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Emily Guido

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Charmeine: Light-Bearer Series: Volume 1 Paperback – 25 Oct. 2012

by Emily Guido (Author)

4.2 27 ratings

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Can a romance develop between a Hellish Vampire Blood-Hunter and a Heavenly Light-Bearer? Living a life of darkness and forever damned, Tabbruis has wandered the Earth alone aimlessly, living through many historical events in constant search for the place he belongs. Suddenly, he feels a pull to the US and plagued with visions of a beautiful woman. Her smile and light leaves him wanting more. What Tabbruis finds is so much more than just a pretty face; he finds his reason for his very existence. Charmeine just came to Earth, waking up alone and unable to remember anything. She has no idea who or what she is, let alone the danger which is about to find her. The Blood-Hunters want to destroy the one light which could end all darkness as we know it. When Tabbruis meets Charmeine the magic is immediate. They are polar opposites and clash together in a dramatic way, their powers and attraction growing exponentially the more this star-crossed couple are thrown together to fight. Separated for hundreds of years, with no memory of whom or what they are, their mission looks pretty grim. Their love is strictly forbidden. Like most good things, love comes with a price. They begin the journey to redemption for the Blood-Hunters and Light-Bearers and realize they are not alone. Will Charmeine and Tabbruis fulfill their destinies? Will they realize their importance in both the Blood-Hunter and Light-Bearer world?

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ PDMI Direct (25 Oct. 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 164 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0615694195
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0615694191
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 1.04 x 21.59 cm

Customer reviews:
4.2 27 ratings

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Emily Guido

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Emily wanted to tell the story of two star-crossed lovers who had to battle Heaven and Hell to be together. THE LIGHT-BEARER SERIES was inspired, it is similar to you or I watching a movie. Emily pictures the characters in her head going through vivid descriptions of each scene. There are so many nuances going through her mind that she cannot type fast enough. CHARMEINE is the first novel in THE LIGHT-BEARER SERIES. Followed by novels MACTUS, ACCENDO, and SEDITIOUS. The Fifth Novel in THE LIGHT-BEARER SERIES is a block-buster... RANSOM, which will be released soon. She is currently writing the Sixth Novel, CONUNDRUM. Emily is an Author at PDMI Publishing. She has a Master of Business Administration and works as an Accountant. Between her job, writing, and taking care of family, she runs on coffee and determination!

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Anonymous
A better love story than Twilight
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2013
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I read Charmeine - the first book in the Light-Bearer series, and going into it I had no idea what to expect. The blurb on the book says "Can romance develop between a Heavenly Light-Bearer and a Hellish vampire Blood-Hunter?"

I went into the book expecting something akin to Twilight, and I am pleased to say that it turned out better than I expected. There were a couple of places where I thought "But that's not possible" until later on I realised that the male protagonist, Tabbruis isn't an actual Vampire. They are similar in that they have to drink blood to survive, but they are in fact, Demons.

The book starts with the two leads, Tabbruis and Charmeine being together and professing their love for each other, and explaining where they stand in the way of things and placing a couple of key phrases that appear later.

It does become confusing for a chapter as it explains what Tabbruis is doing. It is not explained that this is years earlier at this point. When you realise it is, then everything starts to make sense. The first chapter is where they are now; the rest of the book is Tabbruis and Charmeine finding each other.

They both start with having no memory of who they are or where they came from. Most of the book is from the side of Tabbruis, and him learning why Blood-Hunters dislike Light-Bearers. Charmeine only knows that her name is Char, so she thought her name was Charleen. Going through the book, it picks up pace as well as Tabbruis having flashbacks over his long life, learning more about himself.

The author is quite happy to throw in male gay lovers which, although not gay myself, I do find refreshing as she does not shy away from it, or just have lesbian lovers.

Where the book ends, it is set for the second book to take off immediately and I look forward to reading that. If you enjoy young adult fiction, then you will enjoy this. It is an easy read and the plot - after the first two chapters - is easy to read and follow.

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Claire Nash
Will the light overcome the darkness
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2013
Emily Guido
Charmeine
Light-Bearer Series #1

This book was a great start to the series, and I'm sure there is so much to come from it. As with all first books, it sets the scene nicely to the trials and tribulations that Charmeine & Tabbruis will have to overcome in order to be together. Their destinies are intertwined, and this is shown throughout the book, but at times I felt the characters accepted everything a little too easily esp. Shane. It was an enjoyable read, well written and nicely paced, it is definitely one to keep an eye on.

