Parker the old as heck Vampire and Allie, miss perfect. I did enjoy this, the story is clunky and the characters don't stay in character. But it's yummParker the old as heck Vampire and Allie, miss perfect. I did enjoy this, the story is clunky and the characters don't stay in character. But it's yummy HP-like entertaining cheese. This one reads like two books. In book one, Parker is a douche nozzle who harps on about his beloved first mate. There's very little said about Liz except that she lived in a small village with a Chief??? A Chief? and her name is 'Liz'?? I have no clue where, when, why, how??. Anyways just ignore strange large holes in the plot and story... But Parker clings to fading memory of Liz with mindless self pity. You don't feel the love for Liz that makes him cling so hard to her memory. He's been listening to Allie's night time radio show for months and everyone suspects she is his mate long before he does. Even when he does he still refuses to accept it for first one reason and then another. In the meantime, Allie is being stalked by a crazed human psycho and Parker's sister is her new bodyguard/bff. The second part of the story is after Parker 'wakes and smells the coffee'. Parker's character changes from the old bad ass moody Vampire to a kinda lovelorn man-child. Not a good look, but some good grovelling. Hence the 3 stars. I did like that Allie wasn't ready to trust his 180 reversal. For me it was too much telling and not enough showing. Why do they love each other? Is it just instinctual or because she's such a perfect goody two shoes? Is it just sex? What's to like about him other than his hot body? All she's seen of him is from flat on her back or him getting PO'd about something. Still a satisfyingly predictable and mildly angsty read.
Merged review:
Parker the old as heck Vampire and Allie, miss perfect. I did enjoy this, the story is clunky and the characters don't stay in character. But it's yummy HP-like entertaining cheese. This one reads like two books. In book one, Parker is a douche nozzle who harps on about his beloved first mate. There's very little said about Liz except that she lived in a small village with a Chief??? A Chief? and her name is 'Liz'?? I have no clue where, when, why, how??. Anyways just ignore strange large holes in the plot and story... But Parker clings to fading memory of Liz with mindless self pity. You don't feel the love for Liz that makes him cling so hard to her memory. He's been listening to Allie's night time radio show for months and everyone suspects she is his mate long before he does. Even when he does he still refuses to accept it for first one reason and then another. In the meantime, Allie is being stalked by a crazed human psycho and Parker's sister is her new bodyguard/bff. The second part of the story is after Parker 'wakes and smells the coffee'. Parker's character changes from the old bad ass moody Vampire to a kinda lovelorn man-child. Not a good look, but some good grovelling. Hence the 3 stars. I did like that Allie wasn't ready to trust his 180 reversal. For me it was too much telling and not enough showing. Why do they love each other? Is it just instinctual or because she's such a perfect goody two shoes? Is it just sex? What's to like about him other than his hot body? All she's seen of him is from flat on her back or him getting PO'd about something. Still a satisfyingly predictable and mildly angsty read....more
**spoiler alert** Hmmmm.... Well, that was fun but a bit unsatisfying. The ending was rushed and for me her relationship with the 4 guys was rushed too.**spoiler alert** Hmmmm.... Well, that was fun but a bit unsatisfying. The ending was rushed and for me her relationship with the 4 guys was rushed too. ...and I usually like shorter stories!
Dev is a Void, the scourge of the paranormal world. Like the rat in the kitchen. Nobody wants her, not even her mother. But really, her mother is a class A b*tch, so no loss there. She not had love in her life since she got her powers and her best friend, Reed is a human who doesn't know about the paranormal world. On a side note, I was a little confused about Reed. It seems his mother treats him like a girl. But I thought maybe the author was including a twin spirits person, and Reed was actually a guy born in a woman's body? But I don't think, that's the case. Too bad.
Anyways, I liked Dev's character but she was a bit of doormat for most of the story, bordering on wannabe martyr. And she also couldn't stick to her guns because of TBS (treacherous body syndrome) when she was around any of the hunky 4. But yeah, she's 18 and full of fresh hormones...
The boys are 19 which made their powerful status in the paranormal society ridiculous. But isn't that always the case with these fairytales? Moving on... I thought the story would have been great if it could have been just 2 maybe 3 of the 4 self centered jackasses. Because Render, the vampire was NOT a romantic addition. I didn't even find him sexy.
