Well it was better than the last one, but still had long boring parts. Too many different new people and cultures to keep up with. I can't remember anWell it was better than the last one, but still had long boring parts. Too many different new people and cultures to keep up with. I can't remember anyone's name but the main couple and the Carpathian males. There was more page time with the couple and a little less fighting in this read which helped make this book more likable. The couple had a bit more depth that helped too. I wish she would go back to writing like the first ten books. I don't find myself looking forward to the books anymore. It doesn't feel like coming home anymore. It feels like a chore. Each new book I go into with no connection to the people because most are new. Nothing seem dangerous because everything is so over the top it's lost it's shock value. I might just wait to read the other books until It's Gary, Josef, or one of the kids of the past couples. All these new guys don't hold my interest at all....more
Please stop destroying beloved series by not ending them when it's time. Stop coming up with convoluted, confusing, over the
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Dear Authors,
Please stop destroying beloved series by not ending them when it's time. Stop coming up with convoluted, confusing, over the top, ridiculous, overly complicated, and monotonous plots to keep the series going. Yes your series is popular. Yes it has a large following. True you and fans may not want it to end. Nothing last forever. You can only upgrade the bad guys so many times before you run out of baddies. How many damn apocalypses can there be in one series? How many overly complex and preposterous story lines can you drum up? At some point that horse is going to die. Beating that dead horse, putting making up on it, dressing it fancy doesn't make it better. Please stop dragging it out. Stop taking these amazing series that touch so many with compelling story lines and characters that fans love and turn that into a caricature of it's former self because you don't want to end it.
Below are my thoughts on this book so Spoilers SPOILERS lots of SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!
First off let me say that I have been reading the Dark/Carpathian series for around 12 years. That's right I have spent years of my life investing into this series. I have loved and eagerly looked forward to every book buying them as soon as they release. I have spent in the upper 100s of dollars collecting this series in hardback and kindle editions. So to say I have been a dedicated fan would be putting it mildly.
It hurts me to say this but, I truly think it's time. This series has gone on too long and strayed away from what made it so special in the first place. I feel like Christine Feehan has fallen into a trap that a lot of authors/ and tv show writers fall into when trying to keep their series going.
Jumping the shark, Nuking the fridge, Forest Gump-ing it, going Off the rails, A bridge too far, the one upper, whatever you call it the meaning is the same. To ruin a work(series, show, etc.) by introducing new plots, characters, and ideas that are so far-fetched and ridiculous that it declines in quality. I tend to refer to Dark Blood as the beginning of the end. That was were I started to notice some cracks in my beloved Dark series. I noticed CF seemed to be adding a lot of page fillers in that book that were stupid, boring and added nothing to the book. For example all the spells and Carpathian language(gibberish that CF made up).
After that I noticed that plot getting more far reaching. A ton of new characters were added. I can't remember half of them or keep them straight. Newer and badder bad guys that come off more like a joke. I mean really first it was time and the human extremist that were the bad guys. Then it was Vampires and human extremist, then it was badder vampires, then ancient badder- vampires, then Jaguars, then a Mage, then Lycans, and of course lets not forget the then dead mage Xavier, brought back to life with help of his secret brothers because surprise they are triplets. Their name my god their names. Xavier, Xaviero, and Xayvion. It's like he is a Pokémon with different evolutions. Every time I read their names I think of Eevee and all her evolutions.
Dark Whisper is book 32 and it was boring af. It was so lackluster that I will be going to the library for now on to read the new books. Vasilisa and Afanasiv didn't stand out to me and I bet by next year I won't remember them at all. They had no connection, no romance to speak of and really they had very little depth. All the time and pages it would have taken to give them some depth and development went to fights. Stupid eye rolling fights that aren't even action packed just a bunch of mental fights, spells and a sprinkle of action.
Then CF comes up with the newest baddie Lilith the underworld queen/demons. What's next Aliens? At one point Afanasiv tells his lifemate that Lilith blackmailed him into a contract for sex in hopes for a baby. Don't worry he didn't touch Lilith but he also didn't break his word. How you ask? Well he made a astral projection of himself that slept with Lilith. Lilith being a power demon queen of hell couldn't tell a real male fucking her from Astral dick. I mean really?? REALLY? No one in CF's camp didn't think to say "umm CF this might be a bit much" No one?
