Jesse Hajicek - The God Eaters

Imprisioned for 'inflammatory writings' by the totalitarian Theocracy, shy intellectual Ashleigh Trine figures his story's over. But when he meets Kieran Trevarde, a hard-hearted gunslinger with a dark magic lurking in his blood, Ash finds that necessity makes strange heroes... and love can change the world.

Comment: I was very curious about this book for a long time and even more after reading similar books, meaning, books featuring a sort of epic fight before the happy ending. I knew this wasn't an erotic book and I am glad because in the end I thought it was so sweet, too much sex would just make it look cheap.

This story presents us to two different young men. Ash is timid and innocent and Kieran has done pretty bad things in his life. They meet on a train going to the prison where they'll also be cell mates. While in there, their relationship starts to intensify but they're more concerned in surviving the prison and in figuring out what ways they could use to escape. When everything seems hopeless, something happens and they do run away. From that moment on, they get closer because it's best to go forward while having company and the best way to fight an enemy is to be a unit.

I liked this story, in particular the tone of it. It wasn't harsh or simple, it had layers of meanings and even the most obvious things could have more than one way of interpretation. The world the author created was a sort of dictatorship where everyone was forced to worship the same God or be punished. People were forced to put aside their culture and memories and rituals but there's always those who resist. Ash was part of that Resistance and that is why he went to prison. In this world many people has magical Talents, heritage from their ancestors. The ruling people wanted to control those with powers so they would mind rape them if they wanted. Things are pretty bad, but after running from prison, both Ash and Kieran decided to do their best to stop things and make them better.

I liked the characters, of course they're very different and sort of complement each other, they need the other one to make them stronger as well, so in terms of team work, they were OK. They also fell in love and their romance was more sweet than passionate and I liked how apparently simple it looked like. There were many good scenes where we got to see the feelings developing between them.

Ash was innocent and timid but her showed an inner strength later on that was one of the most important things in the fight to battle the villain. His courage was wonderful and happened because he knew he had the power to love and to believe in the goodness of things.

Kieran had had an awful life and thought he deserved nothing good but after meeting Ash things changed. He started to convince himself it was OK to be in love. They both discovered more magic in themselves than what they thought possible and this too was a key plot line, which allowed things to end well.

I really liked the feel of the story, I was eager to keep reading and didn't want to put the book down.

My only issue with the book is the unfinished business, the author has inserted some things but didn't explain some of them or didn't offer a finality to them, and I think those things should have been explained, like what happened to one of the characters, what meaning has the powers the characters showed, exactly what was going to happen in th near future for them..simple things, apparently unimportant, but that would make the story feel more...complete, I guess.

So, in the end I liked, it was a very good read, but it could have been perfect. It was an incredible voyage through feelings and emotions and I was very glad to see the good guys having the happy end they deserved.

Charlotte Bronte - Villette

Villette (1853) by Charlotte Bront is the story of Englishwoman Lucy Snowe who ends up a teacher at a girls' pensionnat in Villette, the capital of Labassecour, a fictional French-speaking country on the continent.
Autobiographical in many ways, the novel shows stoic Lucy overcoming barriers of language, culture, complex psychological self-conflict, emotional torment, and falling in love. The character of M. Paul Emanuel is believed to have been based on Charlotte Bront 's own impossible object of affection, the one and only true passion of her brief life -- Constantin H ger, the proprietor of the Brussels pensionnat where Charlotte taught.

Comment: I picked this book, once again, because of one of my book clubs. Although that particular book club is going to be on stand by from now on. People just seem to not be interested anymore, from the original 8 to 10 people who joined, only 4 or 5 would participate and not always and now one of those members wants to stop and who knows about the others, so that's me and well, it's not the same thing...I feel it's unfair but well...I guess everyone's entitled to their wishes.

So, this book, it's a classic I had heard of but never wanted to try because I was still in dreamland over Jane Eyre which I think it's so intense and beautiful. I guess, in a way, I didn't want to ruin my idea of a Charlotte Bronte romance in case I didn't like this one.

