Power of Five: Reverse Harem Fantasy

Publisher's Summary

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can't allow - or resist.  

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera's life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master's advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera's barn. 

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother's loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female. 

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing - a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself.  

Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.

©2018 Alex Lidell (P)2018 Alex Lidell

No! It can’t end!

Wow did I love this story! This was my first Alex Lidell book, I will definitely be reading more. I love her writing style and the depth of the characters. Lera is one lucky human to find her self magically bound to four handsome Elite Fae warriors. I won’t bother with a recap, Alex Lidell has done a great job with that in the book blurb. I will say that this is a fast paced well written story. I could barely concentrate on anything else I was so engrossed in the story even when I wasn’t listening. I loved Shade’s endearment calling Lera pup! The narrator did a great job moving through the character and I loved her Scottish accent. Definitely recommend this book

23 of 23 people found this review helpful

More PNR fantasy than sexy-times fantasy

Although this book is subtitled "Reverse Harem Fantasy" I found the sensual content significantly less than expected. This is primarily a paranormal romance with four heroes instead of one.

Great world building and characters. Each of the fae warriors (River, Cole, Tye and Shade) are appealing in their own way, but the real protagonist is Lera. She goes from indentured servant for a sleazy master to a fae chosen one, the fifth of a bonded group of fae warriors even though she is a mortal. The five journey to the magical realm to resolve what seems to be a mistake - a mortal cannot be joined with fae.

This book is very enjoyable in that the author does not rush the characters' story. She immerses the reader in her make-believe world so that the reader, like Lera, falls in love with River, Cole, Tye and Shade. I liked the strong detailing and mythology of this world. The sensual content was tasteful but not strongly provocative.

The narration was polished in its delivery, but I found some of the "styles" for different male character distracting. This story includes a huge cast of characters which is a challenge for the narrator and Victoria Mei strove to create distinct voices for each character in the story. The pacing was good and the clarity/enunciation was excellent.

Highly recommended for fans of PNR romance.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

39 of 41 people found this review helpful

I Wish There Was More Time Spent On The Main Plot

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Content Warning: This is a New Adult book and does contain explicit sexual scenes, listen at your own discretion.

Review:

Protagonist: Lera, a mortal girl living as an indentured servant to a harsh and forward master, finds herself somehow linked in a Fae Quint, an elite team of fae warriors, and travels into the Fae lands to sever the obviously mistaken bond. On the whole, I didn't hate Lera, but there was never really anything that set her apart as a protagonist. She's stubborn, like most fantasy female protagonists, she'll do what she wants, damning the consequences, and that's all well and good, but I really wish there was something more to her. If I'm being honest there's nothing special about her, I mean, I'm sure there's something "special" about her, a reason she was bonded to this Quint, but other than the fact that she's the main character, there wasn't really anything about her that made me care for her as a character.

Romance: So, this is my first Harem story, Reverse or otherwise, and going into it I didn't quite know what to expect. Is it a love triangle, just there are more love interests? Is it going to be a polyamorous relationship? I knew if I wanted to experience a Harem story that it should come from an author who I've enjoyed in the past and who I know can write romance. Here's the thing though, I felt like there was very little actual romance in this story. Sure, there's lust, there's a hell of a lot of lust, but I never felt invested in Lera's romantic or sexual bond with any of the fae males, mainly because with either bond there's no development. From near the very start, it's clear that even if one of the guys doesn't act like they want Lera around, that isn't true, they care about her from practically the beginning of the story and of course since she's described as gorgeous they're also all horned up for her too. Any "development" on the "romance" front is more Lera getting said male to admit they want her around.

World Building: Where I felt the romance and Lera's character was lacking quite a bit, I actually really enjoyed the fantasy aspect of this Reverse-Harem Fantasy, and I probably would have enjoyed it more if there was more of it. Most of this book is dedicated to solidifying Lera's bond with certain characters, or at least I believe that was the point, in actuality all it did for me was let me get to know the males who've fallen for Lera, and while that's not a bad thing, there are four of them and this is a rather short book. So, while I was interested in learning more about the Quint bond, the Faerie Lands, and why Lera was drawn into this bond in the first place, there isn't a whole lot of development with any of that. The book is not boring, far from it, in fact, I LOVE all of the main plot progression that we got, even if I did feel there wasn't a whole lot.

Predictability: I was not prepared for the number of tropes this book had. Okay, I'm not totally serious, though there were a few times when something would be revealed and I would mumble to myself an exasperated "of course," but as I said, that only happened a few times. On the whole, there wasn't a whole lot I could predict about this book, mostly because as I acknowledged in the previous section, this is a pretty short book and a good chunk of it is devoted to fleshing out the love interests. That being said, while I wasn't surprised by some of the twists that happened, I didn't exactly call them either.

