Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout (book review by Eleni)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: December 11th 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Series: Lux
Pages: 382
Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy on: Amazon ,Barnes and Noble

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Review:

This book made me pull my hair so hard it actually hurt. I don;t know what the author was thinking.
There is so much action in this one than on the first two books of the series and seriously I liked that a lot..also the fact that we actually we get some action from Daemon and Katy helped on finishing Opal faster haha.

I hated that Dee and Katy had a silent fallout and the missing parent thing really started to grow on me. I mean okay we know Katy's mother is working but she can't be absent from the house for days and having her 18 year old daughter running around with a bunch of aliens - no mother would allow that.

I hated Blake more that anything in this one too. I started to like the guy at the second book but he fucked everything up during the end and in this one is no different. First he does the unforgivable to Katy and then he does the ultimate sin - im not gonna say.

Daemon is the only one that doesn't annoy me. He is so so so cute and adorable the whole time that I really wanna kiss him. And YES the book is emotional ,the reader will go through a bunch of emotional roller coasters with this one that he will need more.

I really don't know what more to say without spoiling the whole thing so I'm just gonna leave it here.

Caroline and the Duke by Sabrina Darby

Author: Sabrina Darby
Pages: 40 pages
Publisher: Sabrina Darby
Date of publication: 9/12/13
Rating: 4 stars
buy on: Amazon, Amazon UK, Kobo, B&N

"A Widow Determined to be Merry

At the urging of her best friend, Caroline, Lady Ballister, seeks a lover with no emotional attachments. After all, experience has taught her that love is a fickle, pointless thing.

A Duke Determined to Marry

Sutbridge has wanted Caroline for ten years and, now that she is once again free, is determined to make her his wife. But will he settle for her body, or wage a war for the most important treasure of all: her heart?"

Review:

Truthfully, I find novellas and short stories to be a tricky thing. 

the shorter the story, the less mistakes you are allowed to make. 

Want to know the weird thing about this one? Once I finished it, I felt as satisfied as if I read a full lengh regency novel. 

I guess it's because the attraction was apparent, as was the love. 

The characters had enough depth, and the plot was achieved. 

The problem is I'm not sure what to say much about it. it's a short fun read. 20 minutes tops. And once I finished reading it, I knew the author made it as long as it was supposed to be, nothing left to be clarified and it wasn't dragging. 

I'll certainly check more books by Sabrina Darby.

a copy was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This review acn also be found on: Goodreads, BookLikes, Amazon, Amazon UK

Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout (book review by Eleni)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: August 14th 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Series: Lux
Rating: 4 stars
Buy at: Amazon , Barnes and Noble

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Review:

As it usually happens with all good book series I immediately jumped from book 1 to book 2 in no time. I think I read this one within 6 hours or so and I am so so so excited.
It's been some time since the last time I actually read something so good that I had to devour it so quickly and to tell you the truth Onyx is one of my fav books.

Usually, when it comes to book series the second book tends to be the one where the couple separates or something happens to them...but that's not the case here...actually there was no couple to begin with. The author did more than an awesome job starving the readers for some romance and in this book we get rewarded finally!!! Katy is starting to realise that Daemon is not kidding with the whole I want you, I need you thing and starts to loosen up a little until she completely falls for him...in his embrace. They both keep secrets from Dee and Katy gets a little estranged from her because she wants to protect her until the inevitable happens. What happened in the end of the book I didn;t see it coming and I bet a lot of you wont either.

Meet Blake the new sexy guy at school that makes Katy act weird and date him....yup they went out together. As it turns out Blake has his own secrets and Daemon has a hard time trusting him with Katy.

The plot has a lot of twists and turns that I didn;t expect, things can be good and then turn ugly but that kept me reading because I was so excited about the unexpected. The writing is so intense and also you get to see the character's from a whole different perspective, it's just amazing because that doesn't happen really often.

Totally recommend it.

blog update:

BLOG CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR 2014

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (book review by Eleni)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Series: Lux
Pages: 335
Rating: 5 stars!!!
Buy at: Amazon , Barnes and Noble

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 
If I don't kill him first, that is.

