Category: Adult

Adult · Magic · Paranormal · Romance · Urban Fantasy · Vampires · Werewolf

Sealed with A Curse by Cecy Robson

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14910823
  • Published by: Signet Eclispe
  • Release Date: December 31st, 2012
  • My Rating: 3.5/ 5 Stars

‘”Mind your own business, you goddamn raisin with legs!” Taran screamed from inside the house.’ -Cecy Robson

I’ve read PLENTY of Urban Fantasy, or more liked tried. A lot of them lack that special something that keeps you going. They start boring and keep going with the boring and you just got to trudge through it hoping it gets better, when it never does. I was glad to see that for the most part, that wasn’t the case with this. Did it have it’s boring moments, oh hell yeah, but was it entertaining, yes, yes it was. For only one reason though, the sisters.

The story starts off with the four sisters on trial for killing a vampire. Within these few first pages you get to see the different personality the sister’s have, and their personalities are the best part of the book. You have our main character, Celia. Celia is the leader type. She does her best to protect her sisters and to keep them in line. She is head strong, except when it comes to a certain character, which is my least favorite part of her, but we will touch on that later. Oh, and she turns into a tiger and any animal that touches her. Next, is my favorite sister, Taran. She is a foul mouth hell raiser, literally, she shoots fire. Then there is Shayna, whose whole personality is basically her saying dude. She’s the most chill one and turns random objects into weapons. Lastly is Emme. Emme is the sweet innocent one. She doesn’t really like violence and looks at the good in people. She can pick things up with her head and heal people. I don’t really know how those things go together, but they do. Now that we know the sister’s lets move on.

During the trial we learn two things. The sweet innocent vampires, who aren’t dangerous apparently, are starting to have trouble with a disease, and that the vampire who put the sisters on trial, Misha, wants to bang Celia. Dude literally puts her on trial, trying to have her and her sisters killed, but is just walking around like, ‘aye, I know I tried to kill you, but i still want to bang ya.’ Because that would work…. The only other important parts of this book is the shifters, and this is were my problem comes into play. Celia is supposed to be this leader type, take no shit, type of girl, but when Aric, a shifter she doesn’t really know, comes around, she turns into a teenage girl. She literally walks around half the time talking about how she doesn’t know why she is acting like that. Me either. I really don’t. She is fine around other men, fine as in she scares the living shit out of them, but she doesn’t turn into this person who is not her character. It’s annoying. Also the fact that she lets Aric push her around. He is the typical werewolf who wants to just boss her around and treat her like an ancient glass vase. She and her sisters prove over and over again that they are capable of protecting themselves and he still tells her she needs to stay home… I get it, you like her and want her safe, but she’s her own person and should have a choice. It’s annoying that she lets him do it. She literally just smiles and is like, ‘ok whatever you say’. Other than his over protectiveness, I didn’t mind Aric. He is no Curran or Adam from Kate Daniels or The Mercy Thompson series, but he’s ok. I’m hoping he gets more likable and isn’t just a bland werewolf stereotype though.

If you’re like me, you don’t like Insta-love. This book has four insta-love romances. Not one, but four. Each of the sisters meets a wolf in Aric’s pack and instantly they are all couples who would pretty much do anything for each other. It was literally like reading Romeo and Juliet. They instant they all see each other, they like each other, and would die for each other.

My last problem with this book was the action was boring. There was literally a part in the book were the action all stopped for a lot of chapters and the book just became a stereotypical romance novel. All talk of what was going on the vampires was done and I honestly thought for a while the last half of the book was just going to switch into a straight up romance. It didn’t help that when the action was present it wasn’t the most entertaining. It wasn’t the worst, but I kept getting bored during it.

I named a lot about the book I didn’t like, but there was parts I did like. I loved the four sisters. They made the novel. They were all funny and got along well. I loved all their different personalities and reading their life. Also the dialogue of this book is good. I genuinely laughed while reading it. If it weren’t for the fact that the werewolves acted like literally animals at time, this would of been a really good Urban Fantasy novel. (Aric literally brings Celia a box of live rabbits and plans on skinning them for her at her house to eat them… as if that was normal. He plans on murdering these living rabbits in front of her as if that’s sweet…it’s not. I get that he’s a wolf, but that was still weird. It was very obvious that it was for plot convenience because it literally made no sense.)

Over all, did I like this book. Yes, for the most part. It had it’s problems of course, but it was an enjoyable read. Do I play on checking out the rest? Yes, though after I reread The Wicked King and read Queen of Nothing. So it will be awhile, and I might not even read after reading those two books. It just depends. Lastly, would I recommend this book. That also depends. If you like books that are the up to standard of Mercy Thompson or Kate Daniels and you don’t want to read any urban fantasy books lower then that, then no. This is not the next book to join that rank. If you like those books though and don’t mind reading a book that isn’t as good as those, but is still enjoyable as a easy simple read, then yeah, this is a good book to read. I can be very picky with books at times and I finished this book and was going to read the next one till I realized that Queen of Nothing was about to come out and I needed to reread the last book before I got my hands on Queen of Nothing. So if you want an Urban Fantasy book with an ok story, then this is good. I’ll make sure to update you if it gets better.

P.S. I forgot about this until I looked at my notes, and I would like to note that this book came out in 2012 where this happened a lot so I can’t exactly fault it, but there is a scene where they down talk a prostitute. Emme, innocently says this women can’t be a sex worker because she lives in a nice area, and Taran calls refers to the women as a skank. I don’t like shitting on sex workers, or calling them disgusting or names that refer to that, but like I said, this book came out in 2012, where that did happen a lot. It’s something I just thought I would mention. It didn’t stop me from reading the book, but it was something I didn’t really care for. I also don’t know if Taran meant it as an insult. You could take it as the same way some girls’ who address each other as bitch in a more friendly matter. It really depends on how you want to take it.

Adult · Fantasy · Magic · Romance · Urban Fantasy

White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2)

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Ilona Andrews

  • Publisher: Avon
  • Year Released: 2017
  • Date Read: December 22, 2018
  • Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Magic, Adult
  • Rating: B+/ 4.8

“When you saw him, you knew no matter what happened, he would handle it. Little did they know that he solved most of his problems by throwing money at them or trying to kill them. Sometimes at the same time.”

-Ilona Andrews

Nevada hasn’t heard from Rogan since their fight with the fire prime, Adam Pierce. She has gone on living her normal life with her small jobs, until a man she met during her hunt for Adam comes to her asking for her help on a job. His wife was murdered along with a few other people and he knows it wasn’t an accident. One of the houses did it and they’re trying to hide it. This new job causes problems for Nevada, but Nevada is also about to have to face her own problems that she isn’t going to be able to hide anymore.

I enjoyed this one just as much as I did the first one. This book had the same action and the same humor to it. The reason I like Patricia Briggs work( the author of the Mercy Thompson series) and Ilona Andrews is that they can write urban fantasies that are also detective like novels without each book being an exact copy. I love Patricia Briggs books but I think that Ilona Andrews is actually better at making her book different within the same series while still having each book leave you with the same feel. Ilona Andrews is an author whose writing isn’t very complex, but she has a clear writing style, that even people who liked complex writing, would like. That’s not to say her writing is simple. I think her writing is actually very clever.