Villette tells the story of orphan Lucy Snowe, she's hardworking but very poor and after some years she goes to Villette, where she finds a position as a teacher in a female school. In there, she has to deal with the differences in her religion, in the culture, in how she is and how to interact with people so different from her and even dealing with romantic issues.

The book shows how Lucy sees what is happening around her, providing the reader with her thoughts and even philosophical points of view and how things around her arrange themselves in a way to make everyone close to her interesting and important.

I liked the story, overall. I just think many things took too long to happen, I think there were several chapters that could have been shorter and saying the dame thing. I get that it's part of the classical charm, to explain and develop things slowly but I found myself bored at some things. When the story was actually developing and moving forward it was fine, as it was when Lucy would be thinking and we got to see more of her personality or about the other character's behavior through her eyes, but when descriptions would be too long or when the same thing was told in a very unappealing way, then I think that section of the chapter was boring. I had some trouble paying attention to those parts.

The story had several interesting elements, some of the apparently strange but later on would make sense. It was interesting to see how Lucy was different from everyone else, not only because she was an Englishwoman and from a different religion, but mostly due to her way of thinking, her culture. She had beliefs and principles and it showed in her speaking, her acts, her dealings with others. 

There was romance too, very subtle of course, but I don't think it was the key point in the book. It was more about Lucy and her fate in life.

When the book ended, I wasn't eager to re-read or anything, I could easily jump into another, although it took em four days to read and so I got to be close to it. Still, the author didn't offer closure on one subject and despite knowing it was on purpose, it says so in the book, I wish we could have known for sure what happened to Lucy at the end, if she could have her romantic happiness. We know things end well for her on other levels, but we know she's in love at that point and it would have been nice to know if she would be happily in love with the man she loved instead of just imagining they would.

Anyway, I was glad I got to read another classic. Sometimes I feel it's easier of we have another motivation than just our will. If we think we have to use an excuse to get into it, better then. I think I might try her other novels one day too.

Laura Wright - Eternal Demon

When Erion’s son is kidnapped by the evil vampire Cruen, Erion vows to stop at nothing to find his hideaway -- including intercepting the traveling party of Cruen’s beautiful bride-to-be. But instead of a vulnerable caravan, Erion is met by a feral band of female demons that includes Hellen, the bride -- a creature of dark magic and darker passion.
Though the safety of his son is foremost, Erion can’t deny his unexpected connection to Hellen -- inflaming a manic desire as primal as it is irresistible. As their bond intensifies, they move toward an inevitable and terrifying battle. With time running out, Erion realizes he must not only find and rescue his son but protect Hellen from Cruen and the underworld forces waiting to destroy her for her betrayal.

Comment:  This is the latest installment in the Mark of the Vampire series. This time it’s Erion’s story, he’s the mutore twin of Nicholas, the hero of book #2, which means he wasn’t recognized at birth and was raised by the villain of the series. In previous books he and others like him found the truth and now he and his brothers are more of a family.

This story follows the things happening in previous books, where Erion found out he had a son when the villain always convinced him and the ones like him they couldn’t father children, so he’s ecstatic even if plans never to tell the truth to the boy. However, he has been kidnapped and Erion figures the best way to get him back is to exchange him with something the villain wants, in this case his new bride.

Hellen is a demon from Hell, literally, and she is sacrificing herself because of her sisters. When she goes to the surface to meet Cruen, she’s is kidnapped and arrested in Erion’s house. She thinks she will be released soon but during the time she spends with Erion something happens and they start to develop feelings for each other.

I enjoyed this story. The storyline is continuous, which means we follow the same things from book to book, even if the main couple differs. But the author managed to have a good balance between the continuity of the story and the detachment elements of a new romance with each book. Still, one of the best things is to see recurrent characters showing up and still being part of things after their stories have been told.

