My Life, Loves and Passion: Destined To Love Book Review. Plus Giveaway!

Anala Geil has finally fulfilled her destiny to become the Leader of the Society of Hunters - 600 years AFTER she thought all Cursed Ones were gone. So far; she is a Cursed Hunter, has fallen in love with a fellow Hunter, had another Hunter turned, and lost Thomas - the one she had feelings for so long ago. She's doing great. The challenges that Ana and her Hunters must face now will either tear them apart, or bring them closer. But what will Ana do when she is forced to make the most difficult decisions of her long life?

Will she be able to hold on to the humanity she feels is perilously close to shattering?

Destined to Love (Excerpt)

"How long do we have to wait?"

Amanda was pacing nervously, and it reminded me so much of Sam that I felt a pang in my heart.

"He is used to feeding whenever he wants. Being deprived of it for even a couple of hours will have a tremendous effect on him."

My hands were trembling when ran them through my hair. I clench my fists, trying to gain some control, but until I know what Thomas knows about Sam, I don't think that will happen. I don't even notice when Amanda stops pacing, but when I glance at her, I see she's watching me intently.

"What?"

"Do you need blood?"

"I'm fine, Amanda."

"Ana, I'm worried about you almost as much as I am about Sam."

"Focus on Sam." It came out a little more harsh than I intended, and I was immediately sorry for it. I drop heavily in the wing back chair that sat near a floor-to-ceiling window. "I am sorry. I am not used to these feelings, Amanda. I have not been human for so long, that I'm not sure how to handle these human emotions."

"I can't imagine that you haven't had human emotions all this time."

I started as Jenna walked in the room then. I should have sensed her, but I've allowed myself to be consumed with this fear for Sam. I could only stare as the rest of my Hunters followed her in, surrounding me with their concern and caring.

"I have humanity," I explain to Jenna. "But, after losing my parents, I cut myself off from having any emotions for others. It hurts too much." I didn't stop the tear from rolling down my cheek.

"What made you let Sam in?" Emily spoke quietly, as usual, but the curiosity was loud and clear.

"I didn't let him in, Emily. I just couldn't stop it. It surprised me as much as I think it did the rest of you."

"He'll be okay." Eric placed a gentle hand on my shoulder which brought on more tears.

"Right, I'm sure this Thomas jackass is just holding him somewhere to make you crazy."

Jeremy's attempt at making me feel better doesn't quite hit the mark, but I'm grateful for the attempt. Once they were done trying to placate me, they moved to Amanda, giving her the same treatment. I'm grateful for that as well, since I'm not doing a great job at helping her. Some best friend I am.

I get up abruptly. "I need blood," I mumble, and walk away feeling shameful.

"Ana!" Amanda jogged to catch up with me.

When I turn suddenly, she practically runs into me.

"I'm sorry."

She waves away my apology. "It's fine. I mean, I'm the one who was running after you . . . "

"No. I'm sorry I'm not here for you. I feel so incredibly selfish. You're Sam's sister, and I know you are scared." I grab her and hug her fiercely. "I will find him. I promise."

She hugs me back, and I feel her composure slip a bit as she clung to me. "I know you will," she whispers, then pulls away. "Listen, we've been talking."

She gestures behind her, where the others are suddenly there again. Their stealth abilities are certainly improving.

"Thomas has obviously been feeding live," Amanda continues. "We think you should, too. I mean, it can only help you when you go up against him."

"What are you saying?" I ask wearily.

"Choose one of us, or all. We're willing to help you."

"No."

"Ana," Jenna stepped forward. "You can't afford to be stubborn now. We know you feed from Sam, what's the difference?"

"The difference is I'm in love with Sam." They all stared at me, and I know they don't understand. I drag a hand through my hair, not wanting to explain this to them. It just feels like I'm betraying something special between me and Sam. But, with all of their expectant eyes watching me, I don't think I have a choice. "Look, when I feed . . . unless the intent is to kill or change someone, feeding is . . . intimate."

"Oh." Amanda's eyes widened, and I knew she understood fully what I meant. "Oh. That's why you and Sam . . . " Her voice trailed off and she blushed.

"What?" Jenna looked from me to Amanda and back again. "Oh. Never mind."

Destined to Love (Excerpt)

"You don't deserve him."

"Do you want to tell us what the hell is going on?"

Mr. Logan paced the hallway in front of Sam's room. Definitely a family trait. His words were quiet, but I heard the disapproval as clearly as if he had yelled the words.

