**spoiler alert** Being in the mood for some erotic romance, I finally got around to reading this well-reviewed little menage jewel and am sure to try**spoiler alert** Being in the mood for some erotic romance, I finally got around to reading this well-reviewed little menage jewel and am sure to try something else the author wrote when the mood strikes me again.
This was almost category romance length and while the start was a bit too fast in its emotional developments and first sex, the story started to shine when the emotions of all three partners started messing up their expectations of how it would all play out. I liked the playfulness and the differences between the men, I liked that Devi was adored by them as she was - which was more than just Marily Monroe-curvy.
I loved that, while Devi had some issues of her own, it also became clear to the men and finally her sisters that she knew very well what she wanted once she started articulating it. That she enjoyed taking care of her guys, and cooking and being taken care of by them.
Jace was probably the least interesting part of the triangle, because he was fairly well adjusted. The background of why the brothers got into menage loving being a very sad and sordid fact. Devi makes the guys promise to work on that while they stay together and she's aware that her mother and maybe her middle sister will remain at odds with her - so it's not all HEA with flowers on top.
I was able to believe that Devi started to fall for both men (view spoiler)[- and how nice that the two guys are really rich and even Devi has a savings account which can pay for an Armani suit. (hide spoiler)]
Merged review:
Being in the mood for some erotic romance, I finally got around to reading this well-reviewed little menage jewel and am sure to try something else the author wrote when the mood strikes me again.
This was almost category romance length and while the start was a bit too fast in its emotional developments and first sex, the story started to shine when the emotions of all three partners started messing up their expectations of how it would all play out. I liked the playfulness and the differences between the men, I liked that Devi was adored by them as she was - which was more than just Marily Monroe-curvy.
I loved that, while Devi had some issues of her own, it also became clear to the men and finally her sisters that she knew very well what she wanted once she started articulating it. That she enjoyed taking care of her guys, and cooking and being taken care of by them.
Jace was probably the least interesting part of the triangle, because he was fairly well adjusted. The background of why the brothers got into menage loving being a very sad and sordid fact. Devi makes the guys promise to work on that while they stay together and she's aware that her mother and maybe her middle sister will remain at odds with her - so it's not all HEA with flowers on top.
I was able to believe that Devi started to fall for both men (view spoiler)[- and how nice that the two guys are really rich and even Devi has a savings account which can pay for an Armani suit. (hide spoiler)]...more
**spoiler alert** I thought Richard was too lenient on the baddie and there was too much emphasis on “Richard is so private, but he shows off his emot**spoiler alert** I thought Richard was too lenient on the baddie and there was too much emphasis on “Richard is so private, but he shows off his emotions for me” – at this point in their marriage I expect them to change somewhat anyway – so it would simply make more sense to me if the reason for his being so clearly in love with her is that he no longer cares that other people see his emotions regarding her. That he has grown comfortable with it.
I liked Rose’s continuing development into a grand dame, and the heartbreaking disease amidst the introduction of her former best friend’s courtship and marriage (which was the most romantic bit for me). I also continue to enjoy Richard and Rose’s interplay.
I agree that we didn’t seem to need the Drurys in this book, the smuggling sub-plot would have been enough.
And I was MAJORLY annoyed when Rose got herself caught by the villain at the end even though having been warned by Richard not to go out without guards.
Merged review:
I thought Richard was too lenient on the baddie and there was too much emphasis on “Richard is so private, but he shows off his emotions for me” – at this point in their marriage I expect them to change somewhat anyway – so it would simply make more sense to me if the reason for his being so clearly in love with her is that he no longer cares that other people see his emotions regarding her. That he has grown comfortable with it.
I liked Rose’s continuing development into a grand dame, and the heartbreaking disease amidst the introduction of her former best friend’s courtship and marriage (which was the most romantic bit for me). I also continue to enjoy Richard and Rose’s interplay.
I agree that we didn’t seem to need the Drurys in this book, the smuggling sub-plot would have been enough.
And I was MAJORLY annoyed when Rose got herself caught by the villain at the end even though having been warned by Richard not to go out without guards....more
I don't remember what made me think this was erotic romance... I mean the sex there is is nicely spicy and everything, but this is a very good contempI don't remember what made me think this was erotic romance... I mean the sex there is is nicely spicy and everything, but this is a very good contemporary romance with lovingly drawn main and side characters and a great sense of humour.
Of course it is also a book for the Cinderella in each woman, because the nice girl actually gets the prince of dreams. I could have done without adding 9/11 into background of the hero - a car accident would have been just as devastating, but oh well.
Why the heroine completely went bonkers about emotional commitment made perfect sense the more you found out about her previous life and I loved the way she went after what she wanted when she could nerve herself up for it.