Pros

  • Like I said, her writing. I mentioned this with the first book, and I don’t know if she intentionally does it, but the way she writes Rogan’s fighting scenes is in a clever way. Rogan is a Prime, the highest rank of magic users, and he is probably the most feared of the primes. He was in the war for years and still thinks of everything with war logic. Death of bad people mean nothing to him. Murder mean nothing to him. When Rogan fights it’s not written in a drawn out incredibly detailed way, it’s straight to the point, like how he is. For example, this scene where someone betrayed him and he was angry, “He hit the door with the palm of his hand. His magic smashed into the wood. Every window in the house exploded outward.” There is no other description of what he did. There isn’t a description of how the magic felt around them, the way the glass would of shattered around them, the caving of the door. The book is told through Nevada’s point of view but when she describes Rogan’s magic it’s always simple like this, as if this incredible thing he did was no big deal, because it’s Rogan and to him it is no big deal. I love that it’s written this way. It makes Rogan seem more badass.
  • The development. Nevada and Rogan have changed from the first book and it’s not just their relationship. Nevada’s personality is changing. Her need to protect those around her is getting to her and making her into a harder person. She’s starting to use her power against people more when she used to not want to. She’s starting to be able to kill people without thinking about it. She is taking complete charge. Nevada is becoming a more dominant person who won’t let anyone take anything away from her. In the first book Nevada was scared of dying from Adam and actually started to cry when she thought she was about to die. In this one Nevada almost dies a few times and instead of thinking about the fear she does what she needs to do at that moment. Then there’s Rogan. He is losing his alien nature and becoming more human like. He’s doing things for Nevada that no one has ever seen him do. He’s doing what he can to make sure she’s safe and well protected, even if he can’t be there to do it. He even goes as far as threatening to kill someone he somewhat cares about. He starts to become genuinely happy.
  • What I liked about the Kate Daniels Series was how long it took Kate and Curran to become a couple. In the first book of that series they only kissed once and it was barely even a kiss. It is a slow burn kinda romance in a way, it just is full of tension to not make it feel like it’s so slow. This book series is slow but in a different way. In the start of Kate and Curran, neither of them thought anything really of each other. It was something that would never happen, so no one tried. Kate was someone who refused to listen and Curran was someone who needed control. In the Hidden Legacy series Nevada and Rogan have an instant attraction where they both want each other, but that’s just it, it’s only want. Neither of them care for each other past that, which is why Nevada refuses. You can tell they like each other but it’s nothing more than that. In this second book you can tell that those feelings are different. It has all changed and it’s no longer just want. They actually care for each other now. Their attraction wasn’t slow but their love wasn’t instant either. They had to build to get there.
  • This book was more action packed. The first book seemed more like an introduction into the series, while this one just went in. Nevada and Rogan were constantly getting wrapped into trouble like being in a car chase with people trying to shoot them, a party full of the town’s most dangerous people, creatures that aren’t easy to kill, and things that involve literally tanks. Also in this book we get to see more of Nevada’s family’s secrets. It’s been hinted by the mom that things in that family aren’t what they seem, and we get to see what she means. We get to see the secret she has been hiding from them all that can get them all killed or captured, and we get to see the families magic, especially Nevada’s younger sister’s magic. We also learn just how strong they all are. We also get more of Nevada’s boss in this book which I really enjoyed because we got to see a lot more of his personality and his interactions with Rogan.

Cons

  • This might just be a more personal con but I hate when books mention social media by name. I’m ok with the main ones like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, but not smaller ones like vine. When Nevada mentioned Vine I actually cringed, mainly because it dates the books. I don’t know if it’s just me but I hate when modern books date themselves with little trends like that. I get historical books and such, but in a modern book it dates it back to only a few years ago and it always feels weird to me. Like in the Morganville Vampires Series, one of the characters, Shane I believe, talks about how another character, Eve, nails are painted one color but the ring finger is painted a different color. That is a sentence or so that is so minuscule but has stuck with me, and I read this series years ago. I know this probably isn’t bad for a lot of people, but it’s something that personally bothers me. Other then that, once again I was very wrapped up in this book and didn’t have any cons. I loved this book and ate it up to fast to really pay to much attention to anything that could be considered bad. Usually I say something about the men’s attitude, like how it’s barbaric at times or commanding, but Rogan really isn’t it. He is a strong dominant person, but he isn’t controlling at all. He actually wants Nevada to go with him to do dangerous jobs(not like he WANTS her to, more like he doesn’t try to stop her.) so I can’t complain about him even if I wanted to.

Sadly I only have one more book of Nevada and Rogan. This book sets it up in its last chapter and from there you can tell it’s going to be good. Got to love those cliffhangers that get you wanting to read the next book at that very moment. This series is a must for Urban Fantasy lovers. It’s one of the best I’ve read, probably my second favorite. It might be beating Kate Daniels. I’ll figure that out with how the last book ends and once I eventually read the last two Kate Daniels books. Nevada and Rogan are two character I don’t see a lot of in other series. At first glance they might seem like a generic male and female lead but when you read more into the books you can see that they are not what you expected.  

*I did read the last book of this series, but sadly I was to busy to write a review for it, and too much time has passed to write a proper review of it, so I will just write my overall opinion here. I love this series and this was a great ending to a great series. I loved the third book as much as the other two. I’m waiting for the spin off, that comes out this year, of Nevada’s sister. I can’t wait for it!

Adult · Contemporary · Music · New Adult · Romance

Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin

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By Mariana Zapata

  • Publisher: Mariana Zapata
  • Year Released: 2015
  • Date Read: December 12th, 2018
  • Genre: Music, Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Adult
  • My Rating: B/ 4 Stars


“I wouldn’t trade you for a million dollars, Mase.”
His reply was to beam at me.
“But for ten million, I’d work out some kind of visitation schedule” 
― Mariana Zapata

Devastated, and feeling pathetic, Gaby is stuck back home with nothing going for her. Then she gets a call from her twin brother who is known for trouble. He needs someone to sell his merch while he is on tour and since Gaby has nothing to do, he wants her to go with him. Gaby agrees to travel with him and their two best friends, but then finds out it’s not just them she’ll be on tour with. They have another band traveling along with them. She’ll be stuck with eleven boys for three months and all the trouble they bring with them.

I liked Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin, but it wasn’t my favorite Mariana Zapata book, it’s probably my least favorite so far. It’s not bad, just compared to her other work it feels somewhat lacking.  For one, the romance in the book was trumped by Gaby’s relationship with her brother and their two best friends. Once again, this isn’t bad to me since I like seeing bonds that aren’t in a romantic setting, but people who came for the amazing romance wouldn’t probably be that happy that you’re getting sidetracked by people who get along better. Sacha and Gaby were nice to read together. They were together literally all the time and at first I thought it was going to be an insta love story, glad that Zapata hasn’t failed me with one of those yet.

Pros

  • Gaby, her brother Eli, Mason, and Gordo. The four of thems relationship was the best part of the book. It is what makes this book likable to the extent that I do. If they weren’t in this book I’m not sure I would of finished it. The four of them have known each other since they were children and it’s very clear. They all tease each other and get along well well. We see moments of Gaby laying on Mason comfortably even though he jokes about her about marrying her. We see the more quiet Gordo joking around with her like by putting a sign on her back, and then we see her with Eli who treats her as his best friend. Their relationship is very close and I loved it. They were twins who grew up together without leaving each others side for too long, and it really showed in the writing. It’s clear they need the other in each others lives. I also loved the fact that none of them cared that Gaby was a girl. They don’t treat her like a girl at all, expect when Mason jokes about marrying her or to defend her. They treat her literally as if she was one of them. I also like how Zapata didn’t just say the group of boys were trouble and make them not trouble at all. She backs it up by mentioning things like how they got detention in kindergarten, and also when they ask Gaby to play a game with them she instantly starts saying no because she knows what it will lead to. The four of them were my favorite part of the book. I knew their relationship was going to trump the romance once you saw Eli and Gaby together once again. Everyone around was looking at Eli like he was a star because he was in a rock band and all Gaby could see was her brother who she called Eliza and would find in her bed in the middle of the night randomly because they were also close with each other.
  • The book was funny, obviously because of the three boys. They act like idiots so there was a lot of moments that had me laughing.
  • Zapata always has a more serious topic in her novels, and this one is pretty much body dysmorphia. The character had a part of themselves they didn’t like and hid from others. In the book we start way after her surgery to change that part of herself that she wanted, which sets up new problems for her that she thought would be fixed with changing her body. Now she has to learn to accept that’s the new her and that the people around her or people she invites into her life, will have to aware of it too and be ok with it. We also get to see that it’s all still a sensitive subject for her, showing that just because you get the change you want, while you will most likely be happy in the long run, it won’t always be immediate. These are usually my favorite parts of Zapata novels. I like seeing that the characters aren’t bland and go through real problems that aren’t mentioned and then thrown away. These problems stay with them just as real problems in real life tend to do.

Cons:

  • I know I had cons for this while I was reading it, but for some reason my dumb ass didn’t mark them as I read them so I can’t fully remember them. The one I can remember is this is not the best Zapata romance novel. Out of all her romantic relationships I liked this one the least. They kinda seemed like teenagers half the time and while it’s still a slow burn romance, they bonded and got real friendly within a few chapters. Like stuck with glue kinda friendship. I guess I’m just used to Zapata’s enemy to lovers novels that when I read the one that isn’t, it’s more off putting to me. I don’t know if it’s just me, I just personally cared for the friendships in this and didn’t care as much for the romance. The romance wasn’t bad. It’s just that the couple kinda reminded me of the teenage couples I used to see in school who were literally always touching as if their bodies were magnets. I mean even when eating they were hugging each other(talking about real life, not the book.). It’s kinda too much, especially when it’s supposed to be a slow burn.

