REVIEW: Killing Silk by Nathalie Gray

(c) 2009, Samhain Publishing
Ebook
Author's Website

* This review is originally written for Paranormal Romance Reviews.

Summary:

Azalea Silla is an artist, practicing shibari as an art meant to beautify the body with the ultramarine dyes from the silk that she uses to bind her customers. However, someone is imitating her art and using it to kill, and she comes under suspicion.

Kev Newman is the detective on the case, and he is drawn to Azalea for her beauty and the peace she gives him. She is a suspect, but is quickly cleared when he realizes he is with her at the time the last murder is committed. When the villain kidnaps her, Kev is slowly realizing that his feelings for Azalea may not be as simple as he thought...

Review:

One word--Breathtaking.

A complaint--It's too short!

Seriously, I enjoyed the fast-paced story, and I like that even the lovemaking between the main characters is different from so many books, that while it's hot and sizzling, Azalea also brought Kev exactly what he needs. I like seeing Kev made vulnerable toward the end, as he faces his humanity. And, after thinking about it, I think the ending is perfect, though it leaves us with so much promise unfulfilled. I would've loved to know what happened to Kev and Azalea afterward, how they navigated the waters as they fulfilled those promises.

See how the time flies!

I hadn't realized it's been so long since I last posted! Time has a way of going by so fast, especially when you're busy--with my work, sad to say. Sad, because it's not because I'm busy reading. :(  Anyway, will be back with a review soon, of something I've read before all this craziness started.

REVIEW: Queen of Song and Souls by C.L. Wilson

Series: Tairen Soul
(c) 2009, Dorchester Publishing
384 pages, Ebook ARC
Author's Website

***This review originally done for Paranormal Romance Reviews.

Summary:

Together with fey and mortals, Ellysetta and Rain fight to defend Celieria from the Eld invasion. However, when they learned that the Eld has been amassing a massive Army of Darkness, they seek to rally allies from the Elves and the Danae. In the heart of Elvia, the truth of Ellysetta's past and future collide. To add to their problems, Rain's bond madness has begun, and only a short time is left before it consumes him.

Review:

I couldn't put this book down! The fourth installment in the series is awesome. CL Wilson jumps right back from where she left off in King of Sword and Sky and weaves a brilliant, complex story where she reveals yet another facet in the rich world of Eloran. Amid this are two poignant love stories that would tug  your heartstrings.

The war continues, but more sinister aspects to the Elds' plans have emerged, and Celieria and the fey alone cannot hope to fight them off. They need allies, both mortal and immortal. It's exciting to read about another race--the Elves--in this richly detailed world, and how they impact world events. We can also see just how different the Elves are from the fey and the mortals, how they have their own culture and ways of doing things. For the Elves have the Dance, and over the years, important people have called forth their Song in the Dance, a Song which allows the Seer among the Elves to see what the future could portend. Rain as the Worldscorcher is one of them, and Ellysetta is another.

Meanwhile, Ellysetta is in a bind.On the one hand, she fears for Rain and wants their bond to be complete, yet this would entail accepting that part of herself that she believes is evil, that which she has long been suppressing and denying. However, she truly has become the Queen of Song and Souls, as she calls forth her Song in the Dance. As to souls...I have to applaud the author's ingenuity, for one event links to another. A certain scene in a previous book that I thought insignificant has been built with layers of meaning, and I am both amazed and awed as the author reveals each layer in gradual stages, with the meaning deeper and more significant than the one previously revealed.

The mystery of Ellysetta also deepens. Although the truth of her origins are revealed, there is the greater mystery of what she would become. Yet, even as she fears she would become the evil she saw in her dreams, Ellysetta clings firmly to the Light. I like what is portrayed here--that there are two sides to things, that fate/destiny is not fixed, but rather, there are several variations of ending according to the choices we make along the way, and that there are always choices.

I am so looking forward to the Tairen Soul, hopefully the last book in the series, as I would like to know Ellysetta as she is fully meant to be. Although first-time readers would have no problem understanding the story if they start from this book, however, I would advise that they read the whole series in sequential order in order to appreciate Ellysetta's journey from a shy young girl longing for love to a confident young fey struggling to become a tairen soul who is worthy of her truemate.

* No book rating as this review is written for ParaNormal Romance Reviews.

Get it now!

REVIEW: Scandal by Carolyn Jewel

(c) 2009, Berkley Sensational, Penguin Group
309 pages, Mass Market Edition
Author's Website


Summary:

The Earl of Banallt has long since desired Sophie, but was thwarted in his attempts when the lady believes in staying faithful to her philandering husband. When she became widowed, he pursues her again, but Sophie is no longer an innocent, trusting, naive girl, but a woman who has been hurt and betrayed by the man she loved.