Merged review:
I don't remember what made me think this was erotic romance... I mean the sex there is is nicely spicy and everything, but this is a very good contemporary romance with lovingly drawn main and side characters and a great sense of humour.
Of course it is also a book for the Cinderella in each woman, because the nice girl actually gets the prince of dreams. I could have done without adding 9/11 into background of the hero - a car accident would have been just as devastating, but oh well.
Why the heroine completely went bonkers about emotional commitment made perfect sense the more you found out about her previous life and I loved the way she went after what she wanted when she could nerve herself up for it....more
**spoiler alert** Considering this is one of my utmost auto-buy series and reads I don't think my enjoyment necessarily will reflect everyone's taste,**spoiler alert** Considering this is one of my utmost auto-buy series and reads I don't think my enjoyment necessarily will reflect everyone's taste, but I can say that if you already love the series you will love this installment, too.
I can totally see where this was one book - even though MSW takes care to unobtrusively keep readers up-to-date if they haven't reread the previous one before reading this: the whole book is the climax of the Western March storyarc and while it's the usual longer length for her LUNA novels, in reality it would have been a DAW book length (I'd say around 800 pages if they had published the book in one go) - this means that time-wise about three days in all are covered: the point is that it's action, development, shocks, crisis and solution with hardly a breather, but some very good conversations.
The consort takes something of a back-seat, but we get a lot of continuing development for Teela and some fascinating information about Severn's past, clearly not all.
And Kaylin is again "midwifing" developments with her power of the true words - and this time she's actively starting to pick and chose the power, shepherded by what the small "glass dragon" actually is (view spoiler)[(I'm still not sure how Kaylin supposedly called him into being, seeing as she was handed the egg in the first place... maybe by caring for it so much and sharing her magic with it - considering that the dragon becomes the embodiment of all her wishfulfilment desires, capable of realising them, until Kaylin basically manages to partially stuff the "genie back into its bottle") (hide spoiler)].
You can also see her maturing in thinking before speaking/acting and actually using Diarmad's training to good benefit at the Court of the Vale - it's a lovely overall development for the increasing importance she has to everyone - I mean Teela has now her supporting posse back and some of them will travel back to Elantra and Kaylin, while having limited him, has the little dragon still and Barrani now know what he's capable of.
Considering the fact that Iberrienne is still alive and the deep anger the Emperor felt at this assassination attempt of Bellusdeo, I can't but speculate that Kaylin will meet him sooner rather than later, now that a whole young generation of excelling Barrani will be part of the current world again (view spoiler)[(another thing I'm speculating about is how the group of friends who all shared their names with each other will deal with the fact that Teela lived through those hundreds of years and matured, while the others are basically like sleepers waking up and full of their idealistic youth flavor, hmm) (hide spoiler)].
Well, MSW has already said that the next book will have as one thread Kaylin's need for a new place of her own. Which to me means, we'll be back in Elantra, which is just fine.
Merged review:
Considering this is one of my utmost auto-buy series and reads I don't think my enjoyment necessarily will reflect everyone's taste, but I can say that if you already love the series you will love this installment, too.
I can totally see where this was one book - even though MSW takes care to unobtrusively keep readers up-to-date if they haven't reread the previous one before reading this: the whole book is the climax of the Western March storyarc and while it's the usual longer length for her LUNA novels, in reality it would have been a DAW book length (I'd say around 800 pages if they had published the book in one go) - this means that time-wise about three days in all are covered: the point is that it's action, development, shocks, crisis and solution with hardly a breather, but some very good conversations.
The consort takes something of a back-seat, but we get a lot of continuing development for Teela and some fascinating information about Severn's past, clearly not all.
And Kaylin is again "midwifing" developments with her power of the true words - and this time she's actively starting to pick and chose the power, shepherded by what the small "glass dragon" actually is (view spoiler)[(I'm still not sure how Kaylin supposedly called him into being, seeing as she was handed the egg in the first place... maybe by caring for it so much and sharing her magic with it - considering that the dragon becomes the embodiment of all her wishfulfilment desires, capable of realising them, until Kaylin basically manages to partially stuff the "genie back into its bottle") (hide spoiler)].
You can also see her maturing in thinking before speaking/acting and actually using Diarmad's training to good benefit at the Court of the Vale - it's a lovely overall development for the increasing importance she has to everyone - I mean Teela has now her supporting posse back and some of them will travel back to Elantra and Kaylin, while having limited him, has the little dragon still and Barrani now know what he's capable of.