I was bored the whole book. Truly didn't enjoy any of it except for Razvan, Ivory, Skyler and Dimitri. I can tell CF did a lot of search in tarot cards, but honestly I don't give a crap about that. I don't need to hear about everyone's readings and what each damn card means. It's just more page filler like the spells and Carpathian language. There is only one way to fix this series. Forget the ancients from the monastery or sprinkle them between other books. Go back to the Carpathian mountains. Back to the way the first 10 books were written. Develop your characters and their relationships. Give them depth. Focus on the romance, families and friendships. No one cares about badder villains, or overly complex battles. No one cares about made up languages, fake spells, and long winded card readings. Go back to the basics. What made this series stand out was the beloved characters that touched the readers and the strong connection we felt to them because they felt real. If the series keeps going down the path it's on now it will crash and burn.
Yes there have been some good books in the series as of late, but they are getting less and less. I want more than anything to get Gary's book. I have wanted his book since book 4. I would also love to get the kids books. The prince's son, Gregori's twins, Josef etc. their books would be amazing. Still I don't know how much more I can take. This is my first time ever giving CF a 1 star and it hurts my soul. With each new book I get closer to quitting this series, and that just breaks my heart.
I didn't really care for Jackson who didn't notice Willa for 9 whole damn years. Then he keeps messing up her name calling her willow. I also c2 stars
I didn't really care for Jackson who didn't notice Willa for 9 whole damn years. Then he keeps messing up her name calling her willow. I also couldn't stand that Willa was a big doormat that would let her man treat her like crap, push her away, disappear in the middle of the night for hours and come home smelling like perfume and alcohol, but instead of asking about it or getting mad and sticking up for herself she pretends like everything is great. I hate cowards in books. She wasn't timid, she was a coward. I didn't think much of Jackson either. I didn't get them as a couple and I didn't care for the plot so yeah I will not be finishing this series. ...more
Only when it's us, was my first book by Chloe Liese. It may be my last. The premise of the book sounded so good, but execution left much to be desired. I was excited thinking I was getting a story about a hearing impaired bear of a man that has a special bond with the girl who accepts him just as he is thing, but that isn't what I got. While I loved Ryder, enjoyed his strong damaged silent type I couldn't stand Willa. She didn't come off as a strong independent woman, like she says she is over and over, but more like a overly dramatic bitch.
I'm sorry but she drove me nuts. She made everything a huge deal. She flipped out on the hero every five minutes. Willa got mad at Ryder for stupid shit, but refused to tell him, and had over the top daddy issues. She didn't deal with any of the problems in her life. She came off as a coward most of the time. For a strong independent woman, she was super dependent on her mom. She came off like a high schooler instead of a woman in her 20s. I found Willa very unlikable and didn't want Ryder with her. While Ryder was there for her when she needed him, and accepted her for the bitchy hot mess she was, Willa didn't give Ryder any support, pushed him away, and got mad at him for doing the same shit she was doing. She ruined the book for me. I may try another book by this author but if all her female leads are written like Willa I'll be bouncing.
When I read Fourth Wing a few months ago I didn't really like it, but I didn't hate it. Because it was so popular I decided to give it one more shot to see if book two could win me over. Spoiler alert it didn't!!!!! Can anyone explain to me how I can read two books, one of which the audiobook was 28 hours long and I still don't know what the fuck is going on in this series. Truly it's one of the most confusing books I've ever read. A ton of names, cities, kingdoms, rules, gods, powers, bad guys, deaths, dragons etc. crammed into a book with no depth to connect you to the info. What I did understand was stupid and made no sense what so ever. The rules of the world contradicted each other. The plot was poorly hashed out and the characters were very one dimensional. Being on book 2 I should be able to feel like I know the main characters well, but everything I know about them I learned in the first few chapters of the first book. They got no deeper as the series went on. If I wrote everything I didn't like about this book in this review, I'd be here forever so I'll just name a few and be done.
