Dancing With the Devil by Keri Arthur | Rant Review [Spoilers]

Dancing With the Devil by Keri Arthur

Nikki & Michael

First Published: 2008

Paperback

Adult, Fantasy
Rating:

Re-Readability:

Private Investigator Nikki James grew up on the tough streets of Lyndhurst and believes there's nothing left to surprise her. All that changes the night she follows teenager Monica Trevgard into the shadows-and becomes a pawn caught in a war between two very different men. One fills her mind with his madness, the other pushes his way into her life-and her heart. Nikki knows how dangerous love can be, but if she wants to survive, she must place her trust in a man who could easily destroy her.
Michael Kelly has come to Lyndhurst determined to end the war between himself and another brother of the night. For 300 years he has existed in life's shadows, gradually learning to control the life from death cravings of a vampire. Nikki not only breaches his formidable barriers with her psychic abilities, but makes Michael believe he may finally have found a woman strong enough to walk by his side and ease the loneliness in his heart. But will his love be enough to protect her from a madman hell-bent on revenge? Or will it drive her into his enemy's deadly trap?
Only together can they overcome the evil threatening to destroy them both. But the secrets they keep from each other might prove to be the greatest threat of all.

Good God this book was boring.

Seriously, I did not expect this. The "heroes" kept getting into traps, nearly dying, failing and in pain. Rinse and repeat. It got old real quick. Even scenes one would normally classify as action scenes were dull and dry without an ounce of soul.

And let's just take a second to lament how dumb someone has to be to fall into traps over and over and over again. At a certain point, couldn't you try to put a trap of your own? Or do something, anything, to counter attack?? Seriously, it's been 5 years since I read this book and I am still angry about it...

Now, on top of all this, a lot of parts made absolutely no freaking sense. Michael, who is the male protagonist, literally found the whereabouts of villainous-dude Jasper about half a dozen times throughout the book. But then, those scenes ended in fade-to-blacks paired with some inane notion like "it's time for the hunter to become the hunted"... which never played out. The next time we see our "heroes", nothing has changed and Jasper is still at large. Why is this even in the story?

Then, there was the Case of the Vanishing Injuries. These guys... they get hurt. Often. Like, hit by a car kind of hurt. And then... it's mentioned maybe once, and is forgotten until the next time they get injured. That's not how these things work, book!

But at the end of the day, it was the characters that made this book suck ass. More specifically... it was Nikki. I disliked how scared she was, all the time. It's human to be afraid, but having that be your one single emotion is just frustrating. But I could deal with that. I could even kind-of-maybe-sort-of deal with her utter uselessness, even though it's one of my pet peeves in books, especially when the girl is so heavily gifted. Like, you've got everything working for you to be a key character in the story, and instead, you are just a damsel in distress.

But I only started actually hating her later in the story. On the one hand, she did not want Michael to go and on the other she was so darn annoying, refusing to trust him because of something someone else did, being anti-vampires in general, accusing Michael of dumb things and just looking for something wrong about him. And then, when he does leave, she regrets it. Girl, you deserve to have your ass deserted and left to fend for yourself. Yes, you will die within a minute because you are that useless but at this point, I don't even give a fuck.

Now, clearly, considering the former paragraph... I wasn't a huge fan of the romance. It wasn't very believable, at any case. I have no idea why this two fell for each other. I mean, why would anyone fall for Nikki??? And naturally, the "I love you"s came out of nowhere. Because that's the kind of novel this is...

One of the most disappointing things about this novel was actually the writing. I had been excited to read a Keri Arthur novel when I picked this up. I heard a lot about them, after all. Sadly, I was very underwhelmed by it. There was just nothing about it, and as I said before - boring as hell.

Okay, wait, time for a positive thing about this novel!... It ended and I was able to move on to better reads. LOL. 