The two main characters don’t seem to have much in common at first, but throughout the story we get to find out more not only about their personalities but also about the nature of their origins and in the end they do have more in common than what they thought. This is paranormal so in a way usual dealing between the couple has to be understood by different rules. But what matters is how consistent their relationship gets and in the end I think the author has successfully shown how dedicated they seem to be towards one another.

The story offers quite the news about other characters and what they are doing and even about things we wouldn’t be expecting. Once again, this book ended with one or two revelations I wasn’t picturing, so now I am again very eager to know what will happen.

Erion and Hellen have found common things to them and tried to give the other what they thought was best but they overcame that need to think for the other and ended up admitting the best way to help the other is to make each other as happy as possible. They went after their HEA and I was quite happy with the way it was gotten, although I still have some questions about the way things will work for them. I guess I’ll have to wait and see. But I’m happy with the way things are going. This is an imaginary world, so like I said different rules, but I was still entertained and satisfied with how the author has presented the story.

Markus Zusak - The Book Thief

It is 1939 Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath.
Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down.
 

Comment:  I was returning a book at the library when I saw this one on display. My local library always has a selection of different genres on display at the entrance and I always look through them in case something catches my eye. It’s much more difficult to find things in the shelves because things are divided by country, so one shelf has English literature, other has French, another has German…not by genre then. Anyway, I saw this one and I curious over it because I remembered something about it but wasn’t sure what was. I looked at the original title and I knew which book this was and I got it to bring home right away.

This is the story of young Liesel and her tribulations during the Second World War in Germany, her country. This story is told from the German point of view and as in everything, just because Germany was thinking about so many awful things, it didn’t mean all its citizens were in agreement and in this story we met several characters that didn’t follow the Nazi’s regulations. Liesel is a young girl starting her career as a book thief. This will lead her through so many things, good and bad, but always with Death telling what is happening.

This book was tremendously emotional. I mean, at first I was holding on pretty well. I was taking all the hints about how things wouldn’t end well with dread but well enough, I thought. Then the end came and I cried and cried and cried…. Of course I knew this was the purpose and the expectation but still it caught me unprepared despite all the clues pointing to it.

Basically, the story follows Liesel life during those years and her dealing with the loss of her brother and mother, then her foster parents, her friends, the woman who lets her read books in her library, the Jewish her parents hide in the basement and in the end, the death of the people she loves. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything, during the book we get to know this, just not how and exactly when. All these thinks are told in a very simple way, almost innocent, while exploring some of the horrors of that time. It still shocks me how, despite knowing the historical facts, how so many people must have suffered one way or another, because of that. And despite knowing I will cry and feel awful for all those people, I still read books with this theme. Some would say I’m a masochist but I just can’t help myself. There’s some strange appeal and beauty in knowing these things, in a way it’s to keep in mind that reality.

Most books would explore the Jewish side and the suffering from that angle, but so many times we don’t think about all those German people who had nothing to do with the Nazi party, who were as horrified and desperate as all the known victims, all the civilians who died and weren’t mean or racists. In a way, this book also shows that and it makes me wonder, everyone suffers a bit, everyone has something in them others don’t know about and we suffer so much quite often…

This book is classified as YA. I didn’t know this before reading but I understand this classification. Still, I’m not sure every teenager would get all the little details of the book, all the small clues about the war and some meanings or even the philosophical reflections one can make while reading. Still, reading is good and I hope it makes them more conscious of the things that shaped our society as it is now.

Like I said, I cried a lot when the book ended. It wasn’t completely bad, it wasn’t a total devastation but it made me think about my loved ones and how hard it must be to just…let go.

I recommend the book, but be prepared to cry and to feel your heart heavy.

Song #9

This song is so romantic, I used to listen to it while traveling on the bus or the subway when I was studying...it always reminded me of a city because of the mentioning of the traffic lights....I always imagine a winter day, dark clouds and some rain when I listen to this song. I guess some songs just make to go somewhere in your mind...I think this is one of those.

The female singer was David Fonseca's background singer but after this song she started working on her album, more with a country feel. I'll post something by her next month.