For me, Render crossed the NO-GO line and ruined the story. I was pretty disappointed with Gritt too.
safety (view spoiler)[of the 4 guys. Render was the worst and crossed the line when he not only screw another woman after kissing and tasting Dev's blood, but it's the same woman who bullied Dev. He goes on about how the OW was the perfect vampire pussy when talking to Dev the next day and then forces her to come watch him suck more blood from the OW (who is half undressed). This is the OW that tries to kill Dev not much later in the story. Does Render EVER apologize? NO he does not. In fact, at his best, he says to Dev that he 'thinks' he 'might possibly' be falling love with her. That's as romantic as this ass gets. He also read her diary (where she complains about how uncaring her mother was) and made fun of it to her when they first met. But later he says, 'I had no idea how awful your mother was'. Dude get a clue! The other guy I had trouble with was Gritt, not because he got cold feet after bonding with her. But because he doubted her in the final action climax where she NEEDED her guys to be supportive. He didn't believe in her goodness till he literally had a piece of her inside him. SO no. If the author wanted me to accept her love for those two dumbasses, she needed to work harder for it. So, Dev isn't a virgin, but she's only been with humans, who (in this world) building aren't as satisfying if you are a supernatural. There's no details given about the 4 guys except for Render and the evil OW ...By the way, the OW and her vamp friends never get comeuppance for trying to murder Dev. sigh. so disappointing. The school headmaster doesn't actually apologize, but he comes close. For the 4 guys, Quade does a nice grovel. And Hyde was just a sweetheart all the time. Render never grovels and never admits his feelings, but is happy to be a part of the 5some. Gritt kind doesn't apologize for his lack of faith/trust, but after connecting with her void on a fundamental level, he admits that she is now worthy of his bond. (i'm paraphrasing but that's the way it seemed to me). (hide spoiler)]
One of the parts of the book I really enjoyed where when her father would show up. He's a risk demon and kinda kept me from hating the book....more
I loved this one! It's funny, cause I wasn't terribly interested in Maud in the previous book, but she turned out to be a great heroine! She was like I loved this one! It's funny, cause I wasn't terribly interested in Maud in the previous book, but she turned out to be a great heroine! She was like a wild card that worked in Arland's favour.
This one repeats the melee at the bar on Karhari where Maud and Arland first met and kind of skims over the progress of their relationship from the previous book. Then it gets going with Maud and her 5 year old daughter Helen, on they're way to Arland's home planet. Maud's answer to Arland's proposal of marriage is still 'maybe'. On the planet they are not having an average day. There are visitors from two fractious houses coming together for a wedding. So this one has LOTS of political intrigue and world building. We find out more about Maud's childhood and just what Arland's position entails. I LOVED Maud. She's an ass kicker but smart enough to know when to play stupid. Of course her status as a child of innkeepers makes her more of a special snowflake. She has skills nobody would expect and uses them to great effect. I just loved the way she was constantly underestimated but rose to the challenge.
Arland was rather a sweetheart for a vampire.... well maybe a bloodthirsty fearless sweetheart ; )
Helen steals the show whenever she's in the scene.
I expected it to be a bit of a stressful read, but it was just a lot of fun and my favourite in the series so far.
Safety is good. (view spoiler)[ there's a wannabe OW in one of the wedding parties who needs her ass kicked and eventually it's kicked HARD! But it was no worry as Arland only has eyes for Maud. Neither are virgins. No details on Arland's sexual past. Lots of vampire ladies who would love to be with him but none that have at his palace. Maud was married but her vampire husband who, as we find out, was not the greatest example of husband material (too selfish and vain), was killed on Karhari not long after they were banished there. That happened almost a year ago and I don't think Maud is grieving anymore. (hide spoiler)]...more
Unsatisfying romance-wise, but interesting world building.
So Jason and Liz knew each other over 15o years ago when he left without a kiss or word of gUnsatisfying romance-wise, but interesting world building.
So Jason and Liz knew each other over 15o years ago when he left without a kiss or word of goodbye. They were starcrossed lovers belonging to different vampires who were feuding. Both their sires were horrid, evil, manipulative people, and I get that, but I still think he could have said something to her before he left. And he's had a LOOoOOoong time to think about it and never tried to get in touch with her since???
So now he is with a different sire and her sire has recently died. So here's his chance to go find her and make up for the callous way he dumped her. Liz is preparing to leave town but falls back into bed with him almost immediately.
