Paranormal Romance Novels Reviews

Book Review: Endless Knight by Kresley Cole (Book #2 - Arcana Chronicles)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 04:40:00 +0000

Kresley Cole does it again! Although Endless Knight is part of a YA series, it will not disappoint those how have learned to love her Immortals After Dark series or anyone who is just starting with her books. This is the second installment of her Arcana Series and should be read after Poison Princess (Book #1 of the Arcana Series) as it picks up directly after the last chapter of the book.

Personally, I found the pace a little slow, mainly because this is an on-going series where one event directly leads to the next, so there are no real endings to each of the books until the entire series ends. However, once you reach the end of the book, you will always wish for more. Kresley Cole leaves you in the worse type of cliffhanger (in a very good way) you can imagine. I, myself, almost screamed in frustration when I finished the last chapter in Endless Knight as I realized I will have to wait another year for the Book #3 in the series to find out what will happen to our sexy Cajun, Jack, as it is scheduled to publish in Fall 2014.

Summary:
The rain that the Fool has been warning Evie, the Empress, about had started to pour after her encounter with the Hermit and acquired his icon. Finally, she realized her powers and was no longer the helpless girl that she had been ever since the Flash, the apocalypse that killed most of the living and turn many into Bagmans - thoughtless zombies. Allying with the Fool, Huntress and Magician she finally remember the game, where there will be only one winner, one survivor.

Jack, her sexy Cajun, had seen her using her powers to control plants and her appearance turning into that of a red witch and was horrified at what he saw, but there were little time to adjust as they are immediately chased down by Bagmans, other arcana cards and cannibals. When they finally had the time to talk things over, Jack decided he was more upset with her keeping secrets from him.

Death had been taunting her in her head through the Fool since the beginning of the game. Now he appears before her and threatens her friends and allies. Her only choice was to go with him. His words are menacing, but he brings her back to his castle and let her roam free. He wouldn't let her near him, but when she was not looking, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. There were history between them, things he would never forget... things she forgot over and over and she must figure these things out before history repeats itself.

What I liked:
I know I haven't written a review for Poison Princess, but one of my biggest problem with that book was that I didn't like Evie, the female protagonist, in the first half of that book. I generally have no issues with main female characters who does not possess strong personalities (I actually prefer them a little mellow rather than having too strong a personality), but her attitude in the first half of the first book of the series was "princess" like... in a bad way. She was a bit snobby, imo, and had nothing to contribute while on the run after the apocalypse. But things have started to change in the second half of that book and by the beginning of Endless Knight, she was much more likable.

Something that I really like about Kresley Cole's books is that she has a way of writing about changes in characters that are logical and believable. Some authors attempt to write about a change in the way a character thinks and acts and end up making it awkward or the change was so sudden that it doesn't make sense. KC has the talent to write about these changes and make the transitions smooth and realistic, which enhances the story reading rather than ruining it. Evie was put into a leadership role in this book and was able to contribute some good ideas and save the day several times. She definitely held her own throughout the majority of this second installment rather than entirely depending on Jack like in the first installment.

Jack was as sexy as ever and there was almost nothing that I don't like about him... ok, maybe his only flaw is that he drinks a bit much. He is protective and, although he is a mortal and does not wield any magic, he more than holds his own. Even after he saw Evie with all her power (and she could easily kill him with one thought) he still wants to protect her and does his best to do so.

Death received the most character development in this installment of the series as it was his first real appearance half way through this book. In the Poison Princess, he appeared only in dreams through what the Fool wants Evie to see and what the Empress saw in her past life.

Overall, I love the character development in this book. How Evie seems to have a bit of a split personality, between herself and the red witch Empress, is interesting and certainly explains a lot about her past encounters with Death.

Character interactions were also wonderful. There is so much chemistry between Evie and Jack and Evie and Death. Both Jack and Death are absolutely adorable in very different ways... ummm... not the way you say "awww, cute!!" though.

Another thing I thought was very nicely executed by KC was how she handled Evie's feelings toward the later of the book. She genuinely loves Jack, despite she realize he had kept some very important secrets from her, but she was also wildly attracted to Death. I like how it was not a sudden change of heart thing for Evie and neither was she just latching on another guy as one had hurt her badly. I also like the fact that after the initial shock of knowing the secret Jack had kept from her, she could see reason, although she was not yet able to face him yet.

As much as I love reading love triangle themed stories, some just didn't feel right, especially when the girl ends up having feeling for both guys. So far, I have not yet felt that Evie was playing the guys, as I have felt in other similar story plots before. I certainly hopes KC keeps it up.

What I didn't like:
Like I mentioned before, I found the story to be a bit slow moving. It was the same problem with the first book. To be honest, if I would have picked up Poison Princess or Endless Knight without having read and loved KC's other works, I might have stopped within a couple of chapters. One can certainly argue that it is natural for these types of stories. It is meant for a series where things happen over several volumes, but I would have like the pace to be a little quicker.

There is also a decent portion of the story where they are running from the bagmans, cannibals and other psycho beings and I found those chapters to be a little lacking. Now, I'm not saying it is bad and I want to skip the pages, but they, unfortunately, were not page turners.

Although this is a continuing series and much of the story is to be revealed over several books, I felt like it didn't have a big theme and a big event. I mean, yes, many things happened, Death and his relationship with Evie was introduced and, temporarily solved, but the big climax didn't feel like something that was built since chapter 1 of the book. Rather, the book read like two separate sections. Section I - Jack, Section II - Death. It worked for Poison Princess, because it was Section I - Pre-Flash (apocalypse), Section II - Post-Flash, but it didn't work quite well for me in Endless Knight.

The cliffhanger was also something that was annoying. Now don't get me wrong, it's not bad! It's just that all of a sudden something new and pressing was introduced and then boom, TO BE CONTINUED! And you're like dafuq, as Jack would say. This is especially frustrating when she's only publishing one installment a year... Can somebody invent a time machine so I can skip to Fall 2014, day of publishing of the next installment?

Conclusion:
Although not as much of a page turner like her Immortals After Dark Series, the Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole are not to be missed. Both Jack and Death in Endless Knight are to die for! This series can certainly hold its own. KC weaved a world and a game that is believable and the reader is invited to learn and experience it along with Evie. I cannot wait for the next installment... I just hope that the next 12 months can pass by quickly enough...

Read my reviews for other novels by Kresley Cole

Book Review: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (Psy/Changelings Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:46:00 +0000

I haven't posted for a long time again, but I have been doing a lot of reading during this time. One of the series that I'm very much addicted to right now is called the Psy/Changelings Series by Nalini Singh. The first installment of the series, Slave to Sensation, is a wonderful page-turner written in a convincing original alternative universe (with very yummy male characters, of course).

Summary:

As the alpha of one of the most powerful leopard packs in the country, Lucas is committed to protecting his pack at all cost. When a brutal murder descended upon his pack, DarkRiver, he was determined to find and bring Changeling justice to the serial killer. But to do so, he must extract information from someone of a race devoid of all emotions.

Where the Changelings depends heavily on their emotions and the bond of pack, the Psy denies all emotions, considering it as a weakness. Sascha Duncan was the daughter of a Councilor of the Psy race and was taught to become the perfect Psy from a young age, but she was flawed. Fascinated and attracted to her new Changeling business partner, Lucas, she must hide her emotions to avoid the horror of a "rehabilitation", a fate worse than death, even as he temps her otherwise.

What I liked:

I must admit, I never really liked shape-shifters with the exception of the ones in Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark Series (see my reviews here), and those Lykae weren't even real shape-shifters. I like animals, but having a lover who'll go all furry on you wasn't exactly the sexist thing to imagine. I already have my cat, Kuhla, who snuggles up to me when he's in a good mood, thank you very much, lol. But, I must say, Nalini Singh managed to make her Changelings beyond sexy. What I really love about the Changelings is that their animal is very much a part of them even when they are in human form. This is not something I see all the time in other shape-shifter stories. Throughout the series, you see their human-side battling with their animal-side, which wants to act on instinct. This made their race very interesting and real, which brings me to my next point.

Another reason I was so hooked on this book and, subsequently, the series, is how well and convincing the world was developed. The story takes place in an alternative universe with three different races, Human, Changeling and Psy. Introducing new races and an original alternative universe is very difficult. What was great about the author's approach is how she took ideas we are familiar with and expanded on it to make it her own. We are familiar with the idea of shape-shifters, so she took that as a base and added her own elements to it to make the Changelings. We are familiar with the idea of psychic powers, she took that and added her own twist to make the Psy. What's even better is that we get to discover the ways of the unfamiliar Psy race along with the Changelings, as they are almost as equally clueless about this "emotionless" race as the readers are.

