There's not much I could say about this book that hasn't already been said, and with a lot of gifs. Basically, nothing happens in this book. Qhuinn andThere's not much I could say about this book that hasn't already been said, and with a lot of gifs. Basically, nothing happens in this book. Qhuinn and Blay have sex but pretend they don't actually like each other, and in between these scenes, there is a lot of dull, inane rambling about other characters that never goes anywhere. At all. There is basically only one interesting thing that happens in this entire book.
Oh, and Qhuinn and Blay declare undying love at the very very very end. It's only satisfying because it's Qhuay and we've all been waiting for this for so long. But on the scope of m/m romance, this is basically a nothing. And in the scope of this series... well, I think we all know which direction this series is headed and maybe it'll meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soon.
So three stars because... well, just because. But it's not good and I'm pretty much done with this series....more
There are three things that I love about Kresley Cole’s IAD series, which makes it my favorite of all PNR series.
1. The characters. Kresley writes fanThere are three things that I love about Kresley Cole’s IAD series, which makes it my favorite of all PNR series.
1. The characters. Kresley writes fantastic characters with lots of dimension, and the secondary characters are second to none. They’re funny and fresh, and they always keep her books entertaining when the primary romance plot gets too tense. Sure I read her books for the romance, but I think even more than that I read them for her kickass female characters.
2. They’re always an adventure. They take place usually at a variety of different locations, with lots of action spurring the plot along. The characters always get themselves into seemingly impossible situations – you never know how she’s going to get them to their HEA because it seems so impossible, and then she always finds an interesting and entertaining way to get them out.
3. Kresley is better than anyone else in the biz at writing bad, bad boy characters that you want to loath but then end up loving. They’re charming and funny and they always end up redeeming themselves in the end. You always want the main couple to get together, even when you don’t know how it will work. Simply put, Kresley’s men are hot.
So how does Lothaire measure up? 0 for 3, unfortunately. Here’s the box score:
1. Elizabeth is a great main character. She’s strong, she’s smart, she’s feisty, she’s got tons of personality but she doesn’t feel like a carbon copy of all of Cole’s other females. She’s pretty much a perfect heroine, and the concept of her being a hillbilly from Appalachia is fantastic. Have you ever read a romance book with a main character whose dream is to live in a trailer with her husband and hunt for their dinner together? Had we been earlier on in the series, this might have been enough but now that I am accustomed to Kresley’s colorful array of secondaries, this one fell flat. There is a smidgeon of Thaddeus, a smidgeon of a new fey character named Balery, an even smaller smidgeon of Regin (too small to even taste) and a dollop of Nix. NOT ENOUGH. Where are all the crazy one-liners? Where’s the FUN?
2. Not an adventure. The vast majority of the book takes place in Lothaire’s apartment in New York where he’s holding Elizabeth captive. It’s very claustrophobic, not only for Ellie but also for the reader. There are a few reprieves (those minor moments where we get to experience the above mentioned secondary characters) but for the most part, it’s just Elizabeth and Lothaire, and their little battle of wits. Oh, and of course, the very rapey sex scenes that out-scumbag even Lachlain. The story did still have the seemingly impossible obstacle that had to be overcome in some out-of-the-box way, but even that felt sort of anticlimactic.
3. Lothaire, I think, was too evil of a character for even Kresley Cole to redeem. I wanted things to work out for Ellie and Lothaire for the first half of the book, because I trusted that Kresley could make it work, but for the second half I mostly wanted Ellie to get the hell away from him and go live with the Valks at Val Hall. By the end he sort of figured out what an ass he’d been and made something of a goodwill gesture to Elizabeth, but in my opinion, too little too late. I can’t imagine having to live with that guy. Good luck, Ellie. Lothaire: not charming, but, in typical Kresley fashion, still smoking hot.
