Girlinabook

More of a note than an actual review: This was a beautiful, tremendously poignant story accompanied by great art. It made me cry and think about a lot of things but the message conveyed by the ending, I felt, was wrong. Trauma is not always best forgiven and forgotten, and people's personal choice of dealing with it should not be generalised as a part of the story's message of empathy and forgiveness.

*3,5 stars. One and a half stars down because I'm really, really sick of how often I happen upon sexual abuse in the fantasy genre.

Elizabeth Hoyt is one of my favorite romance authors......but really though? That uptight, self-serving a@ssh@t who tried to marry off his own sister to an (abusive) man she didn't love, for his selfish ambitious purposes, is getting a book? I do have some reluctant faith, but his redemption better be believable.

Dear God, why.

For real? That ending..I just..I..I have no words. No. Words.

I'll admit I got into this book a little cautious, having read the rocky start of Thanatos and Regan's relationship in Immortal Rider. And when I say rocky, I actually mean: horribly-misunderstood, emotionally-scarring, violence-and-hate-inducing start.* So yeah. I dove in expecting to wince at angry sex and flinging accusations before the much desired HEA. Not the case. While the opposites-attract type of romance is great fun and ever sexy, Thanatos and Regan's romance was a more of a love story. They are, in fact, quite similar, both broken and deeply lonely, and they both cover it up with defensiveness and a sense of dark, biting humor. They fit perfectly. I enjoyed seeing them bond with their unborn child and with each other, and ultimately, fighting tooth and nail to keep their new, fragile family. There are some funny moments in this book, and I relished the appearance of a few familiar faces from the Demonica series. There's also a whole lotta gory violence. I suppose though this would be natural, this book being about Death Thanatos and all.The book keeps a hectic pace,even with a few stray POVs, which adds to the feeling that -pardon my french- the shit has hit the fan big this time. A great many things happen,either scary or heartwrenching, and climactically worse, like dominoes falling. Dominoes on fire. With acid dripping down as they fall. Speaking of POVs, Reaver, I have a terrible suspicion for you, though I still love you and want to have your babies. If that wouldn't turn you back into a Fallen one, that is. And Hades, how awesome are you? All in all, I loved this installment. It had the perfect balance of character development, sexy romance, action and suspense.Favorite quote: “If you could have a mate and kids, would you?” Reseph asked.Silence stretched, broken by the waves and the occasional seagull. Thanatos scooped up his own handful of rocks and shells and heaved them all into the water.“In a heartbeat,” he said quietly. “I would give up everything, my very soul, to have just one human lifetime with a mate and children.”*I will also admit that I read this book in under five hours, and that I had (and still have) a fever. That's right, I read this book while sick, so high five to Ione for managing to keep me riveted even like that. Headache? Worth it.

This story was well written, complex, but fucked up. I feel like it deserves more stars, but it was not something I enjoyed, ultimately. I did appreciate the depth and thoughtful subtlety that went into Michael's portrayal and also the complicated psychology of the motives behind each character.If you put the reader through an emotional rollercoaster such as this, make the ending more cathartic. I am not saying slap a HEA like a band-aid, but some extra chapters, where we could explore the new situation the protagonists end up with, would be welcome. For example, in the end I wasn't quite reassured about Anne's feelings. I needed to be sure they would, if not now,eventually have a happy ending. Eh, I should just stick to Julia Quinn-type books. The darkest I can take is Elizabeth Hoyt.

I'm sorry, I know a lot of people love this series. I just happen to hate it with the power of a thousand suns. ^_^ Hehe.*And damn my book OCD, I'm never picking it up again. This is a reminder, self.

Ι felt like this book had a lot of potential. The hero was interesting, the premise highly original and intriguing: A factory girl turned heiress is struggling to adjust from the gritty brutality of working-class London to the haughty glamour of the ton, all under the supervision of a seductive, clever aristocrat bent on marrying her. Sounds cool right? I thought so. But in the end, it all revolves around the heroine. The untrusting, obstinate, ungrateful, hypocritical,judgemental heroine.Now I confess, judgemental people are a major pet peeve of mine in real life. I believe the world would have a lot less problems to deal with if people weren't so intolerant and learned to be more open. So I'm guessing that characteristic of the heroine grated on me considerably more than it affected other readers.Anyway, I realise that her lack of trust and general rudeness was due to her brutal, cold upbringing in the worst part of London, with a lunatic of a mother and an abusive stepbrother. But there's no excuse for that behavior all through the frickin' book. She continuously resents and dismisses the people of her new world, despite not knowing a thing about them. When these people prove her convictions wrong (frequently, and especially the hero), she ignores it. She insults and looks down on the servants, too, just because they work for the high class.The hero is amazing to her. And not one moment passes where she doesn't doubt him. Even when she starts warming to him, and recognizes that he's different, she still has emo moments where she goes: "He'll never understand me.He has never begged for food." If that was true, and she really wished for him to understand, she'd talk to him about her life. Obviously he'll not understand if you hide behind your discriminating thoughts, you self-righteous idiot. Apparently, in her mind, because he's rich, he'll never comprehend true unhappiness. She treats the whole ton as mindless, good-for-nothing bores on the same principle. And all the while the author tries to pass her off as intelligent by giving her clever banter and feisty declarations of individuality. But honestly, tell me, how can a person who puts a label on an entire group of people be anything but stupid? I guess Duran was trying to mock the aristocracy's obvious rigidity and snobbery through the fresh perspective of the heroine. The effort was wasted, in my opinion, as instead of a biting social commentary, we get what comes out as bitter resentfulness. I also think that the relationship could have been made more interesting. It starts out as lust, with a few glimmers of a real connection, which are met with denial from the heroine. By the end, a loving relationship is formed, but the how and where it was founded still puzzles me.Also, we never do get much far in the psychological portrait of the hero, which is a damn shame, since there was a lot of emotional history there. Musicians make a fascinating kind of hero. This bothered me perhaps because I had previously read More Than a Mistress which delved into the artist's soul. So more unrealised potential in that way.All in all, the writing was good and very realistic, the heroine insufferable, the hero and the story unsatisfyingly handled.