Review:

Okay I will try to review this book as much as i possible can without making any spoilers and I will stop drooling over Daemon like a girl trapped on a freaking island with no sight of boys for months!!!

Obsidian is amazingggggggggg, is awesommmmmeeeeee it is just GREAT. Okay now lets move to the actual review...

First of all, I loved the fact that the story was not an insta - love kinda romance but a more like I-LOVE-YOUR-GUTS-SO-HARD-BUT-THERE'S-NO-WAY-I'M -GONNA-LET-YOU-KNOW story and that goes until the end of the book. That made me starve me for kissing, sex whatever between the two main protagonists Daemon (sexy dude) and Katy (bookworm). 

To be honest with you the whole thing kind of reminded me of Twilight (yes i know )but a lot more intense and with no corny -cheese lines so don't be disappointed because it's not as stupid, actually I didn't find the book stupid at all except at some points where it was similar to Twilight.

The book is building up suspense in the right speed ,not to fast not to slow but as it should be and that made me turn the pages faster and faster. Also the word usage is amazing and there are some swears in it and a lot of description which i love particularly in steamy scenes..if you know what I mean.

The characters could not be more amazing and developed. I fell in love with Daemon immediately and I adored Katy too. Armentrout created a paranormal romance novel but Daemon and Katy are so human that you can relate to them. They have their faults and make their mistakes and surely they have a lot of stubbornness that you want to slap both of them. The rest of the characters are cool too and I liked them a lot, even the b*** of the whole thing in the end you get to like her. 

To be honest with you, I expected a book with all the cliche situations and a protagonist that falls in a second for the sexy neighbor next door but that was beyond expectations. The author just crashes all the cliches and gives Katy a backbone. 

This is a novel with lots of sense of humor, sarcasm and cleverness that you will enjoy so so so much. I am sure you will never forget this book.

The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis (Book Review by Eleni)

Author: Antonia Michaelis
Release Date: January 1st 2012
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 402
Rating: 5 stars
Buy at: Amazon , Barnes and Noble

Anna and Abel couldn’t be more different. They are both seventeen and in their last year of school, but while Anna lives in a nice old town house and comes from a well-to-do family, Abel, the school drug dealer, lives in a big, prisonlike tower block at the edge of town. Anna is afraid of him until she realizes that he is caring for his six-year-old sister on his own. Fascinated, Anna follows the two and listens as Abel tells little Micha the story of a tiny queen assailed by dark forces. It’s a beautiful fairy tale that Anna comes to see has a basis in reality. Abel is in real danger of losing Micha to their abusive father and to his own inability to make ends meet. Anna gradually falls in love with Abel, but when his “enemies” begin to turn up dead, she fears she has fallen for a murderer. Has she?

Review:

I have been staring the screen for half an hour now trying to come up with a review for this beautiful, heart wrecking book. I can't...so i will let everything out.

I had this book sitting lost in my nook library for like months now..I always passed it by without even thinking of reading it until i decided i should on those weird moments every bookworm has...grab a book any book and read. I never read the synopsis of books because i hate it. I just open a book and read and this time I was blown away.

It starts with blood and it finishes with blood...the in between is just a heart breaking story of a well bred girl falling in love with the school drug dealer and his cruel reality. The need to help and the need to be understood and loved goes beyond imagination in this story. Was she staying with him because it was something different and exciting to do or because he pitied him or because he loved him? Did she care about him or felt sorry for him and his little sister?

The answer to all those questions came towards the end of the book where Anna forgives the unforgivable act of Abel - then any reader can realize that if you love someone enough you forgive , you continue to care and put yourself second. The relationship between those two made me re-evaluate some things. Some things that I learned long ago and never actually thought about. 

This is one of the books that emotion swallows you full and you can't do anything but continue reading because you love the perfect made characters. Some readers said that they got annoyed with this book but i dont know what...for me it is a perfect read. A perfect depressing love story that will appeal to all the fans of Forbidden.