Jason was a beta hero at most. Disappointing really. I like beta heroes, but he didn't have the cojones to wipe his own ass without asking his sire for permission first.
Then there's the writing style. I found it frustrating how the writing was constantly going off on tangents. A character would think about doing something but before they do it there would be a page of other stuff that was kinda interesting but also annoying because it made everything seems so distracted.
The whole ending was a complete fizzle. Another vampire shows up and takes over and it was like there had never been any conflict between Liz and Jason ever. He never talks to her about his leaving and she never asks him.
And what's with the creepy pervert of an orange cat?
No idea about safety. There's no mention of others at all....more
. Well that was kinda lame. I think the author wanted to write a sexual fantasy about a vampire rockstar and a perfect girl. SG set about building a sto. Well that was kinda lame. I think the author wanted to write a sexual fantasy about a vampire rockstar and a perfect girl. SG set about building a story to fit these two characterless characters. It's shallow and predictable, boring and borders on ridiculous. Lack of world building makes the read very ham-fisted.
You spend just over 60% of the story mired in boring backstory... I'm talking dull as dish water blah blah blah. SOOOooo predictable. What utter shite.
You spend just over 60% of the story mired in boring backstory... I'm talking dull as dish water blah blah blah. SOOOooo predictable you feel the author coulda just spelled it out in one paragraph and gotten it over with.
Then we jump forward to current day. OK spoilers ahead as I give a little rant; (view spoiler)[I thought the blurb was wrong, because Liv disappeared as soon as she had the vampire turn him to save his life. I thought, well he has a right to be angry cause she swore undying love and then hightails it never to be seen again. And he's looked for her ever since. Kinda pissed, kinda not.
So Liv just shows up outta the blue. She's been running from his wrath for over a thousand years and has decided to give up. (there's a wee bit more to the story with a magic mirror, but trust me, it doesn't matter). Anyways. For over a thousand years she's been a frick'n coward! A COWARD. It is beyond ridiculous. I had hoped maybe she had been held captive this whole time, or she stayed away to save his life or some such shit. But no, she saw his anger in her magic mirror and, RAN AWAY. ... I gotta say her character, which was already pretty frick'n boring, was now beyond redemption... But wait, it gets worse. ... She's still a goddamned virgin.
Is he a virgin? Hell no. He's been screwing all and sundry for centuries.
I think the author attempted to make their 'fucking' special, by making her his fated mate. SO all of a sudden he has a heart beat again and can feel her orgasms. Oh yeah, and he never came in the OWs. (*roll my eyes*) It just came across as incredibly trite. To top off my anger at this stupid story, their first time together is on the basement floor... there are no words! But wait, it gets worse. ...
The bloody story ends there... just after they get their rocks off. No time spent with him groveling for being such a self pitying, slutty ass and not time spent with her apologizing for being such a coward. JL doesn't even continue the story to them getting her stupid mirror back. That's a whole other book ... that I will NEVER read!!!! (hide spoiler)]
**spoiler alert** . As others have said, this seems to be the best book in the series. I have only read a handful, but they were forgettable. This one r**spoiler alert** . As others have said, this seems to be the best book in the series. I have only read a handful, but they were forgettable. This one really sucks you in! OK spoilers ahead. I knew all these going into the story and still enjoyed it.
Marguerite has had the shit end of the stick for the last 700 years, since her marriage at 15 to Jean Claude the assh*le. (At the end of the story, the author tries to redeem Jean Claude but really that ship has sailed and he will forever be the douche bag to end all douche bags in my book. Why would she want to redeem him???)