4,5 stars.Damn those tiny paragraph sex scenes! Also, I thought that the romance needed some work, for it seemed to me that it lacked the spark and witty chemistry of the previous stories. But, the imaginative worldbuilding and fun, colorful characters made up for it.

God, this book absolutely terrified me when I read it. I blame the evil-looking drawings. ::shudder::

3,5 stars. I would've given it 4, had I read it before Demon Moon. So as it is, this is a point less. It was still really good but I thought it kind of lost steam towards the last 100 pages. Lilith and Hugh were the best aspect of the story. I loved how they were developed.

This is a difficult book to review, so I'll just write down some of my thoughts,hope I make sense and try not to abuse the italics button.:)First of all,the fact that the author picks a repelling, taboo subject such as incest and morphs it into one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking love stories I, for one, have ever read is a feat in itself and recommendation enough.Now,the fact that all this is done in an utterly believable and realistic manner, is what took it straight to the land of great fiction for me.The thing is though, it doesn't feel like fiction. The characters, the situations they are put in,(and how they subsequently react to them)-the whole progression of the plot really, are completely credible.The plot and the timing are flawlessly orchestrated. Here are some of the most accessible, human, real characters I 've ever come across in a book. And all the more tragic for it. The writing manages to be vivid and honest, both because of the accurate depiction of everyday family life,* worries and duties, and because of the raw emotional confrontations between the protagonists-(and sometimes, even the other characters). The psychological portraits of the heroes come through the two-person narrative with astonishing clarity. You feel for them, even if you don't want to. Worse, you understand them.*There is one part, when the middle child, rebel-in-the-making goes off at night and way past his curfew. Lochan's reaction,first the irrational anxiety, self-doubt and lastly the mounting panic that something must have happened is textbook parent.Lochan and Maya have an unconventional relationship, and that's what makes their story unique and complicated. From an early age, they are forced to rely solely on each other,to raise the family an alcoholic, frivolous mother and an absent father have left them with. And so they are parents, best friends, soulmates in the true meaning of the word. Make no mistake, they are also brother and sister. Suzuma doesn't oversimplify things by erasing/glossing over that aspect. There are consequences to their feelings, not only social (the constant fear of discovery provides the suspense that kept me turning the pages like a madwoman, when I only wanted to savor them), but also personal. They struggle with those feelings, expressing all the natural questions and doubts that the reader has. The exchanges between them, they are heart-rending and so vibrant,that the reader feels like he's watching the scene rather than reading about it. And so you can't help but wish them together.I cried for what was probably a ridiculously long time when I finished this book. The ending was perfect. I have no words. This book will stay with me.

3- stars.Acheron's story was incredibly fascinating, and also incredibly painful. I appreciate the attention Kenyon gave to his tale. That said though, I did find the story and writing overly simplistic,and Tory -the hero's romantic redemption- came across as immature, judgmental, self-involved and at times just plain irrational. (By the way, she slaps Artemis? That's the climactic showdown in which she avenges her beloved? A slap?! I guess I'm more bloodthirsty.)

