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Collared Souls

Sentries book #4

by Elizabeth Noble

It seemed so simple, cross a train yard, hop a train and Todd and Nick would be free, on their way home to Elk’s Ridge in Yellowknife. Nothing is ever simple or easy for the Ruger men, however. Captured by Vice-Chancellor Raleigh, Todd is imprisoned, leaving Nick alone and seeking a way to free his mate. Help comes from an unlikely and unexpected ally. Todd’s freedom places the Rugers yet again into the Chancellor’s debt. He sends them on a fact finding mission to the small village of Eldrid, the same village where Nick was raised a slave.

There they discover how past events led to their present society, the origins of sentries and slaves and what made some of them so special. They also uncover a conspiracy spear-headed by Vice-Chancellor Raleigh. An attempt at stopping him isn’t as successful as they’d hoped when old enemies are confronted. The realities of war, and why some people don’t survive, are hard lessons for both Todd and Nick to learn.

Through firefights, explosions and a vicious attack from a seemingly unbeatable supernatural being, one thing is reinforced over and over—the most important thing each one has is each other. Will they survive or join an ever growing list of casualties?

This book is on:
  • 5 To Be Read lists
  • 1 Read list
Published:
Publisher: JMS Books, LLC
Cover Artists:
Written Ink Designs

Genres:
Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci Fi, Sci Fi - Dystopian & Post-Apocalyptic

Tags:
format - novel 40-100K, format - series, what - topic - natural disaster

Tropes: Abandoned Place, Dark Enemy, Demonic Possession, Library of Secrets, Post-Apocalyptic
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Tropes: Abandoned Place, Dark Enemy, Demonic Possession, Library of Secrets, Post-Apocalyptic
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Excerpt:
    • Todd tossed all the bags he carried into the closest car and kept helping people onto the train. He saw Nick sprint to the opposite end of the depot and disappear through a door. Running down the line of cars to the last one, Todd saw what Nick had likely seen. The very end car was prepared for the horses. As he reached it, someone from inside was shoving a ramp to the ground beside the tracks.
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      Gunfire erupted from the opposite side of the train and the shooters on top returned fire. Todd grabbed a rope the man inside the train tossed to him and secured the ramp. That done, he ran back to the midsection of the train to help the soldiers working to get all the people aboard.
    • Something crashed out of the far end of the depot, drawing plenty of gunfire from the field alongside the tracks. Nick was riding Obi and had the horse moving at a full gallop when he cleared the depot. Along with Arenite, Nick had the leads of a half dozen or so other horses. Half of the soldiers on top of the train swung around and open fired, giving Nick plenty of cover.
    • Ducking his head and leaning forward, Nick got the horses going even faster. The man from inside the car ran down the ramp and met Nick. Todd had to give him credit. Running toward a group of galloping horses and catching them when Nick let some of the leads slide from his grasp was no easy feat.
    • Fortunately, all but Todd's and Nick's mounts were trained army horses. Once their leads were released, they stopped and stayed put until the man snatched up their leads. The gunfire all around them barely got more than a few jerked heads, twitched ears, and snorts. Nick rode Obi, Arenite in tow, up the ramp.
    • When the man with the rest of the horses was safely inside the car, Todd lifted a teenage girl and carried her to one of the waiting cars. Some people were carried through the opening in the straw bales on stretchers. Others were hoisted over the bales.
    • Once all but the last handful of people and soldiers were aboard, the captain shouted to the engineer to start moving. It would take some time to build up speed, and the train would be rolling forward slowly enough for the rest to get on safely.
    • Nick jumped back to the platform and pushed to a run, shouting, "No, no, no!" Todd's heart skipped a beat.
    • Kyle had gotten Jacob away from where Sandra's body still lay. Todd knew the soldiers would send people back for the dead once it was safe. He surmised some of the soldiers had told people that as well.
    • Jacob held a bag. He extracted two handguns from it before dropping it to the platform.
    • "You bastards are all going to die for this!" he screamed and headed to the end of the train.
    • Nick tried broadsiding him, but Jacob was too far out of reach and darted away. When Nick ran after him, Jacob stopped, turned, and fired. Nick stumbled, grabbed his shoulder, and dropped to his knees for a few beats, then staggered to his feet.
    • Todd's heart and stomach crashed through to the bedrock. There were several heart-stopping seconds before Todd was able to suck air into his lungs. An icy trickle of sweat oozed down Todd's spine, and the only thing his brain focused on was
  •  Nick was shot
      !