I loved how the fairytale can be mixed with reality and mystery in a love story so strong that Romeo and Juliet seem like kids love.  The translation seemed a little stiff but knowing German this is how it is supposed to be. The author did a good job with the usage of words and i guess the translator should get credit for it too. 

The Storyteller is one book I will never forget and probably go back to it at some point in the near future.

Angelbound by Christina Bauer

buy on:Amazon, Amaozn UK, Kobo, Barnes & Noble

"Eighteen year old Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She’s not your every day quasi-demon, half-demon and half-human, girl. For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory’s arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter heaven or hell, they go up against her, and she hasn’t lost a battle yet.

But as she starts her senior year at Purgatory High, the arena fights aren’t enough to keep her spirits up anymore. When the demons start to act weird, even for demons, and the King of the Demons, Armageddon, shows up at Myla’s school, she knows that things are changing and it’s not looking good for the quasi-demons. Myla starts to question everything, and doesn’t like the answers she finds. What happened seventeen years ago that turned the quasi-demons into slave labor? Why was her mom always so sad? And why won’t anyone tell her who her father is? Things heat up when Myla meets Lincoln, the High Prince of the Thrax, a super sexy half-human and half-angel demon hunter. But what’s a quasi-demon girl to do when she falls for a demon hunter? It’s a good thing that Myla’s not afraid of breaking a few rules. With a love worth fighting for, Myla’s going to shake up Purgatory"

5 SPARKLING I COMPLETELY LOVED IT STARS!

This review is going to me a tough one to write. Why? Because it is so rare for me to have so much to say yet not enough words.

Most times I'm either speechless or you can't shut me up. Right now I'm both. Yes, I'm very well aware of the paradox.
But I don't give a damn.

Anyway, let's start this.

Lately I've given many 5 starts, more than I'm used to, and I consider myself lucky for that. But a 5 stars rating can mean so many different things- it can mean I loved the book, it can mean the book is really well written, and it can be a 4.5 stars rounded up, and it can be my gut telling me that even if I have tons to complain about it is a 5 stars book. 

In Angelbound's case it is because the book is well written and the ARC had only 8 typos (in a book that is more than 300 pages, that's little, almost nothing). But more importantly, it's because this book is perfect for me. 

There aren't so many books that I loved and managed to hold my interest from start to end. If you need an example I'd say- anything written by Ilona Andrews, The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, Binding the Shadows by Jenn Bennett, Through the Smoke by Brenda Novak. 
That's it.
Now I can add to the list Christina Bauer.

Yes, there are many books I loved, but I'm an impatient reader. It's a gurantee somewhere along the ride I'd lose interest. Not here.

As I've already said this book is perfect for me- it has EVERY damned thing I want in a book- interesting world, great world building, realistic and great sidekicks- most characters have some hidden depth and we get to glimpse it, Myla is an amazing character, the love interest is totally swoon worthy, the relationship is mature with no love triangle, the love is building slowly and believably. You know what else? Myla has a true best friend that is a girl- not some stupid "Best" friend. 

Most of the women here are strong willed and reliable just as the men. 

No slut-shaming or stupidity. 

With all this, I think this book is a breath of fresh air. But then I wonder fresh air to what? The answer: to almost every genre you'd like to put it in. New Adult or Young Adult, Fantasy or Urban Fantasy.

This book avoids my most hated tropes in all of them. 

Now, I'll talk on every aspect the best I can:

The World Building: 
Christina Bauer has created a really intriguing world in Angelbound beside the human world there are five realms- 
1. Heaven (with angels, obviously) 
2. Hell (with demons, because we can't avoid it) 
3. The Dark Land (with Ghouls. Most of them are semi hated by me) 
4. Autrum (with Thrax- half human half angels. Because they are cool) 5.Purgatory(with Quasi-Demons because damn are they hot?!)