Of course, the hero of the story, Lucas, was super yummy and I can never resist a dominant male (not in a chauvinist pig way) who cherishes females. I loved how he is so protective of Sascha even as he still saw her as an enemy and wanted to extract information from her to get to the serial killer. I also liked Sascha's character development and her struggles to hold on to what is "right", as was taught to her from childhood, even though it goes against everything in her nature. Again, I think that is certainly very real. Most of us are afraid to be different because we know we will become an outcast, so often we do everything in our power to fit it. And that's exactly what Sascha was doing in the earlier parts of the story, until love conquers all, so to say. :)

What I didn't like:

There isn't really anything I didn't like about Slave to Sensation. But there were a few minor things that bothered me a little. For example, at one point in the story, it was said that one of Sascha's favorite memory exercises she does on the computers involved a list of different sex positions. It just seemed odd to me that as a race that views emotions as a weakness, promotes reproduction through the use of sperm banks instead of sex and a governing body that erased information they don't want their people to know would allow the use of sex positions as part of a memory exercise. However, as I said, the things I found odd are only minor things that did not really affect the rest of the story.

Some reader found it unrealistic that once Sascha decided to let go of Silence, the practice of getting rid of all emotions, she was able to transition right away and became like everyone else. Although, I would have liked to see her struggle just a little more on adjusting to her new life with emotions, I wasn't too bothered by it. How I see it, was that she was not able to be herself before, and now that she let go of Silence, she was just being herself - a normal person with emotions. But then I guess it all depends on how you see it.

Conclusion:

If you haven't seen Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh, then you're missing out. I highly recommend this book, and the series to shape-shifter-lovers and non-shape-shifter-lovers alike. The world created in this story is highly believable and intriguing that you'll find yourself immediately hooked. Right now, the Psy/Changeling series is almost at the end of the first arc, with Kiss of Snow coming out in June, so it's getting super exciting to see how things will turn out.

Let me know what you think of this book or series. Did you like it?

All reviews for the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh

Movie Review: Twilight Saga - New Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:30:00 +0000

I know I haven't posted in a long time, and this post isn't even a novel post. But I figured I should do a little update on the paranormal romance world.

So! After a long wait, I was finally able to see the New Moon Movie from the Twilight Saga today. I've already written a book review here so I'm just going to be commenting mainly on the movie. And to get to the bottom line without wasting people's time, the movie was slightly disappointing, but not so much as an absolute don't-watch-it-category movie, mainly because Taylor Lautner had his shirt off for a lot of the scenes.

So first of all, I was so glad that the movie wasn't as disappointing as the last one. I really think that having a higher budget and a different director worked in its favor. And Taylor Lautner was definitely smoking HOT when he took his shirt off.

You know, I admire Taylor Lautner, as he added 30 lbs (or whatever) of muscle on himself so that he could keep his role. And I believe it was a good choice. New Moon portrayed him well, and I bet that a lot of Edward-fans or non-Twilight readers will be joining Team Jacob after this.

But note that I will not be one of those, because my love were for the characters from the books and not the movies. But I do like Taylor a lot, and have no love for Robert Pattinson at all.

Anyway, off topic.

The reason I liked this movie more than the last one was because it was obvious that the director tried hard to stay true to the book for as much as possible. Unlike the first one, no super major scenes were cut, and nothing, at least to me, screamed WRONG like the kiss scene in the first movie. However, I think it stayed a little TOO true on some lines. You know how somethings sounds perfectly fine when it's written, but when spoken, it would just sound cheesy? There were quite a few moments of those in there. >_<

It was nice to see the CGs in this movie were very well done, and I absolutely adore Jacob's wolf form. I was quite worried about seeing some ugly wolves running around until I saw the trailer, but was still worried that they didn't portray the wolves correctly. Luckily they did. THANK GOD!!

Now what's wrong was the Vampires... Ok, I never considered them Vampires, really. I'm sorry to say, but I just kind of treated them as a different species that drinks blood when I read the book. Vampires are supposed to have FANGS!!! If you're a vampire and have no fangs, you're like... handicapped or something. You've got to have fangs to be vampires... But, off topic again.

I don't really blame this movie for how the vampires look. It was set in the first movie, and you can't really change it drastically. So I guess they were forced to "go-along-with-it." But still... >_<

My BIGGEST problem with this movie is Edward though. OMG, he was so hot and so great in the books, but he's just a lame ass ugly white... THING in this movie. I'm going to apologize in advance for people who likes Robert Pattison, but he's terrible!!! He can't act, and every time he speaks, he acts like he's a ventriloquist by not moving his lips at all. I could barely understand him on many occasions!!

Another thing is, and I think Jacob fans would definitely disagree with me, that I believe although Edward wasn't present most of the time in the novel New Moon, I still think that it is a story about Bella and Edward, not Bella and Jacob. It's about how much Bella really loves Edward and for him to realize that leaving her for "her own good" is just not an option. However, this movie did not capture the essence of it. So, it was quite disappointing in that way.

Don't get me wrong though, I still enjoyed the movie on some level, just not the way I was supposed to enjoy it. Oh... Did I mention that Taylor without a shirt on was HOT? Yah, he was HOT!!!!

Book Review: One Silent Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:46:00 +0000

One Silent Night is one of the best stories in the Dark Hunter series. It was a fast-paced, page turner, where Sherrilyn Kenyon turned the all-time villain into the hero of his HEA romance novel.

Summary:

Stryker, the all-time villain of the Dark-Hunter series, the Daimon who's ultimate goal is to destroy Acheron and mankind, was once in love eleven thousand years ago. Forced to divorce his ex-wife only after a year of marriage by his father Apollo, he thought that she was long dead when his father cursed his whole race to die at the age of twenty-seven. After loosing his sister to his eternal enemies Acheron and Nick, he unleashed the uncontrollable War to make his revenge, only to find his ex-wife sent to kill him by Artemis.

Zephyra was surprised when Artemis sent her to kill Stryker, her ex-husband, and she was more than willing to do the goddess' bidding. It wasn't only because Artemis had saved her life so long ago and that she was forever in the goddess' debt, but also because she can finally take her revenge against the one person she had once loved. Eleven thousand years ago, she was young, and she had fallen in love with Stryker and believed in him, only to be divorced by him a year after so that he could go marry another women. But even after so many years and all those hatred towards him, she could still feel their attraction deep inside her.

What I liked:

I think it's very difficult to write a romance story about a villain. It must be sympathetic to a degree, and yet, the characters cannot have a sudden personality change. And I really think that Sherrilyn Kenyon did a great job in this book on those aspects. I did not all of a sudden fall in love with Stryker, but the story that was told about his past and his point of view of things did make me sympathize with him to a degree that I accepted him being able to love another. And I'm also very glad that he remained a villain throughout the story, and not all of a sudden wanted love and peace (ok, love yes, peace, no).

What I didn't like:

The story was way too short. It was a much thinner book, with huge fonts. In a way, I felt somewhat cheated when I first started reading. Did Sherrilyn Kenyon put too many words in her book Acheron that she's sacrificing word count on this book? Luckily, the story made it up for me, so that by the end of the book, it didn't bother me anymore.

Conclusion:

Although there are mixed reaction to One Silent Night, the 13th installment of the Dark Hunter series, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, I thoroughly enjoyed it very much. Although the story was short, I was able to see things on Stryker's side for once, and thought him worthy of his HEA story. I'm very glad that he remained as a villain though, so I do suggest those who are contemplating on whether to read this book or not to keep an open mind, and I believe you will appreciate the HEA of a villain all the more.

All reviews for the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Review: Dark Challenge by Christine Feehan (Carpathian/Dark Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Dark Challenge, the fifth installment of Christine Feehan's Carpathian/Dark series, was a novel with a decent storyline, less than satisfactory flow, and too many distractions. Hence, my rating of a 3.5 Pink Hearts.

Summary:

Julian Savage was a Carpathian male who was tainted by a vampire at a young age, forcing him to live a solitary life away from his kind and his twin for centuries. The time has come for him to greet the dawn and end his bleak existence, but not before he performs one last task for his Prince, to protect the singer, Desari, targeted by human "Vampire Hunters." But the instant he heard her beautiful voice, he knew he had found his true lifemate.

Desari was a singer with a mesmerizing voice and a talent unmatched by any others. An ancient Carpathian female herself, she traveled for centuries with her family unit of her brother, a couple other Carpathian males, and another Carpathian female, and for centuries she thought they were the only survivors of their kind. Meeting the solitary Carpathian, Julian Savage, she found herself helplessly drawn to him, but now, she must find a balance between being with her lifemate and staying with her family.