 

COLLAPSE
Reviews:Christy Duke on Rainbow Book Reviews wrote:

I loved that book four picked up just minutes from the end of the third book. It was so thrilling to jump right back into the story and know I didn't miss a thing! Other than the obvious reason that I adore this series, I was passionate about this book because it seemed from the description that Nick might have an opportunity here to spread his wings this time around. Nick really needs to get his self-confidence back and, frankly, Todd also needs him to, too.

Todd gets arrested by the nasty vice chancellor and ends up being rescued by Nick, Jimmy, and his dad, of all people. Now Todd and Nick are on a mission for the chancellor looking into the 'special' slaves, like Nick. Unfortunately, for Nick, this mission takes them back to Eldrid, the village where Nick was raised, and where so many of his nightmares come from.

This is where the story went so totally into awesomeness that I, literally, was making my husband mute the TV while I explained the whole story and read him parts as I came across them. It was incredible to get into the history behind the devastation that occurred and destroyed the world on such a global scale and how these early survivors banded together to live. There was also an explanation on how Sentries came to be and why the slave children program began.

Getting the information they needed and returning relatively unharmed to New Colorado City is an adventure. Now they have to match wits with the vice chancellor and his army of psychic vampires intent on destroying the New Colorado protectorate. Todd and Nick get help from an unexpected source and the grumbling between her and Todd brought some much needed humor to the tale.

I adored this fourth book and am eagerly awaiting the next installment. With Todd and Nick back in Elk's Ridge and away from New Colorado I am hoping a quieter and more peaceful life is waiting for them. Wait....what am I saying? I want more adventure, mystery, and hot sex. Bring on book five!

Sammy on Gay Book Reviews wrote:

Oh My Goodness…this was, yet again, another compelling and action packed novel starring our favorite mated sentries, Todd and Nick. With each step in this novel, Todd and Nick get closer and closer to realizing exactly how Sentries came into being, what the cause was for the rise of slavery in their world and just how easily the “special” or “gifted” slaves and their masters could be used to wreak total and complete chaos in the controlling of the government.

Once more, author Elizabeth Noble takes us further into the inner workings of the amazing world she has created in her Sentries Series. In this installment, Collared Souls, we see more and more of the deep bond of love that sustains and saves Todd and Nick from losing their grip on each other’s hearts and souls while the world around them threatens at every turn to tear them apart.

Read the longer version on the website.

on http://www.elizabeth-noble.com/collared-souls-book-4-of-sentries.html:

Please visit my website for a full list of reviews.


About the Author

Mystery, action, chills, and thrills spiced with romance and desire. ELIZABETH NOBLE lives by the adage "I can't not write." She doesn't remember a time when she didn’t make up stories and eventually she learned how to put words on a page. Those words turned into books and fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M fiction. A part of every day is spent living in worlds she created that are filled with intrigue and espionage. She has a real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural.

When she's not chronicling the adventures of her many characters, Elizabeth is a veterinary nurse living in her native Cleveland, Ohio. She has three grown children and now happily shares her little, brick house with two spunky Cardigan Welsh Corgis and their feline sidekicks. Elizabeth is a fan of baseball, basketball (go Cavs and Guardians) and gardening. She can often be found working in her 'outside office' listening to classic rock and plotter her next novel waiting for it to be dark enough to gaze at the stars.

Elizabeth has received a number of amateur writing awards. Since being published, several of her novels have received Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards. Jewel Cave was a runner-up in the Gay Mystery/Thriller category in the 2015 Rainbow Awards. Ringed Love was a winner in the Gay Fantasy Romance category of the 2016 Rainbow Awards.