I’m saying I don’t like this book that much, but only because I have high expectations for Zapata novels because I’ve read her newer and better work. For a normal romance novel, this is still a four star book. I don’t really like straight up romance novels but I liked this book and continued it because it was still good, it just isn’t as good as Zapata’s other works. It probably also doesn’t help that I have been reading Zapata novels back to back to where I know the set up and structures of her books. But also at the same time, this is the book she wrote after Kulti, but right before the Wall of Winnipeg, which are two loved books made by her, so I can’t just say that it might because it’s one of her first books. It isn’t. Kulti was good and the Wall of Winnipeg was amazing, and this lacks compared to both of them.

If you enjoy books with good bonds, read this. You will love Gaby and the boys. If you want romance and don’t care that it’s clingy in a way, you will also probably like this. If you’ve read many Zapata novels right before deciding to read this, probably don’t do that. Wait a month or so and come back. Maybe it will be better that way.

“My brother had pulled one of our mom’s largest crucifixes off the wall and held it in the air at me while he hissed, “I banish thee!” 
― Mariana Zapata

Adult · Fantasy · Magic · Paranormal · Romance · Urban Fantasy

Burn for Me (#1 Hidden Legacy)

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Burn for Me
Ilona Andrews

  • Publisher: Avon Books
  • Year Published: 2014
  • Date I read It: December 16, 2018
  • Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Adult, Romance
  • Grade: A-/ 4.5/5 Stars

“You can’t just kill people because they annoy you.”

“You keep saying ‘can’t,'”

-Ilona Andrews

Nevada Baylor is a private investigator in a world where magic not only exist, almost everyone has it.  Nevada’s family usually only takes on small cases like catching a cheating spouse. They aren’t able to take on bigger, more dangerous cases, but when Nevada is told to catch one of the most dangerous people in their city or lose everything her family has worked for she has no choice but to risk her life to catch this man who doesn’t care about anyone else’s life. She has to not kill him, but bring him back, which is harder then killing him. How do you bring back someone who has no regard for human life. Her search for him sends her right into the eye of another dangerous man, one known for his murderous past. He is a dangerous man, but with his help she might be able to catch the other dangerous man.

Later this year I read, Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series and fell in love. Finding a good urban fantasy book is not an easy task. You have to wade through the mound of garbage to find that diamond hidden within. Most of urban fantasies are cliche garbage. Ilona Andrews writes diamonds. I only have one urban fantasy series that I love more then Kate Daniels. That would be Mercy Thompson, which is my all time favorite urban fantasy that I have read multiple times and I don’t think anything can beat. When I saw that Ilona Andrews had a another book series out that isn’t related to Kate’s world, at least I don’t think it is, I immediately wanted it. I really enjoy the worlds Ilona makes. Kate’s world was our world but without having electronics you could depend on. At any given moment you could have a power surge that would make cars and such useless. People usually traveled by foot or horses. In Nevada’s world, while magic has become apart of everyday life, it doesn’t effect the world like that, but it’s people. Everyone has magic pretty much and use it to do things they couldn’t normally do, sometimes making life worse. Magic is very depended on and sought after. Many people who have powerful magic are put into the army and used. Many of the characters is this world has military background. There’s also places in the book where magic has helped to destroy a town and now that town is basically a wasteland.

The magic concept in this book is not complicated. There isn’t a system that has to be used, or sacarfies that need to be made on a full moon. Magic is just a part of people. Even though the magic is basic in its structure, reading how characters used their magic was interesting to read. In this world there are ranks of how strong your magic is, the top rank being a Prime. Primes are capable of mass destruction. For example, regular magic users can do thinks like communicate with animals, summon poison flies. A prime can destroy a building without touching it, and that’s just them using magic at a basic level. If they were to go full power they could destroy a town. The two men who are introduced in Nevada’s life in this book are two primes. The villain who Nevada is trying to convince to go home and turn himself in is Adam. Adam is a prime who is pyrokinetic, meaning he can make fire. He burned down a bank with people in it and didn’t care. The other man is Conner Rogan, otherwise known as Mad Rogan, the Butcher of Merida, and Huracan(hurricane). Mad Rogan is known for murdering many people. He can slice out a chunk out of a building as if it was nothing, and to him it is. He is telekinetic, he can move things without touching them using his head. Adam and Mad Rogan are two people who are feared for their magic use and Nevada has caught both of their attention.

I know some people think that comparing books or characters are a bad thing, but I like to look at an authors previous work and seeing the differences in her worlds and characters. I liked to see if the characters are the same, or if the author knows how to write more than one kind of character. In Ilona Andrews’ case, she is able to write characters that are similar but so completely different.

Kate Daniels was a badass. She was a trained fighter that people knew. She radiated a badass aura at all times. There is no doubt that you don’t want to fuck with Kate. She doesn’t stand down, even if she knows she will die. She is stubborn and doesn’t care that your an alpha. She’ll look you in the eye and smile as you growl at her. Nevada is a badass, just in a different way. Nevada is not a fighter. Kate’s strength was her literal strength and magic abilities. Nevada is very smart and thinks out all the possibilities before engaging. Kate is the type who if a problem is prevented she would want to deal with it then and get it out of the way, while Nevada would rather take the day and think about which way to go about it. Nevada isn’t just a smart character though, she can be a fighter, just not in a physical way. There is times where Nevada gets angry and you see a glimpse of that Kate Daniels attitude that tells you to run. Nevada’s magic also isn’t useful in a fight, so she uses things like guns, tasers, and something that’s like a taser, and if she wants to shot you there’s a good chance she isn’t missing. My favorite moments of the book with Nevada was when she took charge. It was like Nevada became a new person. That second Nevada was angry and started commanding people you could feel this power from her. There’s also other differences between the two characters. Kate Daniels was a loner. She was raised being told that she was a danger to others and that no one could be with her, so she was always alone. Even by the end of the book, Kate has only a hand full of people she actually cares about. Nevada is a family person. She runs a business with her family that consist of her mother, grandmother, sisters, and cousins. She would do anything for them, including die. When one of them was messed with Nevada went into a rage mood. Nevada is a very family oriented person, while Kate is a loner. There is some things both of them have completely in common though. Both are very brave and selfless. Both have no problem dealing with alphas, murderers, people who radiate fear, and telling them no. They stand up for themselves and it doesn’t matter if you can rip them in half with your bare hands, or without even touching you.

Curran vs Mad Rogan. Curran is the definition of Alpha. His word is final, you don’t disobey him. He tries to control everything. Kate refers to him a lot as a control freak, and he is because he is an alpha who demands to be listened to, expect with Kate who he eventually sees as an equal. Curran is literally a beast at times. When you hear the stories of Mad Rogan, you would think he would be just like Curran, but he is almost nothing like Curran, which really surprised me. Mad Rogan’s personality was something I didn’t expect. Nevada refers to Mad Rogan as an alien in one part and I fully agree. It was like he was an alien trying to understand basic human emotion. He is a murder who was also a soldier for years that was used to pretty much destroy towns. He doesn’t feel the same ways or emotions  that normal people do, but he wants to understand it. There is a part where he kills someone with a building, freaking out Nevada. He seriously asks Nevada if she would rather he do it in another way. He doesn’t want to freak her out so if there is a way he can kill people that is better for her then he will do it. There is also times where she tells him to stop killing someone who he thinks deserves it because their an asshole and he asks Nevada why she doesn’t want him to kill that person and why isn’t she angry. There are time where he asks these questions and they are sarcastic, but a lot of the times he is asking because he actually wants to understand. Also, Mad Rogan likes to joke and tease people. He is actually more playful in the book then he is ever angry. He is only truly angry a few times but for a lot of the book he is making jokes about him killing people, and teasing people. Based on the stories you heard from him you would of thought he was another Curran but he isn’t. If it wasn’t for the killing he would pass for normal.

