Lanie's Book Thoughts

Every time I read a book from the Veil series I'm always blown away. I can never fathom how DaCosta can constantly out do herself and surprise me over, and over, and over again. This book is not only action packed, but it's one your gonna invest your emotions in as well. It's hard to find a book like this that puts you through the emotional ringer with the character your reading about. I promise you this isn't one of those series that you read and forget about, it definitely sticks with you. Now onto the review!

So, quick recap of Darkest Before Dawn, basically Muse was on her own trying to protect the lil halfblood girl Dawn which may not have ended so well. Muse was also drowning in her soullock with her previous master, she was starting to unravel but refused to take help from Akil. Akil and Stefan had made it back from beyond the Veil, both changed in polar ways. One of the big baddie guys was killed and the blame was laid at Muses feet. All that is important to keep in mind while reading Drowning In The Dark because nearly every event from that book is still in play in this one.

In Drowning In The Dark, Muse is essentially being eaten alive from the inside out by her soullock. She's becoming mad and slowly slipping away with every page. She knows it, she fears it, but is she willing to trade one foreign monster inside her for another? Muse has really developed into this person who respects life and cherishes people which is a far cry from who she use to be. Even though she's just a halfblood she see's herself as human now. She's found worth in herself. She's fighting to save the people she loves, all the people of Boston and a few demons she just couldn't live without. She's the Mother of Destruction so step off.

Akil and Stefan play a huge part in this book. One falls while another rises.

Akil has been warped by Muse and his experiences in the human world. He can no longer claim to be the evil man he once was. He's starting to feel which kinda makes him sexier. Yes, the evil guy with a heart is just sexy and you know it. Akil is going to have to decide whether he will stand with the other princes and lay waste to the world, or be the man that Muse deserves. However, can a demon in sheeps clothing truly feel anything other than hate, greed and lust?

Stefan has stepped it up in this book, he's still evil, but fighting to reclaim his soul. Unlike Muse, Stefan was raised by the Institute, where his existence was essentially a means to an end. He was trained to hunt and kill demons without much thought. The world was suppose to be black and white, and his demon was suppose to be buried deep inside. Now that the demon is out Stefan doesn't want to lock him back up, he's fully surrendered himself to it. Stefan has become a bad@ss monster that scares the panties off other demons. The good thing is though he's finally decided what he wants Muse for. Might not be so good for her though...

I'm not going to give anything more away about this book, if youve read the previous books and the synopsis you have an idea of whats to come. At least that's what you think. Haha.

I loved this book. It's just...amazing? I'm not sure I can put into words my feelings on this book and how awesome it really is. I think though it really has surpassed all other works done by DaCosta. I'm amped up and ready to read the final book in this series after Drowning In The Dark. The ending of this book has me going crazy with curiosity. I'd recommend this book to any adult without a second thought. If you don't read Urban Fantasy, well you better start. Afraid of demons? Get over it. This book is a must read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Sabina is an outcast in her world. She doesn't belong to either side of her blood line, she's an unwanted woman with a special set of gifts that tends to get her into trouble. This girls a hardass with a heart, even though she likes to deny it. Her latest assignment might just be her undoing though. 

Red-Headed Stepchild is my go to Urban Fantasy read. This book is gritty with a female lead that really lives on the edge of her society. When people see Sabina Kane they either run, laugh or attack. She never gets that warm welcome but being a mixed heritage assassin tends to merit that type of reaction. Sabina was raised by her momma's mom, but never received the love or acceptance you'd think a grandmother would provide. Instead, she was trained to be an assassin, to become a usable tool that would carry out any and all orders the vampires needed done. 

Vampires in this book have their own set of rules and government system. It's actually led by three women known as the Dominae who occasionally take advice from a larger council. The fact this is a matriarchal society is pretty awesome. What sets these vampires apart is the unusual modern mixed with mythology feel, they have a foot firmly planted in todays world but still worship old gods. Vampires in this book also need to be born, there is no such thing as biting a human to turn them. 

Vampires happen to be at odds with mages and other magical creatures in this world which sets the stage for this series. There are a ton of different magical creatures mentioned throughout the book, but vampires and mages remain the big baddies. Also, humans aren't aware of these creatures that go bump in the night, and those that do, don't remain around very long. 