Let me start with Basgiath the most stupid war college ever! They don't train their students, they don't protect them, they don't make them stronger, they aren't honest with them, and they don't give a single shit about anyone in the school. In both books we readers are told over and over that Basgiath is in desperate need of riders, yet more riders die from going to Basgiath than in battle ever. Basgiath literally lies, tortures, abuses, and kills their own students. There is nothing good, cool, or worthwhile about Basgiath war college. I'm pretty sure they are the bad guys. I know I wouldn't want to go there. I mean how stupid is it that you need fighters but you keep killing them off left and right for the fuck of it. I get that RY was trying to up the stakes but instead it makes Basgiath and everyone that wants to go there look stupid. I could go on for hours about all that is stupid about Basgiath but let me move on to Violet and Xaden. Violet has to be the weakest "kickass heroine" I've ever read. Honestly she can't fight, she can't ride and she can't use her magic well. She is always hurt and injured and she is weak of mind. She is suppose to be so smart yet she does some of the dumbest shit. I'll give you one example. There is a fight scene when Liam's sister(who is not trained well and will get her ass kicked) is getting ready to spar/fight in front of the whole class. This is dangerous for Liam's sister as fighter kill each other for fun all the time. Since Violet promise Liam as he was dying in book one that she would watch over his sister Violet needs to help her. Now super smart Violet (who btw, poisoned everyone she fought in book 1 and was never caught even as all her opponents were dropping like flies) decides to help Liam's sis by poisoning her opponents too. Of course the way she drugs the fighter is by crushing a powder in her hand and then cough blowing said powder in the other fighter's face. No one seeing powder flying from someone's hand into another persons face even with a ton of people standing super close. Nope nothing to see here. Also powder wouldn't fly everywhere and get in or on other people around the crowded mats nope not at all. It was just so damn stupid.
Xaden was a sad imitation of Rhys from ACOTAR. He kept going on about loving Violet and yet he kept hiding things from her, knowing it was why she didn't want to be with him. His bullshit of if you want to know just ask line was getting old. Violet was no better lying to everyone else and being pissed at Xaden for lying. The Cat is the bitchy ex that wants Xaden back was just stupid added drama that I'm sick of reading in books for real. Xaden and Violet were apart a ton in this way too long book. When they were together they kept having the same stupid ass fight. They are all suppose to be in their 20s but they read like 15 years old. I felt no connection to either Xaden or Violet. Most likely because they were so one-dimensional. I've seen puddles with more depth. In the first book I kind of liked the dragons in this book they came off flat and lame. The bad ass dragon Tairn never seem to be there for Violet when she needs him and Andarna God RY ruined Andarna by making her bitchy and saying it's because she is a teen. Whatever. Andarna like Xaden was gone most of the book. Oh and I loved that Andarna was a super special kind of dragon that no one else knew about, because Violet is so special she gets all the special dragons......NOT. RY threw everything she could think of in this book to make it exciting. Then for good measure she threw in the kitchen sink, and it still fell flat. I mean really Jack is still alive and a bad guy ohhhhhhhhhh please spare me. Then that ending with Xaden happened and I was just like whatever. Truly I felt nothing. Well that's not true I felt annoyed that I wasted 28 hours listening to a book that was this bad. Sorry to the fans. Don't come for me if you loved it great! I'm glad it worked for you. I just didn't like it.
DNF @ 40% I'm so damn bored and I can't get into this read so it's on to the next bookDNF @ 40% I'm so damn bored and I can't get into this read so it's on to the next book...more
DNF at 24% No rating as I didn't read at least 50%.
I think I might try and go back and read the book myself because the audio is boring af. I couldn'DNF at 24% No rating as I didn't read at least 50%.
I think I might try and go back and read the book myself because the audio is boring af. I couldn't get into it at all and I swear it was going to put me to sleep. I can't even tell you what the book was about again because the audio was so damn boring. So I may try again in book form to be fair, because the book has nothing to do with the dislike of the narration...more
DNF at 32% I'm just not feeling this book and I'm zoning out so I'm gonna move on to my next read. I'm not going to rate this book since I didn't evenDNF at 32% I'm just not feeling this book and I'm zoning out so I'm gonna move on to my next read. I'm not going to rate this book since I didn't even make it to 50%...more
I have only read one other Stephanie Laurens book before and though I found it ok I thought it too flowery and I didn't like the fact that one of her past couple, the hero cheated to have the bastard son(who was the hero) for the book I was reading. Still I seen this book on a audiobook sale for 1.99 and thought I would try it as a stand alone. I knew The Cynster series is a long one and I didn't want to read them all. I knew there would be ongoing story lines from past books. I figured I could still hang, but hand to GOD it was hard to finish this book. Not because I didn't understand or was lost, but because this was so over the top flowery and ridiculous that it annoyed me.
I know it's fiction, but come on...... I have read Blue alien smut that made more sense. I am suppose to believe that some dude's mom wants him to kidnap and ruin one of the Cynster sisters because her dead husband loved the Cynster mom and she was mad about it. Then I'm suppose to believe that she makes her son who is the Laird and Earl do this by stealing a treasured goblet that is owed to the banks of London there by ruining his clan if he doesn't. I am suppose to believe that Said Laird and Earl who has all the power back then because women were at men's mercy back in the day went along with this stupid STUPID plan because he had no choice? Really??????? I can name a ton of better choices like:
He could cut his mom off financially until she gives him back the goblet. He could have locked her in a dungeon until she told him where it was. He could have locked her in a room with no food until she told him where it was. He could have tortured her . He could have banished her til she told. He could have made her clean chamber pots til she caved. He could have had her whipped. He could have had her tied to a chair and had a priest read her sermons until she cracked. He could have shaved her head and make her do the walk of shame GOT style. He could have made her life a living hell, but I'm suppose to believe that his only choice was to kidnap and ruin a woman.