Pro

  • I love a book where the characters make me laugh. I take notes all through books and a lot of my notes in this one were just moments I found funny. Like Nevada buying a man a shirt because he is never wearing one, her being completely blunt to people like telling her boss he is a bad person, and things like her and her family hanging up multiple times on a man known for murdering people. There’s also a lot of moments Rogan made me laugh when he would kill someone as if it was nothing, and then make a joke about it a few paragraphs later. The book wasn’t cheesy funny, but genuine funny. It didn’t come off as trying to be funny, it just was. A lot of the characters had these little funny moments.  Nevada’s family is a family you want to be a part of because every moments you are with them is enjoyable.
  • The fighting. I’m someone who doesn’t necessarily care about combat in books since for combat I prefer visuals. I don’t usually care about reading it in depths. If there’s anything I like to read about combat it’s more like taction. There was no taction in this book, yet I loved the combat. I loved reading about Rogan picking up car parts and slicing people in half with it. I liked how simple it was written when Rogan just threw a guy in a lake and dropped building on him. It was literally written in a few sentences as if it wasn’t important because to Rogan, it wasn’t. I liked the null space where if a Prime used so much of their magic they literally became untouchable because it basically put them in a dimension where you could see them but that was it. The combat in this book was so good that I actually enjoyed reading it and didn’t feel like I just wanted to skim through it.
  • Even though Adam was the villian, he was charming. A lot of times villains are portrayed as awful from the start with no good qualities as if there only personality trait was them being evil, which isn’t always bad thing because sometimes evil is just evil depending on the context of the character. For Adam, since he was well known, popular, rich, if he was just an evil asshole he wouldn’t be a good character. The fact that he is rich and popular would mean that he is charming. He was probably taught to be charming because it’s good for business and its how you get people to do things for you. Adam is also a manipulator, so it makes perfect sense for him to being charming. He didn’t care for people, but he could act like he did. He could make you feel like you were worth something to him because he wanted you to do something. He is a good villain because he a charming villain which makes him tricky. I also don’t really see books where the main character and the villian sit down and have chats while the main character knows that person is the villain. They did and each time it was a game of them trying to convince each other to do something.
  • Like I said before Nevada is smart. She doesn’t rush into things and make stupid decisions like a lot of main characters. She needs to go into a bar to question people but she knows that it’s dark, and it will have a bunch of drunk men in there who will probably already be a little angry and won’t like a random girl in there poking around, so she goes home instead and decides to go in the morning because it’s safer. She thinks out everything before she does it. A lot of times characters rush into everything because it makes good content for the book. Nevada shows you don’t need to have a character do that. There are ways to make your character not make stupid decisions and still have the story progress and still be likeable. Even when Nevada has to put herself in a dangerous situation she makes sure to take precautions before going. She makes sure to think about what will happen if she does something and if it’s not a result she will like she will find another way to do it. She is a witty character who is actually clever.

Cons

  • I was honestly to interested in reading that I didn’t find anything wrong. Even as i true to think about it, there was nothing I didn’t like about the book. I think i might actually prefer it to Kate Daniels, which I didn’t think I would. Even the writing was good,It was written in a smart way. Maybe i’ll see something wrong in the second one but i’m not going to try to find fault in something when I didn’t find fault in it while reading it. It’s not fair to the author so this book doesn’t have any cons to me.

If it’s not clear enough, I love this book. If you like Urban Fantasy and haven’t read this book yet then do it. I like that this isn’t a world of supernatural creatures but just people who can use different forms of magic because of experimentation. It was fun to read about people shooting fire, talking to animals, being able to tell if something was a lie, the magic circles. Ilona’s characters are realistic and entertaining to read. Nevada was a constant enjoyment and Rogan trying to understand human emotions was a different approach for a powerful man. It doesn’t seem like it is, but the way Ilona writes it is different then the ways it’s been done before. I honestly thought Rogan was going to be a character who was emotionless except for anger, but he wasn’t. This book blew away everything I had expected it to be and I love it.


“And let’s be honest, you weren’t exactly harmed. I even took you home.”

“You dumped me on my doorstep. According to my mother, I looked half dead.”

“Your mother exaggerates. A third dead at most.”
― Ilona Andrews

Adult · Contemporary · New Adult · Romance · Sports

From Lukov with Love

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From Lukov with Love
Mariana Zapata

  • Publisher: Mariana Zapata
  • Year Released: 2018
  • Date Read: December 7, 2018
  • Genre: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Adult, Sports
  • Grade: 4.8/ A+


“You say nobody remembers second place, but no one remembers the girls that win once and disappear afterward either.”

-Mariana Zapata

Jasmine has been skating for seventeen years, but those years are about to be over. Jasmine career in figure skating is about to come to a close with nothing but bad partnerships to show for it. She has worked hard, but because of her honesty no one wants to work with her, until Ivan, the star of figure skating, brings her an offer. Be his partner for a year to get the gold she wants, and afterwards he’ll help her find another partner. Only one problem, Jasmine and Ivan can’t stand each other. After years of insulting and jabbing at each other they will have to learn to get along enough to trust each other on the ice.

This book had me rolling in little fits of laughter. I loved it, every part of it. This is Mariana Zapata’s newest book, not counting the one that hasn’t been released yet. You can tell while reading it that her writing has most definitely improved along the years. The main character’s inner thoughts to herself were just as amusing as when she was speaking. There was little difference in it. I also noticed some little call backs or little traits Zapata puts in every book. Like how all her characters like the other character’s booty, she likes to talk about shanking people, and she even used a reference from Under Locke, which is comparing the main character and the love interests to oil and water to show that they don’t go together. The main reference that I caught and enjoyed was when Jasmine says she isn’t afraid of spiders, flying roaches, mice, the dark, clowns, and heights. I don’t know if the rest of them come from other books but I know the bugs were a mention of fear in Under Locke, and the dark and clowns were mentioned as fears in The Wall Of Winnipeg and Me. Zapata definitely has a style to her writing and puts her own love of things into a book, which isn’t always a good thing, but I enjoy in her case.

Pros

  • Jasmine and Ivan. From their first interaction of each other I knew this was going to be good. The second they started flipping each other off and mouthing insults to each other I knew this was going to be a damn good read. They had me laughing. There’s also them hitting each other under the table and the little ways they challenged each other. Even when they were rivals, they went together very well. They acted like friends who bantered and teased each other even though they were rivals who didn’t like each other. There’s also their little insult nicknames they have for each other. Them mouthing or whispering insults at each other as if they were children trying to hide from their mom they were fighting.
  • This is the first Zapata novel I read where the families didn’t have an asshole nature. There was Jasmine’s dad, which I will touch more on, but other then that, the families in this were sweet. I loved reading Jasmine interact with her family just as much as I loved reading her with Ivan. Jasmine’s interactions reminded me of how my family interacts. The way they all make fun of each other and are ready to call you out on things. You could see the love they all had for each other, that they were willing to do anything for each other. I also loved that we got to read her group text messages with families. They were never not funny.
  • Jasmine’s relationship with her dad. It wasn’t as bad as the two other Zapata novels I read, but I really love how this one was handled. Throughout the novel it’s clear that Jasmine doesn’t have the best relationship with her dad and it shows that it’s because of her being a figure skater. Zapata is really good at writing things that people go through with their parents not being there. In The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, we see the relationship of a intoxicated mother who neglected her children and denied their other children abusive actions. In Under Locke, we see the relationship of a father never being there when he is needed and just being awful in general. In those two books it shows relationships that can’t be repaired. In this one, Zapata goes the other route and shows that a bad relationship between children and parents can be fixed, though generally it’s still toxic and will never be perfect. Zapata has said in all three of these novels how someone can love someone, but it’s a toxic love. That they know their parents think they love them, but what they really feel is this toxic kind of thing. Each book has its own quote about love and how it’s such a complex feeling that people just throw around. In this book, when Jasmine’s dad asks if she knows he loves her she thinks to herself, “Love is a weird word. What the hell was love? Everyone had such a different opinion on what it meant to them; it was hard to figure out how to use it.” If there’s something that Zapata can write as well as her slow burn romance, it’s character’s relationship with parents and how damaging it can be when it’s not a good one. Jasmine’s break down in this actually had me in a little bit of tears, especially since she was written as such a strong person. Zapata writes these moments very well and it makes the books more serious than just a book about a girl who is falling for a boy.
  • In these last three books Zapata has also had something that the main characters hated or tried to hide about themselves. One was student debt and her sister abusing her, one was her arm from cancer treatments, and this one was a learning disability. Jasmine has a learning disability that she is sensitive about. She had trouble with school because of it and doesn’t like others to find out about it because they will assume she is stupid. Throughout the book Jasmine talks about it and the problems she has faced with people and school. It’s not something that is mentioned and then thrown away because it was only used for a scene. It’s a part of Jasmine.
  • I also really loved how the author talked about perverts on the internet, because that is a real gross problem. How people, especially those with fame, get disgusting messages and comments sent to them and how degrading it makes them feel. We see it in people’s comments all the time, about how someone wishes they could screw the person who is in the picture or video. It’s disgusting and not flattering to think that someone out there is getting off on something you didn’t want them too, or you sending them picture or videos of it. It’s something that is gross and needs to stop, and she talked about it, letting us see through the stars point of view of how it makes them feel. This doesn’t just go for men doing it either. I’ve heard plenty of women degrade men in a way they wouldn’t want to be talked about. Zapata talks on this also. In the women’s locker room, Ivan gets talked about in that way, by teenage girls of all people. It’s not cute, it’s not funny, it’s gross and if not something you would say to the person to their face you shouldn’t say it at all, maybe not even if you would say it to there face. If it something about their body, keep that shit to yourself.
  • Ivan and his farm, because the image of him holding a bunny all day and talking to his animals is honestly the cutest thing in this book.