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr | Book Review

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely

First Published: 2007

Paperback

Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating:

Re-Readability:

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost — regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.
Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

Wicked Lovely is one of those novels I need to re-read ASAP and continue with the series, because I read this one back in 2012, and has owned it for years before that, and while I remember really enjoying this dark fairy-tale I don't remember enough to be able to move on to book two without the re-read.

It's interesting how strongly I remember liking it, when I had an extremely hard time getting into it at first. I started this book three times before finally moving past chapter three. There was just... something there that wasn't clicking at first. This book is lucky that back then I was far more stubborn about leaving books unfinished, because had it happened today I would've never went back to it. Three strikes and you're out and all that jazz. But, that wasn't the case, and I did go back to it. And then scratched my head wondering why on earth did I have so much trouble with it to begin with?

The world Marr creates in Wicked Lovely was breathtaking and beautiful... despite the ugliness of it, if that makes any sense. It's unique and extraordinary. When I think of that looming re-read (I am going to do that sometime in 2018), the thing I am most excited about is re-familiarizing myself with this world.

And in that world exists Aislinn. No idea if I'm pronouncing that one correctly. Aislinn is a normal teenage girl with slightly... unusual... worries. And by "unusual", I mean of the supernatural verity. Specifically, faeries. Even more specifically; seeing faeries. That's not supposed to happen. Honestly, I don't remember much of this character, and my old review speaks of the fact nothing of her really caught my attention since I just said: "I liked her". That doesn't mean I didn't like her, only that I really need that re-read if I want to recall anything about this main character lol.

Seth is Ash's best friend and the only one she feels safe around. Boy, did I adore this guy. He is sweet, caring and protective. And he does all that while looking like a badass in piercings (which are not really my thing, but when a nice guy wears them I'm okay with it haha).

Donia is The Winter Girl, and parts of the story are told of her POV. She is one of the faeries stalking Ash and I remember really liking her and loving watching the story through her eyes.

Keenan is the other fairy stalking Ash, and this is one character I was just kind of... meh about. I didn't hate him, but then I didn't like him. Like Donia, parts of the story are told from his POV.

Now, the main romance in the novel is between Ash and Seth. And it is one sexy romance! I was honestly so happy both with the fact that there wasn't really a love triangle AND that Seth is the romantic interest because this book made me believe he and Ash belong together! And afraid to read the next books because what if Marr does something to my babies??? 

Another relationship explored in the book is the one between Keenan and Donia. That was intriguing and still full of possibilities...

All of these things accumulate to the ending, which was a mixed bag for me. Some things were darn right underwhelming, considering all the hype the story builds around them. And some things were extremely shocking and subverted any expectation I had! And that makes me very curious to read the next books, even if it seems otherwise considering the 5 years hiatus I put this series on...

Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks | A Combination of All My Favorite Series!

Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #1

First Published: 2004

Kindle

Adult, Urban Fantasy
Rating:

Re-Readability:

National bestselling author Eileen Wilks draws readers into a bold new world where the magical and mundane co-exist in an uneasy alliance--and a cop balanced on her own knife-edged struggle is their only hope against a cold-blooded killer.
Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her--a were named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation--reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating-and beyond human reason. Now, in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and at her back a man who she's not sure she can trust.

Once upon a time, a young girl by the name of Nitzan added a book by the name of Tempting Danger to her To Be Read list. And promptly forgot she ever did, or why. Years passed, and she saw the book discounted on the wonderful land of Kindle. She did not get it then, for the cover was not captivating enough. But the gods had other plans for Nitzan.

They urged her to organize her TBR and reduce it. And so, she stumbled upon the book again. Confused--why had she added it?--she read the synopsis and realized that it sounds just like the book for her. Hastily she returned to the land of kindle and got it.

Becuase it was simply meant to be.

It was obvious by the third chapter - Tempting Danger is a wonderful mix of some of my all time favorite series while not being a copy of those series, by no stretch of the imagination, it's simply something that makes me think of these things I love but is great on its own. So if you like the urban fantasies Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson series, or the mystery In Death series, this book is THE one for you.

