Blog Tour: Seal of Destiny by Traci Douglass

Mira Herald is having the worst life ever. Not only is she plagued by horrific nightmares starring the Devil himself, she’s now the target of a power-hungry, rogue minion, freshly sprung from Hell and bent on her destruction. To complicate matters further, she’s acquired a stalker. One who insists he’s a divine warrior sent for her protection because she houses an ancient relic with the power to unleash Armageddon. Last time Mira checked, she wasn’t insane. Still, all this celestial mayhem is enough to drive a girl crazy.

Kagan is a member of the Scion, an elite team of immortal warriors selected by Divinity to aid mankind and save the world. After a century alone, Kagan is summoned for a new mission. He’s eager to begin. Eager until he’s informed his mission consists of protecting a woman with no clue to the power she wields. Plus, his briefing fails to prepare him for his new target’s cosmic-sized attitude problem. As Divinity’s sworn servant, he’s required to fulfill his duty. His oath, however, does not require him to be enthusiastic about his new assignment or warm-and-fuzzy toward his new compatriot. He plans a wham-bam rescue and a quick return to solitude.

The minion attacks—with the backing of a mysterious organization—and all Hades erupts, putting a fast end to any whirlwind escapes. Accustomed to staunch independence, Mira’s survival now requires full cooperation and an unwavering belief in Kagan. The battle-hardened warrior is also forced to chose: between duty and desire. Amidst the turmoil, Kagan and Mira’s undeniable passion draws them closer to each other and down a path neither expected but both yearn for, more than they ever knew.

Will love save the day? The world’s fate depends on the answer

I have mixed emotions about Seal of Destiny; it was a good read although there were elements that I didn’t like. Those elements were not a deal breaker and I still enjoyed reading it.  

The premise of the story had me intrigued right from the very beginning. The author lures you in with enticing tidbits about Mira’s background, her insomnia and her nightmares.  I wasn’t sure how her nightmares were tied to her being a seal of destiny but I knew they were significant.  Initially, I didn’t care for Mira, I thought she was too hard, and I thought she fought her feelings for Kagan way too long. By the time she came around, I was happy that Kagan got his soul mate.  I liked Kagan, although I wasn’t quite sure why he was in semi-exiled status at the beginning of the story.  I absolutely enjoyed the secondary characters, especially Zoe and Xander.  I probably liked them more than the main characters.  I can’t wait to see if they get their own story.

 A majority of the violence happened in the night club where Mira worked as the bouncer; the club had me in the mind set of Coyote Ugly (the club in Las Vegas not the one in the movie). I found it a tab bit humorous in a sick way that the bartender/owner, a buxom dame, kept the club open and available for demonic forces even after a shoot out in one scene, then she was pistol whipped by a demon in another, and a massacre that lead to her eventual demise. I kept asking myself; why, if the club is a target wouldn’t the owner shut it down?  I guess that question was my departure into left field. In the end club is salvaged and I’m sure we will see more action there in later installments of the series.

Let’s talk about the minion or demon that has been charged with capturing Mira for the Nephilim organization. Again, my sick sense of humor reared its ugly little head, whenever the minion was the focus. I found myself gleefully entertained by him.  In order to carry out his charge and find Mira, he takes possession of the body of Mira’s former social services case worker an overweight pedophile and child pimp.  But, the possession happened quickly, so the demon and the man’s soul were sharing the body. Think “Edgar” from MiB, he likes sweets just like Edgar, suffers from skin slippage issues, and is looking for an amulet that is used in a ritual for astrological alignment or something to that effect. Wasn’t “Edgar” looking for the “universe” on Orion’s belt? (snicker, snicker). The other thing that had me so tickled, was the minion was walking around being driven crazy by the voice in his head (the soul of the man whose body he stole), his complaints and no matter what the Scion did to him he wouldn’t die…just like a cockroach.  I’m sure this wasn’t the author’s intent, but the comparisons had me tickled.

The ending was a tab bit anticlimactic.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The Scion strut into the midst of the Nephilim right before they sacrifice Mira and use Zoe to amplify Mira’s seal ala Fifth Element style, Kagan gets the beat down then, but Xander is able to  defeat the main Nephilim while Lucifer watches on with glee. After everyone is safe, Mira and Kagan declare their undying everlasting love for each other and get married by the Goddess.  Don’t get me wrong the ending wasn’t rushed nor was it bad, it was just anticlimactic. But, don’t most romance novels have anticlimactic endings? I don’t know about you, but part of my addiction with romances is trying to find the perfect HEA.

I am looking forward to reading the next installments of the series, if for nothing else than to see if Xander and Zoe will have their own story, because there is one there. The book is very well written and well paced. All in all a very good start to what promises to be a good series, one that I am looking forward to reading. Until next time...