Cons

  • I wished there would of been more skating. They were always practicing, and the author did use figure skating terms, but when they were practicing it never went into depth about the practice, just that they practiced and they did this move or tried to get in sync with each other. It was always just, oh we practiced but now we’re done. There was moments of when Jasmine would skate and we would see her fail over and over when she was stressed out, and those were the most in depth scenes of them skating. But I can also understand that figure skating is probably very hard to write about compared to other sports. This one is more artistic and to describe it would probably be very hard and take a lot of length up of a story that is already  very long.


“I was honestly worried you were going to do some John Wick shit with the comb I left on the counter.” 
― Mariana Zapata

I can’t choose if I prefer this one or Winnipeg. They were both very good, though I will say this one was a lot more funny, but Winnipeg’s characters were more serious acting so that makes sense. I honestly want to see this book though as a movie(Yes I know there is an old movie that is just like this. But I want to see THIS story as a movie.), even though generally I think book to movie adaptations are awful.  It reminds me of a romance version of the comedy movie, Blades of Glory(Though it’s not the movie I was talking about above. I actually have not seen that movie). Out of the three of her novels I’ve read, I would want this one to be a movie. Winnipeg was a lot slower in getting things going also, while From Lukov with Love, while still having that slow burn romance, was a lot faster at getting the plot and ball rolling. It had more things happen in it and was fun. I have so far enjoyed all the Zapata novels I have read. I would one hundred percent recommend this one to people. Ivan and Jasmine are the ultimate enemies that care for each other and are there to comfort each other in their times of need. Their chemistry is there from the moment Jasmine sees him in the office. The way she walks into the room and he just stares at her blankly, as if he doesn’t care that she’s there and he doesn’t want any part in it. They were the perfect match and made this story amazing. I’ve always loved the artistic side of figure skating. I know that people think the guys are all frilly or whatever they think about it, but Ivan shows that they aren’t. They are just someone who really loves the sport and that makes them in no way girly. It’s an artistic sport and it’s beautiful and takes talent. I’m glad Zapata wrote a novel about it and I read it


I blinked. “I hope you get abducted by aliens.”

Ivan laughed, and the sound of it made me smile. “You would miss me.”

All I said, while shrugging was, “Meh. I know I’d get to see you again someday—”

He smiled.

“—in hell.”

-Mariana Zapata

Adult · Contemporary · New Adult · Romance

Under Locke

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Under Locke
Mariana Zapata

  • Publisher:  Mariana Zapata
  • Year Released: 2014
  • Date Read: December 5, 2018 – December 6, 2018
  • Genres: Romance, New Adult, Adult, Contemporary
  • Grade: B-/ 3.8 Stars

“Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose family, Sonny had told me this once. But you do get to choose everyone else.”

-Mariana Zapata

After losing her job, Iris had one choice, move in with one of her siblings. Her sibling of choice, her half brother that is part of the same motorcycle club as their shitty dad, which leads her to getting close to the people her mother didn’t want her to know. After running out of the money she had left from her previous job, her brother gets her a job with one of his friends and members of the club who runs a tattoo shop. Iris was happy to have a job again, except she quickly learns that her new boss, Dex, is a jerk. She can either quit and leach off her brother, or she can try to learn to deal with Dex, but she learns quickly that patience is a virtue, and she is starting to lack it.

After reading reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me I came to this book, and it became clear as I was reading it that this was one of her first books. This is not an insult to her in anyway, it isn’t bad for a book in the beginning of an author’s career. It just lacked some of the things The Wall of Winnipeg and Me had. It wasn’t as smooth. I can’t point out why, but there was definitely a difference in reading Winnipeg and this one. I’m even reading one of her newest ones at the moment and she has clearly grown in her writing since Under Locke. I will say also it became clear Zapata’s books have a similarity to them, again, not an insult. The books were not the same, just that some minor things where, such as the slow burn romance, the relationships with family, the relationship between boss and employer, and the enemy to romance. Also the length of Zapata’s novels deserve an applause. Most romance or contemporary books are around three hundred pages,  Zapata’s are way above that. They are long and give you time to really get to know the characters. Thank you for this Zapata.

Pros

  • Never once was I bored or wanted to put the book down. In most books, there are scenes, that while necessary, are not entertaining to read. Never once did I want to stop reading this book. I actually stayed up till eight in the morning and had to force myself to stop reading and got to bed. Usually by that time I can feel myself getting tired, but I felt wide awake and wanting to finish the book. I needed to finish the book. I save reading till later at night, but during that day I wanted nothing more then to just not do anything all day and finish that book.
  • I liked the biker club and tattoo shop part of it. I’m someone who has always been interested in books or movies about clubs because of the whole bonding and friendship part of it. Also a lot of people assume that biker gangs are full of awful people when that’s not the case anymore. Most bikers actually give to charities and such so it was nice to see that their gang wasn’t full of drug users, drunks, and assholes. Did they fight and talk shit to each other, yes, but they didn’t act like thugs. Also I loved that Iris worked in the tattoo shop and a lot of the book was centered about her time in the shop. I’ve always loved tattoos for the artwork and love hearing and imagining the tattoos the characters have. Like Dex’s Uriel tattoo.
  • Iris and her brother Sonny. Even though they were half siblings who share a dad they don’t care for, and didn’t see each other a lot as kids, they loved and cared for each other. Sonny protected Iris whether it was from other people’s choices or someone’s words. They had a really nice relationship to read.
  • Dex and Iris. I liked their relationship when it turned into the friendship part. There was many funny or sweet moments between them. They for the most part did well together. Dex was an asshole and Iris kept challenging him. It worked.

Cons

  • Dex’s possessive attitude. I know this is a turn on for some people. Having they guy say that every part of the girl is there’s, EVERY part, but for me it was a little over the top. I get it when characters or people in real life say that their girlfriend is there’s, because yeah, unless you are in an open relationship they are there’s. They don’t usually mean it as you can’t leave me or I own you, just that they are with them and theirs unless they say else wise. Dex was a little too possessive, which I guess matched his character, but it was still a turn off to me. Dex says in one part, “…and i’m gonna take everythin’ you want to give to me and everythin you don’t.”… that doesn’t sound sweet to me, that sounds over the top and kinda creepy. I liked Dex a lot. I really liked his character, but when he started to get possessive it started to make me not like him as much.
  • Sometimes it got repetitive with it’s wording. For example every kiss scene was this, ”We kissed and kissed and kissed.” That sentence was worded like that practically every time.
  • Just little things. Like the character not knowing what a fake ID is even though she’s in her twenties. The characters saying pop for soda even though they live in Texas. I don’t understand what “My inner nosey hooker…” means. It was just little things that made me just sit there and stare at the book wandering what they were saying and why.