Marguerite is trying to spread her wings after being married to an emotional sadist for so many years. She had never been allowed to do ANYTHING by herself before and was actually mind controlled by her despicable husband throughout their entire marriage. Why isn't she crazy? Well the author does a nice job showing how she chooses to remain single and autonomous. Yet I felt she was a bit of a doormat around Julius. He would command her and she would just go a long rather than rock the boat. To me, that's doormatty behavior. She is trying her luck at being a detective and with her human partner, Tiny, they embark on their first case together. To find out who Christian's mother is, because his father Julius refuses to tell him and claims that she is dead. Not long into the story, it is pretty obvious who the mother is... (view spoiler)[Marguerite (hide spoiler)]
Anyways, turns out that there was one year in her life (500 years ago) that was fabulously happy. Jean Claude was thought to be dead for 20 years when she met her life mate Julius. They were married and she was about to give birth to their first son, when something awful happens. You don't learn what it was until about 2/3 into the story. (view spoiler)[supposedly Jean Claude returns and Marguerite not only leaves Julius to return to her first husband, but she tries to have the baby she just birthed killed. Fortunately the child was saved but Julius fell for this 180 in her behavior without questioning it. He NEVER sought her out to get her side of the story. This is his lifemate, and the woman he's been married to for a year and he just accepts that she would willingly try to murder their child???!?!? Man, Marguerite has poor luck in husbands. (hide spoiler)]
So Julius shows up early into the story and between the murder attempts on Marguerite and the strange gap in Marguerite's memory of her marriage to Julius and being pregnant, he FINALLY begins to realize something nefarious is going on. DUH!
I didn't suspect the true culprit til near the end. The ending was the usual last crazed stand by the bad guy with plenty of bad guy monologuing of evil deeds. Thank god the bad guy got their just deserts or I would have been pretty pissed!
Now was Julius redeemed? I guess so, but not really because Marguerite makes it all to easy for him. I found him kinda a lackluster hero. He comes across as an arrogant prig with a tendancy to bossiness. I would have liked Marguerite to have a more vivacious mate who could help her spread her wings. Julius apologizes and feels remorse and is protective of Marguerite, so why am i unsatisfied? I think it is because of Marguerite. I loved her character but I was also disappointed that she never felt hurt that Julius hadn't loved her enough to seek her out before this. She was so GDamned understanding! She gets over her difficulties with trust WAY too fast. Then she accepts his apology like nothing happened. I can totally understand her making Julius feel better at the end by saying that it all had to happen the way it did so that she would have her other children (the younger ones she had with Jean Claude after he raped her mind to make her a puppet). But first I wanted her to show her pain to Julius. I mean for crying out loud, we're talking centuries of having your will removed. Of having your mind and body raped. There way more time spent on her broken/non relationship with her lost son, Christian.
WTH???
There's a cute little epilogue where we learn all about Marguerite's match making talents.
So no. I enjoyed the heck out of the story but will probably never read it again.
Safety is what it is (view spoiler)[ I don't think Julius was a monk during the entire separation, but it sounds like he's been celibate a long long time. Marguerite was mentally forced to have sex with Jean Claude for a very very long time. She hasn't been with anyone else since his death (hide spoiler)]...more
. This is partly a case of it's me and not you. I'm not going to star it because I quit at 35%... I did skim (barely) to the end and there are some part. This is partly a case of it's me and not you. I'm not going to star it because I quit at 35%... I did skim (barely) to the end and there are some parts that are pretty cool, but not enough to make me finish it. This series has worn out for me. I am just so tired of the BDSM crap. The odd spanking or tying down, blindfolding, that's all titillating, but pain, Uh NO, not my thing.
But anyways, there are other things about this story that turn me off; 1. Ronan (OK I'll elaborate more... he comes across as an immature teenage boy. Hopefully his character will grow, but I don't really care enough to find out). Every other chapter is Ronan windging on about something.
2. Micah's relationship with Sam is overshadowed by his relationship with his first wife. And what does Katarina have to do with the plot anyways?? (view spoiler)[From 15% to 23% is Micah reminiscing about his first wife, Katarina... to his second wife Sam! And Sam is all, yes please tell me more and it doesn't make me jealous at all... Is she for real?!?! He finishes by telling Sam about his first time having sex with Katarina. For F*ck's sake. If my hubby ever told me in detail about his sexcapades before we met and how much he loved it, I'd brain him with a frying pan! It overshadowed the sweet stuff between him and Sam that came later, like he loves Sam more because he's made her pregnant and he's so happy that he's not infertile after all. He keep comparing her to Katarina in his head and how similar they are. Dammit, I'm getting peeved just remembering it! (hide spoiler)]
3. Sam's character has become less and less interesting since the first book. Now she comes across like she's on Valium.
Soooo, the story does have a surprise twist in the end that suits Micah's character. And Sam and he do have the (not so surprising) surprise that was foreshadowed in the last book. That WAS sweet, but not enough to make me finish the book....more
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