What I liked:

Of all the Carpathian/Dark series novels up to this particular book, this story was the only one that deeply explored the changes within a Carpathian male when they finally found their emotions again upon finding their lifemate. In the previous novels, the heroes seemed to have adjusted to their newfound emotions quite easily, which didn't make too much sense to me. However, Julian's story was full of mistakes made due to his new distractions of emotions, and they way he coped with it. I genuinely felt that this book did a great job in tapping deep into the difficulty of the transition for the hero, which made it all the more realistic and believable.

What I didn't like:

While the storyline was decent, Christine Feehan failed to make it flow properly. There were so many sex scenes in this book that made the flow awkward. It was almost as if she was using those scenes to make it so that she could reach the proper word count for her publisher or something. For example, there would be a fight between Julian and the ancient vampire, and then when the vampire retreats because dawn was coming, you would naturally want to know the results of the next battle ASAP. But then, there will be a sex scene right there. And I'd be like, "what???"

And what was worse, was that no matter what the situation was, Desari would always tempt Julian to have sex with her. I mean, it doesn't matter if they were within hearing range of her family, out in the open where it could be dangerous, or when Julian should rest and prepare for a battle. All she wanted was sex, sex and sex. It was almost as if she was a nymphomania. And she didn't even think it's wrong to distract her lifemate when it meant that she could put both of them in danger... that was rather selfish of her, I think.

Another thing about this story was that there was a little too much focus on Desari's brother, Darius. It was almost as if he was the hero of the book rather than Julian. I'm not quite sure about other readers, but when I'm reading a romance novel, I'd like to stay focused on the hero and heroine. I might fall in love with another character, but I would never want him to distract me too much from the main hero of the story.

Conclusion:

Unfortunately, Dark Challenge by Christine Feehan, had the potential to be a much better paranormal romance novel than it really was. The storyline was good, but, unfortunately, delivered rather poorly. If the number of sex scenes could have been cut in half, and not occur in the middle of a suspense buildup, it would have been a much much better book.

Read my reviews of the other novels in the Carpathian/Dark series by Christine Feehan

Book Review - Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Book three of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse, is a paranormal romance novel with a good and interesting plot, but very annoying characters. For that, I can only give the novel a 3.5 Pink Hearts.

Summary:

With her boyfriend being a vampire, and best friend being a werewolf, Bella was torn between love and friendship. As much as she couldn't live without Edward, she couldn't give up her personal-sun, Jacob, even though the two hate each other so much that they want to tear each other apart. As Bella try to work everything out with this complicated relationship, Jacob just had to make things more complicated by insisting her feelings towards him was much more than friendship. And to make matters worse, a group of newborn vampires were roaming Seattle, just an hour or so away from their town of Forks, and an old enemy still lurks in the shadows threatening for revenge.

SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!

What I liked:

I liked how the plot played out in this story, and their enemy's tactics. It was fresh, and helped to give much more insight about many secondary characters, especially Jasper. I really liked that because for the first two books, he was more like an unnecessary character, with no in depth description or characterization. But in Eclipse, he character finally developed, making him much less of an unnecessary background.

Although I fell in love with Edward in the first book, Twilight, I believe I fell in love with him all over again in Eclipse. It was just amazing how much he loved Bella, and how much he was willing to do for her.

What I didn't like:

I was never a big fan of Bella, mainly because she was just a shallow teenager, who, for no particular reasons, fell in love with a vampire. But she did not officially begin to annoy and piss me off until Eclipse. Throughout the whole story, she was inconsiderate and indecisive. Knowing how much Edward worried about her being with unstable young werewolves, she still chose to run off (multiple times) to see Jacob. Knowing how Edward would be jealous of her being together with another person who likes her more than a friend, she still constantly talk about Jacob in front of him. And then, when she finally realize Jacob's feeling towards her, she tells him no, but still continues to see him all the time. If these actions are not inconsiderate, I don't know what what they are.

In a way, I see Bella's action towards Jacob was due to her insecurity towards Edward, and would just like to hold on to somebody. But that, in my opinion, is seriously cruel. If it was in New Moon, when Edward was still nowhere to be found, I can understand, but he came back, and Bella chose to accept him again. Then why the hell was she leading Jacob on while still clinging onto Edward? Unfortunately, Bella's behavior in Eclipse made me loose a lot of respect for her.

Jacob, was another annoying character. As much as Bella did somewhat lead him on by keep going back to him, she did, after all, repeatedly said that she didn't see him that way, that she only loves Edward, and yet, he kept pressing her. I'm sorry, persistence is good only to a certain point, after that, it becomes annoyance. And that was exactly what Jacob was. And, granted, I never liked Jacob's character in New Moon, I just hated him even more in Eclipse. By 3/4 of the story, he annoyed me so much that every time he appears, I would either want to strangle him, or pray that he would die soon or something.

Conclusion:

With all that said, Eclipse was still a decent read if you have been following the series. However, for me, the only thing that held the book together was a decent plot, and a very yummy Edward. If those two elements were not present or if I'm rating this book solely on Bella and Jacob's character... argh, I don't even want to think about it. But then again, Stephenie Meyer did do a good job wrapping up some of the lines in this book, and will leave you wondering what would happen next.

All reviews for the Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Book Review - Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:36:00 +0000

Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the eleventh installment of the Dark Hunter paranormal romance series, excluding all anthologies and books from the Dream-Hunter series. This is a solid 4.5 Pink Hearts engaging read that answers many questions the readers were dying to know about all throughout the series.

Summary:

Sin was an ex-Sumerian god, who had his godhood stolen from him three thousand years ago by Artemis. Although, listed as one of the Dark Hunters, he didn't hunt daimons, instead his job was to keep the gallu demons, which were created by his pantheon eons ago, in line. Having been betrayed all his life, Sin didn't trust anyone, until this one person came crashing into his life fighting by his side and offering her heart.

Katra was a well hidden daughter of Artemis'. When her mother came to her asking her to kill Sin because he was evil, Katra knew there was more to the story. And the more time she spent with the ex-god, the more she knew she was right. As the gallu demons tried to free the Dimme to destroy the world, she must earn his trust, despise that she was the daughter of his most hated enemy, in time to save mankind.

What I liked:

Devil May Cry was a very pleasant read. The conversations between Katra and Sin was great fun to read, as they were filled with sarcasm. I couldn't help myself laughing out loud many times throughout the story at their dialog. For the people following the Dark Hunter series, this book will answer many many questions unanswered by previous books, which was great. I guess after 11 books, the conspiracy was getting a little too much, so having Sherrilyn Kenyon answering some of the mysteries hinted in previous stories was great and really kept me wanting to read more.

What I didn't like:

Although the storyline was great, Acheron kind of stole the show a bit in this novel. Not that I object him showing up all the time, but I would have liked it a bit more if the focus was more on Sin, the hero of the story. But, by talking about Ash's past, there was a shift of focus in the book. So instead of wanting to read more about Sin, I find myself wanting more of Ash when I was reading. But since this was a love story of Sin and Katra, it would have been better if I find myself thinking more about Sin than Ash throughout the story.

Conclusion:

Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon is a great read that I would recommend to all those who have been following the series. You will definitely have many of your questions answered, and left asking for more. However, for those who have not been reading the series, this book can be a little difficult to follow... in fact, I think many of the Dark Hunter series books aren't that great when read as a stand alone.

All reviews for the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Review - Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:58:00 +0000

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole is the third installment of the Immortals After Dark Series. This is a well deserved solid 5 Pink Hearts paranormal romance novel that is sizzling hot with an irresistible storyline.

Summary:

Mariteka the Awaited was a witch who have not yet reached her immortality. She was born to be powerful, and yet, she could not control her powers. Either she fails to cast her spells, or she end up blowing things up. Tired of being looked down on, she entered the Talisman's Hie to prove herself, and she was determined to win. But so was everyone else. Especially Bowen, who she was attracted to instantly the first time she saw him.

Bowen MacRieve entered the Talisman's Hie determined to win the prize that would let him go back in time to getting back the mate he lost two centuries ago. Instead, he found Mariketa, who he was attracted to instantly. Despite of what his instincts were screaming out to him, he decided to ignore it for she was a witch, a race of the lore that he, as a Lykae, despises. And since she was a witch, she must have casted a spell on him making him think she was his mate.

What I liked:

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night was, like the other installments of the Immortals After Dark series, fast-paced, action packed, hot and sizzling page turner. I simply couldn't put the book down.