But let's get a little more in depth into this book review/recommendation. There are a few things I can tell you so you could make an informed decision whether to read this or not.

If you like your heroines kick-ass, determined, pragmatic, dry witted and very passionate about their job, you will love our main character Lily Yu. She's a young homicide detective who takes no one's shit. She is extremely intelligent, capable and rational. And her job means the world to her. Which is why she didn't count on any of this happening to her, but there you have it. Sometimes, shit happens. And when it does, you just have to deal with it.

If you like your heroes to be charming, confident and utterly devoted to their better half even when they never expected to love someone, you will love Rule. I know I did. Rule is basically a werewolf prince. So that means he is handsome as all get out, rich (kind of) and, naturally, has no shortage of women flock to him. Normally, that would make for a certain type of hero. BUT RULE IS NO JERK!

I know, I know, this is utterly shocking. I was blown-away, too! But this guy is just a sweetheart, even before he falls for the seasoned detective. And after he does... let's just say, he is the perfect blend of Alpha and devotion. Very rarely do I find a book boyfriend who is so inherently alpha, but uses barely any high handed maneuvers (though for no lack of worry and protectiveness) and listens to what his partner actually has to say... and agrees when she's right. Be ready to swoon boys, gals, and nonbinary pals! (Someone here may have been watching too much Thomas Sanders as she was typing this review...)

Now, clearly, I highly recommend the characters. But do I recommend the romance? I think it's fairly obvious I do. The romance hits both parties hard and unexpectedly, and there is the whole "soul mates" part of it. But unlike many novels that use this as a device to excuse insta love and forgo showing the reader the two are meant to be together, Wilks uses this as the catalyst to their falling in love process beginning.

Rule and Lily are forced together by an otherworldly being. Now they have to decide if they even like each other. Spoiler alert: yeah, they do. It's all so organic in the way they react to their predicament. They don't fall in love over night, but over time, forced to spend time together and eventually open up to each other, finding comfort in one another. IT'S GLORIOUS AF, OKAY?!

In fact, the romance is probably my favorite part of this novel, because it is the crux of it without overwhelming the story and plot.

Now, let's talk about the world, especially because I talked about Mercy Thompson and Kate Daniels before. You can definitely see some similarities, especially in the uneasy truce and bigotry between the human world and magical beings, but Wilks created a really intriguing beast with the way she blends those and adds the layer of realms with different rules and creations into the mix.

I can't wait to read more of this series, and I say that as someone who already read the next book just 'cause she couldn't help herself lol

Maggie Stiefvater | Authors Who Win the Cover Lottery #1

A new segment here on the blog that will spotlight gorgeous covers and the authors who nail them repeatedly. 

Take a moment. Breath these cover in. Let their beauty cure all your ills. Imagine yourself stroking and hugging them close. Then marvel at how damn lucky can one author be to win the cover lottery again, and again, and again!

I don't know if it's because Maggie is an artist, or if she even has a say in her books' covers, but damn. Even her earlier works, like Lament and Ballad, or the anthologies she's in like The Curiosities and The Anatomy of Curiosity have really pleasing covers.

But I chose to focus on the eight above.

The Shiver series is the earliest of the ones displayed, and I have to admit I like all the iterations of this series. The ones I put above are the original ones, which I think are the best. I like the simplicity of them, the branches, and the way you suddenly see the wolf there. The new covers follow a similar theme, but I don't like how the color just overtakes everything. I feel like the white works a lot better.

The next covers are of the raven cycle. God almighty, I think those are the most gorgeous covers EVER. Seriously they are at the top of the top of my favorite list. It starts all the way with the first book, The Raven Boys with the cool raven made of brush strokes and the red beating heart, The Dream Thieves with my hubby Ronan so beautifully drawn atop it, Blue Lily, Lily Blue which fights with The Raven King for my favorite of the favorites. Both of them utilize the gorgeous brush strokes, and create such beautiful drawings I CAN'T EVEN THEY ARE SO PRETTY!!!