The roles of the angels and the demons are no mystery, the ghouls keeps order and rules (they also portal people between the realms). While the thrax are hunting demons in the human world the Quasis are in charge of the souls- which go to heaven and which to hell. 

This is where Myla comes in, but I'll get to it in a bit.

Sometimes, the residents of those realms mingle- an angel will mate with a ghoul or some other pairings. 

Our story takes place in Purgatory- where the Quasis live. Purgatory is run by the ghouls and the Quasis are their servants, I'm not going to explain it because you need to read the book for that! 

As I've already mentioned Quasis are the off springs of humans and demons- or at least they were at first, since there are plenty of them in Purgatory the Quasis breeds among themselves (mostly). 
Each Quasi has a tail of some sort of animal- dragon tail (Myla) pig tail, dog tail, really the options are infinite. Also, each and every Quasi has an affinity to one of the seven deadly sins-
Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Wrath and Pride. 
With each one comes certain skills- Envy can feel when someone's envy them, Lust are seductive and irresistible, Wrath are natural born warriors. 

When a human dies, there's need to decide where his soul would go, thus can be decided by trial or combat. When choosing combat the soul can choose it's opponent from three options- ghoul, demon or Quasi. If the opponent is defeated the soul goes to heaven, if not then hell. Myla(our SUPER KICKASS heroine) is one of the arena's warriors. Fighting evil souls and beat them so they'll never get to heaven is her job, and she does it fantastically. 

the fighting and action scenes in this book are enough to keep anyone happy- quantity and quality wise. The one responsible for transferring the soul to heaven or hell is the Scala- the one creature with human, demon and angel blood. Usually there are two of those- the Scala and the Scala heir. 

I'll stop now, because I see I'm getting carried away. 

The thing is, Christina Bauer has created a well-rounded world with definite rules and what I told you is just the tip of the ice-berg.

Also, the world building is done gradually without over tiring info-dumps. Each information comes exactly when it needed to come- not only in order to move the plot forward but also to allow the reader to understand things while the happen. There are no contradictions in the world building and no dropping of weird terms that will be discovered later once the author needs a way out . 

The world and the book are so well built it is obvious the author paid great attention and thought to them both. 

Before I continue to other aspects of the book, let me just say, even though I don't complain much about world building in other books- for me this aspect is the difference between 4 and 5 stars. So rarely do I really enjoy the world building in a book as much as I enjoyed it here 

The characters: 
beside the really not important characters, those I doubt would appear on the second book, Each and every of the characters is rounded with depth and contradictions. And even as we learn of those, all their actions stay true to their nature 

I'll talk about some of the characters right now.

Cissy- Myla's best friend. Hell, I can't explain how fucking annoying she was at times. I was really tempted to reach into the book, grab her by the shoulders and yell at her "Pay attention to your best friend!!!" she made mistakes, she ignored Myla's feelings at times, she was far from a perfect best friend and yet, she was there for Myla when she needed her most. She understood Myla most times, and she apologized when she fucked up. And that what made her a true friend. In most UF books the heroine does not have a best friend that is that much present in her friend's adventures and life. In NA books the best friend is rarely a real friend and in YA books with paranormal elements most of the times the best friend is just there to show how amazing and extraordinary the MC is. Well, Myla isextraordinary, but so is her friend. Cissy is this gentle girl that saves lost things, she is this girl who had an obsessive crush on someone for years, she's the girl who stands on her own when she wants something and will not be pushed and stomped on. And it's wonderful to see that the author paid attention to her character while writing this book. It's wonderful to know that Myla has such a good best friend, even if annoying at times. 

Zeke- Myla's friend and Cissy's huge crush. Honestly, he's a player and he can't shut his mouth. But he also shows other sides of him later, he takes risks to help Myla, he cares about Cissy. And his playboy acts are just a façade as much as they are real. 
Walker- I wouldn't go so far as to say he is made of contradictions. But he is there for Myla, he's a true friend and he knows more than he lets on. 