Considering the fact that Iberrienne is still alive and the deep anger the Emperor felt at this assassination attempt of Bellusdeo, I can't but speculate that Kaylin will meet him sooner rather than later, now that a whole young generation of excelling Barrani will be part of the current world again (view spoiler)[(another thing I'm speculating about is how the group of friends who all shared their names with each other will deal with the fact that Teela lived through those hundreds of years and matured, while the others are basically like sleepers waking up and full of their idealistic youth flavor, hmm) (hide spoiler)].
Well, MSW has already said that the next book will have as one thread Kaylin's need for a new place of her own. Which to me means, we'll be back in Elantra, which is just fine....more
**spoiler alert** Short version - I'm much happier with Kim than in the first book and the other characters are as interesting, as is Dobrenica. Sarto**spoiler alert** Short version - I'm much happier with Kim than in the first book and the other characters are as interesting, as is Dobrenica. Sartorias for the win!
_____________ Yes, this volume worked MUCH better for me than the last one, because the heroine wasn't as naive as the last time and had much more directed energy. The shock to the system which starts the novel, making Kim really reflect on how she has turned her life internal as a way of dealing with the emotional pain that her last visit to Dobrenica left her in was a great way of getting information of what happened in the first book within an emotional impetus that makes a person WANT to reflect on their life - when you have a well-meaning acquaintance suddenly in emergency care due to an accident and you're the only person to be there for him for a few hours until his wife can be reached.
I found the behaviour of both Kim and her fellow French teacher very believable (from my own memories as a teacher in a new school), and as always Sartorias can make people real with just a few impressions about them, whether it is that teacher or his wife. And then the deft twist of Kim being able to see him as a ghost and telling him to come back - which picks up her touch of magic heritage that was dimly seen in the last novel and will have a much larger role in this one.
Sartorias has said in her comments on the book here on GoodReads that one big aspect of the book is the experience of an only child who grew up without a large herd of friends coming into contact with families that have worked, lived and intermarried for hundreds of years and rarely have only one child. I can but agree, especially as a lot of the things in the first book make much more sense to me in retrospective with the added impressions of those various family members of various generations we get here.
This is even more a family book than the last one, where it was the discovery of family lost and family lies, because we see working families (I adored getting to see a good deal more of Kim's father and mother, by the way - a bit sad we couldn't get more Grandmere even though she was around, but it totally made sense plotwise) - various generations of them, and their internal problems and tribulations.
Now that I got to see more of Tony, especially interacting with females other than Kim and getting other's impressions about him, I could more easily believe into a well-meaning egocentric who is very sure of himself and has a fatal attraction for females. (view spoiler)[I do think the choice Kim makes about not acting on her own attraction is a choice that a lot of the other disappointed ladies could have made just as well, which would have made Tony less of an idiot in that particular way - and have spared his version of a true love a LOT of trouble. (hide spoiler)]
I was wishing for at least as much Alec as in the last book, but the plot would not have worked if that had been the case, because this book has its outward action drawn from the fact that certain developments that should have kept Dobrenica safe from harm, did not work as planned! That Kim was working on a false assumption and Alec could only try to compromise for the best of his country (as Kim repeatedly acknowledges: if she wants him, she has to take Dobrenica with him - because his first love and duty is to his country).
The weaknesses in the system have become more visible and are being exploited by one archvillain (who I thought was the only person who didn't have much of a faceted personality)/emimence grise behind most of the manipulations from Tony's side of the family.
What made the book was the integration of the Dobrenica people and their knowledge and beliefs and customs and stories into the actions taken by the various ruling families, an active Kim who fights in various ways to keep the plots to discredit her family name at bay - (view spoiler)[all the while trying to figure out what happened to Ruli, whom she saw calling for help in a mirror near the start of the plot, and who seems to have been recovered dead by Alec's hand!! (hide spoiler)]
And the vampires that show up totally work within the framework of references ^^.
I liked the various younger people of the other ruling families that we met and that finally dealt with Kim as her own person and showed more of their own motivation - I positively adored the action scenes with Kim at the center: that duel which might have turned out to be to the death in Paris with Tony and especially that amazing Tango in Dobrenica (especially once the partners changed). Delicious!
As for the story, I think there could easily be more books in this series - there are a lot of things left only hinted at and a few surprising plot twists at the end (without turning this into a cliffhanger ending) to see more. What I would like is to see the duo of Alec and Kim in action working for their country and dealing with the new developments in future books (like a Dobrenican Nick and Nora version?)
Merged review:
Short version - I'm much happier with Kim than in the first book and the other characters are as interesting, as is Dobrenica. Sartorias for the win!