And then there is the newest addition, All the Crooked Saints. Another pretty one that uses the theme of branches and flowers. It's just SO PLEASENT to look at. Seriously. The colors beautifully mash, the typography and the way the veins climb through it and AHHH I want it already just so I could stare at it all day.

Another cover that I debated putting in but eventually decided against (since the original one is pretty ugly) is the second hardcover version of The Scorpio Races and the second paperback version.  Again, both are so nice to look at.

By the way, I love how Maggie's covers often utilize the white and blank spaces. It makes the actual illustration POP out.

*I link to the amazon buying options where they exist, or to the GR page if you can't buy it anymore.

*I created the graphic with help from this stamp template*

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb | The Start of an Incredible Series!

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

In Death #1

First Published: 1995

Paperback & Kindle

Adult, Mystery

Rating:
Re-Readability:

In a world of danger and deception, she walks the line--between seductive passion and scandalous murder... Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all--and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire--and a suspect in Eve's murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about--except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

I first read Naked in Death about five years ago. I'm not ashamed to admit - it was love at first read. These characters and the world they live in completely captured my heart and soul in just a few pages. It felt like watching one of the detective shows I love, only more satisfying because the romance is an integral part of it, but I didn't have to wait five seasons for it to happen nor did it take over the story and overshadow the case. You know how hard that is to balance?!

Wait, wait, I'm getting waaaaay ahead of myself, aren't I?

Meet Eve Dallas, a seasoned detective in futuristic New York. She is a snarky, dry homicide cop with so much heart it's crazy, even though she tries to pretend otherwise. There is nothing more important to her than bringing justice to the victims, and her personal life is a constant casualty due to it.

Here is a tough, badass woman, who cares. And we can already tell the source of that huge heart lies in her childhood. I remember the curiosity eating at me the first time I read this novel, wanting to hear more details even though I could tell it would be awful.

A prostitute is dead. This specific prostitute is also the grandaughter of a senator. And more pressing--the killer left a jarring note saying she is only the first of six. Now it's a race against time to find the culprit before he kills more people, and bring justice to the murdered.

Now, as far as mysteries go, this is a decent one. It's pretty hard to read at times, you might guess at the identity of the killer before Eve does (I did), and I will warn you you will be nauseated by the whole affair. This is not a bad thing.

But I think the importance of this case is not necessarily about the mystery itself, not in the grand scheme of the In Death world. There is a reason Robb decides to start with this specific case, and not a case five years prior or something like that (Eve has been a detective for quite a while). That's because this is the case that will change her life. This is the case where she meets Roarke.

“You know, Roarke, you’re kind of cute.”

Who is Roarke? Billionaire tech god, this guy is everything. Handsome, rich, funny and smart, he is the ultimate book boyfriend. Especially because of how hard he falls for the hard boiled detective (despite a sketchy past of his own) and how well he comes to understand her.

Guys, these two are at the TOP of my OTP list, and it starts right here. I had forgotten how completely J.D. Robb manages to make you ship these two from their very first scene together. There is just such incredible chemistry between them, and they fit like two pieces of a puzzle. You want them together.

Seriously, these guys are my crack. I have read almost 20 books in this series and they never, never fail to capture my heart and soul.

If you love mysteries with a dash of romance, compelling characters and great side story lines, pick up this fantastic series!

Existence by Abbi Glines / The First Book I Ever HATED

Existence by Abbi Glines

Existence #1

First Published: 2004

Kindle

Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 

Re-Readability:

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.
Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.
Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.
Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.
He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

Once upon a time, all the way back in 2012, I heard about Existence by Abbi Glines. Wherever I looked, people loved it. So, naturally I thought I would love it too. Oh boy, how wrong I was. This was the book that introduced me to the concept of hating a book. HATING. I guess we all have that one. This was mine.

The crux of the problem was Pagan, the main character. She is such an awful main character, her ridiculous name the least of her problems.