Armageddon- The king of hell and the big bad guy. Really, you can't be the king of hell and not being the big bad guy. At least not in this book. But damn, he was terrifying, of the pure evil kind. He's a power hungry sadist, and he's so good at what he does. His level of scheming can compete Verus's. 

Verus- The representative of the angels. Sweet heavens, I simply adore the little minx- while everyone on the board play backgammon she plays chess. You can never take her words of what they are, because even if she can't lie, there are plenty of other things she can do.
Myla's mom- I think she is one of the most complex characters in this book. an overbearing mother, she's a scardy cat, she worries about her daughter constantly, she has depressions and every so often you catch a glimpse of something else- of fire and steel. I can’t talk about her in details as her contradictions are very important to the plot. 

Lincoln's Mother- the Thrax queen. I won't say much about her, but she is a warrior and a fighter in society that is dominated by men. Where women are mainly there to be protected. 

Myla- I've talked about other characters so much, it's time to cut the bullshit. Myla is amazing by every standard possible, in my opinion. She looks good (and she knows it), she fights (damn well), she stands on her own, she's a warrior and she takes shit from no one. Myla is a Quasi furor demon, which means that beside being a natural born warrior she has an affinity to both wrath and lust and she has a dragon tail. When she wants to know something she'd push all the buttons and go to anywhere she needs in order to get the information she sought. Even when she meets Lincoln and is instantly attracted to him physically she acknowledge that he's a jerk, and she doesn't caught him some slack just because he looks good. She demands his respect, and she doesn't respect him until he proves worthy of it. She's also very kind. In my humble opinion Myla balances well between being a total Kickass and being gentle. She cares, she is not a tomboy and she does not mock girls- only irrational and foolish behavior. She cries, she gets injured and hurt, she's not perfect. She's afraid at times, she doesn't always think things through, but she learns from her mistakes. And she stays true to herself and her nature throughout the book. 

It is no secret I'm a fan of Kate Daniels (Seriously, how can you not love that girl?), well, I love Myla just as much. She's just as kickass as kate, just as sharped tongued, almost just as funny, but unlike Kate, Myla is not emotionally detached (yes, Kate is a little detached and she's closed), she doesn't push people away, she's mature and childish in a balanced way. She is fun. If Kate is a bad guy that chose to be good, then Myla is a good humble guy that stays good. 

Lincoln- The Thrax prince, the love interest and a royal pain in the ass…at first. It is not hard to make me swoon over a swoon worthy guy, and it is not hard to make me hate/dislike a jackass. But you know what? I hardly can do both. I know, I know that many women around the world love Mr. Darcy, I'm not one of them. He was a stupid, prideful jackass in the beginning and even as his intentions became clear, even as he was redeemed, even as he apologized, I couldn't help but hold a grudge. He hadn't changed, not entirely. And what made me not like him from start remained there by the end. On the other hand I like Jericho Barrons (even though he doesn't turn my oven on) and I liked Curran even though he was annoying at first, because I understood why both men acted like they did from start. And here we have Lincoln- he starts out like a prejudiced jackass, calling Quasis 'demons', refusing to understand the difference while acting so high and mighty. That pissed me off. I black listed him right away . I really found it impossible to think that I'll like him in the end. That he would end up worthy of Myla . but he did, he so did. And not by doing a sudden change of 180 degrees. No. By slowly unraveling and showing his true nature and good points. Little by little he showed respect for Myla when she proved worthy of it. He showed his gentle side. He showed his fair side- the side that would care for a demon because this demon could not protect itself. He thanks Myla for saving one of his own and stands up for her even when the idiot she saved fails to understand that he is an idiot. And when Myla gets injured he takes care of her. He also apologize once he realizes his mistakes. And the way he supports and loves Myla is so swoon worthy that I call dibs on Lincoln as my book boyfriend and main squeeze 