"Daddy, please calm down."

"Calm down? Ana just told Sam she loved him!"

"So?"

"So?" He looked at Amanda as though she had lost her mind.

"Yeah. So? What does it matter if Ana loves Sam?"

"She's a - a - "

Okay, I honestly thought - for one split second - that he was going to say I was Cursed.

"Child!" he finished.

"She's eighteen, dear," Mrs. Logan interjected.

"Eighteen is a child!"

"Russ, please. If Sam loves her, maybe she can help."

Mr. Logan stared at his wife before bringing his gaze to me. He narrowed his eyes, as if he's trying to figure out what my angle is. I allow the scrutiny. I have nothing to hide. Well, besides being a vampire, and over six hundred years old, and a Hunter - okay, I have a lot to hide. But, I have nothing to hide when it comes to my love for Sam.

"How long?" he asks me.

"A couple of months now."

"And, it's already 'love'?"

Yes, I could actually hear the quotes he put around the word, even though he didn't actually make the gesture.

"I know this is a shock to you, Mr. Logan. Frankly, it was to me, too. But, yes, it is love."

My stare never wavered. I continued to look into Mr. Logan's eyes. Eyes that were so like Sam's that it made me sad. He nodded slightly before turning away, and going back into Sam's room. I wanted to follow, but Mrs. Logan replaced her husband in front of me. She silently cupped my cheek with her palm, and my eyes started swimming. A single tear slid down my cheek, and she captured it with her thumb.

"I wish I could have seen you two together." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but I know Amanda heard it when she looked sharply at her mother.

"Mom, you're talking like he's already gone."

"I'm sorry, honey. The doctors don't give us much hope." Mrs. Logan's voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. "We need a miracle."

Her eyes searched mine, for what, I don't know. Answers? Solutions? I didn't have any. None that I was willing to do. Unable to hold her gaze any longer, I looked away first. Mrs. Logan let out a small sigh, patted my cheek before dropping her hand and walking away. I realize then, that she was searching for a cure. But, that makes no sense. She doesn't know what I am. Right?

"Amanda?"

"I have no idea." She interrupts my question about her mom, knowing full well what I am going to ask. "I didn't tell her, and I'm quite certain Sam . . . " Amanda's words trail off as she turns to look into Sam's room. "Please, Ana?"

"You do not know what you're asking of me." I start my own pace, running a tired hand through my hair. Please, please, please don't ask me to turn him. But, my silent plea went unanswered when Amanda turned to me.

"Yes, I do. It's what he wants. It's what my family needs. The only one against it is you! You claim to love Sam, but you refuse to help him!"

"Turning him into a . . . a monster like me is not helping him!" I whisper harshly.

"You're hardly a monster," Amanda scoffed.

"You have no idea what he will be like," I argue, ignoring her comment. "Zac is taking up all of the elixir for humanity. I have no idea how close Blaise is to having the Blood Orchlips. What you're asking of me is impossible."

Amanda stared at me, her eyes accusing and full of anger. I feel the others approaching, but they obviously sense something is terribly wrong, so they stay back. I don't even pretend to care how they got back here when it's family only. It's not my concern. Right now, my concern is convincing Amanda that turning Sam is not what's best for him.

"It's not impossible. You're just too selfish to do it," she spat.

"Selfish! If I turned him, that would be selfish! This is not any kind of life. Why would I want to put him through this?"

"You seem to be doing just fine."

"You didn't know me before! You don't know what I went through! Six hundred years is a hell of a long time, Amanda. I may have figured a few things out, but you still have no clue what it is like being Cursed. It is the loneliest life, filled with sorrow and death. Just not your own. Never your own."

Amanda's eyes softened, but only a little. Yeah, she's still pissed at me. "He will have you."

"And, he'll watch you, your parents and everyone else around him die."

"Help him. Then let him make that decision."

"Save him only to ask him if he wants to be saved?" I ask sarcastically. Not the smartest thing to do when Amanda is scared and angry.

"It certainly wasn't his decision to be beaten to the brink of death because of you!"

The words made me take a step back as if I had been slapped. Actually, I would have preferred to have been slapped. It would have hurt a hell of a lot less than the guilt that ripped my soul - if I have one - apart.

"Amanda, dios, it is not Ana's fault."

Amanda turned on Sara. "Who the hell are you to have an opinion about it! You're not even a part of this group really."