Before I read this book, I've always thought that Kresley Cole was going to write the story on Bowe getting his mate back, so it was a complete surprise that this story was about him and Mari, who was obviously not the mate who died years ago. The story was an adventurous one, and Bowe really melted my heart when he tried his best not to hurt or scare off Mari when his instincts take over during a full moon.

What I didn't like:

There really wasn't anything that I didn't like about the book. If there MUST be one, it would be the title "Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night," as that has nothing to do with the story really. But other than that, I think the book's perfect.

Conclusion:

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole is a must read. I definite recommend it to anyone who like romance novels with an alpha male hero paired with a strong female who can rival him. Bowe was so sweet that he would melt your heart instantly. However, although this book can be read as a stand alone, I would highly recommend reading the previous two installments in the Immortals After Dark series before reading this book. Especially No Rest for the Wicked, as that story took place directly prior to this one, and will help the reader understand much more about the Talisman's Hie, and the lore world Kresley Cole has created.

All reviews for the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole

Book Review - Captive Dreams by Angela Knight & Diane Whiteside

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Captive Dreams by Angela Knight and Diane Whiteside is a sizzling hot paranormal/futuristic erotic romance. The storyline is great by erotic romance standards, and is just one sexy, kinky read. An absolute 4.5 Pink Hearts material.

Summary:

Both Celeste and Corrine Carson were successful writers of science fiction and romance novels. It wasn't until one day, when they materialized and kidnapped the two sisters to their world that the girls realized that the hot sexy alpha male heroes they created in their novels actually existed, and they had revenge on their mind.

In Bound by the Dragon, Mykhayl Tibronson, High King of Torhtremer, kidnapped Corrine to a his world of dragons and spells. Convinced that Corrine was a sorceress, he accused her for causing all his tortures and misfortunes in the past, and he intended to punish her for all that she had done. Intrigued and sexually drawn to the insatiable Mykhayl, she realized it was true that by writing her novels, she truly was his tormentor. Plagued with guilt and other feelings she'd rather not face, she was determine to help cure his sterility, no matter what it may cost her.

In Bound by the Dream, Jarred Varrain was finally able to get his hands on Celeste, the woman who made his life a living hell. He intended to exact his revenge on her, make her a sex-sub, and then give her to his friend. There was no escaping for her, as he was a cyborg, who was physically enhance, a sensor implanted in his brain, and incomparable skills in bed. Now it was just a matter of getting her out of his system in 14 days so he could give her over to his friend.

What I liked:

As an erotic romance story, both Bound by the Dragon and Bound by the Dream had a rich romance plot with scenes so hot that it sizzle off the pages. That made a very good balance between the romance plot, paranormal/futuristic elements, and erotica, which is difficult to find in other erotic romance stories. I also really liked the fast pace in Bound by the Dream. Angela Knight did a very good job in throwing us right into the story, wasting no time at all, which made it all the more engaging.

What I didn't like:

Bound by the Dragon, however, was slow to start off with as a novella. Unlike Angela Knight, Diane Whiteside chose to describe a lot of elements in her mystical world. That would have worked if the story was a novel; however, as a novella, the pace was just too slow, failing to capture my attention right from the beginning of the story.

Conclusion:

I would admit that I do like Bound by the Dream quite a bit better than Bound by the Dragon, hence, the high overall rating. But as erotic romance stories, they were both above average. So I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes erotic romance that has a well balance romance plot and sizzling sex scenes. Angela Knight will be on my radar from now on, and I will definitely be reading more of her works from now on.

Book Review - Dark Gold by Christine Feehan (Carpathian/Dark Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Dark Gold is the third installment of the Carpathian/Dark series by Christine Feehan. It is an intriguing, sensuous read that I've very much enjoyed reading. However, due to certain flaws, which I will discuss later on in this post, I had to debate whether to give it a 3.5 or a 4 Pink Hearts rating. But I guess 4 Pink Hearts it is, because I enjoyed it very much despite that I did not like part of the story.

Summary:

Alexandria Houton loved her little brother and would do anything to protect him from harm. As a psychic, she could be safely turned into a Carpathian and become one of the few that could save the dying race, and now the Vampires hunted her, wanting to claim her as their own. Plunged into the mysterious, yet dangerous world of Carpathians and Vampires, her body turned into a Carpathian by the hands of the powerful Aidan. But, as much as her body embraced both her bond with the attractive stranger and her physical changes, she had yet to accept her fate mentally.

Aidan Savage was a hunter for the mysterious Carpathian race, and the only one that lived with a human family. After 800 years of life without a lifemate, his inner demons were strong, and was close to turning, but that was until he found Alexandria. To heal and cleanse his lifemate's tainted blood from the Vampire's attack, Aidan turned her into one of his kind without her consent. He was determined to give her time to cope, although he found his fight with his inner demon more of a challenge everyday, yet she continued to defy him, continued to deny her new existence and their unbreakable bond. And the latter, he would not allow.

What I liked:

Again, Christine Feehan was really the master of creating perfect men. I love how Aidan loved Alexandria so unconditionally that he was willing to risk himself to allow her time to adjust. I love how he accepted her little brother and gave him the best and everything he wanted just because he was someone Alexandria loved. And I loved it even more that, despite being 8 centuries old and without emotion for the most part of it, once he found his emotion back by meeting Alexandria, he was the most fun and loving person you'll ever meet.

In Dark Gold, I also really liked the fact that Alexandria did not accept the whole concept of Carpathians and Vampires immediately, and that she was in a denial state for quite a bit of time. This part of the plot was handled quite well by the author for most of it, as it was very real and very believable for a normal person to react the way she did when thrown into such a dangerous and foreign world.

What I didn't like:

Although Christine Feehan did handle the "denial-state" quiet well for the most part, it also caused me to dislike some parts of the story. First of all, Alexandria's denial-state dragged on for 3/4 of the story. First she wouldn't believe the existence of Carpathians and Vampires, then when she finally did, she wouldn't believe that she became a Carpathian, then when she finally did, she wouldn't believe the bond of lifemates in her new world. And the whole thing just dragged on and on as if she was just trying to find something to not believe in.

Now the second problem came when she finally was able to accept everything including her love with Aidan. One minute she was still denying that she was not human anymore and that she does not love him, and a minute later she turned around 180 degrees, accepted everything, and was willing to give him whatever he wants/needs...? I couldn't help but keep thinking from that point on towards the end of the story if I've missed part of the story. The transition was just not natural to me.

Conclusion:

Despite the problem with the heroine's personality of extremely repetitive denial and defiance (do we see a pattern here yet?) and a not-so-natural transition to the romance plot of the story, Dark Gold, the paranormal romance novel by Christine Feehan is a very good read that I would recommend to anyone who like the paranormal romance genre. As usual, I loved the hero in this story, and the plot definitely had me turning the pages. If it wasn't for the overdoing of the denial state and the unexpected (in a bad way) transition, I would have no doubt given this book a 5 Pink Hearts, and classified it as a must read.

Read my reviews of the other novels in the Carpathian/Dark series by Christine Feehan

Book Review - Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the second installment of her Dark-Hunter series. This fast paced, action packed paranormal romance novel is a wonderful 4 Pink Hearts read for all those who are attracted to hot fanged immortals.

Summary:

Amanda Devereaux was an accountant, conservative and uptight, she actually came from a family obsessed with the supernaturals. Her own twin sister thought herself as a vampire slayer, and even went on patrols every night. Amanda didn't believe any of this and thought that she was the only sane member of the family, until, mistaken for being her twin, she was knocked out cold, kidnapped, and handcuffed to a complete stranger who happened to have a pair of fangs of his own.

Kyrian of Thrace was a Macedonian general from centuries ago betrayed by his beloved wife only to be tortured and crucified by his Roman enemy. Burning for revenge, he sold his soul to Artemis and became a Dark-Hunter, a member of the immortal army she created to defend humans against Daimons, a vampire-like being. When he woke up one night handcuffed to Amanda, the solitary life he enjoyed was about to change.

He was intrigued by her. She was smart, by no means afraid of him, and he wants her for his own. But Dark-Hunter codes states clearly that he cannot have a significant other. The secrecy of their existence and the danger he was constantly emerged in just wouldn't allow it. And now, they were in grave danger. Something out there knew Kyrian's weakness, and worse, it was stalking Amanda.

What I liked:

Night Pleasures is a very entertaining paranormal romance novel. I really liked the world Sherrilyn Kenyon created, and this story is action packed. Her characters were also a great load of fun to read, especially the dialog between Kyrian and Amanda. It was also great to see Julian and Grace and some other characters from the first book Fantasy Lover making guest appearances in this book.

