After the drama and pain of the first 2 books in the Gargoyles of Stonehaven series, one would think that Cam (and the reader) would get a little reprAfter the drama and pain of the first 2 books in the Gargoyles of Stonehaven series, one would think that Cam (and the reader) would get a little reprieve or a breath.... but no. Life at the academy doesn't work that way, not even to pause for grief.
And grief it is. Cam is dealing as well as she can, but the loss of her mate is a devastating blow that has shattered the formation of a world she was just starting to build. Fortunately, she has friends around her, some old, some new, but all solid. Levi, however, is going to be an entirely new set of problems.
And the trials! It's one hit after the other for the academy, and Cam seems to just be along for the ride. She trying to steer, but life is knocking her sideways. Then, of course, we end with a cliffhanger. There was no other way, but dang it. ...more
This was a hard book to start - though I was desperate to know what happened. In a word - Shem. The end of the last book was devastating and brutal, lThis was a hard book to start - though I was desperate to know what happened. In a word - Shem. The end of the last book was devastating and brutal, leaving a scar for the reader and the characters both.
That said, this book soothes and balms the pain, while still pulling us through an epic journey that twists and turns up, down, and sideways. Rue is a fantastic character with equally superb characters around her - though Rue is truly the highlight, at least for me.
Like many of Debbie's books, there is a dual sense of conclusion and revelation at the end - it leaves it open for more, whether that is a continuation of Rue's tale (not sure how, really) or cameos in other stories set in this universe.
All in all, this is a great series that rips your heart out before giving it back, a bit bruised yet totally in love. ...more
A thoroughly enjoyable romp! Misunderstandings, new worlds, a brewing war and enough steam to set it all on fire. Fast paced and funny, it hysterical!
A thoroughly enjoyable romp! Misunderstandings, new worlds, a brewing war and enough steam to set it all on fire. Fast paced and funny, it ends on a cliffhanger that will immediately make you pick up book 2. ...more
There are some really great reviews for this book... but I just couldn't do it. I got to 34%, or page 213 and had to throw in the towel. I am sure it There are some really great reviews for this book... but I just couldn't do it. I got to 34%, or page 213 and had to throw in the towel. I am sure it get better, as some people really love this book. Yet I stumbled - they HURT her. I mean, Frost HURT her. Not just emotionally, but physically hurt her. Yes, she heals, yes, there is an entire mystery behind her, yes he was protecting the others - but dang it, I just couldn't do it.
More than bullying to me, which I also don't like in a romance, though to each their own.
I heard great things about this book and the concept was wonderful - especially the dual harems running at the same time with 2 heroines. Sadly enoughI heard great things about this book and the concept was wonderful - especially the dual harems running at the same time with 2 heroines. Sadly enough, the execution served the potential poorly, at least for me. I struggled to get into t, then to follow it or understand the universe I was dropped into. Plus, there was far too many info dumps regarding things that actually weren't very important and didn't move the plot along... at all.
I would like to revisit this series sometime later, see if my first impression changes. ...more
I am liking this series so far, though it suffers form the same threads that made me put aside Artemis University, at least for a time. While Avery isI am liking this series so far, though it suffers form the same threads that made me put aside Artemis University, at least for a time. While Avery isn't the most powerful by any means in this series, nor does she have an inspirational solution to all the problems, she does have the persecution plot devices that get a touch tiring.
That said - there are reasons that Avery is targeted so much, the largest of them being money. It makes sense, but I still find the attitudes of most everyone except her closest, to be unreal and perhaps inflated.
Regardless, it's still an enjoyable book with a character that starts coming into her own. ...more
I have to go through some of the older books I've read by this author, as this feels very much like a Universe we've seen before with the Gray and theI have to go through some of the older books I've read by this author, as this feels very much like a Universe we've seen before with the Gray and the Guardians. That said, it doesn't matter to reading enjoyment if there is a connection, as this is the start of a new tale and a new story, and wowsers - what a start!
First, Cameron is a kick@ss FMC with enough baggage to sink a ship. I am honestly surprised that she doesn't have a chip on her shoulder, as this girl has been dealt a poor hand my genetics and fate. Not a bad hand, exactly, as she had family that stepped up and helped her when her mother died, but still, her youth and future are dictated my rules she barely knows in a society that reveres pure bloods of both the goyle and human varieties.
The story really kicks off when Romi, Cameron's brother, is lost on a mission. This galvanizes Cam to seek out answers, and perhaps justice, for the only family that's ever really cared for her. That leads her to The Stone Academy, which lands her at the feet of goyles who think she is beneath them, teachers who agree and a mate that can't be what either of them needs. It's a mess of a good time, and it's just getting started.
It ends on a cliffhanger, and like most Cassidy novels, I am left with a bucket load of questions and curiosity. The biggest one though = IS THIS GOING TO BE RH??? Because, come on.... it really, really, REALLY needs to be!! Yeah, it'll be decent with just the mate bond, but.... ugh!