“You couldn’t control or anticipate a person who didn’t ca
“There it was. That fierce loyalty. He didn’t have a clue how that was the most attractive thing about him. It trumped his face, his ink, his body, everything. Dex Locke was true. He was grounded.” 
― Mariana Zapata,

After reading these two books and reading right now one of her newest books, I can say that Zapata is probably my favorite romance author. I don’t really read adult romance novels. They aren’t my cup of tea. I’m not into how they usually turn into erotica or are cheesy. Zapata doesn’t really do that, or at least I haven’t read any books of hers yet that she has done it. Under Locke did have a lot more sex scenes then Winnipeg’s like one sex scene, but it wasn’t to the point where it was half sex half story. It wasn’t even until closer to the end so I will allow it for not turning into an eroitc novel. I mainly read fantasy novels with contemporary novels as a break, but right now I only want to read Mariana Zapata’s novels. They are well done and I love every second of reading them. It is very rare I find contemporary novels or romance novels that I fall in love with. Under Locke wasn’t as smooth or good as The Wall of Winnipeg and Me but I still loved it. It was great with a good storyline and characters. Her characters seem real and well crafted. Zapata has earned herself a new fan who will be waiting for any new novel she puts out.

Adult · Contemporary · New Adult · Romance · Sports

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

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The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

Mariana Zapata

 

  • Publisher: Mariana Zapata
  • Year Released: 2016
  • Date Read: December 4, 2018- December 5, 2018
  • Genre: Adult/New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sports
  • Grade: A+/ 5 Stars


“When I was a kid, I learned the hard way how expensive the truth was. Sometimes it cost you people in your life. Sometimes it cost you things in your life. And in this life, most people were too cheap to pay the price for something as valuable as honesty.” 
― Mariana Zapata

Vanessa has been the assistant/ housekeeper to the pro-football player Aiden Graves for two years but enough is enough. She’s done everything for him that he has asked with never a thank you in return, just a nod and the next demand. Vanessa is done and doesn’t want to deal with it anymore. She quits and is ready to work on her own projects, but when Aiden comes to her, asking her to come back with a new job and an offer she would be an idiot to refuse, how can she say no.

I LOVED this book. It is the best adult/new adult contemporary I’ve ever read. The book is long with around 700 pages, but I loved every page of it. It let everything go at it’s own pace and not be rushed. The description of this book doesn’t say it, but this book is like the movie, The Proposal. Vanessa is Aiden’s assistant but she quits. Aiden is Canadian and wants to live in America even after his work visa expires. It’s pretty easy to see where this is going. It’s the plot of the movie, but done in a better way with a different story entirely. It’s not some cheap remake but a remastered version. It’s been a few months since i’ve really craved a book. I just wanted to keep reading it, even if that meant me staying up until nine in the morning. If you like romances this is a must. I’m not a fan of most adult romance stories because they all basically turn into erotica’s and ignore the actual plot, but this one isn’t that at all. It doesn’t need sex to keep people reading. After reading a really bad book about awful characters I was so happy to have struck gold with this book.

Pros

  • This a slow burn romance story. No cliche insta love. Some of the greatest things in life take time to develop and this story is a perfect example. You can literally see the characters slowly starting to get closer to each other. I loved how long it took the characters to make it noticeable they liked each other. Considering that Aiden used to be sort of cold to Vanessa and while Vanessa liked him, thought he was an asshole, it would of been awful to see them start to like each other any faster than they did. This was a true slow romance at it’s finest.
  • The sweet moments. Since this is a slow burn, it isn’t them making out every chapter or anything near that, which makes those little sweet moments worth so much more and warm your heart. Those little moments of comfort or being close build tension for later on and give you a nice feeling. It shows that romances don’t always have to written in a erotic style for them to be good. You can make a story where character touch in the simplest of ways and it still just as good as a sex scene.
  • Vanessa. I loved that Vanessa was not written as this perfect beautiful women, but she also isn’t described as a dump truck. She is your everyday average women. I’ve seen of authors writing characters who describe themselves as ugly. Vanessa never really thinks about her own features, just what color her hair is at the moment, her glasses, and that she isn’t a size four. Most of what we learn about Vanessa is what she’s like as a person. I’ve never seen or read someone as patient as Vanessa. When she is angry about something she actually counts in her head to try and calm herself down and then rationalizes why she shouldn’t smother someone with a pillow or push them in front of a moving car. There’s also the fact that she thinks of doing things like that a lot in a comedic way. Vanessa’s thoughts are far from boring. She was very entertaining to read. She had this sarcastic way of thinking. She also wasn’t some innocent girl. She could hold her own. She came from a bad family who did bad things to her which shape her into who she is now. Her thoughts aren’t this generic sweet character. She is usually flipping people off or thinking about how much she wants to hit them.
  • Aiden is the asshole character but he isn’t that true asshole douchebag character. Aiden is mostly just unfriendly and quiet. When Vanessa would say hi to him he would either ignore her or nod. He wasn’t going out of his way to be an asshole to her, he just wasn’t friendly with her. Even in the beginning when he is like this, the asshole vibe isn’t strong. Even Vanessa doesn’t fully think he is an asshole, just not appreciate of everything she does for him. Aiden was very well written. Even after Vanessa and Aiden start to like each other he doesn’t become a whole new person. He is still Aiden, he just acts a little different and opens up to her more.
  • The way abusive families are written. It seems real. It wasn’t, my mom is a single mother who also is strongly an alcoholic but still is around to be there for us. It is my mom is an alcoholic who leaves and does her own things and the kids are left to fend for themselves. It shows what a bad alcoholic family is like and the different ways it affects the children. Mainly that they either follow suit of their parents and become horrible alcoholics who might also do drugs, or that they swear to be better then the family they were raised in and do everything they can to be so. This part of the story is relatable for many people who grew up in this kind of family. It’s not the pretty picture of people repairing, but the damage and the reality of what that life can lead to. It’s better than any PSA out there, it’s real and something I see many authors try to glamorize or only put in for a backstory but not implement into their characters.

Cons

  • The only real con I have is that it would be easy to tell what was going to happen at many parts. It would be kinda like if you saw someone in a movie turn on the stove and walk away from it. You know what the next scene is going to be. Fire and then firetrucks as the house burns to the ground. The question is, did this take away from the story or make it less enjoyable? No, it did not, at least not for me. It’s a romance, not a mystery/thriller. What’s going to happen next doesn’t have to be a complete secret. It’s ok that I could tell a little of what was going to happen. Foreshadowing isn’t always hidden and that’s ok. The writing was still done well and that’s what matters.
  • I wish it would of expanded on the domestic abuse of one of the character more. You got a glimpse into it, what happened because of it, but no real resolve. I wish there would of been a little more there than just the main character feeling heartbroken for that person. It kinda makes it where that part in the story isn’t needed. You could take it out and the story wouldn’t be much of a difference. It was kinda like a sentence fragment where you have it there and it’s getting there, you just need a final piece to make it whole.


“I’d learned what love was from my little brother, from Diana and her family, and even from my foster parents. It wasn’t this distorted, terrible thing that did what was best for itself. It was sentient, it cared, and it did what was best for the greater good.” 
― Mariana Zapata

This is a book of two people who aren’t friendly, becoming friends, and slowly fall in love with each other. It’s a story of two people who are basically alone in the world finding something to make them happy. It’s sweet and not at all cliche. I don’t tend to reread contemporaries since they something I read when I want to step away from an intense fictional world, but I do one hundred percent plan on reading this again. I plan on buying my own copy to read it whenever I want a book like it again. I’m not the biggest fan of adult romances because they basically turn into sex stories that are the equivalent to watching porn, but I loved this one so much. If you want a long romance story that resembles the proposal but better, then read this. This story is a gift to adult contemporary.


“Which basically showed how amazing the human mind was; how you could care about someone but want to slit his or her throat at the same time.” 
― Mariana Zapata

Adult · Contemporary · Erotica · New Adult · Romance

The Deal (Off-Campus #1)

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The Deal

Elle Kennedy

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Publisher: Independent Publishing.

Date Released: The Kindle version was released February 24th 2018

Date Read: October 31st

Genre: New Adult, Erotica, Contemporary, Romance, College

Grade: 3.8 Stars/ C+

 

“Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them.” 

