Tag Archives: romance

Vespers

Book Review of Vespers (Hours of the Night #1), by Irene Preston & Liv Rancourt

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VespersI received an e-ARC of Vespers, by Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt, for review.

Description from Goodreads:
Thaddeus Dupont has had over eighty years to forget… 

The vampire spends his nights chanting the Liturgy of the Hours and ruthlessly disciplines those unnatural urges he’s vowed never again to indulge. He is at the command of the White Monks, who summon him at will to destroy demons. In return, the monks provide for his sustenance and promise the return of his immortal soul.

Sarasija Mishra’s most compelling job qualification might be his type O blood… 

The 22-year-old college grad just moved across the country to work for some recluse he can’t even find on the internet. Sounds sketchy, but the salary is awesome and he can’t afford to be picky. On arrival he discovers a few details his contract neglected to mention, like the alligator-infested swamp, the demon attacks, and the nature of his employer’s “special diet”. A smart guy would leave, but after one look into Dupont’s mesmerizing eyes, Sarasija can’t seem to walk away. Too bad his boss expected “Sara” to be a girl.

Falling in love is hard at any age… 

The vampire can’t fight his hungers forever, especially since Sara’s brought him light, laughter and a very masculine heat. After yielding to temptation, Thaddeus must make a choice. Killing demons may save his soul, but keeping the faith will cost him his heart.

Review:
There is so much to appreciate about this book. I thought both the main characters were cute in their own subtle ways. I liked that Thaddeus was an incredibly unreliable narrator. His view of his situation was so colored by his religious beliefs that he couldn’t see himself clearly. I liked that one of the characters was Hindu, from an Indian family, and his outsider’s view of Catholicism was by far my favorite part of the book. I liked that his religion was presented as equally valid and that it was allowed to be so without him being strictly adherent to it. I liked the dual viewpoints. I liked the heroism and the action.

However, as much as I appreciated all that, I never truly felt I was enmeshed in the lives of these characters. I always felt a step removed from them and the events of the novel. I also thought a couple characters who popped up and then disappeared felt like loose ends, Sara had a couple TSTL moments and the book ended VERY ABRUPTLY. It’s not a cliffhanger, just sudden.

But for the most part, I enjoyed this and will be looking forward to book two.

Fast Connection

Book Review of Fast Connection (Cyberlove #2), by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell

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Fast ConnectionI won a copy of Fast Connection, by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell, from The Book Queen’s Palace. I reviewed Strong Signal, the first book in the series, here.

Description from Goodreads:
After a decade of serving in the Army, everyone still expects me to be Dominic ‘Nicky’ Costigan–the skirt-chasing player. They don’t know I’ve been spending my days trying to figure out my post-military life. Including how to pick up guys.

When I meet Luke on a hookup app, he makes it clear it’s for one-night only. That’s fine with me, because I’m down to see what this silver fox can do. But after I arrive at his doorstep, it doesn’t take long to realize we have serious chemistry, and we end up meeting again.

He’s got more walls around his heart than a military base, but I think he’s as addicted to me as I am to him. He can’t resist me for long. I mean, who can? Except Luke’s rules exist for a reason, and when I test his limits, things get complicated. Maybe too complicated.

Review:
I generally enjoyed this, but I have a surprising number of negative comments about it. How does that happen?

Dominic’s personality seemed to have shifted a bit between his appearance in the last book, Strong Signal and now. The inconsistency bothered me at first. However, I did really like him as a character. In fact, I liked all the characters. I though Luke was a good toppy-top grump-face, the teenagers believable, and the ex real. I very much appreciated seeing a failed relationship that remained cordial and a female past love-interest who wasn’t a harpy.

I did think that Dominic’s parents were a little over the top, especially since there seemed to be a miraculous change in disposition that led to the happy ending. Much like I thought the change in Luke in the beginning, allowed the relationship to progress. These changes were necessary, but I thought a little unfounded.

The sex was hot. There too I have a “but,” though. I thought there was too much of it for the length of the book. It cluttered the plot up a bit. I did appreciate that the plot dealt with real life issues like family stressors, veterans’ transitions, split families and relationships, etc.

All in all, I love Hassell and Erickson as a writing team and I liked these characters and the plot. But I thought the book felt rushed and the online sections of it, as well as the discussion of the importance of it, felt like repeats from book one. Though, to be fair this idea that relationships that develop over social media are real and important to people, but often dismissed, is the theme of the series. Either way, I’ll keep picking them up as long as E & H keep writing them. They don’t have to be perfect for me to want more.

A Promise of Fire

Book Review of A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles #1), by Amanda Bouchet

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A Promise of FIre

I won a copy of Amanda Bouchet‘s A Promise of Fire from Night Owl Reviews.

Description from Goodreads:
Catalia “Cat” Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…

Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he’s ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.

Review:
Oh man, I have SUCH disappointment about this book. Authors, could you explain to me why you would set up a whole world around a female character, give her god-like powers, training, skill and intelligence, then infantilize her and allow her to be overpowered by a man for an ENTIRE book? Why? WHY?!

Cat seemed to have boundless powers that develop as needed—very deus ex machina of the moment sort of thing. She defeated dragons, killed thirty soldiers with a single breath, had prophetic dreams, was a soothsayer, was protected by gods (plural). Yet, in the face of one man she’s helpless. What’s more, she’s also presented as unreasonable and needlessly angry that he kidnapped her. Literally, she asked why he expected her to accept him and her situation and he said, “I expected you to be reasonable” and she internally agreed. Excuse me? He abducted her, unknowingly exposed her, threatened her friends and adoptive family. I’m pretty sure surliness and trying to escape IS the reasonable response. And she is kidnapped in the very beginning, so she’s basically a helpless captive for the whole book.

So, I’m angry that the supposedly strong female was basically, ‘strong, but not as strong as the men’ but I died a little with each cliché that was thrown in. The scene where she got accidentally high as a result of her own actions and lets all her guards down, acting inviting and sexy, but being “happy like a child” and needing protection. The one where the scorned woman went homicidal. The one where ‘her body betrayed her’ by being attracted to the man who kidnapped her. The ones where she had to be a virgin because good heroines never have sex with anyone but their hero. My god, this book was practically a cobbled together series of romantic fantasy clichés. It was also repetitive as hell.

The writing, it was fine and I appreciated that when Cat’s curvy body was compared to her thin counterpart she was the one found most appealing, on more than one occasion. Those who don’t mind seeing their women dominated by their romantic lead will probably enjoy it. I personally want to burn the darned thing, but instead I’ll put it in my Little Free Library and hopefully someone in the neighborhood will enjoy it more than me.