What I didn't like:

Like Fantasy Lover, there were too much "telling", too little "showing" when it comes to explaining Kyrian's past. As much as the rest of the book was fast paced, the part where Kyrian spoke about his betrayal to Amanda slowed down the story by quite a bit. Luckily, his story wasn't as long as Julian's, and the pace picked right back up after that particular section of the book.

There was also this one part of the story where I thought Amanda was a little OOC (Out of Character). She was described as conservative and a bit shy when it comes to dealing with men, but when she tried to help him overcome his worse nightmare, it seemed all her original personalities were gone - like poof. Don't get me wrong, I liked that part of the story, but if she didn't have a personality change all of a sudden, it would have been so much better.

Conclusion:

I really recommend Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon. For those who enjoys action packed paranormal romance novels, this book will open up a whole series of sizzling novels for you in the Dark-Hunter world. Although some books in the series I didn't quite like, which I will be discussing in later posts, most of the stories so far were above average. They could all be read as standalone novels, but reading according to the sequence is highly recommended.

Read Reviews of Other Novels in the Dark-Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Review - Dark Desire by Christine Feehan (Carpathian/Dark Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Dark Desire is the second installment of the Carpathian/Dark series written by Christine Feehan. This is a great sensual read, for those who likes intense fire-crackling emotion paranormal romance novels. And since I do, I'm giving it a 4 Pink Hearts rating.

Summary:

Jacques Dubrinsky was a once powerful Carpathian who was betrayed and handed over to the human butchers to be tortured and killed. After days of inhuman sadistic torturing, he had given up on life, and even welcomed death when they drove a stick into his chest and buried him in his cellar. During his seven years of imprisonment, the only thing that kept him alive was his mental connection with his lifemat across the ocean.

Shea O'Halloran was an American surgeon, who believed that she has a rare blood disease. For the past seven years, she heard summons of an unknown voice, felt the anguish of an unknown man across the sea. Drawn to the Carpathian Mountains, she found him, tortured, ravaged and mad, yet she felt compelled to save him.

Even though he believed that she was cruel enough to ignore his summon when he needed her the most, he recognized her as his lifemate, and he was determined to claim her as his own, but he was barely sane, and her courage and compassion was the only thing that could keep him from madness. She could see in his eyes his burning desire and unconditional love that she have so desired all her life, but she was afraid to have him become a part of her. And now, the betrayer, the vampire who handed Jacques over to the human butchers, was back, and he wanted Shea.

What I liked:

Dark Desire is very sensual and emotionally intense, and it kept me turning the pages. Although Jacques wasn't quiet sane towards the first half of the novel, he was, nevertheless, hot and yummy. And it was especially touching when Shea was under attack, and he tried to save her although he could barely move in his physical condition.

I also liked how Shea struggled mentally trying not to fall in love with her destined lifemate, because of her past. It made a lot of sense to me, and helped to intensify their relationship on the way. I couldn't help but smile from my heart when she finally accepted their love.

What I didn't like:

As with her previous Carpathian novel, Christine Feehan's heroine likes to defy the hero in whatever way she can regardless of the situation. Although Shea was not as annoying as Raven in Dark Prince, because she was less dumb, and a little more powerful, I was still annoyed by her. It would seem like Christine Feehan had a problem with distinguishing "independence" and pure "stupidity." Sometimes, it seemed that Shea defy and refuse Jacques' protection just for the sake of defying, nothing more. And that, I didn't appreciate.

Conclusion:

Although I do have a slight problem with Shea's stupid moves in the book, it is still a very nice read. Christine Feehan, although, in my opinion, not so good with developing her female characters, is extremely good at making the heros of her paranormal romance novels the man of any women's dreams... well, unless they really dislike alpha males. Once again, if you don't mind a slightly stupid women trying to be independent, Dark Desire is novel I would recommend to all paranormal romance novel fans out there.

Read my reviews on other Carpathian/Dark series novels by Christine Feehan

Book Review - New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:50:00 +0000

New Moon is the second book of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. Continuing on with the incredible paranormal love story between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, this book is guaranteed to make you cry and break your heart. It is certainly worth a solid 4 Pink Hearts, great read in the paranormal romance novels genre.

Summary:

With Bella recovered from the Vampire, James', attack, she was all the more in love with Edward, and well blended in with the Cullen's family. Until a paper cut on her birthday party ruined everything. Just a week after the episode, Edward broke up with her, and the whole family of Cullen's moved out of Forks in a fortnight, leaving Bella torn and heart-broken.

After being in a zombie-state for months after the breakup, Bella accidentally discovered that she would hear Edward's worried voice in her head if she begin to do things that are reckless. So, when one day she saw some broken bikes to be disposed of by a neighbor, she brought them to Jacob Black, her friend in the reserve, to fix up. The two became very close friends as Bella slowly recovered from her depression, but Jacob wanted much more than friendship from her.

What I liked:

The story was, once again, well-written for the Young Adults genre, and is definitely engaging with many surprises (good and bad). Stephenie Meyer did a fantastic job in describing the emotions Bella went through during and after the break up, and made every single one of her actions thereafter very believable and logical. The reader is bound to be led into a series of emotions throughout the book along with the heroine, Bella Swan.

What I didn't like:

Although the hero remained to be Edward Cullen, the leading male character in New Moon was actually Jacob, as Edward was MIA for almost 3/4 of the book. In the beginning, I didn't really mind having Edward out of the story for a little while, as the book was written in a first person POV, a separation between the two is bound to have him missing for a while. Unfortunately, that part had dragged on for too long. Jacob was not a character I particularly enjoyed reading. Throughout the whole series, for me, he was more of a necessary evil, a character that was necessary only to have the story move on the way it should. Therefore, having him present throughout more than half of the book was somewhat annoying. I couldn't help but to flip through the pages to see how much longer must I endure his presence before I see Edward appearing in the story again. (I was a good girl, and did not skip through chapters though)

New Moon was also not much of a re-reading material. I did re-read some parts a couple of times after I finished the book, however, because the majority of the story was so sad, I wouldn't even want to touch most of it again.

Conclusion:

As much as I did enjoy New Moon of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, and as much as I would recommend the book to those who liked the novel Twilight, please be warned that reading this novel will require the accompaniment of a full box of Kleenex. Be prepared that Edward would not be present for most of the novel, and instead, you will be reading a lot about an immature Jacob. Also, this book cannot be read as a stand-alone, without reading Twilight, New Moon will not make any sense whatsoever.

All Reviews for the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Book Review - No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:54:00 +0000

No Rest for the Wicked is the second book of the Immortals After Dark series written by Kresley Cole. This sensual adventurous paranormal romance novel will keep your heart rate up and wanting for much much more. Definitely a solid 5 Pink Hearts material.

Summary:

After making the mistake of showing a Vampire mercy, which cost the lives of her two beloved sisters, the Valkyrie Kaderin the Cold Hearted had lost all her emotions. She felt for nothing, and her only goal in life was to kill every Vampire she sees, and collect their fangs as trophies. Just prior to entering for the Talisman's Hie - the immortal's equivalent to a deadly scavenger hunt - she made a detour intended to rid the Vampire terrorizing a small town in Europe, but instead found a vampire who stirred her deadened emotions.

Sebastian Wroth was the third of the famous Wroth brothers when they were alive. Centuries ago, he was turned, against his will, into a Vampire by his older brothers, and now he stayed in his castle awaiting his death. The moment Kaderin showed up at his castle to finish him, he knew she was his Bride, as his deadened Vampire heart began to beat once again. Although he believed that they belong together, Kaderin thought otherwise, so follow her he did to join the deadly tournament of Talisman's Hie, where the grand price was something that she (and many other contestants) would gladly die for.

What I liked:

No Rest for the Wicked was very imaginative and original, and although both Kaderin and Sebastian had dark pasts, the story was a relative light-hearted read. Most of the plot were focused on the tournament, which showed us the many sides of both our hero and heroine. I soon learned to love Sebastian's gentle nature and his giving personality, and to adore Kaderin as a strong-minded capable women.

As much as I would like Kaderin to fall in love with Sebastian earlier on in the book (or at least earlier than she did, since she didn't until almost the end), Kresley Cole made it completely believable and logical that she didn't. And although there were many times when Kaderin caught herself falling for Sebastian and had to hold back, it never got to a point when I was annoyed with her for doing so.

I also really liked the part where Sebastian admitted to his brother, half way through the story, that he didn't know if he loved Kaderin, but he just had to be with her. I thought that was very real. In the Immortals After Dark series, most couples where bounded by fates to be destined "mates," "brides" or whatever. Many authors writing books with this kind of a theme often fell in the trap that "finding your destined mate" = "falling in love," which isn't necessarily true. I really appreciated that in the No Rest for the Wicked, that mistake was not made, and we could clearly see how and why Sebastian and Kaderin fell deeply in love with each other in the end.