I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Liv
Unique for it's Genre
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2012
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An intriguing, unique concept laid before you, a book with a general consensus to be really good, but for me, I just couldn't connect as much as other people seem to have done. I adored the foundations of the plot and thought that Charmeine and the Light-Bearers series could really go far, but I felt that the little details of the novel weren't quite there for me. I'm a little picky honestly and this book wasn't perfect in the way it was written. I found the writing to be rather disjointed for myself and whilst periods of it really drew me in and engaged my attention, other scenes through me out and certain character traits.

I have to be honest, I didn't like Charmeine at all. This was probably my biggest problem. I felt like she was bordering on becoming a Mary Sue and her descriptions didn't really filter through to me. The idea I had of her in my head didn't really fit and I guess this didn't connect with me. She also had some god awful sayings.

"Geez Louise, talk about me being exasperating... Good night!"

Then there was Tabbruis, he was okay, but I didn't really get the whole hot guy feeling from him. He felt rather moody and dower. Sad to say, but he almost reminded me of Edward from Twilight. I liked his back story when he talked about his early years and I found it really interesting and to be truthful, it was my favourite part of the story! I really enjoyed it. If we'd have had more of the story focused on his history, I think I would have been able to allow me to enjoy it more.

The problem came with Tabbruis, when everybody saw him as the most attractive man on Earth. It's just not the idea I want from my male lead.

"The young attractive female desk clerk raked her eyes over Tabbruis' extremely attractive male frame."

I felt like the writing was fairly weak and some of the grammar points weren't quite as strong as they could be and whilst this doesn't bother some people, I find myself to be a real stickler for it. And the sentence structure was either really simple with "Tabbruis did this" or "Tabbruis did that" or "Tabbruis hovered over here" or Guido tried to take on really complex ideas that didn't really work for her sentences because they became disjointed and required lots of attention to actually read them. Some of the sentences felt awkward too.

"Tabbruis looked at Shane in the eye. The message was received immediately! Shane got out and grabbed Charmeine and threw her in the front seat."

Not only that, but I felt that things hit extremes and really went overboard and bizarre. It wasn't my type of thing all this crazy connections and behaviour. It just didn't feel like it fitted with the story.

Nevertheless the plot was really original and brilliant with Light-Bearers and Blood-Hunters which were similar to vampires and I liked the forbidden love element. Guido didn't descend into raunchy sex scenes and developed an actual relationship for her characters which is refreshing for a book from this genre which is usually riddled with sex scenes, not that they are always a bad thing, I just think it made it stand out more. The forbidden love I hope Guido builds up in her later novels because I didn't feel like we got enough push and pull in this one to represent the forbidden love element.

The plot with the Light-Bearers and Blood-Hunters was twisted from falling from heaven and whether they were actually angels is something I'm unsure of at the moment. I'm hoping the origins of both Blood-Hunters and Light-Bearers will be explored in future novels, but I do feel like they were very different to your usual vampires and human damsels in distress. Charmeine had a lot more of her own power, I just don't like how the boys tended to push her around and prevent her from growing into her own strong female character. I wish she'd just been a little bit more intelligent and active on her own grounds.

"She knew he had healed her but she had no idea how."

I also felt like we had a religious undertone with the idea of God and angels that was stronger than some of the other angel novels I've read. Maybe that's something that follows with the idea of God, but the two sides did feel like they were radical sects of religion almost. And the lack of sex does indicate a religious thread.

In addition to this, I felt like their relationship had ever so slight threads of insta-love. However, Guido did build up a relationship between them and things weren't rushed. I barely remember them exchanging a kiss. Whilst their physical relationship was slow, I didn't feel like we gained enough connection between them intellectually and through talking so hopefully Guido will build on this in the future novels.

Overall, I did enjoy reading the novel, but reading it simultaneously with another paranormal-romance probably wasn't the best idea because I did begin to compare them. Despite my qualms about the first book, I will be picking up the second novel to read and I wouldn't discard this series so quickly because it does have some good ideas.

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dawnv
fab
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 September 2012
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this book is brilliant.its aromance between tab and charmeine that builds slowly throughout the whole book,him trying not to get involved and failing lol i loved the character of tab...trying to protect her but falling for her too and charmeine unable to resist him...well who could!!! towards the end i thought how is this going to end..is it going to be rushed into one page....then i realised there is a book 2 MACTUS set for release in september cant wait for that please hurry!!!!

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Shirazee
Can't wait to read on!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2013
I won a copy of this book and really enjoyed reading it. The book started off telling the stories of individual characters who came together later in the book. Great plot line & characters, romantic without the now sometimes all too prevalent steamy love scenes. Really looking forward to finding out what happens next, can they outwit the blood hunter?!