_____________ Yes, this volume worked MUCH better for me than the last one, because the heroine wasn't as naive as the last time and had much more directed energy. The shock to the system which starts the novel, making Kim really reflect on how she has turned her life internal as a way of dealing with the emotional pain that her last visit to Dobrenica left her in was a great way of getting information of what happened in the first book within an emotional impetus that makes a person WANT to reflect on their life - when you have a well-meaning acquaintance suddenly in emergency care due to an accident and you're the only person to be there for him for a few hours until his wife can be reached.
I found the behaviour of both Kim and her fellow French teacher very believable (from my own memories as a teacher in a new school), and as always Sartorias can make people real with just a few impressions about them, whether it is that teacher or his wife. And then the deft twist of Kim being able to see him as a ghost and telling him to come back - which picks up her touch of magic heritage that was dimly seen in the last novel and will have a much larger role in this one.
Sartorias has said in her comments on the book here on GoodReads that one big aspect of the book is the experience of an only child who grew up without a large herd of friends coming into contact with families that have worked, lived and intermarried for hundreds of years and rarely have only one child. I can but agree, especially as a lot of the things in the first book make much more sense to me in retrospective with the added impressions of those various family members of various generations we get here.
This is even more a family book than the last one, where it was the discovery of family lost and family lies, because we see working families (I adored getting to see a good deal more of Kim's father and mother, by the way - a bit sad we couldn't get more Grandmere even though she was around, but it totally made sense plotwise) - various generations of them, and their internal problems and tribulations.
Now that I got to see more of Tony, especially interacting with females other than Kim and getting other's impressions about him, I could more easily believe into a well-meaning egocentric who is very sure of himself and has a fatal attraction for females. (view spoiler)[I do think the choice Kim makes about not acting on her own attraction is a choice that a lot of the other disappointed ladies could have made just as well, which would have made Tony less of an idiot in that particular way - and have spared his version of a true love a LOT of trouble. (hide spoiler)]
I was wishing for at least as much Alec as in the last book, but the plot would not have worked if that had been the case, because this book has its outward action drawn from the fact that certain developments that should have kept Dobrenica safe from harm, did not work as planned! That Kim was working on a false assumption and Alec could only try to compromise for the best of his country (as Kim repeatedly acknowledges: if she wants him, she has to take Dobrenica with him - because his first love and duty is to his country).
The weaknesses in the system have become more visible and are being exploited by one archvillain (who I thought was the only person who didn't have much of a faceted personality)/emimence grise behind most of the manipulations from Tony's side of the family.
What made the book was the integration of the Dobrenica people and their knowledge and beliefs and customs and stories into the actions taken by the various ruling families, an active Kim who fights in various ways to keep the plots to discredit her family name at bay - (view spoiler)[all the while trying to figure out what happened to Ruli, whom she saw calling for help in a mirror near the start of the plot, and who seems to have been recovered dead by Alec's hand!! (hide spoiler)]
And the vampires that show up totally work within the framework of references ^^.
I liked the various younger people of the other ruling families that we met and that finally dealt with Kim as her own person and showed more of their own motivation - I positively adored the action scenes with Kim at the center: that duel which might have turned out to be to the death in Paris with Tony and especially that amazing Tango in Dobrenica (especially once the partners changed). Delicious!
As for the story, I think there could easily be more books in this series - there are a lot of things left only hinted at and a few surprising plot twists at the end (without turning this into a cliffhanger ending) to see more. What I would like is to see the duo of Alec and Kim in action working for their country and dealing with the new developments in future books (like a Dobrenican Nick and Nora version?)...more
re-read in preparation for the third in the series. I liked it a bit better actually: 3.5 stars (of course Goodreads Challenge won't count this becausre-read in preparation for the third in the series. I liked it a bit better actually: 3.5 stars (of course Goodreads Challenge won't count this because I read it for the first time this January :P) _______________________
I got this as a freebie from the Harlequin Christmas calendar and it was a lovely little story - with three sex scenes of which two weren't needed in such detail I thought.
The characters and the dialogue worked just right, but the author had set-up a quite dramatic background in the relationship between Calliope, Wiatt and Cassandra which was simply to hurriedly addressed to really work.
If this book had been 250 pages in length, I am sure my grading would have been a lot higher. It was definitely a good taste test for the author's warm voice and I'll try something longer by her, because the plot simply was too cramped in this novella.
Merged review:
re-read in preparation for the third in the series. I liked it a bit better actually: 3.5 stars (of course Goodreads Challenge won't count this because I read it for the first time this January :P) _______________________
I got this as a freebie from the Harlequin Christmas calendar and it was a lovely little story - with three sex scenes of which two weren't needed in such detail I thought.
The characters and the dialogue worked just right, but the author had set-up a quite dramatic background in the relationship between Calliope, Wiatt and Cassandra which was simply to hurriedly addressed to really work.
