Destined: Lured into the shadow by Beatrice Sand

MoMo’s Book Diary enjoyed “Destined” and gladly recommends. If you enjoyed the Twilight saga you will love The Ambrosia Trilogy!

Beatrice Sand’s debut novel “Destined” is the first part of The Ambrosia Trilogy. It is a truly awesome suspense read which kept me up until the early hours.

The author introduces the characters with emotion and describes each scene perfectly. There is a continuous thread throughout the book luring you into the mystery. You know there is so much unspoken but its not until around half-way that you start to get the full picture and I found my mind sparking off in different directions at what could happen next. I laughed, I cried, I sat up until the early hours trying to breathe with Laurel as she finds her way…

This sexy and mysterious tale focuses on 17 year old Laurel who has recently moved back to Vancouver Island where her father, Martin, owns his own restaurant to live with him and his wife, Mia and her daughter, Renee, who is also 17. Laurel and Renee could not be any more different and Laurel feels that Mia is constantly expecting her to morph into Renee – which she will certainly not be doing! Laurel is hoping to build a relationship with her father but it is difficult finding time to get to know each other.

I enjoyed that the author tells the story from Laurel’s perspective in the main, with a few chapters from Sam, where we get insight into his world. Sam is struggling with leading the life he knows is set out before him and these new feelings that he has for Laurel. The more he stays away the more he is drawn to be there when she finds herself in trouble.

There is an undeniable attraction between Laurel and Sam, which the author beautifully introduces at their first meeting, and builds each time they meet. They share some sensual scenes although there is nothing too “adult” in nature in this teenage/ young adult novel. I will not give any more of the story away but it is not a straightforward new adult romance.

This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys the mystery of a sexy, dangerous story and although it is not a thriller it is certainly a thrilling read. I can’t wait to read the second book, Sacrifice, which is due for release in 2017 with the third and final part, Ambrosia, following on from that.

I would like to thank the author, Beatrice Sand, for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its release date.

Synopsis

When 17-year-old Laurel Harper decides to go live with her estranged father and stepfamily, she’s unaware of the fact that her fate was already sealed the day she was born. She is now exactly where some higher power wants her to be. But it’s not until she meets the proud and mysterious Sam Laurens that she feels something strange is going on. Why does he keep interfering in her life?

Then Laurel finds out about Sam’s ominous ancestry and a whole different fear arises. Fear of who Sam really is. Fear of her own feelings. And when she learns the dark truth about her own future, a sinister secret that will change everything as soon as she turns nineteen, she wants to run and hide, but soon realizes that there is no hiding from fate. Sam may be the only one who can help her escape her destiny, but then she has to trust him again, and time is of the essence because he has his own fate to deal with. Still, Sam is determined to stop Laurel from meeting her doom, even if that means he has to make a drastic move that will separate them for good.

AUTHOR	Beatrice Sand
BOOK TITLE	Destined – Lured into the Shadow
SERIES	The Ambrosia Trilogy #1
PUBLISHER	Sand Publlishing
DATE OF PUBLICATION	24/10/2016
PRINT LENGTH	456 pages
ISBN	9789082591316
OBTAINED:	Author provided ARC – later purchased paperback once published