There was also an excellent balance between the romance plot and the tournament. Never a moment did I feel that the Hie was taking over the romance plot at all, instead, it highly complemented it, and drove many situations where the two fell, bit by bit, in love with each other.

What I didn't like:

One of the things... or maybe it's the only thing, that I didn't like about this book was that Kaderin and Sebastian hit it off, physically, a little too early in the story for my taste. They actually made-out the first time they met. Umm... It did got me worrying a little in the beginning, because I don't like female characters (or male characters for that matter of fact) being too casual (yah, call me conservative). However, after continuing with the series, I find out that that was just the away things were in their kind who lives for centuries, which made this a little better for me. But it would be better if that was established earlier in the series.

Conclusion:

Kresley Cole's No Rest for the Wicked is definitely a paranormal romance novel that I would highly recommend to anyone who likes an intense, imaginative plot with a super lovable Vampire hero who knows how to respect and love a strong-minded women. Although I did begin this series with A Hunger Like No Other, this definitely could be read as a stand-alone. But please be warned that you will likely not be able to put the book down until the last page. And when you do, you will likely rush out to the bookstore to get Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, the third installment of the Immortals After Dark series.

All reviews for the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole

Book Review - Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter (Atlantis Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:25:00 +0000

Heart of the Dragon is the first installment of Gena Showalter's Atlantis series that had just been reprinted by Harlequin in January 2009. Although it was imaginative to place mythical creatures together with the idea of the legendary island of Atlantis, this paranormal romance novel was somewhat of a disappointment; therefore, I'm only be giving it a 3 Pink Hearts.

Summary:

Shortly receiving a package from her brother, Grace Carlyle found herself lost in the Amazon Jungle trying to find him. But instead of finding him, she stumbled through the portal her brother intended to find into Atlantis, a world full of mystical creatures, and was captured by the sexy-beyond-words Darius.

Darius en Kragin, a shape-shifting dragon, was the Guardian of one of the portals to Atlantis. Having had his own family slaughtered by human "travelers," he was entrusted to kill any beings who dares cross the portal - intentionally or not - in order to protect their land. Over the centuries, he had lost his emotions, until he met Grace, and for the first time as a Guardian, he wasn't able to perform his duty. So instead, he brought her back to his castle and locked her up.

It wasn't long before she was able to escape back to her world, and although he knew he couldn't survive for an extended period of time there, he followed her, convincing himself it was for the sake of the secrecy of his land. Intended only to find her missing brother, together they found out the owner of her brother's company had joined forces with the Vampires in Atlantis to rip the Dragon's castle of wealth and to wipe out their entire race. Now with all that chaos, Darius must sort out his feelings for Grace, and try to save his land while keeping her.

A couple weeks ago, when I just finished Kresley Cole's Kiss of a Demon King and I was in between her books (again!), I saw readers on her board recommending Gena Showalter's Atlantis series. Having seen her "Author Talk" videos, the image of Gena Showalter being super funny was imprinted in my mind, and with some of the nice reviews on Amazon.com, I figured I'd try out the first book of the Atlantis series, Heart of the Dragon. (Oh, ok, I'll admit that another reason I chose to start with this one is because I really loved the cover. SEXY! ;P ) Unfortunately, it disappointed.

What I liked:

The prologue of the book was very well written with the tragic past of Darius and how he became a Guardian. It stirred up emotions that made me serious want a HEA ending for him because of what had happened to him in the past. It also kept the pages turning, because I was eager to see what kind of a mate Gena Showalter had planned for him.

The author also did a good job with Grace's reaction to the idea of her being in another world - Atlantis - when she first realized she was there. Grace actually did go through some sort of shock/denial period prior to her acceptance of where and what Darius was. This was a transition period that is commonly overlooked/missed by some authors, causing their story to range from "less believable than it should have been" to "utterly ridiculous." In the case of Grace, although her shock/denial period wasn't very long, it made sense because of her brother's line of work, and her believing the existence of mythical beings, to a certain degree.

What I didn't like:

Despite the strong prologue, the rest of the book did not live up to the expectations it set. First of all, although Grace's reaction to the world of Atlantis was well-written, her initial reaction to Darius was not logical at all. Ok, I understand that he was the sexiest man on Earth, but it did not make any sense whatsoever to be ogling him when he was ready to take a swing with his sword to end your life.

Secondly, although I could somewhat understand how Darius was interested in her - afterall, he felt emotions and senses for the first time in 300 years when he first saw her - I couldn't understand how that "interest" turned into "love." And the same goes for Grace. From the time they met until they declared (at least to themselves) that they love each other, all that was shown was their lust toward each other. Well, Grace did feel sorry for Darius when she learned of his past, but there was nothing beyond sympathy that was described. So I was taken by surprised when, 3/4-way through the book, Grace all of a sudden realized she was in love with him. I was like "Huh??? What??? How???" (I'm sure if it was possible, my pupils would have turned into question marks or something). It's not that I have any problem with a couple lusting for each other, and then eventually loving each other, but there must be some valid turning point in between. Unfortunately, that turning point was not present in Gena Showalter's Heart of the Dragon.

The whole story was also kind of flat in my opinion. There were several places that could have been more exciting and could have made the book more of a page turner. Unfortunately, the writing style could not put me on the edge of my seat, and, other than the prologue, there was no particular scene where I couldn't put down the book to do something else. Although, for the record, I did finish the book in two days, when I was off and at home with nothing else to do, I never hesitated to put it down for a break or to do something else entirely different.

Conclusion:

Unfortunately, Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter is not a paranormal romance novel that I would recommend if you're choosing among a variety of available books. It certainly did not make it to my "Must Read" list. I would admit that since it was the first book I've read by her, it certainly didn't give me the best impression; however, this will not be the last book I'll be reading from her. I do plan to try her Lords of the Underworld series, since I've heard it was better. So, as of now, I'll be putting the Atlantis series on indefinite hold on my reading list, and when I've no more books to read, I might just get back to it and give it a second chance.

Book Review - Dark Prince by Christine Feehan (Carpathian/Dark Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Dark Prince is the first installment of the popular Carpathians/Dark series, where Christine Feehan brings us to the sensual, dangerous, paranormal and mysterious world of the Capathians, a species so powerful, yet so lonely it will break your heart. However, despite all the raving reviews out there, I'm only giving this paranormal romance novel a 3.5 Pink Hearts.

Raven Whitney was a powerfully gifted psychic who works for the government to track down the most psychotic murderers in America. She journeyed to the beautiful Carpathian Mountains in Europe to rest her exhausted mind when she heard a cry full of anguish, despair and loneliness that she could not possibly ignore. Being a psychic who could read minds, Raven was no stranger to loneliness, she reached out to Mikhail.

Mikhail Dubrinsky was the prince, and one of the most ancient, of the mysterious and powerful Carpathians, who were often mistaken as vampires by the humans, as they survived on blood, had a much longer lifespan and could burn to death if they were out in the sun for too long. And now, they were on the brink of extinction, because, of some unknown reasons, for centuries, no female Carpathians were born, and many of the young Carpathian children couldn't live past infancy. To make matters worse, many of the Carpathian males were turning into vampires - ruthless killers that preyed on both human and Carpathians alike - because they couldn't find their lifemates, and were ripped of emotions and the ability of seeing colors because of it. Many of the ancients were forced to hunt their once-friends, while on the brink of turning themselves.

When Mikhail met Raven, he was about to end his life so that he wouldn't be consumed by loneliness and turn into a vampire. Her compassion and courage was like a ray of light in his bleak life, and at once he knew he found his lifemate. But his time was limited, for he must claim her at once to prevent himself from turning.

Dark Prince by Christine Feehan is a book that you're bound to fall in love with the hero, Mikhail, if you're into alpha males. Although he suffered much throughout his very long life and was desperate to claim Raven as his mate, he poured his heart out for her, and he took time to make her fall in love with him. Although, as a Carpathian male, he was extremely protective of his lifemate, he compromised much with Raven's modern "independent women" thinking, and tolerated many of her dangerous acts, while he was worried sick about her. Now, where do you get this kind of man in real life??

Christine Feehan also created such a believable world of the Carpathians that will make you rage when the stupid, psychotic and sadistic humans tried to hunt them, and make you root for the Carpathians when they fight. Obviously, it will also make you wish you could meet one of them and become their lifemate. :P

However, Dark Prince also had flaws that also made me want to either put the book down or pull my hair out. First of all, the edition I bought (I'm not sure if it's the same for other editions) needed some reformatting. It was printed in a way that the font were small, and lines were cramped together. It was difficult for the eyes, and didn't leave a good impression.