Casey Daniels - The Chick and the Dead

Ever since the former rich girl-turned-Cleveland cemetery tour guide banged her head on a headstone, she sees dead people. Worse still, she hears them--and they won't shut up! Now it's Didi Bowman, a poodle-skirted relic from the Great Beyond, who's bending Pepper's ear, complaining that her famous author sister, Merilee, has done her wrong. Trouble is, if Pepper proves it, she'll break the hearts of millions of Merilee's fans. And if she doesn't, Didi's ghost may never go away.
Pepper needs peace and quiet (and rent money), so the cash-strapped ex-heiress agrees to take a job as Merilee's secretary and dig around the family tree. But when she unearths more than she bargained for--like an illegitimate daughter, a bunch of illicit love affairs, and a possible murder--suddenly a very poisoned pen is all set to write Pepper out of the story permanently.

Comment: I've picked this book because since I've read the first one, back in february of last year I knew I should get to it, but time went on and to be honest, despite the good story, I wasn't very fond of the main character so I could wait for the next one. But it was still there, reminding me I should get to it... I finally gave in.

This second novel in the adventures of Pepper Martin, features a ghost that wants recognition for a very successful book she claimed was written by her and not by her sister. She knew Pepper helped Gus - the ghost from the other book - and now tries to convince Pepper to help her as well.

At the same time, the ghost's sister is coming back to town for a kind of book tour and it's Pepper's opportunity to figure out who's saying the truth here and to unveil some secrets from her ghost's past...

I liked the plot of this story. It was about a dead woman who claimed to have written a book but her sister is the known author of it. Pepper goes on her investigations to find out who's telling the truth and like it happened with the previous book, the more she researches, the more secrets she comes up with. I like her style because she has to do things a bit undercover as no one knows she can see the dead now. Her methods are very amateurish but she is a bit funny and although saying all the time she doesn't want to get in other people's business, she still helps the ghosts because she isn't a bad person.

The mystery in this story was fascinating, many things I wasn't waiting for and I think the author has done a good job creating the little details and putting them in line so by the end of the book it all made sense.

Pepper, however, isn't my favorite protagonist. She has many qualities but she's also...I mean, she looks too superficial at times. I get it's part of her make up and I think the author intended her to be that way on purpose but despite sometimes I enjoy her personality, there are also scenes where I think she's being too harsh and don't always feel empathy towards her. This sort of dichotomy ruins her character for me a bit, because I can't help dread the moments where she'll act superficial, not very concerned or where her personality isn't deep enough to make me connect with her.

There's not much romance in the book. We still see the two guys Pepper met in the first book and things seem pretty murky in this field. I'm not sure where the author is going with thus but in my opinion she should make Pepper a more mature person before any relationship so, in a way, I can't say I miss the romance exactly, we do have some scenes with Pepper and one of the guys and it seems they have the sexual attraction going on, so, perhaps in future books something might develop some more.

In the end, a good read, much better than I thought, I'll probably read the following books at some point, but Pepper definitely needs some personality improvement.

Jessica Bird - An Irresistible Bachelor

He was a confirmed bachelor--and a gorgeous work of art.
For struggling art conservationist Callie Burke, the chance to restore a world-famous painting is the opportunity of a lifetime--one that no one in her right mind would turn down. Call her crazy, but Callie has serious reservations about working with the painting's owner. Warm and sexy, Jack Walker makes no attempt to hide the strong attraction he feels for Callie--even as she tries to keep their relationship professional. Now, cocooned in his studio in Boston, she will either have to learn to ignore the man and concentrate on the masterpiece, or give in to the kind of passion that can never be captured on canvas.
Jack Walker is a practical man who runs his life, his empire, and his fortune effortlessly. Yet from the moment he met Callie Burke, he wanted her with all the intensity of a first crush. As he gets to know her, the desire blossoms into something more--and Jack finds that for the first time in his life he is leading with his heart instead of his head. . . .

Comment: This is another book with connected characters, the third in a contemporary series by the author. This 3rd book features a couple of protagonists we've met in the previous books and how their romance happened.