First of all, she's a user. She is in love with a guy name Dank (no joke), and yet she dates this other guy named Leif (again, I swear to god these are their names). So, in my book, that makes her shady af. But if that's not bad enough, she is also a stinking  c h e a t e r  okay?? She kissed another guy while having a boyfriend.

Second, she has a fierce case of the Bella Syndrome, which is when a girl is sooooo in love with a guy that when he leaves she breaks into tiny little pieces and can't live anymore. That's pathetic. Girls are stronger than that, dammit!

So I was already hating on her when the book decided to declare her "soul" beautiful. Oh, and on top of that, she's brave and strong. Ehhh, hello? Who is this Pagan you're talking about and can we have this book be about her instead? I feel like that'd be a much better read than this pathetic mess!

Now, I'm sure you won't be surprised when I say I hated the romance. I kind of hinted toward that already, but let's go into details. For one thing, it's freaking insta love. Like, couldn't you have at least given me a satisfying relationship to hold on??? There is no why, when or how to it. She sees him and BAM she's in love.

But it wasn't even a healthy love. He became the entire reason for her existence. That's not good, y'all!!

But then, to top that off you have Dank. This guy, okay? It's supposed to be impossible for him to fall in love with a human, because reasons. Ergo, the person that makes him fall in love should be super smart, and good, and all around amazing. Well, Pagan's special alright... (e)special(ly) annoying. I guess some guys find that attractive?

The accumulation of all these annoying things is the showdown. Or whatever the hell that was.

SPOILER So, there is the whole self sacrifice deal so Dank could live. But twist! It doesn't work like that so instead she must be brave and live so that his sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing. Ahhh, but gotcha! Choosing to live without the meaning of your existence is actually the biggest sacrifice of all, and oh, how brave and strong you are Pagan to endure it. Your reward.... huzzah, he's alive! END SPOILER

When do I get to shoot myself?? Seriously, what is this crap and why do people love this?

The single endurable thing about this whole mess is the last line. The last line. It made me consider for a millisecond reading the next book before I caught myself and burst out laughing.

As for the writing... It was okay. Yeah, that's the best I've got. I often felt like Glines dragged things way too long, and occasionally the speech was completely fake and unnatural. So, yeah, I wasn't super impressed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, I would like to backtrack a little bit. I do think that my disappointment could've been less severe if the summary didn't reveal what Dank was, and instead we had to discover it with Pagan. It could've at least given some mystery to the whole thing.

Where Have I Been... and Am I coming Back?

Hello hello hello!!

How are everyone? For the past few months I've been pretty inactive, mostly active in the deal area of this blog, but I wanted to give you an update in case you were worried about my status.

My biggest passion in life has always, always, been writing stories. It has been my dream and life goal since I was seven years old. I used to write every day, all day, until I was about eighteen, when I went to collage for script writing.

There, ironically enough, I stopped writing. There was something so depressing and life sucking in that program that made me completely lose my muse. For five years. Those five years were, instead, filled with reading many different books.

Earlier this year, I found my groove again. I started writing again. But something had to give. And that something had to be.... reading. And this is, ultimately, a review blog. So, unfortunately, this blog was hurt the most by this.

That being said, I am starting to find more balance, and in order to have a more balanced diet, I intend to read and review four books per month (at least), and write four non review posts of any kind.

Now, what else have I been doing? 

1. Exercising! Unbelievably enough, I have started a regime of walks and jogs in order to live a healthier life & lose some of the weight I've gained since starting my job. It's a lot of weight lol

2. Watching drama. I kind of got sucked into that world while focusing on my writing. It's easier to just invest 45 minutes to an hour in an episode one in a while than a book. I tend to lose myself while I'm reading.

3. Gif-ing! I don't know how it happened, but I started gifing the shows I'm watching. It's becoming a real sickness!!

What about you guys? What have you been doing this past few months? Read anything good you can recommend for my 4 books a month?