Okay, so this book surprised me and I didn't see it coming.Firstly because ever since I heard that Mencheres was getting a book, I was never overly interested in his story. I mean, I liked his character, sure, but a whole book about him? Meh. And then I read the first Night Huntress World novel, (Spade's story) and was more than a little put off. Very generic pnr, the hero was boring and unoriginal, whilst the heroine was truly bang-your-head-against-the-wall annoying.Anyway, I started reading EKoD with a great deal of skepticism. I should also say that I don't read much paranormal romance, but I prefered Frost's books because I'm already familiar with her characters so some of their growth and analysis have already been accomplished in the previous books. It's easier to relate, easier to understand.Mencheres is propably my favorite character now, (after Vlad of course). In the Cat and Bones books, he was a cool and somewhat detached character, and seemed pretty stereotypical. A father figure to the hero, very utilitarian , often a way to progress the story and divulge worldbuilding information. Astonishingly, EKoD's Mencheres is a strong,self-deprecating, funny, earthily sexy man, whose way of thinking and actions come across as both legitimate and sincere. His exchanges with Kira were intermittently funny, hot and sweet.In many pnr books(both adult and ya) what bothers me is exactly this: how the old,savvy and jaded immortal protagonist is magically swept off his feet by the mortal he loves(see:lusts for)and everything about his character and way of life changes. We are practically slapped with a makeover and a HEA with no further development. But here the progress is slow(er) and believable, and there is no drastic character rewrite or sugarcoating. Mencheres retains his good and bad attributes and so does the heroine. The couple's HEA is not their sins atoned, but the fact that they simply come together. I also appreciated the fact that Frost decided to build their relationship not on lust-on-sight but on a sense of deeper connection. I'm propably not conveying this well, but their progress felt more humane, realistic, satisfying than others. They are similar, kindred souls, and they, quite simply, recognize it.As for the heroine, Kira, I loved her. She was smart, spunky and brave, loving and generous. The absolute opposite of TSTL. Her sincerity about her feelings, and aknowledgement of her faults is remarkable. (Denise, eat your heart out). Her objections and reactions were realistic and never overexaggerating. What won me over was the fact that she didn't beat around the bush about her nature,her feelings. Attagirl.There is an appearence from Vlad!! Damn, I love his portrayal, a mixture of brutal honesty, sarcastic humor and heartbreaking insights into his soul. Frost is planning a new series about him, not just a NHW book. That said, EKoD could have used a few more pages and the protagonists did come together a little too fast for my liking. But as I said, I at least, was, in the end, satisfied about their development. It was honest.Liked this one a great deal, as you can tell by my wildly incoherent rant that's supposed to pass as a review, but oh well. ;)*3,5 stars.P.S.:Kinky ceiling sex. If that's not going to persuade you, I don't know what is.

Okay, so this book surprised me and I didn't see it coming.Firstly because ever since I heard that Mencheres was getting a book, I was never overly interested in his story. I mean, I liked his character, sure, but a whole book about him? Meh. And then I read the first Night Huntress World novel, (Spade's story) and was more than a little put off. Very generic pnr, the hero was boring and unoriginal, whilst the heroine was truly bang-your-head-against-the-wall annoying.Anyway, I started reading EKoD with a great deal of skepticism. I should also say that I don't read much paranormal romance, but I prefered Frost's books because I'm already familiar with her characters so some of their growth and analysis have already been accomplished in the previous books. It's easier to relate, easier to understand.Mencheres is propably my favorite character now, (after Vlad of course). In the Cat and Bones books, he was a cool and somewhat detached character, and seemed pretty stereotypical. A father figure to the hero, very utilitarian , often a way to progress the story and divulge worldbuilding information. Astonishingly, EKoD's Mencheres is a strong,self-deprecating, funny, earthily sexy man, whose way of thinking and actions come across as both legitimate and sincere. His exchanges with Kira were intermittently funny, hot and sweet.In many pnr books(both adult and ya) what bothers me is exactly this: how the old,savvy and jaded immortal protagonist is magically swept off his feet by the mortal he loves(see:lusts for)and everything about his character and way of life changes. We are practically slapped with a makeover and a HEA with no further development. But here the progress is slow(er) and believable, and there is no drastic character rewrite or sugarcoating. Mencheres retains his good and bad attributes and so does the heroine. The couple's HEA is not their sins atoned, but the fact that they simply come together. I also appreciated the fact that Frost decided to build their relationship not on lust-on-sight but on a sense of deeper connection. I'm propably not conveying this well, but their progress felt more humane, realistic, satisfying than others. They are similar, kindred souls, and they, quite simply, recognize it.As for the heroine, Kira, I loved her. She was smart, spunky and brave, loving and generous. The absolute opposite of TSTL. Her sincerity about her feelings, and aknowledgement of her faults is remarkable. (Denise, eat your heart out). Her objections and reactions were realistic and never overexaggerating. What won me over was the fact that she didn't beat around the bush about her nature,her feelings. Attagirl.There is an appearence from Vlad!! Damn, I love his portrayal, a mixture of brutal honesty, sarcastic humor and heartbreaking insights into his soul. Frost is planning a new series about him, not just a NHW book. That said, EKoD could have used a few more pages and the protagonists did come together a little too fast for my liking. But as I said, I at least, was, in the end, satisfied about their development. It was honest.Liked this one a great deal, as you can tell by my wildly incoherent rant that's supposed to pass as a review, but oh well. ;)*3,5 stars.P.S.:Kinky ceiling sex. If that's not going to persuade you, I don't know what is.