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Book Review: The Rowan, by Stella Brie

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I picked up a copy of Stella Brie‘s The Rowan as an Amazon freebie.

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For over three hundred years, Arden’s very existence has been hidden. Until one night, when the latest assassination attempt fails and the third Killian blade makes its appearance.

A powerful witch with little knowledge of her heritage, Arden’s first step on the path of destiny is The Abbey. A place of sanctuary and power, it’s a haven in a sea of unknowns and where she hopes to find an ally.

An Elven prince, a Fae lord, the First Vampire, a warlock, and the King of Dragons make up the Imperium Cadre, one of the most powerful cadres in existence. Owning and managing The Abbey for over a thousand years, they’re not known for taking in strays. But Lord Theron’s life debt paves Arden’s entry into the formidable sphere of their protection.

As the sweeping winds of change blow, Arden and the cadre will navigate the path of destiny together. Secrets are revealed, heritage found, and alliances forged and lost.

my review

Honestly, this might have been a personal preference sort of thing, but I was just so incredibly bored throughout this entire book. She shows up at The Abbey, and all the men instantly fall for her. So, there’s no sense of tension or getting to know each other (let alone time for the reader to get to know anyone or come to care for the potential relationships). She arrives super strong and competent/confident. So, there is no sense of room for personal growth in her character. But still the reader has to sit through all the ‘training’ and ‘testing.’ *Yawn*

There is very little worldbuilding. In fact, I started to suspect this might be a spin-off of something else. (That would mean the worldbuilding was in a previous book or series and would account for the pre-existing relationships that feel important in some of the side characters.) The villains are cliched. Actually, the treatment of ALL OF THE FEMALE CHARACTERS is cliched. The whole thing reads like an upper YA/lower NA book, despite the character theoretically being 328 years old. For those who care, there is no on-page sex, and the book ends on a cliffhanger. I don’t think I’ll bother with the next book.

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Other Reviews:

Book Review – The Rowan (The Killian Blade 1) by Stella Brie

 

 

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Book Review: Flirting With Monsters series, by Eva Chase

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I picked up a copy of Eva Chase‘s Shadow Thief as an Amazon freebie. Then, I purchased the compilation of the whole series (Shadow Thief, Twilight Crook, Dusk Avenger, and Dark Champion).

On a side note: I’ve just spent two and a bit days with no power (so, no internet). This means that it has been a few days since I finished these books, so they’re no longer fresh in my mind. Apologies if the review is a little sparse as a result.

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When a sassy thief sets three demons free during a heist, she doesn’t count on them following her home—or insisting on repaying her with their protection. This gal isn’t looking for an entourage, even if it’s made up of sexy supernatural hunks. But when it turns out the monstrous men have a lead on the creeps who murdered her family, she’s all in.

Track down the baddies, hook up with a demonic hottie or two, and don’t get killed along the way. Piece of cake, right?

my review

Since I read this whole series as a single entity, I’ll review it similarly. I thought that this series started out well. The writing is easy to read, and the plot whizzed alone. I enjoyed the sass and the easy devotion of the romantic partners. However, as time went on, some cliches crept in, characters started getting introduced and then dropped without explanation, and some sections started to drag. Honestly, I think the whole thing jumped the shark by an entire book.

I enjoyed book one, liked book two well enough, started to lose interest in book three, and only bothered to read book four in order to finish the series. None of it is bad. I just think Chase should have wrapped it up sooner than she did. (Plus, the epilogue was pat and predictable.)

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Other Reviews:

Traveling Bookworm: Flirting with Monsters, by Eva Chase

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Book Review: Crooked Paradise series, by Eva Chance & Harlow King

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I picked up an Amazon freebie copy of the Crooked Paradise series by Eva Chance and Harlow King. Well, technically, I picked up Scorned Princess on its own and later picked up a compilation with Scorned Princess, Perilous Lady, Ruthless Queen, and Lethal Empress.

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A rebellious gang princess, four hot dangerous gangsters, one psycho stalker, and a revenge scheme that could destroy everything in Paradise Bend…

My arranged marriage should have forged an alliance between my fiancé’s gang and my father’s. It turns out my fiancé had other plans. Like slaughtering my entire family the night before the wedding.

I make it out alive, left with nothing but a thirst for vengeance. To crush the prick who betrayed me, I have to turn to the biggest pricks of them all.

Hot, cocky, and dangerous, Wylder Noble and his men rule Paradise Bend. If I pass their brutal tests to prove I deserve their help, my ex doesn’t stand a chance.

But there are deeper troubles stirring in my hometown. While I try to figure out whether I’d rather kiss or kill my infuriating allies, I’ve got a deranged psycho leaving gruesome presents at my window. Outsiders are invading our streets, preparing for war.

If they think our little county will be easy pickings, they couldn’t be more mistaken. The Nobles are far from noble when tackling a threat, and I’m no damsel in distress.

Before this is over, someone’s going to bleed. And this time, it won’t be me.

my review

Since I have this as a compilation/omnibus, I read all the books back to back. So, I’ll just review them in the same manner; as a single entity. (All the books end on cliffhangers until the end, anyhow. So, it’s really one story in the end.) And I was pretty meh on that one story if I’m honest. I’ll say upfront that the writing and editing are fine. I was just incredibly bored. There is a lot of filler, and by the third book (when a frankly unbelievably unbelievable twist allows them to win against incredible odds), I was skimming. I think this might have made a really good duet. But stretching it out to a 1000-page quartet thinned the plot to the point of transparency.

I did like that the men in the group were not all physically prime. Gideon’s inclusion was Crooked Paradise cover photoespecially nice, as was Rowen’s softer, artistic side. But the villains were cliched, the plot dragged and became predictable (except for the Hail Mary/deus ex machina solution that miraculously presented itself when needed most and makes no sense in context—didn’t see that coming for obvious reasons), and the baby-makes-six epilogue felt incredibly out of place in a series in which condom use had been assiduous.

All in all, I don’t regret reading it, but I’m really glad to be finished with it finally.

Other Reviews:

YA Bookish Blog: Crooked Paradise