The book was also repetitive in a sense that the same adjectives where used over and over again. It almost seemed like Christine Feehan had ran out of words to describe Raven's hair or something. And that Mikhail is so unimaginative, that he could only use "little one" as an endearment, and nothing else... it would seem like he couldn't even alternate between that and her name. -_-

And then the thing that bugged me the most when reading this novel was the author's concept of a "strong, independent women." She tried to portray Raven as courageous and intelligent, but in fact, the outcome was that she was a plain retard - ok, I will give her courageous, but retardedly courageous that is. One of Raven's favorite lines in the novel was "I have a brain," but her actions had clearly stated that she didn't have one. She consistently whine about how over-protective and dominating Mikhail was, but never for one second did she understand the difference in strength and power between a human and a Carpathian. She kept complaining that Mikhail would not let her do anything he considered dangerous, and yet 2 seconds after she threw herself into a dangerous situation (which she was warned not to get herself into), she would be lying on the ground, half-dead, and helpless. Now how is that strong and intelligent? In my books, she's probably just 2mm away from TSTL (too stupid to live), and that's only because I've seen much worse in Japanese mangas (comics, if you like). But then, since her character was quite caring, she couldn't be exactly classified as a retarded bitch (thank gods).

So, in conclusion, I don't really recommend Dark Prince. If you're willing to overlook the heroine being retarded, then it's a book you might want to pick up when you have nothing else to read, and are waiting for your favorite authors' books to come out in a couple of months or so, which is exactly what I'm doing now. I am continuing with the series, just because of how yummy the male Carpathians are, but Christine Feehan have yet to change my opinion of her female characters.

I mean, really, it's not shameful to admit to your weakeness...

All reviews of the Carpathians/Dark series by Christine Feehan

Book Review - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:39:00 +0000

Twilight by Stephenie Meyers is a popular Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel and the first installment of the the Twilight Saga. I've picked up a soft cover copy a couple of months ago in the supermarket due to it's attractive cover (movie cover in fact), and it certainly did not disappoint. The book is a very pleasant read for the ones young at heart and is well worth 4.5 Pink Hearts in my review.

Isabella Swan, who was very particular at being called Bella instead of Isabella, was a 17 years old high school student. After her mother remarried, she volunteered to move from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father. The move was a drag to her, she disliked the town Forks, the weather was always gloomy, and she hated the attention that everyone gave her in school, since she was the "new girl" and police officer Chief Swan's only daughter. That is until she met gorgeous Edward Cullen, who acted as if he had bi-polar personalities and wouldn't stop telling her she should be scared of him.

Edward Cullen was a vampire of nearly a century old. He was gorgeous, lightening fast, extremely strong, can read other people's minds and even sparkles like diamonds under sunlight. Having practiced "vegetarianism" along with his family for a long time, his self-control towards human blood had only been second to his sire/father Carlisle, until Bella Swan came to his Biology class to sit by his side. To Edward, Bella was different. Not only was her blood much sweeter than anyone else's, her mind was also silent to him. She intrigued him, and he couldn't stay away from her, but he had to let her know that he was dangerous, far too dangerous for a human.

In Twilight, Stephenie Meyer did a very good job developing both her characters and the plot. Although the whole story was written in Bella's first person POV, it was easy to see how much Edward loved her, and how unselfish his character can be (although one can argue that if he was selfless, he would have just stayed away from Bella, but then we wouldn't have such a book to read, would we?), hence, making him so lovable that I fell in love with him instantly. The fact that he repeatedly warned Bella that she should be afraid of him, and to try to scare her off was also very cute of him.

The plot of Twilight, being a paranormal romance, was very believable, and the introduction of Stephenie Meyer's concept of vampires were also made very smoothly. There was no long awkward explanations, we just found out little bits here and there about them as Bella did. The plot also flowed very well without any unnecessary scenes, and the introduction of James, the antagonist vampire, was, although a little sudden, but not at all unexpected.

The secondary characters in the story was also fantastic, especially Edward's sister Alice Cullen. She was cute, funny and can also see the future. She was my second favorite character in this book, just after Edward. Her character was not only essential to the development of the plot, but also very entertaining to read.

What didn't like about Twilight was that, although, after Edward and Bella got together, everything was logical and lovey-dovey, I did not quite understand why Bella fell so deeply in love with Edward in the begining. Yes, he was drop dead gorgeous, he saved her life, and was everything a girl would want, but that did not lighten the fact that he was a vampire. And Bella, not only that she was not one bit bothered by that fact, she didn't seem surprised either. Now, I did not think that was normal; especially when she didn't seemed to believe in the supernatural before (or at least Stephanie Meyer did not mention that she believed in it). In my opinion, it would probably be better if it was written in a way that she fell for him, but not too hard in the beginning, then gradually began to love him so much that she would have done anything for him.

As for Edward, although his character was very well developed (as in actions did not clash with personality, and how he could melt your heart anytime), he acted like a teenager, or at least, a person under 30 most of the time. He certainly did not have the wisdom a 100 years old vampire should have. I guess one could argue that this is because once you become a vampire, things do not really change, and these "things" include personality and the way they think and act. But nevertheless, the impression it gave me was that Stephenie Meyer's characters were a bit on the shallow side. Yes, Bella being shallow I can understand, because she was only a 17 years old teenager, how can she not be? But the fact that Edward was a little shallow took away quite a few points for Twilight in my books.

Unlike some other reviewers, I had no problem with Bella being "helpless." I didn't believe it was true helplessness in her part. Keep in mind that she was only a fragile human, and she was up against all these strong unbreakable vampires, what else could she do? Put her with the other humans in the story and she would definitely be above average on the weak-strong scale. Plus, one of the things made her seem more "helpless" than she really was, was the fact that Edward had always been over protective. With a boyfriend like that, one is bound to look a little weaker than she really is. And I'm glad that Bella didn't argue about it, like some other female characters in other books, trying to act all tough when she wasn't. (I guess it doesn't take much to see that I really hate characters who act strong and I-can-take-care-of-myself, when the next second, she lies on the floor half dead and helpless because she thought too much of herself. It's better to embrace your weakness and let people help.)

In conclusion, the paranormal romance novel Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is a book I would definitely recommend to anyone. It would leave a smile on your face by the end of the book, if not throughout most of it. However, do keep in mind that this is a book for Young Adults with aims to satisfy girly fantasies, so the characters does have more shallow personalities, and the quality of writing is not necessarily the best (it did not bother me though). If you'd like to read a well written paranormal romance with truly strong female characters, read the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole instead. But if you're more interested in a light hearted easy read, you should definitely try Twilight if you have not already done so.

In addition, if you liked the movie but have not read the book, I do suggest getting the book. Although I liked the movie too, but the it was low budgeted and have left out or altered many essential scenes. Reading the book would let you enjoy and appreciate the story much much more. And if you have read the book but have not watched the movie, its DVD will be out in March.

All Reviews for the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Book Review - Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:04:00 +0000

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon is an imaginative and original paranormal romance novel that is bound to make you want more. Listed as the first installment of the popular Dark Hunters series, it is more like a prequel as the elements of the Dark Hunters world was not mentioned in the book at all, it is definitely a fascinating read that is well worth 4 Pink Hearts.

Julian of Macedon was a ancient Spartan general cursed into the pages of a book, only to be released for a month at a time when summoned - as a sex slave. During his time, he was a demi-god, powerful in the human world, and which such good looks that almost any women will fall at his feet. Summoned by Grace Alexander, he arrived naked in her living room ready to pleasure her, but was soon surprised by both her refusal and her caring for him that he never had by any other women from before.

Grace Alexander was a sex therapist living in modern day New Orleans, who has been celibate for the past four years... until her eccentric best friend, Selena, brought a mysterious book to her, and she was drunk enough to go through with a spell per Selena's, persistent, request. When Julian actually appeared in her living room, she was beyond shocked. Although he was what every women dreams for, she wasn't about to use him as a sex slave, partly due to her previous experience with her self-centered jerk ex-lover. Suggesting that he should find a way to break the curse, they quickly found out, from Julian's half brother, Eros, the Greek god, that Grace was the key. But helping Julian would mean that she, herself, would have to overcome one of her own demons.