Ending: So... the ending to this book is a bit weird to talk about. First off there's the final climax... at least where the main story and action are concerned, which was fantastic and how the characters decide to handle the aftermath actually got a chuckle out of me. There was a lot of tension in the final climax and even though I never really grew to care for Lera as more than just the protagonist, I admit, I kind of got swept away with the scene and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Then there's everything that comes after that final climax, and after all of the main story bits are taken care of, well the story ends in a place I've never seen a story end before. It's not quite a cliffhanger, but it's not a plateaued ending either.

Audio Book Notes: Obligatory preface: As I've said in past Audio Book Reviews, I'm still getting used to reviewing audio books and I probably won't be able to fully articulate my feelings for this audio book, please bear with me. So, I really enjoyed the performance here, I mean, the narrator does distinct accents for each of the fae males, and a few other characters as well, and she really puts her all into this performance. She doesn't just read the words she'll act them out and those inflections in her voice, really add a whole new layer to this story.

Rating:

So, even though I did give this book a hard time, I did really enjoy it, while I wasn't so happy with the fact that Lera isn't very special, I did like the fae males, River, Coal, Tye, and Shade who do have a good deal of backstory and characterization, I also LOVED the main plot aspects dealing with the Quint Bond and the Fae world, and I'm excited to see what comes next, and even though I wasn't invested in the romance elements that much I am not so secretly hoping that as the series progresses it gets better, since I have read great romance from this author in the past.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Semi Clean read

Lera was orphaned young and sold as a slave to a ruthless master. She live's on little food, avoiding her master's advances and taking care of horse. One day 4 fae warriors appear at the barn where Lera is working.

The 4 Immortals have been waiting for the God's to give them their 5th. Their original 5th had died a decade ago. To their chagrin what they get is a Mortal female.

They take Lera to the Fae realm to sever the bond. But along the way they realize even though Lera is mortal and weak, she just may be what they all need.

All though this is a Reverse Harem book their was not near as much sex involved in the book as in most other Reverse Harem's I have read. There was no strong language. I really enjoyed this book. Alex Lidell does a great job with this story. It is full of action, adventure, feelings, and even some fun.

Victoria Mei does an excellent job with all the voices in the book. She kept my attention and did not bore me. I loved her accent in some of the voices, she sounded like a true speaker of the accent as well.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Gotta Get This One!

I absolutely loved this story. The narration was superb. This author gives you great detail with her character builds and the plot thickens with new twists at every turn. You have 1 mortal female who has been chosen to replace a fallen member of an elite group of highly skilled Fae warriors who have been charged with protecting the Fae and human population from Moors. Throughout the journey more information is revealed about them and their fallen member. There's treachery and manipulation unravelling in the plot. I have really come to enjoy fantasy romance novels and this one does not disappoint. A job well done! This is my first book by this author but definitely will not be my last! I can't wait for more books to be released in this series. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Narration made me fall in love the variation . . .

This was the first book outside of YA that I have had the pleasure of getting lost in from Alex Lidell. I found that I was being pulled in by each new layer of the lore and the pull of the magic that guides the quints. Lera was strong and determined and also sweet, innocent, and outside of her world. She was smart and willing to learn. She gave a feel that she would be easily swayed. She stood her ground and made things happen.

River had a veil of stern mystery around him. Then that became apparent when he would discuss some things. Tye I love upon meeting him in the barn. Coal was stern, harsh, coal, strong, determined, and so much more. Shade had me with those golden eyes and the softness only he could provide.

This was a semi-cliff hanger but not in the true sense of cliffhangers. This part of the tale was over and there was more to the future of the quint.

Narrator Victoria Mei did a fabulous job. She gave depth, emotion, confusion, distinction. Each character was rich and full. They each had strength in their voice, diction was clear, accents rich and even with speed changes this all held true. I loved the narration of this story and I do hope that she will be the one providing voice for the next installment. Victoria gave you the clear concise depth of character the some others miss when there is a full cast of character that are interacting so closely as they do here.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Interesting and entertaining.

This is a well crafted story with many interesting characters.It is a Romance without a great
deal of unnecessary sex scenes.

A great performance by the Narrator captures the many characters in this Audio Book.




This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Excellent book....

Really good slow burn of a book. There’s drama pretty much from the start of the book. Can’t wait to listen to the second in the series.

I was given a free review copy of this audiobook and wrote this review voluntarily.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazing Story!

This was my first Alex Lidell's book and I love her writing. This RH fantasy novel is very interesting and entertaining. The storyline is fast-paced and captivating from the first page to the end. I love all the main characters: Leralynn (Lera), River, Shade, Coal and Tye. Their chemistry is strong and I appreciated their slow burn story. I can't wait for the next book in the Series. I absolutely love Victoria Mei's narration. She does an amazing job with all the characters. Her narration is great and easy to listen. In fact, I wonder how one person can personify perfectly so much characters. I absolutely love this team author/narrator and I'm looking forward for more books written by Alex Lidell and narrated by Victoria Mei. I received this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review. I have read/listened this story

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Fantastic book, need more soon

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a surprisingly good book. I have found that I can enjoy paranormal/fantasy romance stories as long as they don't just focus on the sexual relations aspects of the story. This book did a great job of balancing that, in my opinion. The narration was well done and the story was well thought out. The author does a good job of world/character building. All in all, a great start to a new series. One I will definitely look for more in.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Hit and Miss. (more due to my personal taste)

Naturally for a reverse harem this book was steamy, but it had more going for it than that. The characters are well developed and the narration for each is clear and definable.