He does kidnap Angelica Cynster after he failed in his attempts to kidnap both her sisters. Angelica WHO'S not like all the other air head girls of the Ton(she's headstrong and outspoken) agrees to help the hero after he kidnaps her because she knew the moment she met him that he was her fated hero! When he offers her marriage for her help she tells him not yet. Then she insist instead that he ruin her by sleeping with her, because she knows the way to any cold closed off man's heart is by the magical pussy.
I am also suppose to believe that Angelica writes her family twice and tells them she's good just helping a friend and to chill and everyone is like "oh that's just like Angelica." Really? Then SL wants me to believe that Angelica and the Earl come up with a plan on the way to see his mom on how to trick her into believing he ruined Angelica. Who by the way was ruined. The whole time their at the castle with his stupid mom everyone knows that He and Angelica are together and the Earl is going to make her his wife. Just not his mom. She is the only one that doesn't know. She never finds out even thought Angelica and the Earl are sleeping in the same bed every night and sneaking around with each other all day in plain view , but his mom is so anti social she just doesn't figure it out. Then I am suppose to believe that Angelica in some masterful reverse psychology plan tricks said stupid mother into telling her son that he has to rape Angelica if he wants the goblet back and she has to see proof. Of course he is heart sick at the thought of having to fake rape his soon to be wife because HONOR, but he just can't think of any thing else to do.
That leads to some of the cringiest, ickiest shit I've read. For real it made my skin crawl. I have read rape in books, I've read dark romance, I've read dubious consent, but there was just something so nasty about having sex with your partner that you are pretending to rape for your mother who is
(A) following behind you as your carry your "victim" upstairs smiling and yelling things like
“Help me! You can’t let him do this.” Mirabelle smiled, and every ounce of her maliciousness, of her vindictive spite showed. “Oh, yes I can! He is doing this for me. He’s so big, too!!! I’m so looking forward to hearing you scream. My only regret is that your mother won’t hear it. Hear her darling being ripped apart, but I’m hoping that later you’ll describe the moment to her in all its horror.” Angelica and Mirabelle
(B) Said nasty mother is listening at the door while your have sex/pretend to rape your soon to be wife so you make sure she and you both scream and put on a show.
and then
(C) Cut your finger to smear blood on her thighs mixing it with your seed, having her legs spread open wide, and ripping her top so her breast are out you let your mom in to prove you did rape and ruin Angelica.
Other things I am suppose to believe in this book are:
The mom is killed by a bad guy that comes out of no where and then dies himself some few pages later. That Angelica's family shows up and she is tongue kissing the Earl in front of them after disappearing with said Earl for weeks. That Angelica's family would be okay with that because the Earl makes good Scottish whiskey. That when they get back to London where everyone can see Angelica stays with the Earl at his house in this bed were anyone can and will know but somehow she isn't ruined by this. And of course her family is cool with it because Angelica is headstrong. I mean things like that happen all the time in the Victorian era. On top of all the over the tops silly things that would have never happened and were too crazy to believe the books was longwinded and dragged on forever. There was so much over the top flowery speech that my eyes glazed over and I would forgot what they were even talking about.
It's safe to say I won't be picking up another book from this author her writing doesn't work for me and I don't enjoy her stories. Sorry to any fans!!!!
