The Artifact

The Bodyguard, Book 1 (M/M Supernatural Mystery)

By: X. Aratare

Narrated by: Chris Patton

Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Dane Gareis is a wealthy, reclusive young man with a traumatic past, but a spine of steel. When his father is killed in a mysterious plane crash, Dane carries on the family business and continues his passion for the very antiquity that got his father murdered - a golden sarcophagus belonging to an ancient cult known as the Ydrath.

Soon, the Ydrath threaten him as well, and Dane seeks to hire a bodyguard he can trust. Someone who can protect him, and someone who will respect his boundaries. While he gets the first two, the third requirement falls apart when he hires Sean Harding.

Sean Harding is an ex-detective with a sixth sense for danger. After his entire unit was murdered in a drug bust gone very wrong, he is a broken man who thinks only of revenge until he takes the job protecting the Gareis CEO.

Sean's attraction to the vulnerable Dane gives him new purpose, but his past is not escaped so easily, and his sixth sense tells him that there is more to the Ydrath than even Dane knows.

©2013 Catherine Tetzlaff (P)2013 Catherine Tetzlaff

You are such a good storyteller!

Every book I’ve read from this author was riveting and exciting. Always making me want to read more. Can’t wait to read book two!!

GOOD

This has a lot of promise, and I think I’ll try the next… mostly because of the story. The story has me interested. It started off great, but kind of fizzled towards the end with fast feelings. I also don’t love when it’s a fake sex scene, and it happened twice back to back. But I’m not quite done with these.

eerie , if a bit slow

If you could sum up The Artifact in three words, what would they be?

Complex, haunting, eerie

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sean, the inner dialogue and perhaps the catalyst

Have you listened to any of Chris Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I adore Chris Patton's narration. He pauses in just the right place, delivers the dialogue crisp and full of emotion. I have begun looking at all the books I notice he narrates.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was like a great old fashion horror movie. one where it wasn't just about mutilation, where the story rolled out with enough " mysterious incidents" to continually drive the story forward.

Any additional comments?

X. Aratare writes a fascinating scintillating horror story, that also has haunting realistic characters with depths of intrigue and flaws . I'm looking forward to hearing the next installment.

Wonderful

Still suffering from one trauma on the force, Sean follows the trail of the mysterious drug until it leads to another tragedy, and this one costs him both his job and his sanity. Fortunately Dane may have entered into his life at just the right moment.

Dane too is overcoming both a recent loss and his own horror story at the hands of someone he should have been able to trust, but now he finds himself the guardian of a mysterious artifact and in need of a bodyguard. What secrets does the artifact hold? Can Sean hold off the attacks on Dane's life? Will they be both be forever locked in their personal torments or are they brave enough to risk getting close to the other?

X. Aratare writes a beautiful story about overcoming trauma wrapped in an intriguing mystery. I love that it keeps the same setting and supporting characters as the Cursed series, although I think this may have come first. If you like paranormal romance you will love this!

Wow... unexpected

I can't wait until the next book comes out... this was pretty good... It is m/m romance... and not actually romancing has taken place between the two main characters as of yet… just two really erotic daydreams about each other; however, the story is really interesting... And is something moving in that museum... Boy O Boy... I want to know....

Narration was great! Good sale or credit book..

Only Book 1 is on Audible... can't wait to hear the rest of the story!

Same town and universe as Cursed by X. Aratare?!

Loved the book its a great read. All three books were narratored by three different people so do be prepared for that!! If you have listened/read the Cursed series by the same author this book is actually from the same town as them!! So it may be happening in the same universe. Love the ties between the two series, as well as, the character hints to the main characters in Cursed. The billionaires from this book (Dane) and Cursed (Bane) have such similar names so it was a little bewildering at first. Good read though!!

Audiobook as good as the written one

I love Raythe Reign and didn’t try the audiobooks for ages because I didn’t want a possible bad narration to ruin the story for me. This narrator was fantastic. I’m so happy now I can listen to these awesome works while I’m on the go (which is basically all the time). Yay!

Riveting and sensual

Almost all of Raythe Reign's series are my favorite series. The Bodyguard/The Artifact won my heart on the writer's membership site. I paid for membership, bought it from the members' store and purchased it again here on Amazon so I could have the audiobook at a cheaper price. Dane and Shawn are so sweet. Their loves builds slowly over the book and you really feel their longer and the tension. You feel for bith of them and wish they can rise above from the pain and find the love they truly deserve. Shawn is truly a man's man as he bravely fights for justice and for Dane. The villain, the Ydrath, is terrifying and insidious. I live the books and highly recommend them and the author's website.

A perfect slow-burn story.

x.Aratare's vivid story telling and Cris Patton"s sensual voice make the dreamiest combination for this slow-burn, supernatural, erotic detective series.

Young adult

This should be labeled as a young adult book as a caution for adult readers.