Illuminate (The Magic Users of Greenford Book 1)

Lisa Oliver's created an interesting world where magic holds sway. But not everyone is a magic user, just those few, the bloodlines, and everything is strictly regulated according to council rules. Of course there's a catch and it's the anchors, like Stefan, that fall in the cracks. Until he finds a permanent magic user that won't treat him like a second class citizen, he's barely scraping by.Lucy/Lucifer's name threw me a bit. Who names their son Lucifer? Even if he has that arrogant entitled rude attitude that takes time to adjust to. He works for the council as a steward, whatever that is. He's basically a council enforcer that handles the problem magic users, hunts them down, and takes them out.While the creativity of this story was off the charts, some answers weren't clear. As the story rushed around, from one situation to the next, I find my mind floating. What's up with Gavin and Monty, the two most negative nay-sayers in the history of bad brotherly 'advice?' Out of anyone to trust, it's the brother, the person closest to you, and he does this turn. I was not impressed. All that on top of Lucifer's attitude that ran roughshod over Stefan. Maybe Monty was getting in some revenge. But honestly. Who grabbed and held Stefan . . . In Lucifer's house.. . And killed Gaston's bird? Is there another agenda going on?I realize this is the start to a series and answers will come. But I still had questions. Why try to kill Lucifer one minute and the next try to recruit him? Were magic users strengthened by killing anchors or was that demon inspired? So this conspiracy's been going on for longer than three years, yet it's finally gained momentum. I have to say, the hierarchy of magic users aren't prepared for a rebellion. They have no idea what's coming.So to keep my mind fresh for the next book: There's still a demon out there, don't trust the card carrying hypocrite, and watch for the Seer turning back up. He didn't get killed, right? - Dan's Wife

I took a chance on this book because someone wrote it was ..sort of a cliff hanger. It is ,however the crisis in the story did have a fair and decent resolution. The final chapter sets up the next adventure. It was good to see Lucifer have a change in attitude and I expect we will see more of that. Stefan is a small man with great power and a strong sense of self. It will be interesting to see how these two grow together. Once again cannot wait until the next one. Great job Lisa .Your books are some of the few I will buy even if I don't have a gift card.

Wonderful book by Lisa Oliver. There are very few authors for whom I will auto-buy. Lisa Oliver is one of those few. I have never been disappointed by any aspect of her writing. Her books are always well edited with engaging characters and wonderful storytelling. In Illuminate, we meet Lucifer and Stefan. Lucifer is arrogant but with a strong sense of justice. He learns to show his caring and that he can fight for justice in more ways than crime fighting. He has his eyes opened to the injustices inherent in their legal system when he meets his fated mate Stefan and learns of all he's faced because he was tested to be an anchor. When people he cared for and trusted showed blatant disregard and discrimination against Stefan, Lucifer took a very public stand against the discriminatory laws and behaviors against anchors. Stefan is a young man who has faced tremendous hardship in his life. His rights to choose his path for himself was stripped from him as soon as he was tested and found to be an anchor. He has faced homelessness several times and when he was attacked and raped by a more powerful magic user in an attempt to strip him of his magic, because he survived the attack and was just an anchor the crime against him was ignored. Stefan has managed to overcome all of these injustices and remains a compassionate and empathetic individual. He inspires Lucifer to be a better person and together, by the end of this book, they are working to make the world a safer, more just place for anchors. They've also inspired many other magic users to take a stand for the rights of the anchors on whom they all depend. I look forward to future books in this trilogy. I can't wait to see where their continued journey takes them.

Lucifer is not happy that he has to have an anchor that is not his brother after his brother's bonds with his mate. Stefan is an extremely high anchor and yet due to the rules that are enforced for anchors, has very little in his life. Even with that, after hearing Lucifer's comments, he refuses to work with him. When events occur that push them together, both soon realize that they are fated mates while looking for a dangerous criminal. They must learn to communicate, mainly Lucifer, to strengthen their bond with what is coming their way.This is an amazing world that has been created with magic and so much more.