The back story is finally starting to come together -the big "why" over vampire hate, and it's sudden uptick, along with the general vitriol that is aThe back story is finally starting to come together -the big "why" over vampire hate, and it's sudden uptick, along with the general vitriol that is aimed at Violet.
The romance picks up quite a bit, but there are some potentials that make me quirk my brow. Ah well. ...more
When Monsters Bleed by Debbie Cassidy is the second installment in her newest series, Monsters Among us. Like most of Cassidy’s recent works, this is When Monsters Bleed by Debbie Cassidy is the second installment in her newest series, Monsters Among us. Like most of Cassidy’s recent works, this is a slam dunk of action, adventure and pure Cassidy wit – not to mention a hefty dose of Romance, though that romance is tempered by its slow burn appeal.
Rue fits the bill of strong, independent Female Main Character. She has done the best she can for her people and she keeps going, day after day, challenge after challenge, she steps up and kicks @ss, no matter the issue or monster, even if those ‘monsters’ are the ones that are tempting her the most… Kabiel anyone?
And Shem! Oh Shem. I really don’t know how I feel about him, them or this… I just know that I can’t wait to see what book 3 has in store. Fair warning – the cliff is a doozy....more
If you've read The Deadside Reapers by this same author, you are already acquainted with Cara, Fee's BFF of unimaginable depths and secrets. LaunchingIf you've read The Deadside Reapers by this same author, you are already acquainted with Cara, Fee's BFF of unimaginable depths and secrets. Launching from the events in that series, Cara steps into her own with The Thirteenth Sign, fully becoming the character we all know she was destined to become. She finds her own adventures, drool-worthy sexy times, and love that, quite literally, defies logic or expectations.
I am so happy that Cara got her own series - I loved her in The Reapers, yet I always felt that she was treated with. bit of disrespect there - her character deserved more, and here she gets it - and we get to join her on the magic carpet ride as she battles ancient secrets, societies, and a role that threatens any shred of happiness she might have found away from Fee's influence. It's epic, and just like all of Cassidy's works - it builds as the books progress, stacking detail upon detail.
Demon Gate is the third installment in Nys's story - and it feels like it's just getting warmed up. While Death is supposed to be the end, for Nyx, itDemon Gate is the third installment in Nys's story - and it feels like it's just getting warmed up. While Death is supposed to be the end, for Nyx, it's anything but, which might be expected given her name, current life choices, and those of her siblings.
The epic games that encompass the Morningstar saga have been woven through the first two books, falling into a graceless heap in the very first chapter of Book 3. Everything that has gone before led up to this moment, and it's a gut-wrenching culmination - one that isn't the climax that anyone expects.
There are a wealth of characters in this series, each with their own viewpoints and personality. I despised some in the beginning while loving others, yet here, as book 3 closes, I find those original opinions shifted and changed, much like Nyx's transformation. Nothing is quite what it seems and the battle for the Throne is just one small part of the larger picture.
August and Telerion say goodbye to us in this final installment of Debbie Cassidy's adventure-filled Eldritch Blues saga. And a saga it really is - inAugust and Telerion say goodbye to us in this final installment of Debbie Cassidy's adventure-filled Eldritch Blues saga. And a saga it really is - in true Cassidy style, she has woven a complicated world with numerous threads that demand to be tied in book 4, something that offered me a bit of doubt from book 3.
But she did it, and she did it well. Those threads were wrapped up, the loose ends tied, and an emotional goodbye delivered from a pair of lovers I honestly didn't expect to love as much as I did. Mind you, I adored August from Book 1, scene 1, but Tel took a bit to grow on me.
Intense, detailed, and incredibly complex, this is another winner for Cassidy's ever-growing list of hits. ...more
Of all the genres, sub-genres, tropes, and themes that Debbie Cassidy tackles throughout her narratives, I think my favorite just might be her DystopiOf all the genres, sub-genres, tropes, and themes that Debbie Cassidy tackles throughout her narratives, I think my favorite just might be her Dystopian offerings. There is just something about how she weaves these worlds that leave me intrigued, entertained, and just a touch nervous whenever science or nature start to act up.
Here we find Rue smack dap in a dystopian hell of her own, though she calls it normal. Not only does this book open with a bang, but Cassidy drops us down right next to Rue as she hustles to save her team and get medicine back to their base. Fair warning, it's not even 2 pages in when the gut punch of Rue's reality reaches out to smack you as she makes a necessary, though horrific, choice as Leader of this besieged group.
And that's just the beginning of this adventure - and it foreshadows just what kind of journey it's going to be. Painful, fast, harsh, yet somehow hopeful. Add in other elements as they sprint through the narrative and you've got an introduction to another great series....more
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