If this book had been 250 pages in length, I am sure my grading would have been a lot higher. It was definitely a good taste test for the author's warm voice and I'll try something longer by her, because the plot simply was too cramped in this novella....more
This was a whole lot of set-up with one very caring and hot love scene. It obviously ought to lead to a firm relationship between two nice people - thThis was a whole lot of set-up with one very caring and hot love scene. It obviously ought to lead to a firm relationship between two nice people - the hero seems to be coloured from the description - not something you would get from the cover. Since the blurb for the longer book was that they meet again after 15 years, I would say something went wrong. It's about 30 pages and quite nice for a freebie. Makes me interested in the real novel.
Merged review:
This was a whole lot of set-up with one very caring and hot love scene. It obviously ought to lead to a firm relationship between two nice people - the hero seems to be coloured from the description - not something you would get from the cover. Since the blurb for the longer book was that they meet again after 15 years, I would say something went wrong. It's about 30 pages and quite nice for a freebie. Makes me interested in the real novel....more
I liked this quite a bit better than the other regency category re-released by the Book View Cafe - although the midnight situation between governess I liked this quite a bit better than the other regency category re-released by the Book View Cafe - although the midnight situation between governess and hero are totally inauthentic for a woman who has already lost her honour and born the consequences of her actions.
The slow attraction between the two worked very well and because we have the heroine arrive at the hero's house right away we have much more time to believe in their developing relationship. I liked the look into why they were good for each other. I liked Clarissa as the motivator and as a side character and even the few scenes with her mother Dorothy were woven in very cleverly and were just enough.
The PTSD that both hero and heroine have in their own way, the fact that talking to each other makes them reflect and find more heart and especially the lovely natural way music is brought back into the hero's life really worked for me.
(view spoiler)[The deal with the outside villain was a bit too sordid for me (especially as I was supposed to believe that the heroine had been passionately and madly in love with him once) and too quickly solved at that - throw money and threats at it. (hide spoiler)]
Again this book would have been better served with more pages - like a standalone historical.
Merged review:
I liked this quite a bit better than the other regency category re-released by the Book View Cafe - although the midnight situation between governess and hero are totally inauthentic for a woman who has already lost her honour and born the consequences of her actions.
The slow attraction between the two worked very well and because we have the heroine arrive at the hero's house right away we have much more time to believe in their developing relationship. I liked the look into why they were good for each other. I liked Clarissa as the motivator and as a side character and even the few scenes with her mother Dorothy were woven in very cleverly and were just enough.
The PTSD that both hero and heroine have in their own way, the fact that talking to each other makes them reflect and find more heart and especially the lovely natural way music is brought back into the hero's life really worked for me.
(view spoiler)[The deal with the outside villain was a bit too sordid for me (especially as I was supposed to believe that the heroine had been passionately and madly in love with him once) and too quickly solved at that - throw money and threats at it. (hide spoiler)]
Again this book would have been better served with more pages - like a standalone historical....more
I read the second book before the first one, despite the many positive reviews it got - now I've finally got around to reading this and it interlocks I read the second book before the first one, despite the many positive reviews it got - now I've finally got around to reading this and it interlocks with the flashback that is the plot of the second novel in a beautiful way.
I thought Will Atkins wasn't too much of an unbelievable guy, he remained down to earth with his men and the education he had given himself via books made him still (or maybe even more) aware of his position in society. The way that the attraction between Anna and Will came to be seemed natural even though it would have been much too fast in peace time. When he rescued her from that nefarious French officer (he and Lieutenant Montmorency seemed to be the only over-the-top characters for me) he thought ahead, he kept his head trying to get Anna to safety without risking his men.
The successful escape of the two is by far the strongest part of the book, when they reenter the normal world and Lieutenant Montmorency starts acting dastardly its a bit abrupt (it was highlighted that he would play a major role from the first, because apart from Will and Anna in third person he also had a viewpoint). I liked the women in this book, except for Anna's aunt at the end... it's a bit of a pity this first book didn't have as much work for the uncle, I really enjoyed him in the second one.
The description of Bajadoz and its aftermath was properly gripping, dramatic and sad, as was Anna's labour - and then the book just ended very fast. Lots of coincidences after Anna finally finds out what happened to Will. (view spoiler)[I was sort of hoping we could get a bit more of Will in India, or an epilogue of how they're doing there, but the second book did have a letter from the Atkins family at least. (hide spoiler)]
Merged review:
I read the second book before the first one, despite the many positive reviews it got - now I've finally got around to reading this and it interlocks with the flashback that is the plot of the second novel in a beautiful way.