"Amanda, stop," Jenna whispered.

"She's right," I say quietly. "It's my fault."

"Damn right it is. Now fix it, or get the hell away from us. You don't deserve him." Amanda turned on her heel and stomped back into Sam's room, leaving me to stare after her.

Destined to Love (Excerpt)

"I may just stake you."

"Ana!"

The sheer panic in Amanda's voice had me and Sam both out of bed in record time. I'm glad that I had decided to wear something decent to bed, because I didn't even think to stop and change. I just ran, with Sam following, to Amanda.

We ran into the training room mere seconds after Amanda screamed for me. Yes, screamed. I had never once heard her sound so scared. Not even when she was yelling at me when Sam was in the hospital. She, and the others, were standing next to the holding room, and my steps faltered. A multitude of thoughts went through my head in the span of a second, with the most prominent one being: I messed up on the elixir and killed Zac. I forced myself to continue, stamping down my doubts.

"Amanda, what's wrong?" I kept my eyes on Amanda, not looking in the room. I would hear it from her, first.

"Z-Zac is gone, and Emily . . . " her words trailed off as she pointed into the holding room.

I steeled myself before following her aim. Emily lay in front of the silver chair that Zac once occupied. Blood was drying on the side of her neck, and her heartbeat was faint.

"Is she?"

"She's alive." I touch Jenna briefly on the arm as I pass her.

"But, if she's been bitten . . . "

"Zac is a Hybrid, Jeremy. He doesn't possess the power to turn anyone." I kneel next to Emily, and though I can hear her heart beating, I feel for a pulse. "The fact that Emily is still alive tells me that Zac hasn't lost his humanity completely."

"How can you say that?" Eric yelled. "My sister is laying there dying!"

"She's not dying, Eric. That's how I can say that. If he had been lost completely, she would be dead."

I pick Emily up easily. I think even if I wasn't Cursed, I would be able to pick her up, she's so tiny. And, that's what worries me. Zac may not have drained her, but it was close. The others followed me to the parlor where I gently lay Emily on the couch.

"Can you heal her?"

"She needs blood," I say absently as I examine her neck.

"But, I thought you said she wasn't turned!"

I turned to Eric, my brows furrowed in confusion. Oh. He thinks I meant . . .

"No, she needs a transfusion."

"Can't you just give her some of your blood?" Jenna asked.

"It's not my blood she needs. Zac drank quite a bit. She just needs to replenish that blood."

"So, what can we do?" Eric asked, his voice quiet again.

I weigh my options silently. If we wait, letting her blood replenish itself, it could take weeks for Emily to recover. If she has a transfusion, it would be hours instead of weeks. It would mean me having to go to the hospital for equipment . . . and blood. But, Emily may be able to tell us if Zac said anything to her. Or, perhaps why she decided to take out the stake in the first place.

"Transfusion," I decide aloud. Sam nodded his agreement as the others looked at me questioningly. "It's the fastest way for her to recover, and tell us what happened."

"Okay, but how do we go about doing that?" Amanda asked. Her body was still trembling. Sam must have noticed as well, as he went to her and put his arm around her.

"I'll go to the hospital and get the supplies. We'll set it up here where we can keep an eye on her."

"Do you know how to do that?"

I smile at Sara. "You learn a thing or two after a few centuries. Especially if your father was a neurosurgeon."

4.5/5

This is about Ana, the leader of the hunters. This story is so captivating. I could not put the book down. This one is the 2nd book.

I love Ana! She is so relatable, besides the fact that she is a vampire lol. Sam falls in love with her but its not easy for everyone that she loves him back. Her newly turned vampire Zac loves her and is struggling with seeing Ana and Sam together.

They all need to stick together though because they have one of their biggest battles coming up. To make matters worse its against an old friend and lover. Will they survie?

If you love paranormal, love, mystery, suspense stories you will love this book. Make sure you read Destined to Kill first so things make more sense.

Currently living in the Houston area, Jourdyn spends her time writing, designing websites and caring for what she equates as a zoo with 3 dogs, 2 cats, a bearded dragon, 3 frogs and 3 turtles. In the recent years, she has changed her lifestyle to include working out and eating right. She now competes in triathlons, has run her first half-marathon, and loves Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing and Krav Maga.

Jourdyn loves bringing her characters out for everyone to meet. Her goal is to keep writing in many different genres, as she feels there shouldn't be anything limiting writers. Coming up, you will hear more of Blaise Knight's story.