Here's the thing about this book, it's not flowery or delicate in it's phrasing. It's a very gritty and forward read, Sabina has a serious attitude and talks a bit like a guy. She doesn't try for tact but outright says things that some probably would view as crude. Normally, this type of heroine would probably annoy me, specially since this girls got some serious people issues, but I was instantly caught up in this world, so it just made sense to me. 

I always recommend this book to anyone looking for a darker Urban fantasy read. 

Jill Kismet is a hunter that takes down monsters and demons that pray on humans in the city. She's a human with a special gift, aka a gift she got from a demon. The main story in this book is her trying to take down something that hasn't been seen before. It goes through parts of her past and muddles it with her present. Besides the demon versus human aspect, Saintcrow brings in other supernatural beings like shifters to fill out the story. 

I do think the tug and pull between the demons and human hunters is interesting, it's very much a good vs. evil thing. It's even more interesting that humans are aware of the demons and interact with them. I think this book shows more of the twisted side of humans and what we're capable of if just given a nudge, because of some of the occurrences in the book. 

-Kismet has a serious negative side throughout this book and it borders on the edge of whiny. I had an extremely hard time trying to understand and connect to Kismet. I think this is just one of those stories that you either love or don't. Don't get me wrong, I think if the MC would have been different, I woulda been all over this series. 

This was definitely the best of Dory so far in the series. A lot more is revealed about her, including her relationship with Mircea an what went wrong. Her relationship with Louis-Cesare is evolving and becoming far more than she expected. In this installment, Dory starts to feel more sincere as a character because we're getting more than the sarcasm and wit; more fear, doubt and worry start to bubble up than in previous books. The story goes through the same action as the previous books but its at a slower pace. Chance is far more thorough when writing fight scenes and romance ones, at times its great but it gets a bit drawn out at certain points. Most importantly, Dory is becoming more of a threat to the vampires around her, shes far more than just a crazy dhampir. 

This really is the best book so far in the series. It's a bit slow at first, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down! The length definitely gave the story more depth an left me wanting more. It also leaves you with questions about Dory's future!

When I originally requested Ignite I wasn't completely sure whether I would like this story or not, throw in the fact it's about teenagers made me a bit pensive.I actually really enjoyed it though, I finished it within four hours because it grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I also was concerned about the possible religious aspects to this book, since it is about angels an demons. I can happily say that while God is mentioned an certain parts of the Bible are talked about it's not completely about that. It really is a story about a girl finding her way and about a boy finally finding what he's been missing his entire life. The focus is on the romance in this book, and knowing that there is a gray area in life. 

Our heroine is Pen, an immortal fallen angel that looks to be about seventeen. Unlike most fallen angels Pen doesn't enjoy being evil or killing, she does it because she has to. Pen's twin is the crueler one with a lust for pain and torture. At the start of the story Pen seems like a horrible individual with no heart or sympathy for others, she just appears to be evil. Appearances aren't always what they seem to be though. As the story progresses you get to really see the real Pen and discover how trapped she truly is. I felt bad for this girl and couldn't fathom how horrible it would be to be trapped with someone like her twin for all of your life. It's pretty unimaginable.

Our hero turns out to be Michael, yes THE Michael from the Bible. Gods second in command, the one who in stories loves humans and fights for what's right.  However, in this story Michael can't remember who he is or what he's suppose to do. He's wanted by both Heaven and Hell dead or alive. His only chance at survival is Pen, but that means he has to trust her. Can an Archangel really trust a demon though?

The story does stay in Pens point of view the entire time so you don't have to worry about character jumping. I thought overall it was well written, but would have liked more dialogue and less Pen alone time. I would consider this book to be best for readers 16+ because it is a dark read and does make you think about things. I'd definitely recommend to others who enjoy angels, demons, and young adult with some romance thrown in. It would also appeal to the dystopian crowd along with paranormal lovers. 

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Entice is a novella about Pen and Azael who are the main characters from the Ignite series. Before you read this book you really need to read the first book in the series, it will really make more sense. It's also fantastic to see the change in characters and get the backstory after reading about the present, even if that sounds funny. Sometimes it's better to go backwards instead of forward. So the correct reading order is Ignite, then Entice and finally Incite which will be out February 17th 2015. 

This story revolves around the final battle between Heaven and Hell, an what the outcome brought about. Pen and Azeal are fairly new fallen angels at this point in time, unfortunately while one twin embraces their evil nature the other wants to shun it. This creates some serious problems for the twins because anything other than total loyalty to Lucifer is grounds for execution. 