I thought Will Atkins wasn't too much of an unbelievable guy, he remained down to earth with his men and the education he had given himself via books made him still (or maybe even more) aware of his position in society. The way that the attraction between Anna and Will came to be seemed natural even though it would have been much too fast in peace time. When he rescued her from that nefarious French officer (he and Lieutenant Montmorency seemed to be the only over-the-top characters for me) he thought ahead, he kept his head trying to get Anna to safety without risking his men.
The successful escape of the two is by far the strongest part of the book, when they reenter the normal world and Lieutenant Montmorency starts acting dastardly its a bit abrupt (it was highlighted that he would play a major role from the first, because apart from Will and Anna in third person he also had a viewpoint). I liked the women in this book, except for Anna's aunt at the end... it's a bit of a pity this first book didn't have as much work for the uncle, I really enjoyed him in the second one.
The description of Bajadoz and its aftermath was properly gripping, dramatic and sad, as was Anna's labour - and then the book just ended very fast. Lots of coincidences after Anna finally finds out what happened to Will. (view spoiler)[I was sort of hoping we could get a bit more of Will in India, or an epilogue of how they're doing there, but the second book did have a letter from the Atkins family at least. (hide spoiler)]...more
This is a very nice continuation of the first Iron Duke book, with a self-contained mystery plot included in the further examination of what it is likThis is a very nice continuation of the first Iron Duke book, with a self-contained mystery plot included in the further examination of what it is like when Rhys and Mina are married. It also puts a spotlight on Rhys' friend, Scarsdale - he really needs his own novella or novel.
And I loved that Mina decided to take that young girl who helped her in the Iron Duke under her wing and basically become her family. This is very much a Mina story. Rhys is there, but only as support or foil or sexual object ^^.
Oh and there's the first official ball of Rhys and Mina ^^.
Merged review:
This is a very nice continuation of the first Iron Duke book, with a self-contained mystery plot included in the further examination of what it is like when Rhys and Mina are married. It also puts a spotlight on Rhys' friend, Scarsdale - he really needs his own novella or novel.
And I loved that Mina decided to take that young girl who helped her in the Iron Duke under her wing and basically become her family. This is very much a Mina story. Rhys is there, but only as support or foil or sexual object ^^.
Oh and there's the first official ball of Rhys and Mina ^^....more
**spoiler alert** Hmm, from the previous novella Virtual Reality I had expected another really well developed BDSM story - and I got it, partly. Joey **spoiler alert** Hmm, from the previous novella Virtual Reality I had expected another really well developed BDSM story - and I got it, partly. Joey Hill really can develop her characters in a very small place, with believable traumas and heartaches. If she did erotic romance contemporary she should be a knockout...
What I wasn't happy with (although I have no personal experience) - the fact that there was no safe word anywhere in this relationship, and the reader was expected to be believe that the dom and his sub were so much meant for each other that there never would be a need for a safe word because the dom would never ask more than the sub could provide. Sort of a Harlequin Romance BDSM novel idea.
However Jon - who was scrumptious, by the way - made mistakes. He even admitted them occasionally, and as a consequence of the biggest mistake the love of his life was emotionally devastated after physically having been taken to the edge of her endurance (albeit with her consent).
Instead of letting her retreat and lick her wounds, he physically forced himself on her (because of course the dom always knows better) - instead of taking the time and rebuilding the relationship with all the patience he ought to take after fucking it up so badly with his self-assured ego. And she thanks him for it afterwards.
That broke my suspension of disbelief.
In conclusion - give the author another 150 pages for a slow reconnection between the two and this could have been a gem of the genre. As it is, I'm pretty unlikely to try another Joey Hill any time soon.
Merged review:
Hmm, from the previous novella Virtual Reality I had expected another really well developed BDSM story - and I got it, partly. Joey Hill really can develop her characters in a very small place, with believable traumas and heartaches. If she did erotic romance contemporary she should be a knockout...
What I wasn't happy with (although I have no personal experience) - the fact that there was no safe word anywhere in this relationship, and the reader was expected to be believe that the dom and his sub were so much meant for each other that there never would be a need for a safe word because the dom would never ask more than the sub could provide. Sort of a Harlequin Romance BDSM novel idea.
However Jon - who was scrumptious, by the way - made mistakes. He even admitted them occasionally, and as a consequence of the biggest mistake the love of his life was emotionally devastated after physically having been taken to the edge of her endurance (albeit with her consent).
Instead of letting her retreat and lick her wounds, he physically forced himself on her (because of course the dom always knows better) - instead of taking the time and rebuilding the relationship with all the patience he ought to take after fucking it up so badly with his self-assured ego. And she thanks him for it afterwards.
That broke my suspension of disbelief.