Callie Burke is the poor half sister of the rich Grace Hall. She wants to live her life alone but she couldn't stand her loneliness anymore and contacted Grace. The two are forging a bond but Callie doesn't want any favors just because of their family connection.

Jack is one of Grace's best friends and he's built up his father's reputation from scratch since he went into debt. He now wants to restore a painting sold to pay off debts and asks Callie to do it, as she works in art conservation. He wasn't counting on the attraction between them and even less in the challenge it would be to be with her.

I loved this book. So far, my favorite of the three. The main and more obvious reason is the female protagonist, she is close to the perfect heroine for me. Callie has never been rich and despite the fact she has now a very rich sister, she isn't using her to be better of. She's still poor and doesn't want others to know that or to have pity on her. She is a warm person, a hard working one and she just wants to have a decent living. However, she is out of work now but won't ask for help. In a way I get her, she wants to try on her own, she wants to have her independence. Grace helped before, not with money, but help nonetheless and she accepted so she isn't stupid either, she recognizes when is a good time to accept help. She also tries to protect her heart and with her mother's illness she devoted her time to work and her mother and never had a intimate relationship which means she's cautious and serious when needed. I really liked her personality and how the author portrayed her inner strength.

Jack is another rich guy but things weren't always easy for him so he's not perfect, which only adds up to his charms. I liked how at first he pictured a different Callie but when he found out about her, he didn't try to humiliate her or anything, he seemed supportive. Plus their relationship was slow paced and it seemed more real because of that.

The romance had many sweet moments and the chemistry between them looked real and I really enjoyed seeing them fall in love and how certain things were made so special for them. I liked how they started to trust the other so well even when some issues showed up and some caution happened, and how they talked about it and worked things out.

The story felt well written to me. The plot advanced at the rhythm of the couple's developing relationship but there are many secondary scenes where we can see them interact with other characters ans see some more glimpses of their behavior. I really liked knowing them.

I've said before sometimes the author focused too much on the money issues in these books, but in this case I liked the contrast a lot because it wasn't as obvious or as mentioned. Callie was poor but she wasn't after money or too rigid not to stay away from jack because of that, their relationship seemed quite balanced and I loved reading their story, it took me only one day actually.

I wish I could read more books with heroines just like Callie, poor but hardworking, innocent but cautious and not in a despairing state to not be a virgin and still be a funny and warm person. I recommend this book for any contemporaries' fan.

TBR Challenge: Sally Mackenzie - The Naked Duke

Sophisticated. Scandalous. In fact, Miss Sarah Hamilton, a proper Philadelphian, finds London society altogether shocking. How can it be that she has awakened from her innocent slumber to find herself in bed next to a handsome--and exceedingly naked--man? The laughing onlookers standing in the doorway are no help whatsoever and surely this amorous lunatic cannot be a duke, as he claims. She is compromised--though she most certainly will not marry him!
James, the Duke of Alford, is enchanted by his unexpected bedmate--and not at all afraid of her pink-cheeked fury. True, the circumstances and place of their meeting are most unusual, but the spirited American who's pummeling him with a pillow is an incomparable beauty. If Sarah will only listen to his perfectly reasonable explanation, James is sure that he can capture her heart...forever.
 

Comment: This month's TBR theme is to pick one of more than one books by an author we might have. I thought about two authors actually, this one and Sherryl Woods, but I've read one book by mrs Woods and it was very boring, so I though it would be best to just try Sally Mackenzie. This was the first book by her I've tried but I was hopeful I'd end up reading the others too.

The Naked Duke is the first in her naked nobility series and being obviously historical, it was also clear it would focus in different couples too. I was a bit eager to get to it, I knew a couple of people whose opinions I know a bit have said they were entertaining and fun, so I thought the worst it could happen would be for me not to share the humor. I have to say the cover does make the book seem a bit silly, there are fun covers and funny covers and this one was on the sillier side of it, so I was eager but not dying to get it.

