Before I get started, I have a confession to make...
When requesting this book from NetGalley, I did not realize that Milla Vane is r3 Conflicted Stars
Before I get started, I have a confession to make...
When requesting this book from NetGalley, I did not realize that Milla Vane is really Meljean Brook. All I saw were several glittering reviews from some trusted GR friends, the word "Dragons" in the title (more on that later), a hot barbarian on the cover, and the mention of a marriage of convenience in the blurb.
And so this was me:
[image]
Now, I have nothing against Meljean Brook. She is a wildly popular author who has written some much-beloved series...
It's just that I have DNF'd book one for two of those series.
[image]
After that, I never picked her stuff up again as I figured she just wasn't for me.
But enter NetGalley. And Dragons. And Barbarians. And an arranged marriage. And I have no self-control.
[image]
Plus, it wasn't until after I had already gotten the book from NetGalley that I learned it was authored by Meljean Brook. And, since I've already fucked up my "feedback" average with those fine folks enough already, I figured I should at least give this a shot.
My long-winded point in explaining all this?
Take this review with a grain of salt. Because it's probably just me. And I probably shouldn't have read this being that I already know this author just isn't for me.
But, let's do this anyway. On to my "review."
The first - and perhaps most important, dammit! - thing I want anyone to know is that there are NO actual dragons in this book with Dragons in the title.
[image]
Instead, the "dragon" being referred to here is really a squad of barbarian warriors acting as the personal guard of someone royal or important. Or something. And they ride in a formation and "fly" AKA ride. And each warrior is referred to as a part of the "dragon." So-and-so is the wings and so-and-so is the tail. Or something.
But anyway, I digress.
There are no fucking dragons, people. Moving on.
Secondly, the whole time I was reading this book, I found it equal parts enjoyable and yet tedious.
I enjoyed the story line and I enjoyed the characters. And, despite my disappoint that there were no actual dragons to be had here, I really liked Maddek and his metaphorical "Dragon" (AKA his band of warriors). I am always a sucker for the band of brothers/sisters shtick. Because #squadgoals. And the world-building?
Excellent. Truly excellent.
I remember from my attempts at reading Brook's other books that she really does excel at world-building. The magic system and mythology got a little hazy at times, but overall, she does a really great job of building the world without the heavy info-dumping from which a lot of first-in-series books suffer. So bravo. That takes a lot of skill and I truly believe Brook is a talented author.
However.
As great as the world-building was and as much as I enjoyed the characters, I also felt like I never truly got to know them as well as I would have liked. I also never had any problems putting the book down or felt any urgency to pick it back up.
I attribute a lot of that to the aforementioned tediousness, which I feel stemmed from both the writing style and the fact that the romance between Maddek and Yvenne would go one step forward and three steps back all throughout the book.
But before I get into the square dance that was the relationship build here, let's go back to the writing.
Honest to God, I sometimes felt like I was in an episode of Star Wars with Yoda as the narrator.
I mean, read some excerpts with me here, folks:
"So hot and hard he was, Maddek barely trusted himself to touch her."
"Hard Maddek must have slept. He knew not when Yvenne left their bed or their quarters."
"Rough he was, rougher than he'd ever been, his grip tight upon her arms and legs as he held her wrists..."
"So quiet the tent was, only filled with the sound of their breaths."
"How long Yvenne cried, she knew not."
"Patience you must have, my young padawan."
[image]
Okay, so obviously that last one was me fucking with you, but still. You get the idea.
Not only did said style make the writing feel stilted to me, but having Yoda-speak so often occur during the (super delayed) sex scenes?
[image]
The biggest annoyance to me in the book though, and what is probably my main reason for not rating it higher, is the aforementioned romance square dance.
I felt like Maddek and Yvenne took FOREVER to get anywhere. They kept hashing and rehashing the same shit - Maddek's inability to see past Yvenne's supposed "sly-tongued" nature. Now, I get that this was very important to Maddek's character. His people take lying and the truth VERY seriously. But I feel like they go back and forth about the same conversation for pretty much the entirety of the book.