― Elle Kennedy

Everyone but Hannah practically fails the classes midterm, including Garrett Graham, captain of the Briar University’s hockey team. Scared that he won’t be able to play anymore, he tries to convince Hannah to tutor him after he sees the A on her paper. Hannah wants nothing to do with Garrett, but she can’t resist his offer when he tells her he will help her win her crush over. Tutor sessions turn into a strange friendship and leaves them possibly wanting more.

I didn’t think I was going to pick this series up after reading the first book of it’s new spin off series, The Chase. But as I was looking through my library’s catalog I couldn’t help but wonder if they had the off-campus books. Surprisingly they did, and I couldn’t help myself. Something about these books had me wanting more, which really surprised me considering I thought I thought the Chase was a tinge cringy. Nether less, I couldn’t stop myself from getting The Deal. Now it’s safe to say the writing isn’t any better, which I assumed it wouldn’t be considering the Off-Campus series came first, but it wasn’t cringy, at least not what they were saying. They both talked normal and while the writing did take me a minute to get used to, when I finally got into it, I didn’t want to stop. I loved Garrett and Hannah’s story way more than I did Summer and Fitzy’s. From the first time these characters meet they have chemistry going for them. They work so well together. They were cute and i’m not sure how the rest of the series will top Garrett and Hannah.

 

Pros

  • Hannah is very relatable, and maybe that’s just because I act like Hannah. Hannah likes loyalty, even if she doesn’t outright say it. When a girl goes behind Hannah’s back and helps to screw her over, Hannah tells the girl that she will not be friends with her, at least not any time soon. Hannah is somewhat on the anti-social side, but she refuses to let anyone walk over her, which makes a great match for Garrett. Hannah was willing to challenge him and others when she feels she is right. I liked reading Hannah’s character a lot.
  • Garrett is incredibly charming and I loved every second he was in the story. Garrett has a big ego, basically every girl at school wants him and he knows it, but he’s an not asshole. He doesn’t want to hurt people. He is never really mean to Hannah and just wants her to enjoy herself. He is also very flirty, but in a good way. It didn’t seem like he was trying to hard, it was natural for him. I also liked reading his reactions to Hannah. How quickly he is ok with her just being in his company. Garrett had all the means to be a douchey asshole, but wasn’t. Instead the author took the guy with a big ego, and made him sweet and charming, which worked out amazingly well. I thought Fitzy was the dream boat, but Garrett kinda stole the thunder there. There’s also the fact that Garrett was the incredibly nice to Hannah when Hannah was out of it, I was scared something was going to happen to make me hate him, but it just made me love him more.
  • The book takes serious issues such as rape and abuse and doesn’t make a mess of it. They explore both of them and show that neither of them are your fault, and that can be something you can overcome. I really liked how Hannah’s issue with rape was handled. Hannah is ok with men and doesn’t blame herself, but she does struggle with a different side effect of rape that therapy can’t exactly help her with. And no, it’s not a story of a girl falls in love with a guy and they’re cured of all of their problems. Hannah was already getting help for it all before she even meet Garrett, and had mostly come to terms with all of it and accepted that she was a survivor and she wouldn’t let it cripple her anymore. The abuse isn’t explored as much as Hannah’s past is, but I do like the way it is handled still. The author also doesn’t make it to heavy with the past trauma’s, so the story is more heart warming, instead of heart breaking. It’s a cute fun read that is realistic, not a sad read that takes a lot out of you.

 

Cons

  • This book is nowhere near as cringy with the wording as it’s spin off was, but there was still a few things that made me cringe inside a little. I kept questioning how old the author was when I kept reading about how her characters love Selena Gomez, One Direction, and Justin Bieber, but then I remembered that I know girls who are in college right now and still cry when Justin Bieber is coming to our city, so I guess I can’t full on fault her for it, but it’s still something I personally find cringy, but at least this time I don’t feel like the character needs to be wearing Ugg boots and carrying a pumpkin spice latte. There is still some wording though that makes it hard to read at times. The author likes to abbreviate some words, and as someone who isn’t really into texting, and when I do I don’t tend to use a lot of abbreviations, it gets annoying having to stop and google what they mean. If she had wrote the abbreviations when it was characters texting, there would of been nothing I could complain about since people do text like that, but in the actually writing, having to stop mid paragraph to look up what a abbreviation means does make it harder for me to read. Luckily she doesn’t put to many in this book. I think there was only two I had to google.
  • It once again had info dumping. Within the first page of the first chapter, the author tells you out of nowhere that Hannah was raped. There was no building to it, she just threw it out there that she was raped. It is literally the starting sentence of the third or so paragraph, She was talking about her crush and then just dropped the bomb that she has only loved two people since she was raped. It was literally just a bomb that was thrown on you, and I can tell author the knows how to not info dump, because she doesn’t do it with Garrett. She lets it unfold. Know, I can tell why she info dumped about Hannah’s rape. It plays a big part in Hannah’s story. She doesn’t like to go to parties, drink, or be around people in that situation because of what happened to her, it’s just the way it was thrown out there. It was basically Hannah going, “I have a crush on this football player. He’s really cute. Oh and i’ve been raped.” It is very important from the beginning of the story to know what happened to Hannah, it was just the way it was presented maybe messed it up.

 

The writing is still awkward at times. It does take a few chapters to get used to it, especially if you were reading a very thorough boo before coming to this one, but once Garrett and Hannah start talking to each other, the story flows a lot better. It happened in The Chase. The books just seem to have a little bit of a rocky start, but once they get the flow on it is smooth sailing from there. In both of the books of these I have read so far, I have stopped taking notes half way through the story about any weird writing. It’s possible it was there, I was just so in the story that I wouldn’t have noticed. You get so caught up in the characters and then trying to figure out their feelings, that you ignore how the story is written.

“What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you freaking out right now? Garrett Graham is sitting in your booth. He talked to you.”

“Holy shit, he did? I mean, his lips were moving, but I didn’t realize he was talking.” 

― Elle Kennedy, 

I loved reading how comfortable Garrett and Hannah were together. Before they even started to have feelings for each other you could see how they just enjoyed being in each other’s company. Just chilling out and watching movies together, even laying in the same bed without touching each other or trying to have sex with each other. They were content in just being there. They worked together very well. I enjoyed The Deal a lot. It satisfies my contemporary need, but I still plan on reading the rest. This book is still very sexual. It is classified as an erotica, but it’s also not the most descriptive or erotic book I’ve read and I tend to stay away from erotica’s. I think the most sexual book I’ve read is the Sookie Stackhouse series, and this isn’t as bad as that, at least not to me. They also did have sex a lot, like almost every time they saw each other after they had sex the first time, but it didn’t take over the story, so it wasn’t a con for me. I do plan on reading the rest, and I hope they can beat Garrett and Hannah, but I really loved them so I don’t know.

‘ “Don’t worry, I’m beating him up in my head, baby. That counts, right?”

She laughs. “Sure. I’ll allow it.” ‘

-Elle Kennedy

Also while reading I was scared that Garrett was going to be like Fitzy and Hannah was going to be like Summer. They were not from the very start. Garrett was nothing like Fitzy, and Hannah is nothing like Summer. I was scared that the author was going to have a hard time making her characters different but as soon as I started reading through Garrett’s point of view I knew instantly that was not the case. Garrett was most definitely his own character.

Adult · Fantasy · Magic · Romance

A Promise of Fire #1 Kingmaker Chronicles

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A Promise of Fire

Amanda Bouchet

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Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Year Released: 2016

Date Read: Reread September 26, 2018

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adult, Magic, Slight Mythology

Rating: 3.5/ C

“Happiness is a strange, frightening, fragile feeling when you’re not used to it.”
― Amanda Bouchet

While hiding in a traveling Circus, Catalia(Cat) is discovered by a warlord with a lack of magic named Griffin. Griffin isn’t just any warlord, he is the Beta Sinta, the brother to the new ruler of Sintan. Cat isn’t just any magic user either, she is the Kingmaker, just the person Griffin needs to help build his family’s new kingdom. Cat has just spent eight years hiding and wasn’t ready to be found. She plans on fighting Griffin the whole way, but finds it harder the longer she hangs out with him and his friends. Cat is the Kingmaker for a reason, and she might have just found her reason.