In Ignite, Azael is nothing but a shell for darkness. He revels in torture and pain, he actively seeks to destroy the world, but in this story that's not entirely the case. This story is the beginning of the end for Azael, and shows how he quickly becomes the monster we know in Ignite. Pen is majorly different as well because she still has a heart. She still misses Heaven, and longs for her old life. She isn't the closed off girl yet, but as the story progresses you see the change and how she evolves to survive. 

Entice was a pretty powerful novella. The descriptions were amazing, as I read I could easily picture what Pen saw. I also thought the characters were well written, whether they were good or bad, or simply background characters. I cheered Pen on and worried about her as her story moved along because she felt like she could be a real person. I hated Lucifer because he was just a creep and obviously a devil towards everyone. 

I will say this is a darker read, so I would recommend probably readers 16+. There is violence, swearing, etc. because of the subject matter. The story and plot are well written and flow easily which keeps you wanting more from this authors unique world. 

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. 

Faythe is back with more attitude an reason to prove she's more than just a baby maker. She wants to prove that she can run with the boys and take down the baddies. Instead of accepting her place in her pride she makes a deal to become a female enforcer. Her job is far more serious than Faythe seems to understand which gets her into trouble. Not only does her lack of concern for whats going on in the present start creating problems but past transgressions have surfaced. Unfortunately for Faythe she may not be able to claw herself out of this situation. 

Rogue was much better than the first book in this series, but still felt iffy. I felt like the story was dragging along as I waited for something interesting to happen. The beginning was pretty slow and a lot of the mystery was kinda connect the dot from the first book, so there weren't any huge shockers. The ending is pretty much what bumped this book from a three to a four for me coupled with the fact this world revolves around feline shifters. I noticed that with these books you have to wait till at least the second half of the book to finally get some real action and drama. So, if your into the building of suspense/ waiting, you'll probably like this story.  

This is a quirky,fun, an sweet shifter novella geared towards older teens and adults. I'd definitely think this would be a great read for teen boys because of the main character being a sixteen year old.

Cody is kinda like the silly little brother that's still transitioning in his teen years. He knows he's not the best looking guy but as a wolf he's so much more, which he thrives on. Cody does something both brave and stupid which gets him killed luckily for him though he get's a second chance by living in The Realms. However, he will never age so he views that as a bummer. His new life takes a quick turn from bearable to awesome when he meets a certain lady. Cody will do anything to protect her but it might turn out to be him who needs the  help.

I'd recommend this book to paranormal, and possibly scifi readers who like a cute quick story.

My Rating:4 of 5

My Review:

I was blown away by this book. I absolutely loved Zoey and Ryker along with their little buddy Sprig. 

Zoey is in her early twenties which means she's still trying to find her place in this world, she's still trying to figure out exactly who she is. Most of her life has been spent hopping from home to home, with time spent on the streets. It wasn't nice or safe anywhere Zoey happened to get placed, she was always made to be a victim, except she got tired of being one. She got tired of being targeted and being taken advantage of so she became a survivor. She lived for herself until she met Lexie, her disabled little sister. Because of Lexi, Zoey wanted to be better, she wanted to create a real life for them. This kinda leads us into the present and the current state Zoey finds herself in. She's pretending to be someone she's not all in the hopes of being better and maybe settling down with one man in particular. However, it takes a disgruntled Viking man to show her maybe the real her isn't so bad.

Ryker's past is a mystery and his future is still unwritten. He's wanted by many, feared by even more and has no idea what patience is. He's pretty much the all around alpha we've come to love in this genre. He's sexy, he's fae, and he hates humans. Yikes! Being attached to Zoey may be more dangerous for this duo than everyone else chasing him. 

The synopsis pretty much covers this story, so I'm not going to go into that. I am going to say this is a pretty gritty and violent at times Urban Fantasy that I really enjoyed. I'd recommend giving this a try, and yes, there is some sexual tension that'll drive you nuts! 

My Rating:5 of 5

My Review:

Spawn Of Medusa was an interesting spin on the tale of Medusa and mythology. I had issues with the romance aspect to this story, it just didn't feel real to me. I don't think I would ever have had the hots for a man that killed my mother, that seemed pretty far fetched. Even more so when your constantly referring to him as your enemy. The whole prostitute thing also just kinda took away from it, specially when they called Hercules a pimp. 

The adventure in this book made up for the strange romance aspects though. It was neat to read about the different monsters they came across as well as how they needed to change their strategy to deal with them. 