And despite the fact that Yvenne's sole goal in this whole thing is to get knocked up with an heir, these two don't get really get busy until upwards of 80%. Eighty percent, people.
Now, I am all for a good slow burn every now and then. One of my favorite authors is Mariana Zapata - the QUEEN of the slow burn. But the situation in this book just left me super frustrated.
First it was that they wanted to make sure she wasn't already pregnant. Then they had to wait for her "moon night." Then there was a fight scenario. And then there was me:
[image]
Now, I'm not trying to tear this book apart by any means. I DID rate it three stars - which means I "liked it" - I just didn't love it like I was hoping to. As solid as the world building was, it just didn't keep me captivated. As I mentioned earlier, I had no problem putting this book down and had to actually remind myself to pick it back up.
All that said, despite having have mad respect for this author, I truly think it just boils down to something about her writing style and construction just not being for me. But I know a lot of people for whom this book totally worked. And I think anyone interested in this blurb should give it a shot.
***ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
Merged review:
3 Conflicted Stars
Before I get started, I have a confession to make...
When requesting this book from NetGalley, I did not realize that Milla Vane is really Meljean Brook. All I saw were several glittering reviews from some trusted GR friends, the word "Dragons" in the title (more on that later), a hot barbarian on the cover, and the mention of a marriage of convenience in the blurb.
And so this was me:
[image]
Now, I have nothing against Meljean Brook. She is a wildly popular author who has written some much-beloved series...
It's just that I have DNF'd book one for two of those series.
[image]
After that, I never picked her stuff up again as I figured she just wasn't for me.
But enter NetGalley. And Dragons. And Barbarians. And an arranged marriage. And I have no self-control.
[image]
Plus, it wasn't until after I had already gotten the book from NetGalley that I learned it was authored by Meljean Brook. And, since I've already fucked up my "feedback" average with those fine folks enough already, I figured I should at least give this a shot.
My long-winded point in explaining all this?
Take this review with a grain of salt. Because it's probably just me. And I probably shouldn't have read this being that I already know this author just isn't for me.
But, let's do this anyway. On to my "review."
The first - and perhaps most important, dammit! - thing I want anyone to know is that there are NO actual dragons in this book with Dragons in the title.
[image]
Instead, the "dragon" being referred to here is really a squad of barbarian warriors acting as the personal guard of someone royal or important. Or something. And they ride in a formation and "fly" AKA ride. And each warrior is referred to as a part of the "dragon." So-and-so is the wings and so-and-so is the tail. Or something.
But anyway, I digress.
There are no fucking dragons, people. Moving on.
Secondly, the whole time I was reading this book, I found it equal parts enjoyable and yet tedious.
I enjoyed the story line and I enjoyed the characters. And, despite my disappoint that there were no actual dragons to be had here, I really liked Maddek and his metaphorical "Dragon" (AKA his band of warriors). I am always a sucker for the band of brothers/sisters shtick. Because #squadgoals. And the world-building?
Excellent. Truly excellent.
I remember from my attempts at reading Brook's other books that she really does excel at world-building. The magic system and mythology got a little hazy at times, but overall, she does a really great job of building the world without the heavy info-dumping from which a lot of first-in-series books suffer. So bravo. That takes a lot of skill and I truly believe Brook is a talented author.
However.
As great as the world-building was and as much as I enjoyed the characters, I also felt like I never truly got to know them as well as I would have liked. I also never had any problems putting the book down or felt any urgency to pick it back up.
I attribute a lot of that to the aforementioned tediousness, which I feel stemmed from both the writing style and the fact that the romance between Maddek and Yvenne would go one step forward and three steps back all throughout the book.
But before I get into the square dance that was the relationship build here, let's go back to the writing.
Honest to God, I sometimes felt like I was in an episode of Star Wars with Yoda as the narrator.
I mean, read some excerpts with me here, folks:
"So hot and hard he was, Maddek barely trusted himself to touch her."
"Hard Maddek must have slept. He knew not when Yvenne left their bed or their quarters."