In conclusion - give the author another 150 pages for a slow reconnection between the two and this could have been a gem of the genre. As it is, I'm pretty unlikely to try another Joey Hill any time soon....more
We are in territory now where it would not only be good to have read all the previous House War books but pr**spoiler alert** MASSIVE spoilers abound:
We are in territory now where it would not only be good to have read all the previous House War books but preferably the whole Sun Sword series as well.
Developments that were hinted at from the start are starting to really bear fruit, with regards to Meralonne (god, it took me a LONG time to realise what he is and while I finally managed to see it at the start of this book and it isn't confirmed until the last 200 hundred pages, I feel stupid ^^) with regards to the sleepers (I never would have guessed), with regards to Angel (his whole history), Teller and Finch's role in their current life.
I hate when important characters die or vanish, so I hated what happened to Ellerson and Carver - although I can see it as another reason why Jewel is really committing now (and doing it from her previous experience with much better grace and preparation) to whatever will save the safe harbour for her den.
This book has two main arcs - magical developments of Jewel grappling with and accepting her increasing power and the various old ones that are attracted to it or awakened by it (I love the slight twist on elven forests especially as embodied by the Elleriannatte) which often takes place in sleep (I'm so glad she manages to wake the human dreamers here) - and I love what happens to the Terafin mansion because of it - the other main arc is the political manoeuvring of surviving the consequences of having had to use her power and gathering/securing the allegiance of various people she believes are necessary to the survival of the House, especially when she leaves.
De facto the plot has to be in two strands again, one Jewel's travails on her way to the Oracle and finding the Winter Queen and one about the den holding House Terafin and the city until she returns. I don't see (financially) how MSW can afford to have another six books (a la the time-line of the Sun Sword series) to resolve this, but I certainly expect another two books before the book of confrontation with Allasakar.
The Jody Lee cover picks up a lot of the plot elements again if you look carefully. It's Meralonne, but I thought the blue sword was a clear give away in the first place.
Who was left dangling: what happened to Ellerson and why is he no longer mentioned at the end of the book when we at least have some hints as to the fate of Carver? He deserves better.
Also, I think this must have only been two weeks advancing in the time line again. I mean I can see that once the first skirmish within the House War and with the demons led to Jewel being confirmed and really showing the possible extent of her powers, this book had to show first attacks on all fronts, before she could reach her full potential, but as (unfortunately) MSW hasn't reached the acclaim of Rothfuss or Martin or Jordan I am sort of dreading not even this arc of the story being completed.
The Elantra books, for all they have their recurring bad guy, feel (except for the very last current one) as if you could leave Kaylin after a book and she and her crowd would deal with whatever came up.
These books really need a resolution - they should make a hell of great reread (like the Sun Sword series does) after they are finished, with all those twists interweaving, but until then the nerves remain fraught.
Merged review:
MASSIVE spoilers abound:
We are in territory now where it would not only be good to have read all the previous House War books but preferably the whole Sun Sword series as well.
Developments that were hinted at from the start are starting to really bear fruit, with regards to Meralonne (god, it took me a LONG time to realise what he is and while I finally managed to see it at the start of this book and it isn't confirmed until the last 200 hundred pages, I feel stupid ^^) with regards to the sleepers (I never would have guessed), with regards to Angel (his whole history), Teller and Finch's role in their current life.
I hate when important characters die or vanish, so I hated what happened to Ellerson and Carver - although I can see it as another reason why Jewel is really committing now (and doing it from her previous experience with much better grace and preparation) to whatever will save the safe harbour for her den.
This book has two main arcs - magical developments of Jewel grappling with and accepting her increasing power and the various old ones that are attracted to it or awakened by it (I love the slight twist on elven forests especially as embodied by the Elleriannatte) which often takes place in sleep (I'm so glad she manages to wake the human dreamers here) - and I love what happens to the Terafin mansion because of it - the other main arc is the political manoeuvring of surviving the consequences of having had to use her power and gathering/securing the allegiance of various people she believes are necessary to the survival of the House, especially when she leaves.
De facto the plot has to be in two strands again, one Jewel's travails on her way to the Oracle and finding the Winter Queen and one about the den holding House Terafin and the city until she returns. I don't see (financially) how MSW can afford to have another six books (a la the time-line of the Sun Sword series) to resolve this, but I certainly expect another two books before the book of confrontation with Allasakar.
The Jody Lee cover picks up a lot of the plot elements again if you look carefully. It's Meralonne, but I thought the blue sword was a clear give away in the first place.
Who was left dangling: what happened to Ellerson and why is he no longer mentioned at the end of the book when we at least have some hints as to the fate of Carver? He deserves better.