I had so much fun reading this story, stayed up way to late to finish it. I just couldn't put it down. Keywords: fun, action ,hunting criminals, trips to Cairo, twists and turns, bit of suspense and magic everywhere. I loved the character development. It was great to see how much depth they gained throughout the story and how some extremely arrogant characters ended up to be likeable as well. I think this is intended to be a trilogy, but I wouldn't mind a many more stories in this world. Just so you know, there is no connection to any of the other series.

A new series from an extremely talented author that I can’t wait to read the rest in this series. Lucifer is a high level magic steward who fights those who terrorise others. He’s grumpy, arrogant and has slept his way through numerous men. All magic welders need an anchor, but when his brother who was his anchor finds and connects with his mate it leaver Luc in desperate need of another anchor at a crucial time dealing with a demon possessed steward. He has an interview with Stephan who is in desperate need of the job having no home or any money to feed himself. Luc reluctantly accepts him and it turns out it’s the best thing he’s ever done

And once again Lisa introduces us to more fascinating characters and a new world with so many possibilities. I loved the character of Stefan from the start although I admit I found Lucifer to be an arrogant male, too full of himself. Of course as with all her stories my mind changed over the course of the book. Lisa has a way of filling in the back story so your mind has to keep up and it's a great journey to take. I'm really looking forward to the other two books in this trilogy. If you like magic stories with interesting characters then I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. The restaurant scene later in the book is worth the price on it's own!

Lucifer is a grumpy know-all magician who is finally outfield by his long suffering brother , Darwin. All magic users require an anchor to balance out the overwhelming power of the magic users. No anchor, no powerfully wielded magical firepower.Along comes Stefan,sourced by Darwin who finally is determined to be with his mate, Monty. Lucifer prefers action over discussion and he is made to realise the importance of having an equally powerful anchor in his fight against monsters & demons, as his role in the Council dictates. Stefan has a past littered with abuse and fraught with danger. He is used to being judged on his youthful good looks and Lucifer lives down to his expectations.Stefan and Lucifer become intertwined with each other during the action packed scenes chasing after Technic, a former member of Lucifer's team.I loved how Stefan saved Lucifer time and time again.Finally Lucifer & Stefan close the case and fulfill their mating in the most satisfying manner. Stefan realised that he is worthy of Lucifer and Lucifer learns to treasure his mate.Deeply satisfying and thoroughly enjoyed. Can't wait for the next installment.

I honestly don't know what to write as my review. The storyline has all the hallmarks of a good book but for me it falls short of truly capturing my mind.Its a good plotline, but I couldn't connect with the characters, they seemed a bit flat and predictable. Also, I felt it was quite naively written despite the MM action, despite the descriptive sex scenes and despite the cursing it just felt more like a YA book.I imagine that if you have read previous books by the author then you are aware of her writing style, for me, it doesn't work.That said, the plotline is good there are no grammatical errors and the editing is fine even if some of the dialogue felt stilted.There are plenty of sex scenes, each of them appropriate and consensual.My one main complaint is that the author's warning on potential triggers only appears once you have purchased the book and that felt like cheating to me, I would want to know the type of trigger before I bought the book.For those who would need the information, it is male on male rape and also male on female rape.

From the day I downloaded my first story about the gorgeous men of the Cloverleah pack, this author has been an automatic buy for me. This book set in a world wildly different from that one, but is no less glorious. Lucifer is arrogantly secure in his position as the superstar of the magical world. Busy jetting round the globe fighting demons and saving the day, he is blind to the cruelties and prejudices faced by those with the ability to anchor magic users like himself and to stop their powers from spiraling out of control. Meeting his fated anchor and mate Stefan, causes the blinkers to fall. Lucifer's cosy little world crumbles as he is forced to face the fact that he and his kind are actively abusing and destroying the very people they desperately need to control their magic. There is a new battle to fight and Lucifer and Stefan will have to let go of their pasts and learn to trust in one another if they have any hope of winning.