This is the second time I’ve read this book this year, this book, not the series. I can’t ever bring myself to get past the first few chapters of the second book, and I couldn’t figure out why, until I tried reading it again. I do have a major issue with a part of the book, and the first part of the second book, but I LOVE the first book. The first time I read it I stayed up all night, got up and did a few things I needed to do that morning, and then laid down, planning on going to sleep, but couldn’t because I couldn’t stop thinking about the book. I was up till nine in the morning reading it because I had to finish it. This book is my favorite type of book, and I always find them hard to find. It’s a book where a girl befriends a group of guys, usually not friendly at first, and they’re traveling or going on an adventure. Another book that follows this is The Healer series by Maria V Snyder. I adore books with good bonds and friendship and watching them build. I really loved the first book, but I didn’t like it towards the end, and I can’t ever get past the first few chapters, and here’s why.

 

Cons

  • Now I like Griffin, and I love his friends. Carver is a little pervy, but I like him. For the most part, Griffin is a likable character. He had me laughing and chuckling, and at moments he had me physically saying “AWWW”  out loud. I had one problem with Griffin, and it’s a problem that grows with the book. Griffin has a tendency to behave like a caveman.(I mean there are times he literally throws Cat on his horse, but that’s because he literally has to) Griffin has two caveman issues. One being he is a major control freak. He tries to control Cat a lot. That’s literally the plot of the book, but it works in that context. He is a warlord. He is doing what he has to in order to better his kingdom. For the plot, it works. It’s like Kratos from the God of War games. He is also a brute with a goal. He is going to do what he has to in order to get that done. It works for a plot.  For romance, it’s terrible, what was worse was the way Cat fought it, but always ended up giving into it when he said he was doing it for her. For those who don’t know, that is a major way people manipulate people in relationships.They will turn the situation around to make it feel like it’s the other person’s fault so they can continue doing what they are doing, or they will say they did it because they love them, or something along those lines. Now I don’t Griffin is manipulating Cat, he is just like that. He actually thinks he’s helping her. Griffin isn’t overbearingly controlling for most of the book, it’s the end and the entire beginning of the second book that it gets to be too much. The second reason I call him a caveman is that, in the second book(and this is why I haven’t continued it), in the first chapter Griffin gets mad at Cat, and pushes her hard against the wall, pinning her there, hurting her, yelling at her until she is crying and telling him to let her go. Now when she tells him that he’s hurting her, he does loosen his grip, and eventually let go, and then leaves the room so he doesn’t hurt her, but I still don’t think that was ok and maybe I could of continued reading it, except that Cat forgives him and acts like it never happened right away, and acts like it was her fault. She acts like him pinning her against the wall was her fault. To me, that’s not ok. I will never read a book where the a man or women puts their hands on their loved one, and their loved one accepts it as their fault(Unless it’s a psychological book where that’s the point of the book). I don’t think that was the author’s intentions, or at least I hope it wasn’t, but it is saw reading it, and it clouded over all of the book, ruining what I liked about the book, which was mostly everything else.
  • This is an adult book, and in a lot of adult books, there’s sex. Sex is not the con in this book, that would be an unfair con. It’s an adult book, adults have sex. I don’t have an issue with sex being in a book, it’s apart of life, it happens in real life, why wouldn’t it happen in books. There comes a point though, when it becomes to much sex. That would be this book. Now in the beginning, there was a lot of sex jokes, and little “haha” moments towards it, but in the end it like they were rabbits in heat and were going at it non-stop, and into the second book it was like every other event was sex.(keep in mind, I’ve only read a few chapters of the second book.)  If this book was an Erotica( I wouldn’t have read it), then this wouldn’t be an issue, but this isn’t labeled as an Erotica, or at least it wasn’t a label I saw. There is so much sex talk and actual sex in this book that you start to forget the actual plot. There’s a part where Cat is literally stabbed and she still wants to have sex with Griffin. She was just stabbed! Yes, she was healed a bit, but she couldn’t even laugh because it hurt, she couldn’t even sit up. It wasn’t needed. Also, I don’t care about the Bechdel test when it comes to what i’m reading, but this seems like the type of book that test was made for. Cat’s conversations always lead back to Griffin, and a lot of it was about if they had sex or not already. The only time she wasn’t talking about Griffin, was when she was talking to Griffin. I love romance in books, so that’s not as big as an issue, but if I noticed it was a lot, I know a lot of people who don’t care for that, will get tired of it.

 

Pro

  • Despite Griffin being a caveman, he had a lot of really sweet moments. I went back to look at my notes and a lot of them where just, “Awwww”. When he wasn’t being a caveman, he was perfect. He was gentle most of the time, wanted her out of harm’s way, would call her beautiful or pretty, kept her safe when she accidentally stole someone’s magic and got messed up off of it, and he always tried to let her know that she was part of his group, and he was there to help her. Watching Cat go from hating Griffin to loving him was my favorite part of the book. The are always bickering but it’s cute bickering. For most of the book, they’re a cute couple to read and you can tell they really care for each other, especially Griffin. His love and protectiveness of Cat is very clear and endearing.
  • The plot was really good. Cat being called the Kingmaker was a little on the point, but it matches so who really cares. Cat’s secret past is also really good. If you like Aelin’s life from Throne of Glass you’d like reading Cat’s past.They both have that darkness and tortured soul vibes.Then there’s also Cat’s magic. The way she can throw weapons back at you and turn invisible, breathing fire, absorbing magic, knowing if a person is lying or telling the truth. It becomes apparent very fast why Cat is the Kingmaker.  Then there is the second half with Cat trying to teach Griffin’s family how to be proper royals, but they’re so sweet it’s hard. Its story is done well. It caught my attention and held it. I could of done with less sex and more plot towards the end, but them fighting small armies, a dragon, escaping near death and so on, was done very well. I’m not a very big action reader, but I enjoyed reading the dragon fighting part. It was very engaging, plus it’s a dragon. Everyone loves dragons.
  • The Greek Gods. I love Greek mythology. I have loved it since I was a kid, and reading Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan has only made me love it so much more. Any story with Greek Gods has me drawn to it. They also picked two of my favorite gods to be the main talked about gods, Hades and Poseidon. (I love the scene with Cat in the water after the dragon fight.) I do wish they would of talked more about Greek gods somewhat, they might later in the series, I don’t know.Maybe some lore or at least something for the people who don’t know much about Greek mythology. In a lot of different Mythologies the gods don’t have the same relationships they do with people as the Greek gods do. The book does a good job of showing what Greek God’s relationships with human usually are, which are they either have a romantic one(or just a lustful one), or they use as them as their own champions. For Greek Mythology this was a common theme and I liked that she put it in the book. As I said, I do wish Greek Mythology was more present since this is like the author just did a light coat of it, but the fact that she used them the way she did was good enough.

 

Besides Griffin acting like a caveman at times, and the overbearing sex scenes, I loved the first book. It’s a good action romance. As i’m writing the review though, it had become apparent that this book seems like it’s for a certain type of person. I remember hanging with my grandma while she was watching a western. The guy was a brute, like Griffin. He picked up the girl, put her on his horse, and basically claimed her. My grandmother thought that was hot, and clearly so would a lot of other women since most westerns and older TV shows have that in it. This book, if not intentionally, is for those people. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, I’m just not into it, and I know a lot of people who also aren’t into it. I love me a good powerful male character. A lot of my favorite characters are the powerful male character. Earlier I mentioned God of War, I love Kratos and he is the definition of a ruthless brute, but he isn’t in a romance setting, and we don’t really see him in one. He is a brute at war, where he should be. Griffin is a brute at all times, and that’s not something that I was enjoying reading, but I do know a lot of people who would. It’s like the bad boy type in books, In a book I love them, In reality I wouldn’t.  I know a lot of women who would will love this. If you liked Christian Gray from Fifty Shades, then you would probably like this. I wasn’t a fan of Christian Gray either(I only watched the movies, i’m not into full on Erotica’s.). Clearly this type is something a lot of women do like in a fiction setting. We use books to explore things we wouldn’t ever do or get the chance to do, and if this something you like then I would say read this book. I really do like Griffin(Better than I did Christian Gray), I just personally hate people trying to control me, so reading it wasn’t the most pleasant for me. It’s not a relationship I would want, so it’s not one I would enjoy reading. I do think Amanda Bouchet knows how to write character’s bonding, and magic and that was enough for me to want to try it again. I know she has a new series coming out, and I do plan on reading it. I didn’t like control side of Griffin but I thought Amanda Bouchet writing was good enough that i’m willing to try another series from her.