"Rough he was, rougher than he'd ever been, his grip tight upon her arms and legs as he held her wrists..."
"So quiet the tent was, only filled with the sound of their breaths."
"How long Yvenne cried, she knew not."
"Patience you must have, my young padawan."
[image]
Okay, so obviously that last one was me fucking with you, but still. You get the idea.
Not only did said style make the writing feel stilted to me, but having Yoda-speak so often occur during the (super delayed) sex scenes?
[image]
The biggest annoyance to me in the book though, and what is probably my main reason for not rating it higher, is the aforementioned romance square dance.
I felt like Maddek and Yvenne took FOREVER to get anywhere. They kept hashing and rehashing the same shit - Maddek's inability to see past Yvenne's supposed "sly-tongued" nature. Now, I get that this was very important to Maddek's character. His people take lying and the truth VERY seriously. But I feel like they go back and forth about the same conversation for pretty much the entirety of the book.
And despite the fact that Yvenne's sole goal in this whole thing is to get knocked up with an heir, these two don't get really get busy until upwards of 80%. Eighty percent, people.
Now, I am all for a good slow burn every now and then. One of my favorite authors is Mariana Zapata - the QUEEN of the slow burn. But the situation in this book just left me super frustrated.
First it was that they wanted to make sure she wasn't already pregnant. Then they had to wait for her "moon night." Then there was a fight scenario. And then there was me:
[image]
Now, I'm not trying to tear this book apart by any means. I DID rate it three stars - which means I "liked it" - I just didn't love it like I was hoping to. As solid as the world building was, it just didn't keep me captivated. As I mentioned earlier, I had no problem putting this book down and had to actually remind myself to pick it back up.
All that said, despite having have mad respect for this author, I truly think it just boils down to something about her writing style and construction just not being for me. But I know a lot of people for whom this book totally worked. And I think anyone interested in this blurb should give it a shot.
***ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***...more
I just realized that I never fully reviewed this. And I probably should since I've actually read it twice already. But I digress.
It's no secre4 Stars
I just realized that I never fully reviewed this. And I probably should since I've actually read it twice already. But I digress.
It's no secret that I love this author and this series. And I really, really enjoyed this book. Viper was very alpha and I liked Ella too. I will admit, however, that I seem to be destined to forever to chase the Knox/Harper dragon with this series. Nothing compares to them. And I also feel like there wasn't as much longing and chemistry as there should have been between Viper and Ella given their history. With Viper being a fallen archangel of his magnitude, I just feel like everything should have been a little...more all around.
Also, I think this was a missed opportunity to start a new spinoff series featuring the Black Saints. Which I hope Wright does. If so, can't wait!...more
The was endlessly ridiculous. I would never legit recommend it to anyone. But Jesus Christ, I 3.5 Smut Stars
The shit I read, folks. I mean...I dunno.
The was endlessly ridiculous. I would never legit recommend it to anyone. But Jesus Christ, I just love this crap.
I mean, it's about a fairy man who becomes a beast, you know, to save his people...and then he literally has to fuck his mate to normalize himself all day long. It's like this was meant for me, that's all I'm saying....more
I liked this, but not as much as book one. Things moved along too fast across the board. And once again, NOT enough groveling. Sti2.5 Smut Scale Stars
I liked this, but not as much as book one. Things moved along too fast across the board. And once again, NOT enough groveling. Still, a decent fated mate story. ...more
I am a sucker for all fated mate stories. And complete trash for rejected fated mate stories.
All the potential for angst and groveling? It’s3.5 Stars
I am a sucker for all fated mate stories. And complete trash for rejected fated mate stories.
All the potential for angst and groveling? It’s the stuff of smut readers dreams, folks. This had a different…brand of angst. And the heroine here got really worked over by fate. But man, I really liked her and rooted for her every step of the way. All the stars are for her really.
The groveling was weak, there were numerous typos, this definitely wasn’t perfect…I could go on…but in addition to slaking my rejected mate craving, this captured my attention during a bad reading slump. So for that, rounded up stars, friends....more
I've been dying for Riley's story since book one and have been aggressively anticipating this installment.