Also, I think this must have only been two weeks advancing in the time line again. I mean I can see that once the first skirmish within the House War and with the demons led to Jewel being confirmed and really showing the possible extent of her powers, this book had to show first attacks on all fronts, before she could reach her full potential, but as (unfortunately) MSW hasn't reached the acclaim of Rothfuss or Martin or Jordan I am sort of dreading not even this arc of the story being completed.
The Elantra books, for all they have their recurring bad guy, feel (except for the very last current one) as if you could leave Kaylin after a book and she and her crowd would deal with whatever came up.
These books really need a resolution - they should make a hell of great reread (like the Sun Sword series does) after they are finished, with all those twists interweaving, but until then the nerves remain fraught....more
**spoiler alert** This was a short (roughly 200 pages) urban fantasy mystery set in Albuquerque and whether you enjoy it will rest on your love for th**spoiler alert** This was a short (roughly 200 pages) urban fantasy mystery set in Albuquerque and whether you enjoy it will rest on your love for the protagonist Morrigan/Regan. We mostly get her point of view with occasional dips into other people's heads but not too many. I thought the world-building was quite interesting as was the magic system, but the characters either were cardboard or explored only as far as Regan was concerned.
I really enjoyed the exploration of the fact that Regan is dyslexic and what it means when the normal use of magic is dependent on being able to read and construct spells, and her way of getting around that - while always feeling she shouldn't be able to, and never trusting her ability there.
Breas was interesting, especially as the author did not explain but only hint at a lot of the back-story he has with Regan (for example, why does he respect her limits with regards to him, he doesn't seem to accept any other limits, having left the Brethren and all. Why did he feel the need to kiss her in the first place - thrall fascination?).
For that matter what about Regan's mum or her dad - we get allusions to her feelings at least with regard to her father, but we learn more about Cypher or Khalil. I did not understand what Lex was supposed to be good for, she did not further the plot at all, and the horse only seemed to exist because Regan should have SOMETHING living around, from my point of view, he was used so little (I expect that as the author has a horse herself the horsebits were accurate, though).
If you can only read UF where humans are appreciated as worthwhile partners, you will have troubles with this book - I could accept Regan's off-viewpoint due to her history. I thought Talis and Breas far more interesting than Jason. He came off as a bit of wish-fulfilment and tricky obstacle combined. Regan did seem to have some fellow feeling for Eva and Sean, and even her kind but incompetent boss - but when two of three were made into mindless vampires she had no real sadness about killing them.
With a book as short as this is, I don't know if the scene with Cyrus Powell should have been so detailed, but the insight into Regan's hate of Holders was good motivation for her.
According to her website the author is working on a sequel - and with as many plot threads left hanging as there are this book really feels like a first half most of all. There is no cliffhanger, and the most obvious danger is averted in this book, but it very much does NOT feel standalone.
Merged review:
This was a short (roughly 200 pages) urban fantasy mystery set in Albuquerque and whether you enjoy it will rest on your love for the protagonist Morrigan/Regan. We mostly get her point of view with occasional dips into other people's heads but not too many. I thought the world-building was quite interesting as was the magic system, but the characters either were cardboard or explored only as far as Regan was concerned.
I really enjoyed the exploration of the fact that Regan is dyslexic and what it means when the normal use of magic is dependent on being able to read and construct spells, and her way of getting around that - while always feeling she shouldn't be able to, and never trusting her ability there.
Breas was interesting, especially as the author did not explain but only hint at a lot of the back-story he has with Regan (for example, why does he respect her limits with regards to him, he doesn't seem to accept any other limits, having left the Brethren and all. Why did he feel the need to kiss her in the first place - thrall fascination?).
For that matter what about Regan's mum or her dad - we get allusions to her feelings at least with regard to her father, but we learn more about Cypher or Khalil. I did not understand what Lex was supposed to be good for, she did not further the plot at all, and the horse only seemed to exist because Regan should have SOMETHING living around, from my point of view, he was used so little (I expect that as the author has a horse herself the horsebits were accurate, though).
If you can only read UF where humans are appreciated as worthwhile partners, you will have troubles with this book - I could accept Regan's off-viewpoint due to her history. I thought Talis and Breas far more interesting than Jason. He came off as a bit of wish-fulfilment and tricky obstacle combined. Regan did seem to have some fellow feeling for Eva and Sean, and even her kind but incompetent boss - but when two of three were made into mindless vampires she had no real sadness about killing them.
With a book as short as this is, I don't know if the scene with Cyrus Powell should have been so detailed, but the insight into Regan's hate of Holders was good motivation for her.
According to her website the author is working on a sequel - and with as many plot threads left hanging as there are this book really feels like a first half most of all. There is no cliffhanger, and the most obvious danger is averted in this book, but it very much does NOT feel standalone....more
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