I really did enjoy the story but while I felt the characters were well rounded and well developed I did feel that the story required something (I cannot put my finger in what was missing for me, I think it just needed tweaking)

I do think that this is still worth a listen, it just didn’t quiet fully work for me.

Initially I admit, I was not a fan of the narration however I feel this is more down to personal taste, it did grow on me a bit, but I did not love it. I cannot fault the narration, there was nothing wrong with it. I just didn’t like some of the characters voices (though as I said, they were clear and definable.) I do wonder if I would enjoy the story more with different narration as I always feel that for an audiobook to completely be enjoyable the listener has to appreciate both the voice acting and the writing.



I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Alex Lidell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Great book to listen too

This audio is still captivating even though you are listening to someone else telling the story. The book is outstanding and awesome characters, I would recommend this audio

Cute, has some tease to it, lacks world building

This is a fun, light romantic fantasy. Leralynn is at the center of everything but the guys each bring something to the table too. Tye is a constant flirt but could also be a best friend. Coal is that assassin we all wished we had on our side. Shade has more personality in his wolf shape but I can see him developing with the series. River strikes me as a good leader of the team sometimes, but sometimes he reads more like a dominant alpha.

The characters were the strongest part of this book even with their flaws. The men were all perfectly formed, which can be both breath taking (initially) and a little boring (with time). We have a damaged hero in waiting, another could be an alpha ass if things swing too far that way, another a silly goof, and the last takes us into Furry territory. Lera was OK. I wanted a bit more from her. I can see how she can develop into a solid character later in the series, but right now she can be any woman and therefore, is a kind of Mary Sue for any reader who wants to be the center of attention for these 4 guys.

The world building and magic system both lacked in details. There is a little chipping into the magic system as the story unfolds, especially once we meet the second female character in the story (Autumn’s trying to figure out the details of what binds quints). Then there’s Clarissa who adds a bit of danger to the situation. The world is painted with a broad brush, so if you’re worried you’d get lost in lots of made up Fantasy names and don’t want to consult a map, then you’d probably like this aspect. Me, I like unique place names and maps. The magic still leaves me feeling like it’s a plot device and not a fully integrated part of the story.

I wanted a quest. Yep. I know. Quests are for grim dark shady characters or teenage D&D players. Yet, I really wanted one here. I think it’s because the world building and magic system were so weak. The initial idea of getting somewhere vague to have this quint bond release Lera lacked urgency and definitely had a back seat to the lusts floating around our merry little band. Basically, I needed something just as strong as the budding romance (insta-lust) to balance things out.

I really liked Lidell’s Air and Ash but this is a different creature. It’s cute. 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Victoria Mei did a pretty good job. She had distinct character voices for everyone and her male voices were usually believable. Her pacing was good too. She did sometimes put this odd significance to a word here or there that didn’t make sense. I felt like each character in turn was giving out attitude in a valley girl kind of way at some random moment. I did love her accent for Tye. There were no technical issues with this recording. 4.5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Alex Lidell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A Great Start to an Exciting and Magical Series!

The first in a new series about magical group of fae warriors who are appalled to discover there fifth member they have waited for, is in fact female and a human.
We start the story with Lera who was orphaned as a child and sold into a life mucking out stalls and avoiding her master’s attentions which are mostly violent. When suddenly four Fae Warriors River, Coal, Tye, and Shade rescue her from her latest beating. Her whole world start changing for the better, as Lera begins to understand the world she finds herself in. 
As the magic has chosen a human to join their magical quint. So Prince River decides it must to be a mistake. We follow them on their journey to the Council. What no one realises how the magic effects all the members, and how alive and complete they all feel.
This is a wonderful start to an entertaining and magical Series. This is told mostly from Lera’s Pov, but at times we listen in on the all five of the quint. We start to get to know the boys through thoughts and action. I can’t wait to listen to book two and find out whats going to happen.
The Narrator pulls you into story, and I listened to it in one go, as I was so immersed in the story.

Stories of Fae

This story makes me wonder if all Fae stories should be written this way... the words, the story, the world had quite an affect on me... such that I had troubles after certain chapters...

The characters, and their struggles come across very real and want me to join them in their triumphs and losses

Fantastic

I borrowed this title on my kindle unlimited subscription

Wow what an exciting read, it captured me from the first page and kept me glued to the page throughout!

With great characters that I fell in love with straight away and a fantastic storyline I was pulled into the story completely and I am eagerly awaiting book two

I decided I needed this on audio too and I was not disappointed. The narrator had a nice tone of voice, was clear and I enjoyed the cadence of her voice, the quality of the recording was clear and I highly recommend this book

loved it!

I really loved this audio, love the story everything about it!!! cant wait for the next one