I just don't have much to say about this book. It's not bad, but it just didn't hook me like I thought it would. 

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publishers. 

My Rating:3.5 of 5

First off, this book totally reminded me of when I was a kid watching Jane and The Dragon, which I LOVED. Reading this brought back all those great memories of being a kid and how much I loved this sort of stuff, still do, of course. 

James is a sweet peasant boy with no family that's basically been shunned by his village because no one has the means or time to take care of him. This is during medieval times when the plague wiped out most of Europe, I'm assuming this is Europe. He's on his own and has been trying to take care of himself for awhile until Farloft finds him and adopts him. Farloft is as sharp as a knife with a huge heart an longing for family. He's lived many, many,many human lifetimes and is all alone at this point because dragons are now being hunted. 

What I really like about this book is the fact you have your general story which is about James,

Farloft and Laval, but you also have mini stories weaved throughout. Like any good parent or storyteller Farloft tells James about his life and different stories in history, which we get to hear about as well. This is a great book for children, teens and adults all to read together or separately. It's a sweet feel good book that made me reminisce on my childhood. I'd definitely recommend. 

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, these are my own thoughts and opinions. 

My Rating:5 of 5

Harper happens to be a mouthy thirty year old gal trying to create a more stable life for herself after years of working for a secret government agency. Lucky for her, she's got valuable skills as an investigator and seer, unfortunately being female doesn't help her get jobs. This is where the tall,dark and delicious Riddick comes in. Riddicks an exslayer, but you cant really take the slayer out of this guy. It's in his blood. Together these two make a phenomenal couple and investigative team. Someone has to keep the monsters that go bump in the night inline.

I enjoyed this story a lot, it was fresh and fun, pretty much just what I needed right now. While there were obvious serious elements to this book, a lot of it was more relaxed with a good dose of humor. Of course, there were also sparks of sexual tension teasing the reader as the story continues. What I really liked though was that the story stayed on track as the relationship developed between Harper and Riddick. I didn't feel like emotions or story were sacrificed in any way. 

This is a changing point of view story. For the majority of the story you get Harper and Riddicks POV, with Harpers best friends' thoughts thrown in there every once in awhile. I thought this was a great way to tell this story because it really showcased how Riddick really worked. Normally the tall,dark and handsome guys are rough and dominant, generally asses. Riddick didn't really fit this bill entirely, so his point of view really helped to get that point across. 

I'd recommend this story to other paranormal romance lovers, and those that love a strong female lead with a attitude. 

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 
My Rating:4.5 stars

No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It was a shockingly great book. I was really glad that the author put the story before sex, because with a lot of BBW Romances this isn't the case. I was kinda expecting it to be more sex with some story, but right off the bat I knew my assumption would be wrong. The town this story takes place in is pretty much a werebear heaven, nearly everyone there is full or at least part bear. The interesting part about this is that it's the werebears who have prejudices against humans, they think humans are below them. Usually, it's humans who have issues with weres, not the other way around. In this community being with a human is seriously frowned upon and results with hostile attitudes and sometimes actions toward the couple.

Now for the main characters, Mia, Ty-Ty's brothers and Parker. Mia is a feisty thirty-three year old who's part bear, however, she can't shift. Mia definitely personifies the momma bear part when it comes to little Parker. Parker is a four year old cub that has adopted Mia as his momma and looks to her to keep him safe. This lady is use to being around bears like her dad and grandpa, but the bears in Grayslake aren't like them at all. Mia's leading man happens to be Ty, the Itan(werebear leader) and town Sheriff. Ty is a sexy guy, obviously, but he's a lot deeper than that. He's one of the few who see people as people, not that he doesn't put his clan above all, he just doesn't carry around the same attitude others do. Speaking of attitudes, Ty's brother Van is one of those who hold a grudge an think himself better than others, while his sweet younger brother Isaac doesn't. While Van doesn't wanna accept the inevitable, Isaac welcomes change with open arms.

Basically, the story revolves around Mia and Ty trying to protect little Parker from monsters that wanna get him. A lot of the romance in this book is intertwined with this plot, so you kinda get a steady douse of romance as the book moves along. The sexual tension quickly notches up though as Mia and Ty are around each other more, but they don't just jump into bed together.

I really enjoyed the story, I'd definitely recommend it. I thought it was well thought out and executed with a great romance laced in.