This is the story about Sarah Hamilton, she's left with nothing in America because her father was one of those doctors that just give things for free and didn't bother with money so after his death she doesn't have a choice but to go to England, looking for her uncle, an earl. When she arrives someone makes a mistake and gives her a room where later on the duke James steps into. Apparently the poor thing was mistaken with a prostitute. They end up in the same bed, she sleeping so not knowing he as there and he thinking she was someone else. They are found out and obviously now it's time to marry.

I get why some people would say this book is fun. I just don't think it was that much. I see the potential in several scenes but in the end I think it was a bit lack of the author's talent to write them. If the purpose was to write a sort of comedy I don't think it was that well done.

I think the story offered some plot lines interesting enough to make a more dramatic story without being too heavy. I mean, Sarah just arrived a strange place, where she doesn't know anyone, where she couldn't get a room, her belongings have been lost at sea, she is mixed up with a prostitute, she wakes up in a compromising position with a strange man and she has no money, no prospects...and easily there she goes to live with him because luckily her cousin is his best friend. Of course, something had to happen for the story to keep going, but I think the situation wasn't that funny or that easy to solve for the story to be treated as airily as that. A bit more of seriousness here and in some other moments could have made this book a stronger one.

The main characters were interesting yes. James is the perfect guy, a wealthy duke, respected, caring, helpful and now attracted to Sarah. He seems too good to be true, but at some point he goes along the path, she is danger I should step back so she doesn't get a target...for such a perfect guy he could have been a bit more confidant in his actions. People also have some wrong ideas about his character and it was fun to see how different he was from the public opinion and despite the unlikeliness of that in those days, it was still rather interesting to read about.

Sarah was a bit more believable, she had her beliefs, her goals and she knew she shouldn't be chosen to marry a duke, but her path is mostly believable. Her fears are real and I liked her personality. She comes from America where people seem to be more liberal but her behavior is correct and I liked how she seemed humble and caring instead of conceited girl like I imagined she would turn out to be. Don't know why but by the blurb it looked like she might.

The secondary characters provided good scenes and it gets clear who might be a protagonist in the future. The villain was weird, not very smart, more of a bully and the end concerning him was a bit silly as well.

Of course, in the end everyone gets what they deserve and all is well.

After finishing the book I could easily put it aside. This means I wasn't as impressed by it as I wanted to be. I get the positive opinions I knew about but I think this book isn't that good, it's not bad either, it's more just good enough, you know? Some things were good, others too stupid in my opinion, but there's a strange air of balance in it too. Weird. But that's it. I was thinking, should I read the others? I think I'll go as long as I end up at least satisfied by it, because I do have the books and as this one wasn't a complete failure, I hate to think more books would just be there, all alone and miserable...Perhaps the others are much better. Let's keep the faith.

As for this one, well, I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it's entertaining enough to read between more serious things I guess.

Abigail Roux - Touch & Geaux

After having their faces plastered across the news during a high-profile case, FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have become more useful to the Bureau posing for photo ops than working undercover. Just as Zane is beginning to consider retirement a viable option, Ty receives a distress call from a friend, leading them to a city rife with echoes from the past.
New Orleans wears its history on its streets, and it’s the one place Ty’s face could get him killed. Surrounded by trouble as soon as they land, Ty and Zane are swiftly confronted with a past from which Ty can’t hide—one with a surprising connection to Zane’s.
As threats close in from all directions, both men must come to terms with the lives they’ve led and the lies they’ve told. They soon discover that not all their secrets are out yet, and nothing lasts forever. 

Comment: This is the latest installment in the series where we follow the lives and adventures of Ty and Zane. This time the guys were minding their own business, even helping an institution and Ty got a call from Nick, asking for help in New Orleans. Ty has reasons to want to stay away but his loyalty surpasses his issues and together with Zane, there they go.

In New Orleans they figure out there is no problem with Nick and as they start to enjoy their time with Ty's ex team, someone from the past shows up and starts a huge amount of problems, the most heartbreaking one being a fight between Ty and Zane for reasons we couldn't dream of.