So basically this one didn’t work for me. Not the way the other books did. I still love this series, but this one just didn’t have the pizzazz I’m used to. Although there were a few good things - a little insight into Lothaire and Nix’s past which I enjoyed (though not nearly enough), and we learn a juicy little tidbit about Kristoff. There was a lot more mention of both Kristoff and Furie in this book so I’m thinking she’s gearing up to finally give us that story soon. ...more
Sigh. Okay, I'm going to attempt to put my thoughts together:
1. The Romance: 2 stars I would compare this to Lover Enshrined in that the romance is NOTSigh. Okay, I'm going to attempt to put my thoughts together:
1. The Romance: 2 stars I would compare this to Lover Enshrined in that the romance is NOT front and center. Manny and Payne as characters were actually pretty likeable, much more so than Phury or Cormia. But they were so diluted, they had no impact. I liked Payne from previous books (or just one book? I don't remember) where she was sparring with Wrath. I was expecting a Xhex-like character. But instead she was more like Cormia - just completely bland, and I really couldn't stand all the formal speech. I swear if JR Ward doesn't quit using the words "verily" and "o'er" I'm going to completely use it. Bottom line: Manny and Payne were cute together, but neither one had any personality whatsoever, nor was their romance really developed, so I just couldn't get invested in it. There was no reason for them to want each other, other than that Ward wrote herself into that corner when she wrote V's book and couldn't get out of it. I thought a Payne/Xcor pairing would have been much more interesting.
2. Furthering of Overall Plot: 0.5 stars Half a star for the introduction of Xcor and the band of bastards. I'm mildly interested to see where that goes. But otherwise, there was nothing to move the plot forward. A lot of people were disappointed with LEn because of Phury/Cormia, but you have to admit that the rest of that book was pretty good. After the bang of the last book and the whole Xhex/Lash thing, this was seriously disappointing. Was there any point in reading this one? You could seriously skip it and not have missed anything.
3. Incorporation of Other Characters: 1 star I'm giving 2 stars for Blay and Qhuinn, because even though they frustrate the hell out of me, I still love them and care what happens to them. And good for Saxton for knowing the score. I'm satisfied that he won't be a problem. Can't give more than 2 because there just wasn't really enough there. But I'm giving a negative star for V and Jane, so total character score is 1. I am one of the few people who liked V's book and didn't really mind the whole "Jane's a ghost" ending. I was willing to go with it. This book undid any good will I had toward V and Jane. Why is he with her? His bond is with Butch. His chemistry is with Butch. V is in love with Butch, and Jane is just some sad consolation prize. This book didn't convince me otherwise, it just reinforced it.
4. Intense Moments: 0.5 stars There were a few events that could have been awesome, and then just completely fizzled. Yawn. What was the point?? (view spoiler)[ What on earth was the point of having Xcor kidnap Payne, after hundreds of years of thirsting after vengeance, only for her to say "Oh him? He wasn't really your father" and Xcor to say "Oh. Well, I guess you can go then." What the hell was that? And the whole thing with Manny and Butch being half brothers. That is super interesting. I actually liked that Manny stayed human and didn't go through whatever process they wanted to do on him. But the Manny/Butch connection was probably the most interesting thing in the whole book, and she just sort of stuck it in at the end, like "oh, by the way..." and then everything's hunky dory. Again, what the hell? (hide spoiler)]
I'm not even going to get into De la cruz and Veck. That had absolutely no point whatsoever.