Review:

The first two chapters were written from Banallt's point of view, and though we see how he longed for Sophie, I just couldn't get into the story. There was just too much "drowning in her eyes" I could take. I put the book down and went to read other books, er, the better word would be "skim" because I couldn't get into them either. So, three skimmed books later, I came back to this book and continued reading from Chapter Three, which is from Sophie's POV, though set three years earlier.

And, magically, I'm interested to read further. I want to know Sophie's journey from her marriage to Thomas Evans to the woman she would become at the end of the book.

Sophie is a strong woman who has endured a lot, yet because of her experience with her husband, she has closed off her heart from the world, determined not to be hurt by anyone again. You can almost feel the way Sophie held herself so tightly around herself. Her reaction is understandable, and even though Banallt has assured her he has changed, she wouldn't--couldn't--believe him. Her eventual believing is a supreme act of faith in Banallt, and of course, it helped that he has mended his ways.

Even so, I admire Banallt's persistence in his pursuit of Sophie. If I were him, I would've given up long ago.


Banallt is the "baddest" of the bad boys. I went to get the book on the strength of other bloggers' positive comments, and it was only when I had it that I browsed the author's website and learned that when Banallt had been married, he wasn't even faithful to his wife, though he loved her! That for me is queer. I couldn't understand how love and faithfulness could be separated. That bit of information turned me off a little toward Banallt. Moreover, though he loved her, I find it strange that there was no mention of how Banallt felt toward his wife when she died. I think he loved his daughter more, in that sense.

And I would've loved it if the author had chronicled Banallt's journey into faithfulness, how he was able to change so drastically, instead of just writing a two liner: "...he had changed because of her...he had spent the days after that final meeting at Rider Hall coming to terms with the man he was and the man he needed to become." I think reading his journey, his 180 degree turn would have been very interesting.

I guess infidelity of any sort is a big no-no for me. I like my heroes with some sense of honor, and being faithful to a girlfriend, much less to a wife, is a must. It makes it more believable for me that when he finally meets the heroine, he would stay faithful to her.

All in all, it was a nicely-written book, but just not for me. 

Book Rating: 3.5

LIGHTNING REVIEWS: The Scandalous Life of a True Lady and My Forbidden Desire

Lightning reviews for books I also lightning-read. Fitting, don't you think? However, there's only one reason I do a lightning-read, and it's because I don't like the book much and would just like to finish it so I could get some of my money's worth.

I start each book with an open mind. I'm truly prepared to like each story and presented myself ready to be entertained. It's not hard to please me, and I love to savor each read, each adventure. I've always thought that a book not savored is a book not read.

Hence, I do get disappointed with books that let me down. Sorely disappointed.

(Note: There may be some spoilers below, so don't read if you don't want the book to be spoiled for you.)

So, first up is Barbara Metzger's The Scandalous Life of a True Lady. I thought the back cover summary was interesting, which was why I picked up this book. After all, what could be more interesting than a down-on-her-luck lady who needed to attend a house party as the pretend mistress of a gentlemen spy? Definitely, all sorts of delicious scenes tumbled about in my head. Moreover, the author's name is one recommended by bloggers and readers, so I thought I'd try one of her books.

Alas, I was sadly disappointed. Info dumps occur early on in the book. I understand that we, the readers, need to know the characters' background, but I'm sure there's a better way of letting us know about it. And when the characters are finally at the party, I thought there were lots of descriptions that should've been let out. Also, there were so many names (the attendees of the party) that I just glossed over them. I also lost track of the mystery. The hero was supposed to be looking for a suspect who wanted to murder him, and something about the French conspiracy. Then, I was flabbergasted. He went to so much trouble and secrecy to discover the conspiracy, then in the end, he just up and asked the guests if they knew something. I was thinking, couldn't he have done that in the first place? Believe me, I didn't want to reread the entire book slowly to see if it could be done.

The next one is Carolyn Jewel's My Forbidden Desire. I hadn't read the first book, but I'm sure that's not the problem. The story is actually interesting, though I'm confused how Alexandrine could be a witch, then later on smells of kin. Maybe because of the magic. That's what comes of a lightning-read. Anyway, my main gripe with this story, and which totally spoils it for me, is that the main characters' actions and words and thoughts, especially the heroine's, come across as childish, i.e. they don't sound like adults. I mean, is this how grown-ups speak? I don't think so, at least, not in my world. Words they used are reminiscent of how teenagers would speak to one another, and well, I'll read a YA book if it comes to that, not that I'm disparaging YA books, because I absolutely love the Harry Potter books and Poison Study (which is classified as YA in my library). Take note though, that I read every word of this book up to Chapter Three, whereupon I became exasperated and morphed into lightning-read mode. So, if the writing changed later on, I wouldn't know.

Some of you may not agree with me, but there it is--my opinions of these two books. If you've read them, let me know what you think in comments.

P.S. If anyone from the FTC is looking at this, I paid for these books with my hard-earned money, so it hurt that I didn't like what I bought.