That said, I really en3.75 Smut scale stars
I've been dying for Riley's story since book one and have been aggressively anticipating this installment.
That said, I really enjoyed it, although I didn't care for the flashback element (but I never really love a lot of constant flashbacks in any story, so that's just my own personal taste). I also thought Riley's behavior in the beginning was a little annoying. His constant push-backs were just one too many in my opinion.
Regardless, this is shifter smut, friends. And it definitely delivered. I love this series. So far it has met my empty calorie smut needs every time thus far. Can't wait for the next one....more
If you've followed me for any length of time, you know I love this author and adore this series. In fact, I am completely incapable 4 Smut Scale Stars
If you've followed me for any length of time, you know I love this author and adore this series. In fact, I am completely incapable of providing wholly unbiased feedback here, so FYI. That said, I looked forward to this book for a long time and it definitely delivered.
I've loved Teague since we originally met him as Khloe's anchor many books ago and the added element of his mysterious background here was a lot of fun. I loved meeting his clan and their story.
I am also a sucker for a fake dating situation any day of the week, so that was fun too.
I will say that this book didn't grip me like they normally do...I found my mind wandering on occasion...but I think that's just me as I've been under a lot of personal stress lately.
After feeling "meh" about book one and not really loving book two, I have really fallen in love with this series with book three. In4 Smut Scale Stars
After feeling "meh" about book one and not really loving book two, I have really fallen in love with this series with book three. In fact, I already have already gone back and re-read books one and two...and will be upgrading those ratings shortly.
I just love this shit.
Paranormal romance, namely shifter romance, has always been one of my catnip sub genres and this series just checks a lot of trope boxes for me. I LOVE fated mates and the whole initial rejection and subsequent groveling is just the best.
As Suzanne Wright's self-proclaimed #1 Fan Bitch, I've gone on ad nauseam in many a review about how much I unobjectively love her, her formula3 Stars
As Suzanne Wright's self-proclaimed #1 Fan Bitch, I've gone on ad nauseam in many a review about how much I unobjectively love her, her formula, and her books in general.
I've read all but one of her 30+ books and she is at the top of my very short auto-buy list. In fact, this was my temporary "review" when I saw that I had somehow missed the release date for this despite my typically dedicated stalking:
"How the F did I miss this release date???? Who AM I even?
[image]"
And this is me sitting with this three star experience right now:
[image]
I adore this series and have 4+ starred all seven books preceding this one. So I was super surprised when I found myself struggling to get into this when 37% deep.
For some reason, I just didn't feel all that connected to Levi and Piper. Especially Levi. I'm not sure if it was the step-sister's-former-ex angle (even though I've overcome this in numerous books in the past), the fact that there were numerous mentions of him having female friends (Ella, Mia, Paloma, etc.), or that he never tried to approach Piper in the six years since his "fling" with her step-sister ended...but I just didn't feel like she was all that special to him.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that men can't have female friends. I'm just saying that Levi was presented as this guy who supposedly couldn't connect with people outside of the other Sentinels; and yet, in previous books, he was always calling his friend Ella whenever they needed witchy advice and there was mention in this book of another female friend kicking the step-sister-ex's ass at a bar when she got in Levi's face.
I guess what I'm saying is that this somehow all resulted in my just not getting that OTT possessive "MINE" vibe that I love about the alphas in Wright's books.
[image]
That said, I still did enjoy this. I always love spending time with Knox and the crew and I enjoyed all those moments here. I also have a deep appreciation for Wright's understanding of the human psyche and its motivations.
So while this may not have been a favorite, I still appreciated this for what it was. And who knows, maybe I will love it more upon a later re-read much like Carnal Secrets, which I didn't initially adore but later upgraded.
Anyway, it's all good. Looking forward to Larkin and Teague's book!!...more
Book one in this series turned out to be some of 2021's best spank bank fodder (review for that one HERE) and I've been stalking d4.5 Smut Scale Stars
Book one in this series turned out to be some of 2021's best spank bank fodder (review for that one HERE) and I've been stalking diligently waiting for this second installment to come out ever since.
