Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Eternal Kiss of Darkness
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress World #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 27, 2010
Publisher: Avon
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness…and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master Vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful…human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life, yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose between the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.


We've met Mencheres previously in the Cat & Bones series and since then I've been waiting eagerly for his book.
We get to know some of his background and how much guilt he suffers because of events of his past, especially the ones related to his dead evil wife Patra. He has put a shield around himself and his emotions because the moment he cares about someone, his enemy tries his best to attack them, so when Kira risks her life to save him, he tries his best to move on, but at the end that's impossible.

Kira has suffered much in her past, and when she meets Mencheres, she thinks things are going to get even worse. Her sister is very sick and her brother is a lazy drug addict, but against all odds, Mencheres tries to help her the best he can before disappearing from her life.
When he's gone, she realizes that she wants to be with him, but her search brings susrpising results.
I loved how Kira accepted Mencheres, faults and all, and didn't judge him for the actions of his past. Their relationship evolved slowly but surely and even though they have a lot of obstacles between them, they manage to get past them to be together.

Some old characters appear in this book like Cat & Bones, and I never though I would say this about them, but they deserved to be kicked in the ass. I didn't like how they treated Mencheres and how they only wanted to believe the worst of him even after all the past times he's helped them. We also see Vlad, and after learning more about him in this book, it only made me want his story even more. He deserves a HEA!

I wished we could have had more information about the bad guy, Radje. Also, I was expecting more of him. I don't know what, but I wanted him to do more evil things or at least raise more hell than what he did.

In essence, this was a good book, with plenty of action and a great romance and although I wished we could have learn more of Mencheres past and the villian would've been more evil, it was a satisfying read at the end.


Memorable Lines:

“Why didn’t you stop those ghouls yesterday before I showed up? You –”

“Quiet,” Mencheres said instantly. Gorgon had walked away out of eyesight, but he could still hear her.

“I’ve thought it over, but it makes no sense,” Kira went on, completely ignoring his order to be quiet. For a stunned second, Mencheres didn’t know how to react. It had to be centuries at least since a human had dared to ignore his commands. “You didn’t even need to touch them to – whoa!”

He’d vaulted out of the pool to physically stop Kira from uttering more damning sentences by putting his finger to her mouth. Water dripped onto her clothes and her pale green eyes widened as he loomed over her.

“Never speak about that again,” Mencheres said, his voice soft but steely. He couldn’t mesmerize her into silence, but if need be, he would gag Kira so Gorgon didn’t find out about his thwarted plan with the ghouls yesterday.

Her heartbeat had accelerated the moment he leapt from the water, and it stayed elevated when she looked away from his face at the rest of his body. Then she gasped.

Her warm breath vibrated against the finger he still held to her lips. Kira gasped again as her gaze dragged from his shoulders to his feet and then became fixated at the point between his legs. Abruptly, Mencheres’s dark mood over her nearly spilling his secret changed to amusement when Kira didn’t seem to be able to tear her eyes away.


Previous Book:
First Drop of Crimson / Night Huntress World #1


Rating:

Review: Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Title: Leaving Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
Series: Leaving Paradise #1
Genre: YA
Release Date: April 1, 2007
Publisher: Flux
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares — has been canceled.

After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.


After reading and loving Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction, both by Simone Elkeles, I knew I had to read Leaving Paradise.

Maggie and Caleb represent both sides of the same coin. He was driving the car that injured Maggie for which he went to juvenile jail and she got injured for which she lost all she worked so hard to gain. He's the bad guy and she's the victim.
When Caleb finally gets out of jail and comes back to Paradise, Maggie and him had to face their fears and find out who they really are.

Caleb comes back to a destroyed family. Nothing is as it was before the accident and he has to adapt quickly to the changes. I liked how he finally sees the true faces of everyone around him, even though it seemed like we really didn't know his friends at all. There has to be more about them than a selfish cheerleader, an insensitive group of guys and some bullies. Also, we don't really get to know his family and why they are the way they are, and I didn't really like that Caleb didn't care enough to face them and stop playing their charade.