Other interesting aspects to talk about in this book 

I won't say who, what or when, but let's just say Christina Bauer know how to create totally swoon worthy guys- the kind that is dependable, supportive, cute, nice, manly and totally loved you. 
Also, the relationship between Myla and Lincoln is one of the best I've ever seen. While the attraction between them might be instant, their relationship and love are not. It takes time for the feelings to appear and grow, but once they do- well let's just say it's the mature kind and not the stupidlit obsessive kind. They are synchronized- even when they fight something together. They understand each other perfectly. They support each other. When Myla decides to do something dangerous Lincoln tells her he is not happy with that and that he is worried but he doesn't try to change her mind. He understand her choices and supports her. Myla does the same for him. Considering how many stakes are against them, it's lovely to see that they work as one unit and don't add wood to the fire. They care so much about each other that whenever one of them is insecure the other chases those insecurities away. If Lincoln thinks some guy is interested in Myla and that she may be somewhat interested too, Myla quickly tells him it's not like that, and vice versa. They trust each other. If Lincoln has some bad news and Myla is already aware of them, she lets him know that she's aware of the situation because she doesn't want him to hurt while saying that. He tells her he has a plan and she tells him she trust him. their bond is that deep .

Myla's tail- that thing can only be described as BEST SIDEKCIK IN THE HISTORY OF TIME. Witched would give up their familiars for such a tail if they knew it existed. Really, that tail is another character and a wonderful one at that. Funny too. I absolutely freaking love it!

The end of the book is somewhat bittersweet, both Lincoln and Myla make some tough choices, both understand and respect those choices. Still, somehow, I know they will be OK.
So, the next book comes out on May 2014, and It is one of my top five most anticipated books of 2014. I would attach myself a tail and take a picture with it if it would help me get an early copy of the book.
If so far, I haven't been clear as to how much I loved this book I would give you more indication- This is one of the books I REALLY want in print. If it was available in paperback or even hardcover I'd totally buy it! [yep, I loved it that much to the moon and back and round earth 20 M times].

A copy was kindly provided to me by Ink Monster through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read it.

Pre Review 
SUPER AWESOME.

moooore please, I need the second book ASAP. More of Myla and Lincoln, pleeease :D

anyway, review to come in a few short days. and it's one I'm going to really enjoy writing.

This Revie also appears on GoodReads, BookLikes  Amazon(short version)

Homecoming by Cecilia Robert

ebook, 121 pages

Published October 25th 2013 by Cecilia Robert 

buy on Amazon for 0.99$, Amazon UK

 "Five years ago, twenty-three-year-old panther shifter Sera Czedar left her home and her newly mated groom in a humiliating position after a mating ceremony gone wrong. She built a new life for herself in Varselles, the City of Outcasts where shifters exiled from their clans in the Seven Kingdoms can go for sanctuary. 

Five years ago, panther shifter Levian Grayson was abandoned on the bonding bed by his bride, Sera. After years of tracking her, he arrives in Varselles, intent on staking his claim on her once and for all, even if it means hauling her over his shoulder just to make sure that happens. 

Sera has always known her homecoming would eventually catch up with her one day. The one thing she can’t bear to do is hurt Levian, which will happen as soon as he finds out the reason she left him. Is she ready to take that path? Most of all, will Levian still want her when the truth comes out?"

3 we are off to a good start stars!

First let me say, how gorgeous is that cover, right?

I am not a fan of novellas and short stories, especially when the mark the start of a new series. After all, writing a first book in a series is hard enough. A first book explains the world building and introduces the characters.

What about a novella? That from start is limited in space?

The answer lies before you- Cecilia Robert does a fairly good job in Homecoming but what we are left with I could summarize in one word-  tease 

We get a glimpse to an interesting world- some sort of a parallel universe/planet where shifters are the majority and the minority of humans have some sort of elemental power. BTW, earth was destroyed, the shifters saved us. This new world has steampunk setting mixed with some wild west setting as well. All in all, interesting, but as we get only a glimpse I'd say it's a tease.

The characters are very well portrayed in the short time we have with them- each the sum of her actions, her words and history. Each has contradictions and depths to be explored. 

The sexual tension between Sera and Levian is burning but even so we are left with a tease more than anything else.