This book read weird to me. I don't think I have read a Tia Louise book before so I don't know if it's her writing style or just this book, but the ovThis book read weird to me. I don't think I have read a Tia Louise book before so I don't know if it's her writing style or just this book, but the overreactions of Aiden over anything to do with faith, magic, or imaginations was ridiculous and annoying. It made him seem like a huge dick not just to Britt but also to his son. The whole book seemed to make mountains out of anthills about pretty much everything including the crime happening in their small town. I didn't care for it. Maybe I'll try a different book from this author at another point but this book was a miss. ...more
Surrender to the Cyborgs was such a meh read. It could have been better if it had some real plot to it. Instead the book was just MFM DP sex 2.5 Stars
Surrender to the Cyborgs was such a meh read. It could have been better if it had some real plot to it. Instead the book was just MFM DP sex with a light sprinkle of plot. I got bored quick and kept putting the book down. It took 2 days to finish this small book because it was repeat sex with no character or relationship build up. I didn't connect to anyone in this book and didn't care what happened so I won't be reading the next one. Sorry not for me ...more
I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of read or the book just didn't do it for me but I found myself having a hard time finishing iI don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of read or the book just didn't do it for me but I found myself having a hard time finishing it. It took me 3 days to read this book and that's slow for me. I felt it dragged on and on. I also didn't really feel Logan. He didn't come off sexy broody loner, but more like a jerk at times and boring at other times. I did like Des. I think I will read something else and come back this series later when I'm feeling in the mood for easy slow reads. All that being said it was still a okay book for me. ...more
Imma try and keep this short and to the point so I can move on to the next book and act like this one didn't happen. First off when I got this book I was like who tf is Sahvage? I have been doing a reread on the whole series and I never heard of him. Well he is a new add on and a boring one at that. All we know about this dude was he use to be a brother, they thought he was dead. He can't die and he was a under ground fighter for like 2 minutes in the book. That's it. Oh yea and he has a cousin Ravhyn. He won't stand out and I won't remember him a year from now.
Mae OMG I hated Mae's stupid ass. Not only was she underdeveloped as a character, but the little we readers did know was crap. She was a asshole. Talked to and treated Sahvage like he was shit on the bottom of her shoe. Was all kinds of stupid and delusional. I hated her so much.
I did enjoy getting more Murhder, Sarah and Nate. I love Lassiter and I can't wait for his book. I wish we readers would get more of the brothers(not V) and their families. I miss the OG group so much. Erika and Balthazar were interesting and I hope I get more of them. Devina OMG I don't care for her. I didn't like her in the fallen angel series and I don't like her in this series. So it was really annoying for this book to be the Devian show. She was all over this book and I can't stand her ass. Also why the hell is Sahvage calling himself a simp. I can't even with that shit. Overall not a good read for me and not a good add to the series.
Update I went ahead and listened to the whole thing instead of DNFing it and I really really didn't like it.
DNF a hour and 20 mins in. I can't stand aUpdate I went ahead and listened to the whole thing instead of DNFing it and I really really didn't like it.
DNF a hour and 20 mins in. I can't stand all the stupid background music. Rock music doesn't go with that time period. Lydia was stupid. So stupid and unlikable. The fact that the writer acts like Jane and Lizzie say no to helping Lydia is bull shit. In the book Pride and Prejudice it says that both Jane and Lizzie send her money to help them make ends meet because Wickham blew it all. Lydia is not a victim. Her sisters did help her. Don't try and make Jane and Liz jerks. George Wickham is a huge piece of shit. I could see that the writer was trying to work towards redemption not just for Lydia but for George as well. Nothing could ever EVER redeem George. EVER!!!!!!! Also I swear every time that damn ELECTRIC GUITAR started playing made me want to rip my hair out. What a way to ruin a classic. Total disappointment.
Quote from Pride and Prejudice:
As for Wickham and Lydia, their characters suffered no revolution from the marriage of her sisters. He bore with philosophy the conviction that Elizabeth must now become acquainted with whatever of his ingratitude and falsehood had before been unknown to her; and in spite of every thing, was not wholly without hope that Darcy might yet be prevailed on to make his fortune. The congratulatory letter which Elizabeth received from Lydia on her marriage, explained to her that, by his wife at least, if not by himself, such a hope was cherished. The letter was to this effect:
"MY DEAR LIZZY,
"I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half as well as I do my dear Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a great comfort to have you so rich, and when you have nothing else to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a place at court very much, and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do, of about three or four hundred a year; but however, do not speak to Mr. Darcy about it, if you had rather not.
"Yours, etc."
As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavored in her answer to put an end to every entreaty and expectation of the kind. Such relief, however, as it was in her power to afford, by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expenses, she frequently sent them. It had always been evident to her that such an income as theirs, under the direction of two persons so extravagant in their wants, and heedless of the future, must be very insufficient to their support; and whenever they changed their quarters, either Jane or herself were sure of being applied to for some little assistance towards discharging their bills. Their manner of living, even when the restoration of peace dismissed them to a home, was unsettled in the extreme. They were always moving from place to place in quest of a cheap situation, and always spending more than they ought. His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; hers lasted a little longer; and in spite of her youth and her manners, she retained all the claims to reputation which her marriage had given her.
Though Darcy could never receive him at Pemberley, yet, for Elizabeth's sake, he assisted him further in his profession. Lydia was occasionally a visitor there, when her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath...more
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