Blade to the Keep

By: Lauren Dane

Narrated by: Eve Bianco

Canny and ferocious, with the power of an ancient Goddess in her belly, Rowan Summerwaite is the only person who can renegotiate the fragile Treaty between the Vampire Nation and the Hunter Corporation, the last line of defense for humanity. A meeting of this Joint Tribunal, as well as her new status as Liaison, sends Rowan straight to the last place on earth she wants to be, the childhood home she'd escaped so many years before - The First's Keep.

Raised at the knee of The First - the oldest Vampire and leader of the Vampire Nation-honed into a weapon by the Hunter Corporation, wielding ancient knowledge from the Goddess within, Rowan must navigate bloodthirsty Vampires and Hunters alike. And she's got to do it while managing a politically awkward but undeniably deepened romance with Scion Clive Stewart. Failure in her role as Liaison could mean all-out war, with humankind in the crosshairs. No pressure.

Walking the path between her two lives has already made Rowan a pariah. The choices she'll have to make will mean she becomes something even more Other and as a result she may lose those last shreds of home she has left.

©2013 Audible, Inc.; 2013 Lauren Dane

Worth the Wait!

When I finished listening to "Godess with a Blade" years ago I had two thoughts.
1 - Fantastic Story
2 - Where's its sequel?
Finally "Blade to the Keep" has been released and I couldn't be happier. The setting moves to the vampire world providing an interesting look into Rowan's early life growing up with vampires. It's a great sequel.

Slower in rhythm but introduces key relationships for the serie

After a second attentive relisten...The relationship between Theo, the First, and Rowan his foster daughter and that system feel pretty unsettling to me and the rhythm of the story kind of belies that Rowan hates the stupid politics.

That said, I greatly appreciate those triggering elements being in the series. The author's treatment of such topics feels enlightening, profound and unique. We've been used to Star Wars' Darth Vader. The evolution of the relationship between Theo and Rowan digs deeper, allows for more heart exploration.

Well now, this is getting good

Rowan and Clive are continuing their “relationship”, but as usual, Rowan has put herself in the middle of another foe who is intent on killing her. When she is charged with negotiating a new treaty with the Vampire Nation, she finds that the politics surrounding the Vampire Nation and Hunter Corp are the same as in the human world. Dancing the dance while ensuring that the goals are met will become a life and death situation. The question is can Rowan get through the 3 days without killing a vamp? Highly unlikely.

So in this installment, the action is ramping up a bit. Sure, Clive an Rowan heat up the sheets, but the bulk of the story centers around the treaty and those who are hell bent on creating a war. There is a new foe at hand and finding this vamp and staking her will continue into book 3.

The story is great..the secondary characters are funny, vicious, and intriguing..Clive and Rowan continue to build on their relationship and we get to spend more time Rowan’s foster father, Theo. All in all, this story is a nice set up for the continued story.

Wonderful!!!

If you're a fan of Nalini Singh's Archangel Series, this is a great series to try out.

Tavia?

Loved it and the narration... very Jeanine Frost like but could just be that Eve/ Tavia and Rowan seemed like Kat a little but very good

Narrator not the best fit for the story.

This is a fantastic story. Lots of fun. it is also an Urban Fantasy with a badass protagonist named Rowan who had a big sword and is pretty fearless.

I read this i print first when it was first released and now, upon re-read decided to listen to it in audio. My biggest issue with the audio is that the narrator did not have the necessary connection with the material. When listening to what should have been epic Rowan verbal smackdowns, the narrator delivered them with all the fire and verve of a wet napkin. She sounded like she was reading an invitation to tea and crumpets. None of what should have been impactful dialogue landed with just the right punch.

Yuck

Difference between badass and abusive., can't believe I am supposed to like the main character