As for the fight scene- they ended to fast. The story is written in the third person and the first chapter is annoying as hell, afterwards the pacing is better and fun to read.

I understand what the author tried to do, and she got me interested enough to want to read the sequel. Even so, as a first in a series it was supposed to lay the foundations for the next books and this one does that well. But as for standing on it's own- I don't think it does. This is a tease so you would want to read the next one.  

A copy was provided by the Author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This review also appears on: BookLikes, GoodReads, Amazon UK, Amazon

*Original pre review*
Well Well. I have some troubles with this one, but all in all, I can't wait for the next installment to come out! 

review soon;)

What She Didn't Know by I. Ronik

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"Cassie had been looking out for her sister Jessica what felt like her whole life. So when Jess starts dating a man whom Cassie believes poses a threat to her sister's safety, she steps in, insisting on meeting him. The last thing she expected to happen was that she would fall for the man's cousin--who just so happens to be Cassie's boss! And she certainly wasn't expecting him to reveal the deep, dark secrets he'd been hiding from her for years. Can their love survive, or will Cassie run away from the opportunity in front of her? 

"What She Didn't Know" is an erotic romance parody short story intended for mature audiences only. Length - approximately 11,000 words"

3.5 I really liked it stars


Review:

So this one is way better than the other book I read by I. Ronik [Better Luck Next Time]

All the things that bothered me in the first one weren't here (save to one). This book was full if good stuff - Cassie's voice was sure and likable but also a little sarcastic, the chemistry was good, the writing style was better- with both Cassie's and Seth's POVs. 

What I liked about the other book was still very much present here- the rational voice of the heroine, the hot sex, and the fantastic twist on the overwrought plot. 

Then what bothered me? everything is wrapped up fast and neat, and even though I'm a huge supporter of HEA I found it a little disturbing, but maybe that's just wanting more of the story? (*cough* FULL LENGTH NOVEL *cough*).

Also, I want to feel more- feel the love dripping from the pages. I tend to be a cold, disconnected person at times. So I need to be convinced of how deep the feelings really are. And it almost happened here. 


however, I think I. Ronik is an author to watch for, her ideas are great! 

A review copy was kindly provided by the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This review also appears on GoodReads, BookLikes, Amazon UK, Amazon

Better Luck Next Time by I. Ronik

find on Amazon, Amazon UK

"Amber's marriage was in trouble. Her high-powered husband couldn't keep it zipped, so she did what any reasonable woman would do. She became a high-end call girl in the hopes that giving him a dose of his own medicine would make him see the light. But would this all-or-nothing gamble work, or end up costing her everything she holds dear? 

"Better Luck Next Time" is a romantic-erotic parody short story. It is intended for mature audiences only. Approximate length - 13,000 words."


3 stars

Review:

Don't get mad, get even

after catching her husband cheating one too many times, Amber leaves their house (again). But this time is different, the couple has grown apart and Amber is afraid that there is no way back. 

Her weird solution? serve her husband with his own bitter pill, she becomes a high class escort girl. 

Truthfully, I was skeptical about this shortie. The issue of marriage and cheating is never an easy one, and I didn't laugh. 

There is also the fact that the writing style is more on the "tell than show".

Still I would have loved to see a bit more exploring of this book (yeah, this is me saying I'd love a full lengh or at least a longer lengh novel, where there could be more showing). 

but you know what? Amber was a nice enough MC, and I would have loved to see more of Terry and Lucas. The author was sensetive on the intimacy subject, showing how with one person you may feel hollow but with another you may still connect. 

"No matter how you put it. Intimacy is stil intimacy" 

The author had an original solution here, and an interesting idea. all in all I liked it just didn't love it.

Besides, Look at her name- I. Ronik may I say ironic? That shows how cool she is. 

I'll positively read the next novel/novella/shortie/thing she write, she is promising.

A review copy was kindly provided by the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 

This review also appears on: GoodReads, BookLikes, Amazon UK, Amazon