Maggie retreated to her shell after the accident and didn't come out until she started interacting with Caleb. I loved seeing her evolve from being scared to facing her problems. I don't understand how she lost all her friends, I don't think teenagers are that cruel. We are also presented with the issue of her dad, but that's never resolved and I felt it wasn't necessary. Her mom is very conflicted, she doesn't know if she should cuddle her daughter or force her out of her cocoon, and that's the main thing that made her seem realistic.

The other important character in this book was Mrs. Reynolds. It's because of her that Caleb and Maggie get together and really talk, she's also the one that starts giving Maggie her confidence back and she also is one of the few people who doesn't judge Caleb for his past. I think that without her probably Caleb and Maggie would have never gotten together.

I loved the story of both the main characters and the time flew while I read this novel. The only problem I had was the ending. I really wasn't expecting that, but at least there's a sequel later this year.


Memorable Lines:

Caleb stands and paces the attic again. "Coming home has sucked. But leaving Paradise would be a copout."

"To me," I tell him "leaving Paradise means freedom. I feel locked up just living in this town where everybody reminds me what a loser I am now."

Calec crouches down, his face right in from of mine.
"You are not a loser. Hell, Maggie, you always knew what you wanted and went for it."

I tell him the honest truth. "Not anymore. When you hit me, a part of me died."


Next Book:
Return to Paradise - Leaving Paradise #2 - September 1st 2010


Rating:

Interview: Jenna Black

First of all, I want to thank Jenna for being here today. This interview mainly has questions about her latest released book, Glimmerglass and the next book of the series, Shadowspell.


A runaway girl discovers she has the unique power to enter the Land of Faerie and bring back magic in this fabulous start to a hot new young adult series.

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her mother, an alcoholic, shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she's had enough of playing the role of her mother's keeper, so she packs her bags and travels to see her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. Dana is a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds. She has always known that her father is a big-deal Fae, but what she doesn't realise is that she could be the key to his rise to power. When she arrives in Avalon, Dana finds herself a pawn in the game of magical politics. Avalon is a place where both magic and technology work, and humans and Fae coexist in something resembling peace. How can she change the winds of fate, find a boyfriend, and make new friends when she's not sure who, if anyone, can be trusted.

Read my review of the book HERE.

This interview contains a few Glimmerglass spoilers.


- Do you have a specific time & place for writing?

I have an office, which is where I do almost all my writing. My office is a converted bonus room over the garage, and it's decorated in a gothic/medieval theme that makes it a special place to be. I have a dedicated computer that I use just for writing--I've stripped off all the games and other software so there's nothing on it but Word and Wordperfect. The fewer temptations/distractions, the better.

Generally, I write in the morning and the early- to mid-afternoon. I tend to write in sixty-ninety minute bursts, fitting my promotional activities--such as wrangling my inbox, and Twitter, and Facebook, and my website--in between.

- What do you do when you need to disconnect?

That changes a lot over time. I've recently taken up knitting, which is becoming my favorite way to relax at the moment. However, I must admit that I don't "disconnect" as often as I ought to. When I worked a "normal" day job, I had hours when I was in the office at work, and hours when I wasn't, with a clear distinction between them. Now that I'm a full-time writer and work from home, anytime can be work time for me. For instance, I'm working on this interview while I'm sitting at the spa getting a pedicure. I'm pretty sure that defeats the purpose of coming to the spa in the first place, but a couple of delays have put me way behind on my work, so I had to lessen the guilt of taking the "time off" for a pedicure by getting some work done.

- Which have been your favourite books of this year?

I'm not fond of picking "favorites," especially since I'm bound to forget some of them, but a few of the ones I've really enjoyed this year are RADIANT SHADOWS by Melissa Marr, WHITE CAT by Holly Black, and LOVER MINE, by JR Ward.