I found the story engaging as always. There's something about these characters that rings true, probably the way we seem to connect with their feelings and how they process their thoughts. It's not something as easy as that and obviously it depends a lot on the author's talent to make the words flow and appear easy but the thing is, I care about them and I like to think I can see something special in the story that makes it alive.

The guys go to New Orleans and a whole set of troubles start up too. the technical stuff like how they do their job and their fighting skills and spy techniques and so on it's all very interesting and it makes the book more focused and full but to be honest my main interest is really the romance and the characterization of Ty and Zane and their interactions.

When this book started, the guys were in a great place, in terms of their relationship. In the end they still were but there's a huge deal addressed in the story which I was quite surprised with. I'm not sure if I were more shocked with it or with the fact the author chose that as a conflict. I mean, I have to wonder of it was a plot line thought from the beginning or something that happened to suit the path the story has taken... Either way, I didn't expect this and I was completely surprised. I even cried a bit in the parts where they fought because it seemed so serious and as a reader I care for them and it was awful to see them at odds after so many books where things were so well.

In the end, things were solved and the guys talked about things.I was once again happy for them but now I can't help think about went wrong. Everyone knows after we know something we can't pretend we didn't hear it, so I fear this might impact my judgment in further books. Let's wait and see.

Talking about that, this story ended with a shocking thing, not completely good, but certainly amusing and I can't wait to know what happens next. It's not a cliffhanger per se, but it sure made me want to scream now that I have to wait.

It was an enjoyable book yes, but it had all the angst and more some of the previous books didn't, so perhaps the author is compensating? But it's still Ty and Zane, so...

Nalini Singh - Archangel's Consort

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…
A vampire has attacked a girls’ school -- the assault one of sheer, vicious madness -- and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.
The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.
An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…  

Comment: This is the third novel in the Guild Hunter series by the author and the action takes place right after the end of the previous book. In this story, something is happening in the world and they believe it has something to do with a very ancient archangel waking up, Raphael’s mother.

In the story, Elena is still learning how to fight with her wings and she’s still the object of admiration and surprise by others, as she’s the only angel Made. Raphael has a lot on his mind too because strange things and crimes are occurring and he feels it’s his mother’s awakening after several years Sleeping. The two of them also have to deal with the growing attachment of their relationship and how the other means the world to them.

I had some hopes for this book because after the 1^st book being rather meh for me and the second one more interesting in my perspective, I was curious to see how things would be in this one. In terms of romance, things are progressing and it’s quite a relief to see the couple talking and assuring each other about the trueness and deepness of their feelings and the bond between them. It’s sweet and comforting to know they’re still solid.

I also enjoyed seeing some key scenes with other characters, in particular the Seven members. I know two of them already have their stories and I wonder if the author will write a full length novel for the remaining five. I’ll read the stories already out to see how it goes, but  I know that the upcoming novel in this series is again about Raphael and Elena and although I’m glad they’re happy, I can’t help but wonder why again, I mean, they’re happy, no doubts about it...unless the author plans to change that into something more?

Despite the good parts, I ended up not enjoying the book that much. It’s simple, nothing actually happens in the book. The action doesn’t really move forward, and despite the good tidbits why the effort to this novel. The same information could have been said in fewer lines, after all, in the end, what happened was Raphael’s mother waking up and that’s it. I mean, the whole book people would discuss the fact she might need to die and how Raphael dreaded that, she’s his mother even after the bad things she has done, but she woke up and she carried on to her merry life as an ancient, I don’t know what she will do now…oh well.

I guess some reader might feel it was important for Raphael to talk about her and what it meant for him, but a whole book about this – it seemed so to me! – was a bit too much I think.

So, this wasn’t the best or stronger book in the series for me. I think I’ll never feel as passionate about this series as I do about the other one, it’s a different feel and I don’t mean only the PNR vs. UF debate. 

Anyway, like I said, I’ll try the stories about the other guys…if I don’t end up enjoying them I might consider to stop there.