First let me say that the plot is A+. I really enjoyed the skeleton of the story... the concept, I guess. That being said, I have a lot of complaints.First let me say that the plot is A+. I really enjoyed the skeleton of the story... the concept, I guess. That being said, I have a lot of complaints.
SPOILER WARNING - I'm about to site specific examples and while I don't necessarily discuss the outcome of the events, some people might not want to know any of the events. Consider this your RAGE WARNING and LANGUAGE WARNING as well, because I'm about to go apeshit on this book.
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1. For somebody that was trained to show no weakness and knew how important it was to keep that fearless facade in place, Scheme was a quivering mass of wimpy terror entirely too often. I can understand why she was terrified, but since she's written as being fearless and showing no weakness, it's too out of character. Obviously, she's not fearless. So I felt lied to, oddly enough.
2. A huge portion of this book is about Scheme simply fretting over whether or not to trust Tanner. Again, I understand why she felt like she shouldn't, but her flip flopping back and forth between trust and mistrust got tiring after the first oh, I dunno, 6 chapters? Move the hell on already. Either trust him or don't. But trusting him meant either a) getting out of the cave, surviving, stopping the bad guys, etc... or b) possibly dying. And not trusting him meant either a) maybe surviving, maybe stopping the bad guys, etc... or b) definitely dying. Why not go with the option that gets you out of the god damn cave, if not the one that has a better chance of survival?
3. Speaking of trust issues. Tanner is all pissed that Scheme doesn't trust him. He spends days trying to convince her to trust him. Note that he doesn't try to earn her trust, he tries to convince her and ply her with sex because it's not like Scheme has been betrayed by a lover before, right? *head desk* Then later on in the story, once trust has been achieved, Tanner questions Scheme's trust in somebody else and actually has the balls to ask her if anyone has ever told her she's too trusting. What the fuck, yo? After spending a week trying to get her to trust him, he should be the last person to consider her too trusting. I wanted to bitch slap Tanner for that, but it was a pleasant change from wanting to bitch slap Scheme...
4. Scheme is written as a deep, ruthless, and highly intelligent character. Call me picky, but that's not the type of character that would have multiple TSTL moments. She knows the woods are crawling with enemy Breeds working for her father (you know, the ones with elevated senses and heightened desire to maim and murder?), so she leaves the safety of the hidden cave and stumbles around, shoeless, in the woods in the dark like a god damn buffalo, crashing through brush and leaving a mile-wide trail from the hideaway for the bad guys to find. Fucking brilliant. But it gets so much worse when she shames females everywhere by explaining to Tanner that she left because she hoped he would stop her. Kill me now. Could it get worse? Oh yes, it does... when she sneaks off to a secluded area and gets kidnapped like a fucking moron - because that is what you are if you wander off alone when people are trying to kidnap and kill you.
Does it ever occur to any of these dumb bitches that the professionals that are attempting to protect them might not appreciate all their hard work going to shit when they wander off alone... LIKE A FUCKING MORON!?!?
This was just... a ton of fail. Any time I started to warm up to it, somebody did something epically stupid or ... well, just stupid. Stupid, stupid people. And I feel stupid for not DNFing it at the first TSTL moment and torturing myself with a few more. ...more
1.5 stars Just reread this... blech. I'm not sure I've ever read a weaker female lead character. Avoid this one unless you really like your heroines t1.5 stars Just reread this... blech. I'm not sure I've ever read a weaker female lead character. Avoid this one unless you really like your heroines to be whimpering, naive, clueless doormats.
I liked the plot, but Jessica's behavior was horrible. She has zero fight in her, which is surprising after all she went through. That's probably why I refused to rate it the first time I read it. Not this time....more
This did not age well in 7 years. Hoo boy. This chick is TSTL and the sex was really awkward. Quite a few unresolved plot threads. Doesn't compare at This did not age well in 7 years. Hoo boy. This chick is TSTL and the sex was really awkward. Quite a few unresolved plot threads. Doesn't compare at all to this author's better work....more
WHY DO THE HEROINES ALWAYS HAVE TO BE STUBBORN, PRIDEFUL BITCHES? It is NOT entertaining and I'm shocked that authors think it appealing for their maiWHY DO THE HEROINES ALWAYS HAVE TO BE STUBBORN, PRIDEFUL BITCHES? It is NOT entertaining and I'm shocked that authors think it appealing for their main charater to be so rude, disdainful, and mean!...more
I went back and forth between loving and hating the main character, Chelsea. Unfortunately, most of the hating happened near the end, so I was left wiI went back and forth between loving and hating the main character, Chelsea. Unfortunately, most of the hating happened near the end, so I was left with an even more negative impression. Quick, easy read....more
What to say about this book... tick tock, tick tock...
Well... first! The cover is horrible and my e-book had a way better picture. Like, a castle or sWhat to say about this book... tick tock, tick tock...
Well... first! The cover is horrible and my e-book had a way better picture. Like, a castle or some shit. Sooo there's that.
And then... tick tock, tick tock...
I basically closed the Kindle and opened Goodreads, searched the title and now I'm here. Literally 30 seconds and I can't think of a single thing to say about this book. I found it as a .pdf in a file of junk on a flash drive I brought to work... I didn't look up to synopsis or anything, so this was a blind reading. And I really liked it, I just have no idea where to start because the blurb on here doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what happens in this story. There is just so freaking much. So...
Oh right. The villain's name: Eville Are you effing kidding me? No, apparently you're not. That's like naming a vampire Fang and hoping people will take him seriously. To be fair, he really was evil. Seriously evil. Trying to rape, torture, and murder Ceylon. I was under the mistaken impression that he was jealous of their father's love for her, albeit a love unexpressed to her. But then we find out (view spoiler)[ he's just always wanted to rape his sister (hide spoiler)]. Oh...
[image] Let's turn the discomfort level up to 11, shall we?
Ceydon is... oddly naive, while somehow being well rounded, knowledgeable, and bossy. It was an odd mixture, which is why I felt myself adoring her at times, hating her, and even pitying her at times. Her reactions to some things just blew me away and not in a good way. Example:
As a woman Anne could see instantly that all was not well, whereas Uric....”I’m afraid he doesn’t love me anymore,” she whispered. Taken aback, Anne said, “Uric? Nonsense! Of course he loves you, dear.” Ceylon frantically shook her head. “No! He looks at me as if I’m not there ... he--he hasn’t come to bed since--” “It’s only been two days, dear.” Anne patted her hand in sympathy.
TWO DAYS!! It's been two days since (view spoiler)[ Uric's mother was publicly beheaded for trying to murder his wife after constantly ruining his life in one way or another (hide spoiler)] and this bitch is freaking out about lack of intimacy already?! And this scene just further proves her total dependency on him when she scoffs at the idea of doing something to make herself happy.
"[...] Now think--what would make you happy right now?” “For Uric to smile at me,” Ceylon said wistfully. “No, you’re not doing this properly,” Anne chided. “Your happiness must not depend on someone else. Think of yourself for once. What would you enjoy doing today that doesn’t involve him?” “It sounds so selfish,” Ceylon protested. Think of just herself? Don’t worry over Uric? The priests would faint! “Recharge yourself and your good spirits will rub off on him. Trust me.” Well, if it would help Uric....
[image] Dear Lord, save me from trying to jump into my computer to beat this woman's ass. And thanks for the green lights during rush hour today. Amen.
Ceylon acted like a parasite, worming her way through every corner of Uric's life until he snapped and called her out on her nagging. Instead of accepting that she was nagging, her first thought is "He must not love me anymore"... *sigh* Ceylon came across as immature when she dealt with sex, romance, and men. The frantic worrying over "whether he likes me or not" was very...junior high. She was stubbornly hung up on people paying too much attention to her appearance after spending years on figuring out how to improve her looks. That was annoying.
But at other times, I really loved her. I liked how she treated the people around her. Whether she was ignoring "slut" comments from Maude or declaring that the Princesses would eat their vegetables or they would not benefit from her Healer services at all, she did so with poise. It's when it came to Uric that she became a blubbering moron. She was a nice character, but some of her fretting just grated on my nerves, making me want to scream at her that she's better than that.