So actually, all those individual star ratings average out to a 1. So I should be giving the whole book only one star. I'll stick with two. It wasn't that bad. I mean, there was a cool horse. Go Glory! ...more
I'm glad this book had so much other stuff crammed in, including a complete secondary romance between Walker and Lara which was adorable, because I haI'm glad this book had so much other stuff crammed in, including a complete secondary romance between Walker and Lara which was adorable, because I have to honestly say, I can't stand Hawke and Sienna. They both annoy the crap out of me....more
Almost 5 stars. I'm just not sure I have any 5 stars in me for this series 'cause you take the bad with the good... but this is definitely one of the Almost 5 stars. I'm just not sure I have any 5 stars in me for this series 'cause you take the bad with the good... but this is definitely one of the very best....more
I've come to the conclusion that Nalini Singh is not a romance writer, by which I mean that of all the aspects of a romance novel, the romance is one I've come to the conclusion that Nalini Singh is not a romance writer, by which I mean that of all the aspects of a romance novel, the romance is one area where she does not excel. I read these books more for the overall story than for the individual romance. It's a fairly general consensus among readers that it is better for the writer to "show" rather than "tell", and I think Singh is more of a "teller". She also tends to do this in somewhat of a detached manner which makes it difficult to really care for her characters. She rarely shows the why of the romance, which is sort of a critical part of it for me. In this case, the characters were very poorly developed, aside from each character having one Bad Thing in their past. Singh keeps telling us that they are "broken" but there's no real evidence of this. Really this just felt like a re-hash of Dev and Katya's story. I think I prefer the books that deal primarily with the changelings. Bottom line: The book moves the general plot along and I liked the further glimpses we got of Kaleb Krychek and of Nikita, and the whole issue of Silence is starting to reach an apex, but the two main characters and their romance are a throw-away....more
Loved this book. Malkom may be my favorite hero so far, and I loved the way Cole wrote their relationship. I felt that the previous book in t4.5 stars
Loved this book. Malkom may be my favorite hero so far, and I loved the way Cole wrote their relationship. I felt that the previous book in the series was just the h/h fighting their attraction the ENTIRE time, while in this one it didn't take too long for them to know they wanted to be together, but there were real obstacles in their way. Which doesn't mean that one way is better than the other, just that I appreciate that Cole mixes it up. Regin's book is next, and while I'm a little disappointed that her HEA is not me because I have a huge crush on her, I otherwise CANNOT WAIT to read her book!...more
Despite the fact that I felt the romance in this book was lacking (both Dev and Katya were great characters, but I didn't ever really feel them gel asDespite the fact that I felt the romance in this book was lacking (both Dev and Katya were great characters, but I didn't ever really feel them gel as a couple), this is the only book in the series that got me close to tears. I have a heart of stone so that's saying a lot. :)
And there was a lot of really interesting stuff in this book outside the romance. I'm excited to see where this series is going....more
This was not my favorite IAD book. But "not my favorite IAD book" is still heads and shoulders above pretty much anything else in the genre.
This time This was not my favorite IAD book. But "not my favorite IAD book" is still heads and shoulders above pretty much anything else in the genre.
This time our rollicking adventure is on a shady scientific expedition ship in the Amazon. It's very piratey, complete with giant gators. And there's the requisite reason why they can't consumate their relationship, and of course Garreth is an overbearing alpha male. It was all as it should be. Admittedly I wasn't totally drawn in to the romance. But I just love Kresley's writing and her characters. This was a fun read but most of all it left me anxious for the purported trilogy scheduled for later this year. What is up with that Lothaire, am I right??...more
I'll admit to only reading Untouchable by Kresley Cole. I had no interest in reading the Gena Showalter novella.
This was an adequate installment in thI'll admit to only reading Untouchable by Kresley Cole. I had no interest in reading the Gena Showalter novella.
This was an adequate installment in the series, but it did feel more like filler than a true book in the series. I liked Murdoch and Daniela but never got truly invested in their story. I'm very much looking forward to Pleasure of a Dark Prince....more
Review to come... turns out I have a lot to say and it's turning into some kind of massive term paper. There will be editing and revisions and the likReview to come... turns out I have a lot to say and it's turning into some kind of massive term paper. There will be editing and revisions and the like. I hope everyone's waiting with bated breath....more
So I would probably actually give this 4.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous so I'll round up. I felt like the first 90 pages or so were really slow, anSo I would probably actually give this 4.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous so I'll round up. I felt like the first 90 pages or so were really slow, and then the last 60 with the exception of the final 10 really dragged on. But everything in between had me anxiously turning pages, so I guess can forgive it.