- If you could hang out with one of your characters, which one would you pick?

I suppose the character from my YA books I'd most like to hang out with would be Finn. I like the strong, silent type--seeing as I'm on the quiet side myself--and I think he and I would get along well. Plus, he'd be easy on the eyes, and he has hidden depths.

- What are you working on right now?

Right now, I'm working on the third Faeriewalker book. But I rarely end up working on only one project at a time. I'm expecting to get an edit letter for DARK DESCENDANT, the first book of my new adult urban fantasy series (coming out in May of next year) any minute now. And knowing Murphy's Law, I'll probably get page proofs for SHADOWSPELL on the same day.

- Why did you decide to write a YA book?

I didn't exactly decide to write a YA book--it just sort of happened that way. I came up with the idea of the city of Avalon as the one place the mortal world and Faerie intersect. At first, my plan was to write a paranormal romance series set in this world, but when I sat down to brainstorm plot ideas, nothing really leapt out at me. I then decided the world might be better suited to an urban fantasy story, but again, when I was in the brainstorming phase, I couldn't come up with anything I was truly excited to write about. Then the idea of writing about a teen girl running away from her alcoholic mother came to me, and suddenly the plot ideas came fast and furious. Something about Dana's character really leapt out at me and made me excited to write her story. And that's how I ended up writing YA.

- When is going to be the release date of Shadowspell?

SHADOWSPELL goes on sale on January 4, 2011.

- What can you tell us about it?

Dana gets a new adversary in the Erlking, who is the leader of the Wild Hunt (at least, of my version of the Wild Hunt). There's a lot of different mythology surrounding the Wild Hunt, which is sometimes associated with Faerie and sometimes not, but as with most of the mythology I have used for this series, I have taken a lot of liberties. My Wild Hunt is a group of supernatural huntsmen who work as the Faerie Queens' assassins. The Erlking and his Hunt may have come to Avalon to kill Dana, but it seems he might want something else entirely from Dana. And Dana's father may know more about the Erlking's goals than he's telling.

- Is Dana going to warm up to her father?

Yes and no. Their relationship is never going to be an easy one, because they came from such different worlds and have such different world views. Add the fact that she now has to deal with a parent who actually wields his parental authority, and they're bound to butt heads.

- One of my favourite characters was Keane. Are we going to find out more about him in the future?

Keane plays an important role in SHADOWSPELL, so yes, you'll definitely learn more about him.

- Also, is there a possible love triangle between Dana, Ethan and Keane?

It's possible. You never know. ;-)

- Are Dana's powers going to be explored in the next book?

Dana's attempts to learn about and control her magic--while keeping her abilities secret from everyone--is one of the major plot elements in SHADOWSPELL.


You can learn more about the author in her website: http://www.jennablack.com

Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Author: C.E. Murphy
Title: Truthseeker
Series: Worldwaker Duology #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: August 31st 2010.
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
Though gifted with an uncanny intuition that allows her to discern when someone is lying, Lara Jansen is sure there’s nothing particularly special about her. All that changes when a handsome but mysterious man enters her quiet Boston tailor shop and reveals himself to be a prince of Faerie. What’s more, Dafydd ap Caerwynn claims that Lara is a truthseeker, a person with the rare talent of being able to tell truth from falsehood. Dafydd begs Lara to help clear his name by solving his brother’s murder, of which Dafydd himself is the only suspect.

Acting against her practical nature, Lara agrees to step through a window into another world. Now caught between bitterly opposed Seelie forces and Dafydd’s secrets, which are as perilous as he is irresistible, Lara finds that her abilities are increasing in unexpected and uncontrollable ways. With the fate of two worlds at stake and a malevolent entity wielding the darkest of magic, Lara and Dafydd will risk everything on a love that may be their salvation—or the most treacherous illusion of all.



Author: Andrea Cremer
Title: Nightshade
Series: Nightshade #1
Genre: YA
Release Date: October 19th 2010.
Edition: Hardback
Blurb:
While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.