Uric was a great hero. It took him a little while to get the hang of courting Ceylon, which was really endearing. I'd have been entirely wooed if I were the recipient of such attention. He was equal parts warrior, tactician, and lover. Fierce, protective, I mean... a total alpha male. He was charming and sympathetic, but with an aura of power he wielded very precisely. I hate his name, but I adored him.
The Story I loooved the story. The plot was great - I didn't feel it dragging at any point. I actually read most of this at work (super slow day) and then rushed home to finish it. My boss tried to get my attention to discuss current events all throughout the day and I was totally not there. I was engrossed in this book for hours today, only stopping when I had to. I laughed, I cried, I got caught up in the suspense, I cared about the characters. A little bit more time could have been spent telling us what happened to the Princesses, other than two lines, but there was plenty more to keep me occupied. Don't expect anything steamy, romance wise. It was sweet, but not sexy. I wish we had a glimpse of the battle between Uric and the rebel duke - a real action scene with some blood and guts. That would have totally topped this sundae off with a bright red cherry.
The Writing/Grammar The only thing that stood out to me was that there were some pretty modern phrases used in the dialogue at times and it threw me for a loop. Seemed way out of place with the time period.
Sooo... as usual, I had to rag on the heroine! I just can't seem to avoid it. But I don't find it surprising since I have zero female friends. We don't mesh, or whatever. But Ceylon wasn't horrible, she just pissed me off a few times. I loved this book, but my annoyance at Ceylon and the glossed over sex keep this from being a 5 star book. So, I'll check around for some others and see how they measure up!
I would recommend this book for anyone that likes their romantic suspense to come with bards, royalty, and dungeons....more
2.5 stars for this one. I wasn't too fond of Violet's uptight prudishness. And the whole "virgin-to-whore" thing is annoying. Sexually repressed women2.5 stars for this one. I wasn't too fond of Violet's uptight prudishness. And the whole "virgin-to-whore" thing is annoying. Sexually repressed women don't turn into dirty talking hussies just because a guy touches her in the right spot. It's unrealistic for me. And while this is obviously fiction, it's not fantasy or UF or PNR, so I'll only suspend my disbelief so far.
It was a light, fluffy read that didn't do much for me, but I know others will enjoy it.
I would recommend it, but then I'd complain about Violet's transf-whore-mation....more
Okay, if you can get through the pages upon pages of Eden and Ben mentally reminiscing or fawning over the sex appeal of each other, it's a decent reaOkay, if you can get through the pages upon pages of Eden and Ben mentally reminiscing or fawning over the sex appeal of each other, it's a decent read.
I'm really not kidding about the excessive amount of time spent on Eden thinking about every - single - freaking - thing about Ben that she finds attractive. And it always happens like, in the middle of a phone call or something.
"So what do you think we should do? Are you going to tell him?" ( Insert 5 pages of why talking to Ben is horrifying and would somehow risk her heart again. ) "Uh, hello?" "Oh, um, I think you should do it."
But 5 pages is nothing compared to the repeated infodumps of "he's so dreamy because..." nonsense. We're talking 12 pages. Eden tells us over and over again why she's attracted to Ben and it got repetitive. The exact same phrase, albeit a good one, was used in multiple sex scenes and it's placement made it stand out like a sore thumb.
Honestly, this book could have been a lot shorter and that would have made the story much more enjoyable. I was dragging through this book trying to find the meat of the story and that negative feeling I'm left with from trudging along might not do the story proper justice. So I really liked the story, but slimming it down so that we don't spend 15 minutes reading about Ben's dreaminess would have made this a 4 star book for me.
I'd recommend this book and encourage readers to skim over Eden's mental diarrhea.
* I was reading this book on Microsoft e-Reader and my page # may be different from yours....more
Oh... my... god. *bangs head on table* The heroine. It's the heroine again. IT'S ALWAYS THE GOD DAMNED HEROINE! James Van Der Memes is helping me exprOh... my... god. *bangs head on table* The heroine. It's the heroine again. IT'S ALWAYS THE GOD DAMNED HEROINE! James Van Der Memes is helping me express my frustration in this review rant.
If you had asked me a month or two ago whether or not I felt a crappy book justified hatred for an author, I would have said "absolutely not"... now, I'm not so sure.