Fantasy Lover is a great read with a lot of sexy materials in it. Sherrilyn Kenyon did a great job of creating a whole new world with funny Greek gods and ancient characters. Although the whole concept was a little far fetched, the author made it believable and it was easy to be absorbed in her world. Julian was sexy and lovable throughout the novel, but what made me really fall in love with his character was the sacrifice he was willing to make, and have made, for Grace in order to spare her from facing her biggest fear. Grace's character was a little more average, down to earth, but her gentle and caring personality had made it very believable when Julian fell in love with her.

Two of the reasons why I've rated Fantasy Lover as a 4 Pink Hearts instead of 5 was the delivery of Julian's history and the time allocation of the story. There are many ways that Sherrilyn Kenyon could have talked about Julian's past, but she chose to have a dialog between the two protagonists. In some cases, this choice could have not been a problem at all. However, in this case, it didn't work well at all. Julian had a very tormenting past, and it ran right from his birth all the way to the point when he was cursed to being a sex slave, and from then to his multiple summons from the past. And to deliver all that in dialog format, it was just a little too much. Half way through, it just became him ranting on and on. Should his past be "shown" to readers by flashbacks or other methods, the quality of this book will definitely increase dramatically.

The time allocation of the story was also a little out of proportion. The time frame of the whole story was about 30 days, yet from the time Julian was summoned until the end of the day after, when they found out the way to break his curse, Sherrilyn Kenyon had written so much that it lasted for half of the book. Therefore, we ended up with half a book talking about the first 1.5 days, and then the other half covering the rest of the 28.5 days. Although this allowed the thorough development of the Sherrilyn Kenyon's world, it limited the interaction and the action of "falling in love." If she had spent a little more time to describe how the two fell so deeply in love with each other, it would definitely earned a better rating too.

Fantasy Lover is a great read that I would definitely recommend. Just be aware that this is one of Sherrilyn Kenyon's earlier books, so her writing was not as fluid as her newer novels. But if you are interested for a imaginative paranormal romance novel that is a little different from the others, this story of Julian of Macedon and Grace Alexander is definitely worth a try.

All reviews of the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Review - The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:29:00 +0000

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox is a witty, funny, paranormal romance comedy that will keep you awake all night disturbing your neighbor, because you're too busy laughing your ass off. This was the first paranormal romance that I've picked up one day in the supermarket, and it has proved itself to be well worth 5 Pink Hearts in my Romance Novels Review blog.

One minute, Lizzie Brown, a pre-school teacher, was worrying about being late to her 30th birthday dinner, and the next minute, she was thrown into her own bathroom by her biological grandmother, who she just met 30 seconds ago, with a demon emerging from her toilet trying to kill her. As her new biker witch grandmother was trying to fend off the demon by throwing magic spells from her Smucker's jars, she easily killed off the demon without knowing what she was doing. The next thing she knew, she was pronounced a Demon Slayer (by heritage), and on the back of her grandmother's Harley heading off to a whole gang of crazy biker witches for training.

On the way to Memphis for training, Lizzie and her grandmother were attacked and were rescued by Dimitri Kallinikos, a very VERY yummy griffin shape-shifter, who claims to be her protector. Within a couple hours, everything Lizzie knew about what life was were flipped upside-down and inside-out, lost everything she possessed, and where left to face the Red Skulls, the biker witch coven her grandmother belonged to, a whole new life to adapt to and a bunch of responsibilities she never knew she had. Oh, did we mention that her beloved dog, Pirate, can now talk, and her grandmother was suspected to have killed her biological mother?

The Accidental Demon Slayer was a lot of fun to read, as we go on this unexpected and hilarious adventure with Lizzie and see her develop from an average everyday girl to a brave Demon Slayer, who - well, perhaps still doesn't quite know what she was doing - saved the day, and everybody else.

Written in the first person POV, the story cuts right into action in the very first page, and not for even one paragraph after that does the action slow until you reach the very last word in the novel. Lizzie's character was also developed extremely well as we see her transformation throughout the book, both physically and mentally, and the reader could definitely feel her emotions and everything she went through just as though you were going through it yourself. And although she makes some very stupid mistakes throughout the story, but there is never a time you'd thought her "dumb," because, in a situation like hers, anyone will make the same stupid choices.

Dimitri, as I've mentioned was a very yummy griffin love interest for Lizzie, who played a big role in pushing the story forward. He had his flaws (ie. lying to Lizzie to get his way), but every bit of it was redeemed by his love towards her in the end of the story. Plus, his reason for lying wasn't unforgivable at all.

The only complain that I might have for this book is that the "romance" part was a little on the light side. Don't get me wrong, Angie Fox did a great job in convincing the readers the two fell in love, but the paranormal "action" dominated most of the story rather than the mushy, lovey-dovey feelings they had for each other. However, the story plot definitely made up for that 150%.

Although I normal very much dislike the whole idea of "Slayers," the way it was presented, Angie Fox really did it for me. All in all, this book is definitely categorized as one of my favorite paranormal romance novels, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone who would like a good laugh with tons of paranormal action. I cannot wait until the sequel The Dangerous Book of Demon Slayers comes out in April.

A word of caution: Allocate enough free time to finish the novel at one go. Otherwise, you'd either find yourself deprived of sleep or ruin any plans you had for the day once you open this book.

Book Review - A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark Series)

noreply@blogger.com (Kooritsuki) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:28:00 +0000

A Hunger Like No Other by the author Kresley Cole is the first installment of the Immortals After Dark series of Paranormal Romance novels that is well worth a solid 5 Pink Hearts.

Lachlain MacRieve, the king of the Lykae clan, has been captured and tortured by the vampires for over a century. He was imprisoned and burned to death each and everyday only to have is own immortality revive him to endure more. Until one day he sensed his mate nearby. After waiting for his mate for more than a millenia, he gathered up all his strength to escape, to get to his mate, only to find her a small fragile female vampire.

Emmaline Troy was a timid half-vampire, half-valkyrie, the first and only of her kind. Raised by a coven of valkyries who hunts vampires for fun, she had always felt out of place, no matter how much she knows everyone loves her. Gathered up her wits, she traveled to Europe wanting to know more about her heritage, only to find a powerful Lykae, claiming her as his mate and forcing her to accompany him back to his castle in Scotland.

A Hunger Like No Other is one of my favorite paranormal romance novels that I would gladly be recommending to anyone out there, whether they like the idea or werewolves or not. Lachlain, or any of Kresley Cole's Lykaes for that matter, is not your average werewolf you will find in any shape-shifter novel out there. They are of a very different nature.

Our hero is very much of an alpha male; although, he can be somewhat controlling at times, it was never difficult to see through to his intention to protect and provide for his mate. Emma, our heroine, on the other hand was very timid in the begining of the novel, and she was very intimidated by Lachlain. However, the stronger side of her could soon be seen once she regained her strength - she did not even hesitate for a second before lashing out at him and dislocating his jaw in the process. :)

As the two learn to care for and fall in love with each other, it was not difficult at all for the reader to fall deeply in love with the two characters, as Lachlain became more caring and lovable, and Emma became stronger, both mentally and physically for both herself and the one she loves.

One of the things some people did not like about this novel was one of the earlier scenes in the novel, often refered to as the "capture scene" as Lachlain physically captures Emma. There are some that would argue that there was forced seduction in the scene, and others who would go as far as saying that he raped her.

Now, the "rape" part is not true. They did get intimate under the condition that Emma was not entirely willing (emphasis on entirely); however, Lachlain did not end up forcing himself on her. The characters did not have sex until both of them were ready and willing.

Now that I've got that part out of the way, let's discuss the force seduction scene, where Emma was not 100% willing. I can understand how some people would find it uneasy to read through those chapters or even find it offensive; however, I believe it is how the author portrayed it that made the scene work for me (and many others). First of all, the reader must understand that Lachlain was tortured for more than a century, and he was in a mentally unstable state at that time. Second of all, he was tortured by vampires, which was exactly what Emma is, and that made things much worse. Put yourself in his shoes, when you've waited for your mate for 1,000+ years just to find her one of the people who have tortured you for 100+ years of your life. It was reasonable that he wanted revenge, and it was reasonable that he hated her in the begining. However, that's not the only reason why the forced seduction scene was justifiable. The cause of it was, yes. But it was how he treated Emma later on in the story that redeemed his character, how he looked pass his hatred for the vampires, how cared for Emma, and how he realized that he cannot be controlling her that made him such a lovable character.

Anyway, so that was my review for A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole, the first installment of the Immortals After Dark series - a series that everyone should give a try to, imo. This was the book where I got seriously hooked on all Kresley Cole's books. This particular novel also wont the RITA Awards for best paranormal romance, so, if you haven't read it, you should really check it out.

All reviews for the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole