“Play my game, Lenore,” he says into my ear, his voice so low and quiet it feels like it’s originating inside my skull. “I’ll let you win.”
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Bla“Play my game, Lenore,” he says into my ear, his voice so low and quiet it feels like it’s originating inside my skull. “I’ll let you win.”
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Black Sunshine is an all new standalone featuring the dark vampire modern romance of Lenore Warwick & Absolon “Solon” Stavig. Upon celebrating her 21st birthday, Lenore is just looking forward to getting into her favorite bars without her fake ID. She has no idea her parents are really the vampire slayers that raised her as their own or that she is a vampire herself.....a vampire that is wanted by both vampires & slayers alike. Her only salvation comes from the vampire that deals with both sides, the very vampire that kidnapped her and awakened her hunger for blood & pleasure. He is the only one that can save her from those intent on hunting her down, that is if he doesn’t kill her first.
“I told you, I can handle you.” “You won’t be able to handle me, moonshine,” he says, brows knitting together. “I can’t even handle myself.”
I’m not a fan of paranormal/fantasy books typically, not since my days of reading the Twilight series have I really been into any sort of vampire romance. I can’t ever get into anything I can’t find some realism in, the entire “realm” of fantasy typically isn’t for me. However something about this one reeled me on in and I’m so glad it did! Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be falling down the vampire romance “rabbit hole”.....but I would read every book that involved the world Karina created with Black Sunshine. I was invested from the start and it didn’t loosen its grip on me until the very end. It was intense, suspenseful, action-packed, and deliciously sexy. It’s so easy to love a book when an author truly invests in the characters and their story she creates, it was crystal clear that Karina had a deep devotion to Lenore & Solon and it made such a difference!
“You’re going to burn so bright, Lenore. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
The Good: As I said before, I don’t do supernatural reads.....in fact I can likely count on one hand the books I’ve read in this sub-genre as an adult. This one is a true exception, it’s one of the rare supernatural/monster romances that I found intriguing enough to read. It was absolutely captivating, a true page turner. I never found myself bored or distracted, it kept me invested and on the edge of my seat. The cherry on top? It just kept getting better and better, so much more interesting as it went on.
The funny thing is, the biggest reason I don’t do this kind of romance is because it’s not realistic at all.....however Black Sunshine strangely made vampires/witches more realistic, the world she created felt like what our world would look like if vampires roamed it.
Another thing that definitely made this book even better is the fact that Lenore & Solon were just hot together. [image] Maybe it was the whole vampire thing and then being able to “take” more from each other, I don’t know.....the only thing I do know is that these two had smoking hot chemistry and I loved it.
Something I didn’t really expect is for it to actually be funny. Most of it was dry, maybe not even meant to be funny but it was nonetheless..... “Don’t you fucking dare,” he sneers at me. “I got that lamp from Queen Victoria.” .....other times it was so relatable and yet still delivered so dryly it made it even funnier..... “Those tattoos meant something to me!” He gives me a dry look. “Yes, I’m sure that Nine Inch Nails tramp stamp on your lower back was filled with profound meaning.”
I guess you can qualify this last one as good and bad, there is so much potential within this world and it’s characters that I just wanted more and more. [image] I guess that’s the ultimate testament to the job she did with this book, even if it does leave me impatiently waiting for what’s next.
The Bad: Now keep in mind when I finished this book there weren’t any plans announced for any sort of follow-up or spin offs, and although she has announced tentative release dates for those books (both a follow up and a spin off) it still remains an issue for me. This was written and released as a stand alone with the potential to become more, however it ends way to open-ended to me. In order to truly make it a standalone, we needed so much more answered or addressed. [image] By the end, I still had so many questions about so many different elements & characters which in turn made my desperation for more reavch such an extreme level. Maybe that was her plan, however I wouldn’t consider this a true standalone as she calls it....unless you are good with walking away not knowing a lot of facts crucial to the story and MCs.
The Verdict: [image] **consider me a fan Black Sunshine is the first vampire romance I’ve enjoyed in ages and for good reason, it takes the reader on a journey that is never boring.....keeping a level of excitement, action, and suspense without slacking in the romance department. If someone who typically stays far away from this realm of the romance world can fall head over heels for Lenore & Solon, I can’t imagine others won’t as well! So be like me and take a chance, what the worst that can happen when there is so much potential to LOVE it instead?
“I told you that you would ruin me,” he says. “Because I would ruin myself for you. You bring me to my knees, Lenore. Right to my god damn knees.”
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he utters between kisses. “And I can’t think of a better way to die.”
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After discovering this collection o“You’re going to be the death of me,” he utters between kisses. “And I can’t think of a better way to die.”
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After discovering this collection of dark retellings of classic fairytales through The Cold Queen, I knew the next one I would get lost in would be Siren. I didn’t know this author but I did know my love & fascination with all things mermaids (I mean the entire front of my thigh is covered with a large Ariel tattoo lol), made this feel like something made for someone like me. I let it simmer on my Kindle for 2ish weeks waiting on the perfect time, and when that time came I was anxious to get lost in a new adult (& hopefully deliciously dark) version of one of my all time fav Disney classics. If only the first half had been as good as the second half or that it didn’t feel so unintentionally like a love triangle that resulted in me being unable to believe in the couple being sold as in love.... [image] .....there were so many devour-worthy elements, but those elements weren’t enough to save it from its 2 star rating......
Book Facts: Told in: Multi-POV from Davina, Dagen, & Tobias, with a prologue set in the past. About: This is part of the Sinister Fairytales Collection, a multi-author collection of stand-alone dark retellings of classic fairytales. Siren is the adult version of the Disney classic The Little Mermaid, with some of the same loosely based characters BUT with a totally different spin of the story we know. It’s an enemies to lovers, slow building, angsty, & steamy romance. Triggers: Some graphic violence/torture. Ends in: HEA for couple with extended epilogue.
The Main Players: Davina: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Davina is a siren, the daughter of King Triton and granddaughter of Poseidon, the youngest of seven sisters but the one with the most power. She has sacrificed a lot to keep her sisters safe and allow them the safe haven on the island of Lacuna, she’s also the most rebellious of them as well. Her best friend is a human, Tobias, who brings her trinkets and treasures from his voyages at sea to add to her collection. When Dagen trespasses on their island, she finds herself both intrigued and attracted to him in ways she hasn’t felt before. She is curious, patient, trusting, & independent, but she can be vengeful and hot-tempered when pushed. I was fascinated by Davina but I didn’t have any sort of connection with her.
Dagen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dagen is a feared Viking warrior, the son of a great leader and next in line for his “kingdom”, on a mission to the mysterious island of Lacuna that results in him being captured by the seven siren sisters. He is instantly drawn in by the allure and beauty of the sirens, but something about Davina makes her the one he can’t seem to get out of his mind. His mission to escape off the island and get back to his people is soon clouded by his desire to stay with Davina. He is a typical Viking male....strong, dominant, loyal, and brawny. But he is no match for the sisters. I really liked Dagen, he was my favorite of the MCs BUT I also failed to connect with him.
Tobias: ⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Tobias is an orphan who has grown up on the sea, resulting in him being called the Prince of the Black Sea, who has made it his life mission to protect Davina & her sisters at any cost and search for his brother he believes is still alive. He is Davina’s best friend after fate brought them together as children and the only human that is allowed on Lacuna. He loves Davina and always has, hoping that one day they can be together. He is protective, loyal, determined, and sometimes clingy. I felt like I connected to Tobias more BUT his desperation and inability to stop being so desperate kind of ruined it for me.
What I liked: World/Character Building: She does a really great job at building up both the world this story resides in and the characters who play their roles within it. Describing how each sister looks is amazing bc as mermaids, there are so many different versions my mind could have latched onto. We get to see their strengths and their weaknesses as well. I love the elements it takes from the classic fairytale but also how different she makes it. Even the differences are things that wouldn’t be things you would ever think up on your own.
Twist Execution: It was pretty evident what a big piece of the “twist” would be early on (I’m talking by Chapter 2-3 territory) but even so, the way she executes the twist and everything that happens afterwards was one of my favorite things of the entire book. There are so many layers within the one “truth” there is no way you won’t be surprised by something.
The Second Half: In all the ways the first half failed pretty miserably, the second half more than made up for it with how entertaining and intense it was. It’s as if any entirely different author wrote it. I loved pretty much every aspect of the second half.
What I didn’t: The Pace (first half): This book DRAGS..... [image] ....god it drags. I honestly can’t think of a book that I’ve finished that I was this miserable with the pace for as long as I was with this one. The plot was literally stuck in one place with nothing new really coming into the picture just different actions with the same results. It resulted in a lot of fluff, a ton of repetition, and a miserable amount of boring reading. What it lacked was anything related to the romance aspect of a romance book......I’m talking no physical/steam interaction or deeper emotional connection, just intrigue from a distance. I still can’t believe I made it through.
The Whole (“not a”) Love Triangle: This isn’t advertised as a love triangle and by the definition of some I guess it isn’t. But I consider a love triangle to be when there is a single heroine that is the love interest of two different male “lead” characters and never tells one in a clear way she isn’t interested romantically. She loves them both but aside from a physical relationship with Dagen, there was never a point it was made clear the other was more friendship. Her saying things like this..... “I was afraid if you would’ve kissed me that you would own a piece of me that I’d never get back,” she continues then she sniffles and breaks into a sob. “But you did that anyway. I may have not shown it, but you were that person for me.....” .....its no wonder Tobias couldn’t seem to get the hint bc there wasn’t one. [image] It just resulted in some terrible issues for me.
Believability of Love: This is a direct result of the above. I couldn’t believe in HER love towards Dagen, at least not the kind of love that leads to a true HEA. No time was spent actually developing it in the first half, and then the whole triangle issue. You cannot love another man (no matter how much he means to you or what he’s done for you) as much as you love the man you want to marry and spend the rest of your life with..... I love Tobias and Dagen differently and entirely with every inch of my whole mind, soul, and heart. I’m not capable nor would I ever pick one over the other. [image] ......there was no point in this book I felt she loved Dagen, instead it felt she had a sexual attraction to him and called it love. This may be the most unbelievable love I’ve read about, at the very least it’s part of the worst 3.
The Verdict: [image] If the first half had been like the last this would be an easy absolutely....however that isn’t what happened and it’s really hard to get through for even the most determined reader. That paired with how ridiculously unbelievable the whole “love story” is, I’m not sure that the positives I had can make this one I’m confident in recommending. This is going to have to sadly be a no for me, BUT if you want to completely ignore me and dive in anyways just hold out for the brighter days of the last 50%.....you are going to need it to get you there.
“What else, Viking?” “I love you, Blood. That’s all there is to know.”
“Because who wants a princess when they could have a queen?“
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I’m not a big fan (or a fan at all really) of anything within the fantasy realm of“Because who wants a princess when they could have a queen?“
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I’m not a big fan (or a fan at all really) of anything within the fantasy realm of romance BUT I am a big fan of K Webster’s. This is a new development, but better late than never right? I’ve heard some good things about this book (and some of the others within this multi-author collection) and I love me some Elsa & Anna, so I was excited to see a darker more grown up take of their fairytale. When I finished, all I wanted to do was dive into more fantasy romance books while also beg Webster to revise this story into a longer more developed book. It has such incredible bones but it just didn’t live up to what I know it could be with a little more care...... [image]
I wanted to like this book...i mean it's a #1 best seller (or new release) in its genre. I really tried. I am new to the oA lot like over the top p*rn
I wanted to like this book...i mean it's a #1 best seller (or new release) in its genre. I really tried. I am new to the omegaverse stuff, only having read one other book. But even I know this is far fetched in this "realm".
Synopsis: The blurb is pretty dead on about this book. A female omega scientist that has suppressed her desires and her omega identity within her safe city, ventures out beyond the walls to find a very rare plant she needs for an injection she is developing. This injection will allow the citizens of her city to be able to suppress their nature and still be able to enjoy the outside world (they currently live in a bubble of sorts). There are quite a few things that go wrong on this mission, which leaves her in the wilderness with her fellow scientist (a suppressed alpha). Without access to injections or the safety of their bubbled city, they are sitting ducks waiting on their nature to take over. Soon she realizes that it's going to take more than one alpha to satiate her needs.
Here is what's wrong: 1. From the very beginning, the dialogue is extremely repetitive. It's absolutely ridiculous. If you still plan to read this, be prepared to read the word slick or every page usually multiple times. Not just words, but entire phrases or thoughts. 2. The beginning maybe 20% or so, the plot is awesome. It's suspenseful and kinda exciting. I honestly found myself wanting to find out what happens next. But after the suppressants wear off, that's where the plot seems to as well. Now I will admit that I only got to about 55% before giving up, but if that's almost 40% that is almost utterly plot-less.....and it gave no signs of getting better. 3. This is fiction, So I get most of these situations are not going to feel real-life (especially the fantasy genre). However, how can you take a realm that is so concentrated on the specific roles each of these individuals play (alpha/omega), and then turn them around and downplay their power/submission? Alphas don't tend to share their omegas....it really lost me there. 4. The worst part of all to me honestly is the scenes that start around the 45% mark. Some authors have a gift in writing sexual content that is desirable and that from which fantasies are made of. This wasn't such writing. It suddenly switched gears and reminded me of the old p*rn movies that were more laughable than a turn on at all. It just got super cheesy and embarrassing to read.
Final Thoughts: All in all, this is one of the first books that I gave up on and 1 star to. I am very determined to read completely and have stuck with books I wasn't a fan of til the end...but when I realized I had almost 50% left to read, I couldn't imagine making it. There are great reviews for this one so maybe I'm just used to different writing skills and styles, but I definitely don't recommend this book....more
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