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David Lee Summers
A sweet romance that delivers more than I expected.
Reviewed in the United States on 4 November 2014
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Charmeine opens in heaven, where we learn about two angels who are deeply in love. One is Tabbruis, Angel of Self-Determination. The other is Charmeine, Angel of Harmony. In chapter two, something has happened. Tabbruis and Charmeine have been separated by time and space. Tabbruis wakes up in the land of Canaan and befriends a shepherd boy named Joseph, wearing a colorful coat. When marauders break into the camp, Tabbruis tries to stop them. In the process, he discovers that he’s a fanged creature with a craving for blood. The centuries pass and Tabbruis doesn’t age. Eventually he meets another immortal named Dmitri, who tells him he’s a Blood-Hunter and the mortal enemy of the Blood-Hunters are the Light-Bearers, who can shoot lightning from their hands. After witnessing the ritual execution of a Light-Bearer, Tabbruis finds he has little taste for his own kind or the indiscriminate killing of the Light-Bearers. He becomes a loner.

The story progresses rapidly to the modern day, where Tabbruis feels drawn to New York City. On Long Island, a substitute teacher named Charleen is getting ready to attend a Billy Joel concert. Circumstances bring Tabbruis and Charleen together at the concert. There, Charleen is attacked by a Blood-Hunter who plans to take her to Athens for execution. It turns out Charleen is a Light-Bearer, who didn’t know about her powers until the attack. Tabbruis stops the attack and finds himself strangely attracted to Charleen. He takes her in to keep her safe from the Blood-Hunters, but he soon learns they have an even stronger connection.

On its surface, Charmeine is a sweet romance story and I felt Emily did a fine job with those aspects of the tale. If you like sweet romance, this will certainly fit the bill. Much as I’m happy to read the occasional well done romance novel, what really captured my attention here were the action elements, plus the sprinkling of Biblical history and angel lore. Those elements helped to take this well beyond the usual contemporary romance and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. Although Emily never calls the “Blood-Hunters” vampires, that’s clearly what they are and many of them are deliciously chilling, while others such as Tabbruis and Dmitri have clearly eschewed the more violent aspects of Blood-Hunter life. The Light-Bearers add an interesting element to this vampire lore. Unlike other vampire hunter stories, we don’t really have a lone, mortal crusader, but a whole race well equipped to keep the vampires at bay. It’ll be interesting to see where Emily goes with the series.

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laurathomas61
Sizzling Beginning!
Reviewed in the United States on 12 February 2013
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One thing I can tell you is Emily writes from the heart. I felt everything she intended for me to feel. Her love for her characters blooms from the pages.

Charmeine is innocent, sweet, and generous. Don't let that fool ya though. She has a stubborn streak and plenty of courage and grit.

Her history is sad. She was found wandering the streets with no memory of who she was. She was sent to an orpanage and eventually earned a degree and became a teacher. She's lived a quiet life until now.

Now someone wants to kill her, and a mysterious stranger, one who she immediately feels connected to, is offering his protection.

Tabbruis is the epitome of alpha male. Drop dead gorgeous and determined. He has a past similar to Charmeine's in that he had no memory before he woke up lying on a rock. He has regained his memory and knows he is a Blood Hunter, requiring the drinking of blood to survive.

He spent a long time living on the dark side, but has since come to the light. The night he rescued Charmeine, he sensed another Blood Hunter getting ready to kill, but before he arrived at the scene he saw a flash of light. When he got there, the Blood Hunter was stunned and a woman lay on the ground. When her gaze tilted up to his, he was shocked. It was the face from his dreams, the one that's been haunting him.

together they escape the hunter and Tabbruis persuades her to stay under his protection. He will have to tell her what she is if she's to survive what's coming. She is a light-bearer!

"They are opposite of our species. Their mission is to eradicate us as our mission is to eradicate them." The Elders believe the Earth is ours and not to be shared.

"Light cannot have dark and dark cannot have light Tabbruis."

Tabbruis is torn. He's supposed to kill a light-bearer on site, but she's the woman from his dreams, the one that's stirred emotions and longings in him he's never before experienced. Now that he's found her, he can't let her go.

Tabbruis closed his eyes and quietly screamed a curse, "Oh God! Why? Why did I meet this woman and never have a possibility of being with her?"

It seems like their love for each other happens in a heartbeat, but not really. Tabbruis was in love with Charmeine long before he met her and a shared dream reveals to her they've been connected in the past.

This is a sweet romance. They are both giddy in love, acting almost like teen-agers and puppy love. It's the first time either has felt these feelings and their attraction is sizzling.

When you read this book, when you read this series, let yourself go. Escape into their world and believe.

If you were fated (created) to be together, wouldn't it stand to reason you're love and passion for each other would be immediate? Your souls would be mated. You would be the only one for each other, like magnets. Together they are as one essential being.

Charmeine is a wonderful beginning to the story of Charmeine and Tabbruis. You really need to read Mactus and Accendo to get all that Emily offers. The three books were intended to be one big book. The next two really ramp up the action and there are some characters, good and bad, that I can't wait for you to meet!