The only thing I wish she would have done differently is the beginning. I don't think Clay was mentioned at all in book 3, and I didn't remember much about him from books 1 and 2. And Talin was brand new. But Singh just sort of dumped us in the middle of their story without really introducing them first. I would have liked a little refresher about who Clay was, and a teeny bit more insight into Talin, and even their mutual history. I just didn't have enough information to work with during those first several chapters.
But once the story got going, it was rocking. The romance was good, but it was secondary to me. The overall plot was really engaging and I think Singh is one of the best at keeping you in touch with previous characters. I was glad to see Judd and Brenna again, if only briefly.
I have a theory about who the Ghost is... I'm really anxious to see if I'm right! ...more
This book kind of reads like an erotic children's book.
This is the story of Joey, who met a fairy as a child and couldn't ever forget about i3.5 stars
This book kind of reads like an erotic children's book.
This is the story of Joey, who met a fairy as a child and couldn't ever forget about it, and Braeden, said fairy, who stayed in the human world to watch over Joey until he was old enough to know the truth. Joey is half fairy, and has amazing powers to talk to and control plants. But all is not well for Joey and Braeden, 'cause there's a bad guy after Joey.
The story is very, very simple. Joey and Braeden hook up at the very beginning, and the rest of the story is pretty predictable. It's told in a very simplistic manner, hence my comparing it to a children's book. There was no internal conflict for Joey and Braeden - it was all external. Everything was sunshine and roses as far as their relationship. It was basically just a very sweet little fairy tale where the good guys win in the end.
The sex scenes were very hot, though. I would not actually encourage anyone to give this book to a child. ;) If you enjoy m/m romance, you'll like this story, but I think it was just a little too sweet and simple for me to get totally wrapped up in it.
Note: Samhain Publishing likes to give humorous disclaimers about their books. One of the ones for this book was "inappropriate use of plants." Now, I assumed this would involve some smoking of mind altering substances. Oh silly, silly me. I should have had more imagination than that! I encourage any m/m fans to read this book for that scene alone. :)...more
Great second book in Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series. (Quick question - why was this originally billed as a trilogy? Yeah, those firstGreat second book in Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series. (Quick question - why was this originally billed as a trilogy? Yeah, those first three were released in rapid succession, but it seems fairly clear from the writing in the two that I've read so far that she always intended, or at least very very much hoped to extend it into a full series, which is now the plan. Seems silly to call it a trilogy. But I digress.)
The first half of this book was a bit of a struggle. I enjoyed it - unlike a lot of people who seemed irritated by her, I liked Anya. But it was difficult to get involved in the story at first, perhaps because it focused so heavily only on Anya and Lucien and we didn't get to see many secondary characters at first. But I think my main struggle was that I kept comparing Showalter's writing to Kresley Cole. I couldn't help it; Anya's dialogue was so clearly channeling the fun, snappy dialogue of Cole's characters, and knowing that Showalter and Cole are friends, it was very distracting to me. And the bottom line is that Showalter just doesn't do it as well. It felt to me like kind of a not-quite-as-good rip off of the IAD series; the kind you would read because it's so much like something else you love, like reduced fat cookies. You can enjoy it for what it is, but it will never be as good as the real thing.
By the second half of the book, I no longer cared. The story really began taking off, and all thoughts of Kresley Cole vanished. I was caught up in the story Showalter was telling, the characters she was creating, and the world she was weaving. I got hooked and couldn't put it down. Anya felt like her own fully realized character and no longer a copy of Cole's valkyries, and her relationship with Lucien was really sweet. And then they embarked on an exciting adventure, and we learned more about Anya's past and what the actual conflict of the romance was, and it all got very interesting. In addition, there was a really great subplot involving Paris and one of his conquests. I'll say no more because I don't want to have to mark this review as having spoilers, but I'll say it was very compelling and I can't wait to read more about Paris in future books. So I really enjoyed this book. The series will probably never be one of my absolute favorites, but I'll keep reading them.
Bottom line - slow start, but worth sticking around....more
Nichole (DirrtyH)
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