When I saw that it was available last week, my whole body said:
[image]
Initially, I wasn't really digging Amelia (SO much inner dialogue, people) and Mason was a little too smirky and not enough twerky for my liking...
[image]
Yes, you do. Yes, you do...
Anygiggity, luckily, Amelia ended up ruminating a little less and Mason got his alpha running a little more...and we were off to the races.
Cannot WAIT for book three smut. I only hope I can make it that long. I am dying for Riley's book....more
This was my first Charity B. book and I really enjoyed it.
I will say that her way of describing things sometimes annoyed me...I'm making this 4 Stars
This was my first Charity B. book and I really enjoyed it.
I will say that her way of describing things sometimes annoyed me...I'm making this up, but something like this: "I wrapped my fluffy pink robe around my shoulders and then pushed aside the lime green lace curtains to look out the frosted window." Or something. But I'm being petty. Moving on.
I really liked the world she created here and her spin on witchcraft and the story of the Fall from Heaven. Being that John Milton's Paradise Lost is my favorite piece of literature ever, this really appealed to me.
And the fact that it was done in one of my smutty erotic books?
[image]
Impressive.
Now I must also say that the whole time I was reading this, I was reminded of Karen Marie Moning's The Immortal Highlander. Both male leads were immortal beings temporarily stuck in the mortal realm...both were invisible a lot of the time...both were super charismatic, etc. I loved that book, so it was fun to read something similar many years later.
But I digress.
The male lead in this book will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea. He does some stuff that had me...well...
[image]
AKA: Really fucking gross.
And yet here was me:
[image]
In fact, I accepted a lot of things from the hero in this book that I wouldn't necessarily always accept from others. But somehow the author made the hero endearing...even when he was doing something seriously disgusting. And to be clear: I'm not talking about his sexuality or sexual interest. I'm talking about stuff that involves...blood. And horns. And crevices. And what he did with Leena (whom I loved by the way). And that's all I will say about that.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this and plan on checking out more from this author.
Shout out to my friend Leigh for bringing this one to my attention and recommending it to me.
PS I wish the author had gone with another title. I feel like this one doesn’t match the quality of the book. But that’s just my opinion, maybe others disagree.
Edited: This book is probably a no-go for safety gang folks, FYI. PM me if you have questions. ...more
If we've been GR friends or if you've been following my for any decent length of time, you'll probably know that I am basically Suzanne Wrigh4.5 Stars
If we've been GR friends or if you've been following my for any decent length of time, you'll probably know that I am basically Suzanne Wright's number one fan ever. I have been reading her since forever and I've read and re-read (over and over again) pretty much everything she's ever written.
My Knox and my Trey Trey have been numero uno and dos in my spank bank for many years now, without much competition...
But Maddox came pretty close here to almost matching my two faves.
Almost.
He can have the silver spank bank medal.
So, thank you Maddox.
I can't wait for all the re-reads will be spending together in the future.
I really liked this series. Er'it and Aida had a lot of great chemistry together and I really enjoyed their connection. I'm a3.5 Smut Omegaverse Stars
I really liked this series. Er'it and Aida had a lot of great chemistry together and I really enjoyed their connection. I'm a sucker for anything omegaverse and this one definitely satisfied my craving for the genre.
I will say that I sometimes had to re-read some parts more than once as it wasn't always 100% clear exactly what was happening; but, I find that to be the case for me sometimes in books involving magical happenings. Or maybe I'm just dumb.
Anyway. Enjoyed this series well enough and look forward to reading more from this author. ...more
11/28/22: I have the flu and a re-read of this was what Dr. Kindle ordered. 4 COMPLETE Smut Scale Stars 5 COMPLETE Smut Scale Stars(Upgraded because I'11/28/22: I have the flu and a re-read of this was what Dr. Kindle ordered. 4 COMPLETE Smut Scale Stars 5 COMPLETE Smut Scale Stars(Upgraded because I've re-read it so many times now)
These stars are the epitome of smut scale stars. Don’t confuse them with regular stars. The rating equation would not compute. They are not the same.