Review: Fatal Circle by Linda Robertson

Title: Fatal Circle
Author: Linda Robertson
Series: Persephone Alcmedi #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: June 29, 2010
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
There was a time when Persephone Alcmedi thought her life was hard to manage, what with wondering how to make sure she took adequate care of both her grandmother and her foster daughter, Beverley, whether she’d end up in the unwanted position of high priestess of a coven, and whether her wærewolf lover, Johnny, would resist the groupies who hang around his band Lycanthropia.

But that was before the fairies started demanding that Seph’s frightening, unpredictable ally—the ancient vampire Menessos— be destroyed . . . or the world will suffer. Seph and Menessos are magically bonded, but that’s a secret she dares not reveal to her fellow witches lest they be forced to reject her and forbid her use of magic. And, despite the strain this casts on her relationship with Johnny, as a showdown with the fairies nears, she and Menessos badly need the wærewolves as allies.

Life, death, and love are all on the line, but when destiny is calling, it doesn’t help to turn away. With the individual threads of their fates twisted inextricably together, can Seph, Johnny, and Menessos keep the world safe from fairy vengeance?

After the events of the previous book, Seph has to deal with the consequences of her actions, especially since they could start a war with the fairies and a lot of people now know that she's the Lustrata.

Seph has matured a lot since the first book. In this one we see her make some tough choices as well as sacrifice herself for what she thinks is best, for what she believes in. One of the best things of this series is the relationship between Seph and Nana, her grandmother. We don't see her much in this book, but she rocks the scenes she is in. I love reading her sarcastic remarks!

This is a Menessos oriented book. That doesn't mean we don't see Johnny, but he's not as much in it as the previous books. Menessos was a big mystery until this book. Before we only saw him as a really good manipulator, with very powerful skills and powers, and at the end, he couldn't be trusted. But in this book most of that changes. Seph learns to trust him at least a little and we also learn much more about his past and his abilities. I loved seeing how the vampire world worked and learning everyone's position in it.

Johnny has a lot to overcome in this book. We know he's loyal to Seph, but he has to adapt to the vampire lifestyle as well as steping up for the werewolves. It was really fun seeing him and Menessos trying to work with each other.

The bad guys this time are the faeries. They are going to kill as many of Menessos/Seph's allies as they have to until they get what they want. I was expecting more of them. I don't know, I guess I just wanted them to do more damage at the end (although they do kill some important people).
Another of the things I loved was the explanations about the elementals (you're going to have to read the book if you want to know).

All in all, it was a satisfying entry to the series, with a great balance between action and character development.


Memorable Lines:

"Now you should go," I said. We'd already established that both of us knew the bond between us had inverted and I was the master. He had to obey. Or so I hoped. It was my strong suspicion that he wasn't going to prove an obedient servant.

"Hold on, Red." Johnny jerked the pull chain on the overhead light. It was a harsh hundred watts. "I want the vampire to explain how he got past the wards."

Good question.

Menessos stood. Directing his reply to me, he said, "Perhaps the details are not meant for your lover's ears?"

"Perhaps you're wrong." Johnny was obviously not going to back down, even for someone who'd kicked his ass a few weeks ago.

"It's a magical secret, and should be hers to share. Or not."

"Oh." I realized Menessos meant his binding to me superseded the wards I'd created. "That."

"What?" Johnny asked.

Knowing he needed to feel he was one up on Menessos and to be shown that I trusted him, I said, "The binding allows him access." While that was true, it wasn't the full answer. I hadn't yet explained to Johnny that Menessos was bound to me, and not the other way around.

"Figures." Johnny pointed at the stairs. "But now you can go."

Previous Books:
Vicious Circle - Persephone Alcmedi #1
Hallowed Circle - Persephone Alcmedi #2

Next Book:
Arcane Circle - Persephone Alcmedi #4 - December 28th 2010.


Rating: