There was no salvation to be had in this post-apocalyptic world, no safe haven. Every animal and person was out to survive in any way possible. I wasn’t sure where the author was taking this, but an underwater world was unexpected and appreciated.

At the initial description of the underwater creatures, I wasn’t sure if I could get into that but I quickly warmed up to it. I loved how there wasn’t a person acting as a villain. Surviving and helping the Earth rebuild was the plot and all of the other issues were bumps in the road.

According to a legend Lysandra and her identical twin sister Leondra are supposed to save the world. How you say? The reader doesn’t know until almost half-way into the book. I loved the idea that they both had power, but their powers weren’t identical. Leondra had power thru words and Lysandra had power through her song [music]. Together, the twins would use their powers to re-establish (for lack of a better word) the land above water.  Lysandra is introduced to the underwater creatures (mer-people doesn’t seem to fit so I won’t use it) royal family and feels an intense attraction to one of the Princes.  The story shoots off from there with so much action, sexual tension, and pressure to save the world with a huge dose of grief [on Lysandra’s part] about lost family and etc etc. I enjoyed this book and loved how the author set up future issues with the gods and with the twins’ future children.  I’ll definitely continue this series.

Senayda Pierre Willfully Compelled 4/30/2015

Blurb:

A centuries-old legend foretells of twins who will one day save the earth. Lysandra and Leondra have been raised by their parents with the notion that they could possibly be those destined twins.

A once kaleidoscope-colored land is now brown. Water sources have become nonexistent leaving behind only lethal bodies of water. Animals and people disappear beneath the tempting waters never to resurface. As the world falls apart the twins become separated. Alone and injured, Lysandra ventures forward trying to locate and reunite with her family. Instead she slips beneath the river's surface discovering a new world where no human has ever survived before. A prophecy. A dying world. Twins, Leondra and Lysandra are compelled to make the ultimate sacrifice for an entirely new world.

Buy:

Barnes & Noble | iTunes/iBooks | Kobo

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Excerpt: Lysandra turned toward Phoebe. Her friend’s lips were blue. Her complexion deathly pale. She shook Phoebe hard. She wanted to scream at her best friend to wake up but she couldn’t afford to attract attention. She bent down to ensure that Phoebe was still breathing. Her best friend’s haggard breaths let her know how bad things were. She choked back a sob as she hoisted Phoebe up. She sighed in relief and continued toward the river. Just being close to the river gave her a sense of renewed energy and hope. Her skin tingled with anticipation at the clear sparkling water in front of her. Her mouth watered as she stared longingly at the river. She gently placed Phoebe down, a few feet away from the bank. A loud splash froze the blood in her veins. Her head snapped in the direction of the noise. Most of the herd had followed the leader but a straggler had attempted to get one last drink. Lysandra just saw its rear end as it disappeared under the water’s surface. The water buffalo’s legs kicked in desperation as it met its watery death. The other animals scattered as if a lion had approached the river. She remained frozen with horror. For years she’d heard of the dangers of the water but had never seen it for herself. She looked around desperately. There was no doubt about it, they were in danger and Phoebe was dying. The harsh wind blew sand in her eyes. She put her chin to her chest and blinked hard. They’d learned the hard way to not rub the sand or debris from their eyes. She reached out touching Phoebe’s face. Her hand stilled. A sob escaped her lips as her palm touched cold skin. Even the viscous sun and heat couldn’t hide death’s frigidness. Desolation blanketed her. She was too late. She couldn’t help her best friend. Lysandra leaned over Phoebe listening hopefully for small, haggard breaths. She frantically checked her pulse. Something to hint at Phoebe still living, but she found nothing. There was nothing there but a cold, lifeless body. Lysandra tilted her head back. Her parched throat couldn’t let out the scream that resonated within her. Her body shook with tearless sobs. There was nothing left for her in this life. Her family was gone. Her best friend lay dead by her side. The world was literally a living hell. She jolted as Phoebe’s body jerked. A flare of hope quickly died as her addled mind registered what she saw. Phoebe’s body disappeared beneath the surface just like the water buffalo’s. She was too slow to catch her best friend’s body as something dark dragged her underwater. She jumped in not caring if her loud splash attracted unwanted attention. Phoebe’s silhouette disappeared into the depths of the river. She frantically kicked to keep up with her friend’s body but it was too late. Lysandra lost all hope. Her lungs screamed to get to the surface but her heart sank with sorrow. In her previous life she would’ve cherished the peacefulness of the silent water world. She might’ve reveled in its beauty. But now it only represented death. Sharp talons imbedded in her thigh yanking her down. She gasped in shock and terror before savagely kicking at whatever had hold of her. The talons gripped harder making her scream in pain. Lysandra inhaled deeply hoping to fill her lungs with water. She desperately wanted to drown before being eaten alive. She couldn’t see what held onto her as the surface got farther and farther away. Her body tensed. Her mind screamed that she was drowning. Her lungs expanded with liquid but didn’t burn. She wheezed as terror flowed through her body. She fought the black dots that raced in front of her eyes refusing to lose consciousness to panic. The talons loosened around her thigh as she regained some semblance of control over her body. Her mind warred with itself as she fought for reasoning. Was she going mad? Had she blacked out and was only dreaming? How could her lungs take in water and treat it like air? “Just get it over with” She whispered as she closed her eyes quietly sobbing. A quick and painless death was not meant to be though; whoever or whatever had planned for her to be cognizant throughout. Her eye flashed open as her body jerked to the left. She gasped as the talons dragged her into a cavernous room. She stared in horrified rapture as sunlight filtered through the oversized underwater cave. “Interesting” a deep voice rumbled. Lysandra stiffened as the talons released its grip from her thigh and shackled her wrist to the rock wall. She refused to look in the direction of her captor. Her eyes flitted around absorbing her surroundings. The cave was beautiful. Colorful fish swam by unbothered by its occupants. “Who grabbed her?” The same voice interrupted the peaceful silence. She sensed more than one presence in the cavernous room. So her captor was not this bastard with the deep voice. “Sire” another voice responded. His voice was much closer to her. She scowled knowing it was this SOB who’d captured her. “She jumped in immediately after one of the sentinels grabbed the cadaver.” Lysandra shuddered at the word cadaver and bit her lip knowing they were referring to Phoebe. She swallowed the boulder-size lump in her throat. What had they done with her best friend?

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About Senayda Pierre: Senayda Pierre is a native Floridian who’s always had a passion for music, sports, reading and writing. She currently lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband and three beautiful daughters. Senayda is an identical twin. That’s right, sometimes people give her a second glance wondering if she’s the person they know! She’s never seen snow… Swears she’ll live in Hawaii someday… And she intends to travel the world… Senayda’s had a long love affair with reading and writing. She loved to write short stories and poetry throughout her childhood. Now Senayda’s moved onto novels.

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