They are the star equivalent of the empty calorie food. No “nutritional” value, not really all that good for you... But 100% fucking delicious.
One of my followers (shout out to Natisha!) sent me a message yesterday asking me if I had read this series. She said it was one of her all-tim4 Stars
One of my followers (shout out to Natisha!) sent me a message yesterday asking me if I had read this series. She said it was one of her all-time favorites and, being that I love Knox so much, she thought I would love this too (if I hadn't read it already).
Now, I have read and loved all romance - especially PNR - since I was 12 years old...so over 25 years now. And being that this was originally released in 2007 (I believe), I have NO clue why I haven't read this series yet.
NONE.
[image]
I mean, of course I've heard of it. I just have no idea what kept me from picking it up for so long. I think for a long time I had an aversion to long-running series which focused on one couple. Or something. But anyway, that time has passed.
And so here we are. And honestly, I am totally okay with the fact that it took me so long to read this series...
Because now I have all this old school PNR goodness just laid out before me, ready to be devoured.
[image]
And devour it, I shall.
This was SO much fun, you guys. Yes, Catherine/Cat/Kitten was annoying at times and I wanted to punch her in the face on occasion. But no matter.
Because Bones. BONES. I have officially joined the fan club. Now, do I love him as much as my beloved PNR Knox, Raphael, or Hawk? No. Not even close. But that's okay.
Because vampire. And English accent. And Spike vibes.
[image]
But I digress.
Now, I do think the "I love yous" came a little early for my liking...it just felt a little fast...but, that's okay, because I loved the pacing of the story in general. I flew through this thing and just had a great time doing it.
Read to tackle book two today. I only hope I can keep myself from blowing my reading load on this series too quickly.
[image]
I want to savor the old school PNR deliciousness....more
I really, really wanted to like this more. People have been recommending it to me for YEARS. A lot of my friends really love it and were chee2.5 Stars
I really, really wanted to like this more. People have been recommending it to me for YEARS. A lot of my friends really love it and were cheering me on as I read it...and I feel like a total asshole who let them down for not loving this; but in the end, we just all love different things.
And I didn't hate it, it just didn't blow me away.
Paranormal romance is one of my favorite, most read, romance genres and I have been reading it for over 20 years. I am basically a connoisseur here, people. I started with Christine Feehan and then, over the years, have read numerous series from Lora Leigh, JR Ward, Karen Marie Moning, Kresley Cole, Suzanne Wright, Nalini Singh, Laurann Dohner, Aline Hunter, Rebecca Zanetti, Thea Harrison, Gena Showwalter, Lucy Monroe, Elisabeth Naughton, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Slyvia, and Eresse...you know, just to name a few.
That said, while reading this, I kept finding myself thinking, "I feel like I've read this before," only better (sorry), somewhere else. The world system just didn’t feel all that original and I feel like I’ve just read PNR with better world-building, characters, and plots. In fact, this book almost felt like an amalgamation of BDB, Showalter, Naughton, Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, the baddie here felt like a direct rip-off of Drusila from Buffy.
The world-building was decent, but had a very clunky start, and the Zodiac group lacked cohesiveness. One of my favorite things about Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Feehan's Dark, and Wright's Feral and Mercury series, is that strong sense of team and brother/sisterhood within their group. And that felt lacking here, for me. There weren't enough moments built in that made me really believe that this group of warrior men and women had been together for centuries and would loyally live or die by each other swords.
Also, I just didn't like Rain. In my opinion, she acted more like a confused and immature 16 year-old than a wise healer who had been alive for more then 2,000 years. Her and Val had zero chemistry and I felt myself much more interested in what was going on with other characters.