Quotes I Loved

"You quiet me and stir my passion all at the same time. ~ Tabbruis

"What do you feel Tabbruis?" Tabbruis swallowed very hard and said, brushing his fingers over her hair, "Happiness, Charmeine."

Four Stars for Charmeine. I'm a sucker for forever love!

I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. My opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Joleene Naylor
Looking forward to book 2
Reviewed in the United States on 19 March 2014
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I've had this book for awhile and finally decided that was it, I was reading it - and I'm glad I did.

Tabbruis and Charmeine begin the book as angels, but something is going on in heaven. Something big. They part, both worried, and when Tabbrius wakes on earth he has no memory of who he is except a name. He quickly discovers that he's become a Blood Hunter - similar to a vampire, but without the sunlight problem. As he fits into this new world, he learns about Light Bearers - Blood Hunter's opposites and sworn enemies.

Lonely years pass, until the day Tabbrius sees the vision of a beautiful woman's face. Who is she? Why does he feel a nagging pull to go to New York? Will she be there? Little does he know the woman he's seeking - and will fall in love with - is a Light Bearer.

Charleen was found as a teenager, roaming the streets with no memory. Now an adult, she still has no idea who she is, until Tabbrius arrives and unlocks the secret. But, Blood Hunters are sworn to destroy Light Bearers. Can they overcome this? And what about the Blood Hunters who are hunting her?

This is a very romantic love story, and a quick read. I was often surprised to look down and see the %. There's some action scenes, but even though there are vampire like creatures, there's not a lot of gore, so the squeamish should be safe.

I'm looking forward to seeing where their journey takes them next.

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Cherese A. Vines
Distracting Writing Style
Reviewed in the United States on 8 February 2013
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Charmaine, Book One of the Light-Bearer series by Emily Guido stars Tabbruis as a lonely Blood-Hunter who has sworn off human blood, and Charleen (aka Charmaine) as a lonely Light-Bearer who doesn't know she's a Light-Bearer. This book is an introduction to the Light-Bearers series so it covers Tabbruis and Charleen's meeting and the rise of the main threat against them.

As a reader, the synopsis drew me in and the cover art is awesome. I couldn't wait to read this. Once I got inside, the story moves along well with Tabbruis. However, there are places that read way too quickly. I felt like I was reading an extended synopsis. One that particularly bothered me was Tabbruis' background. That could've been a book all its own. It felt rushed. But once we introduce Charleen, the story gets bogged down. Toward the end as Tabbruis and Charleen are getting to know each other, the pace is incredibly slow. Every action is being described almost in real time. A lot of it could have been cut out. This is a problem I find with the first book of a series. There is so much introduction that the author wants to do that they don't realize they're boring the reader.

Characters. There is nothing that really endears me to Tabbruis or Charleen. I think it's because I'm being "told" how I should feel about them rather than presenting me with the character and letting me decide.

This is a paranormal romance and it involves a lot of emotion. A lot of emotion.
I felt like I was reading a spoof of a romance novel. It took all the elements and exaggerated them to the point of being comical. If that was the author's intention, they succeeded. If not, I'd invest in a good amount of revision and editing.

Final thoughts: I wouldn't read it again. But it can be enjoyed. It's a good premise. I just couldn't get past the author's writing style.

Rating 2.7/5

To read more about why I wouldn't read it again, finish the review at: [...]

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KimPitbull123
A Bright Angel
Reviewed in the United States on 10 April 2014
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You can tell this author is romantic at heart, you can see it in her writing. Tabbruis is a 8,000 year old Blood Hunter, at first he fed on humans, then something in him changed and he stopped feeding on humans, started feeding on animals. He thought he was the only one of his kind, then he met Dimitri, he was the same as Tabbruis, didn't feed on humans. Their kind are suppose to feed on humans, most of their kind do. The Elder counsel would have them die in front of their kind if they found out they don't feed on humans. Dimitri explained to Tabbruis that there are other entities out there called Light Bearers. They are enemies, they kill each other, they hunt each other down. Tabbruis stayed with Dimitri for awhile and learned things from him, they became as close as brothers. Dimitri told Tab he lost his family because of the Elder counsel, he can't wait to get even with them. Tabbruis has never been in love, but he vows to help when the time comes. Something is pulling him to NYC, so he leaves and goes there, he can't help himself, he's being drawn there. He meets Charmeine there, is she the reason he was drawn there? He goes to a concert and feels there's a Blood Hunter stalking a human, Charmeine is the one the blood Hunter is stalking. I really can't say anymore, you'll have to read it for yourself. I'm reading the second book in this series now. Stay tuned! I love this story!

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