All that said, I am definitely not giving up on this series. I know from experience that book ones are always the clunkiest in series like this and have a tendency to get better as the series continues. As I said earlier, I didn't hate this, it just didn't blow me away; however, I am definitely interested enough in the characters and the world to see what James does in book two and on. I think it definitely has potential to be a win for me later....more
I have been a heavy romance reader for over 20 years....and one of my first and always loves is paranormal romance, specifically shifter romanc4 Stars
I have been a heavy romance reader for over 20 years....and one of my first and always loves is paranormal romance, specifically shifter romance with a (fated) mates trope. So when I saw this book reviewed by my friend Leigh, I was all over it.
Was it original and earth-shattering? No. Did it hit this girl's PNR shifter romance spot? Like a dream.
Plus, this is a new-to-me author with a decently sized backlist I can now go forth and pillage. So all in all, a solid win all around....more
After sleeping on this, I am deciding to go with a straight 3-star rating here.
Now, let me start off by saying that everyone and their mother h3 Stars
After sleeping on this, I am deciding to go with a straight 3-star rating here.
Now, let me start off by saying that everyone and their mother has been recommending this book to me for years. Close to four years to be exact, being that this was published in November of 2016. Now, I definitely like recommendations...especially from those with whom I chat frequently and who know what I like. But sometimes, when something is recommended to me so frequently...it starts to feel like homework and I become childlike in my reluctance to NOT read it.
[image]
And then I have to wait.
For that "homework" feeling to fade. For that inner asshole telling me to NOT read something I would probably like, but am not, out of completely baseless spite to shut the fuck up.
So that's what I did. I waited until that feeling faded. Until I was ready.
Which happened at approximately 5pm last night after I had been battling a migraine all day.
[image]
Which brings me to now.
I enjoyed this book...but I wasn't necessarily enthralled by it, which I will be the first to admit really surprised me. I mean, this book has a lot of elements in it that are right up my alley.
Supernatural beings - especially a Siren...and I am always here for anything fae... Loved you since childhood shtick... A hot alpha-male who basically looks like the Witcher...
I'm here for it all.
So while I did enjoy it (3-stars is a good rating, people!) I also have no idea why I didn't love it more.
But I will endeavor to try to think of a couple reasons.
I think the world-building was a little weak in some areas, which left me feeling a little adrift...But mostly, I felt like the H went from tough and reticent...to overly lovey-dovey milk toast WAY too fast for my liking.
Also, unfortunately, I feel like my reluctance to read this sooner also played into me not liking this more. I think had I read this in 2016 (when it came out and people starting singing about it), I would have enjoyed it a lot more; however, at this point I think I have just read too many things with similar elements. So, my bad.
Otherwise, I do see myself continuing to book two sometime in the future - a decision solely predicated on the fact that it's available via Kindle Unlimited. I think if it wasn't...I would probably skip it, if I'm honest.
That said, I think anyone who has been thinking about reading this for some time (like I was) should go ahead and give it a go - especially if you already have it on your kindle or whatever reading platform you use. I really do think I would have liked it better had I read it earlier or simply been in a different mood....more
I know it's not "cool" to like SJM books anymore...all the cool kids say she's tired, she doesn't have enough "rep" in her books, she's too t4.5 Stars
I know it's not "cool" to like SJM books anymore...all the cool kids say she's tired, she doesn't have enough "rep" in her books, she's too trope-y, her males are too "masculine," angels and fae have been done too many times before, blah, blah, fucking blah...
I'm not here to rate the literary elements here, people. I'm not here to ferret out any imagined or un-imagined social warrior stances in a barely adult Urban Fantasy book meant for entertainment.
[image]
And this was scrumptious.
Was the beginning somewhat clunky and hard to get into? Yes. But I was prepared. And that should be expected in almost any first in a new fantasy series.
Was it too long? Yeah, probably. But I also wouldn't trade in any of the length and, in turn, lose any of the world/character-building.
Did a lot of the characters remind me of characters from her other books? Sure.
But again, I don't care. At the end of any given day, I am just a basic bitch who reads for ENTERTAINMENT. And I found this book to be 800 pages of a good time.
Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️
>
Books:
witches-demons
(59)
Loading...