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I will say that I enjoyed Complicated Positions by Jenna Bayley-Burke and sorta liked another. But this book... OMFG I want to napalm the author's house!!1! (view spoiler)[ No, I'm not serious. (hide spoiler)]
How could she write this character? How could she portray a woman to be that fucking stupid and prideful without feeling like she was doing a disservice to her gender? Because that is what she's doing. If any woman, I mean any woman, really behaved like the female lead in this story, she would not be pursued incessantly by one of the city's top bachelors. If anything, she would be a miserable cat lady that justifies the owning of 30 cats by convincing herself that the cats need her.
This woman, her name is... Lily, I think. Lily takes delusion to the highest level of WTFery by convincing herself that Jake wants to marry her as a broodmare and keep mistresses on the side. This is mentioned a dozen freaking times by a bitter Lily who spends 95% of the book throwing Jake's imaginary mistresses in his face while somehow managing to scream that she's not jealous. All while seething with jealousy. I'm not entirely sure this book's original title wasn't "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Day Using Your Neurosis"...
The male lead was a dick. Jake is like a steamroller that has a couple romantic moments, which is weird because I dunno how you'd be seduced by a steamroller and enjoy it. I liked that he knew what he wanted and would go to any lengths to get it. But when it came to Lily, he went about it all wrong and instead of figuring out the right way, he wants to call it quits. WTF, man? You've waited for over a year to get her and you're just now realizing it won't be cake? He was harsh and blunt to the point of being rude like, an hour after she buried her father. I dunno, he just came across as trying to beat her down and bully her into accepting his proposal. Hmm... He romanced her by making her feel miserable and repeatedly pointed out that she's worthless before he told her that he paid her father's debts and promised to marry her.
[image] Best. Proposal. Ever.
And this isn't even an historical romance, people!
I understand that pride is going to be prevalent in the story, you know... because of the name and all... But both characters were so prideful and unwilling to just ask a question instead of make an assumption, I really got pissed at this book. I wanted to stop reading every few pages and I'm almost hating myself for pushing through it.
We get 85% of the way through the book and then suddenly Lily is all "omgz i luv him, ive always luved him and i could have lost him!" and does the whole running into his arms thing, silently accepting that she'll be a trophy wife (uh no) and he'll sleep around with tons of bitches. And so they make love and we're at like, 95%. Don't forget there is a sample of the next book in the back, so we have to kind of assume that we're closer to 97% of the way through the book. THAT is when Lily finally decides to confront Jake about his mistresses that Lily has imagined up for him. He finally denies it, she accepts it, they decide to get married, the end. And keep in mind that the previous sentence happened in 5 minutes on the last page.
[image] So much WTFery cannot be wrapped up in a couple paragraphs!
You know what, Jenna Bayley-Burke (which, by the way, totally sounds like a pornstar name... or Stepford Wife...), here's what I think of this book.
[image] Please don't take enough offense to sue me.
I would recommend this book to terrorists that enjoyed being water-boarded....more
Oi. 1.5 stars for this one. You're killing me, Shalvis. I really liked the last book, but this one was hard to not put down.
This was basically 200 pagOi. 1.5 stars for this one. You're killing me, Shalvis. I really liked the last book, but this one was hard to not put down.
This was basically 200 pages of Lani (look up 'desperate' in the dictionary and you'll find Lani) deluding herself into believing that her pretend engagement has very real feelings behind it. Of course, those feelings do eventually form and they love each other fo'realz and live happily ever after or whatever. But seriously? I almost shut this book down like 4 or 5 times because I felt so bad for Lani and her inability to just accept it. It was like reading about a romanticized stalker. I know she wasn't stalking him, but Lani still reminded me of a stalker that just couldn't grasp reality.
And if you're going to mention a dozen different times that you never go back on your word, never break a promise, always hold up your end of a deal... breaking said promise deserves at least an apology on your part, you bitch. Oh, you didn't run as far as you initially intended, but you still ran.
I felt like there were some gaping plot holes. I'll hide it as a spoiler, but I seriously doubt you could 'spoil' the story by knowing anything I'm about to say. That's not a compliment. (view spoiler)[1. What happened with the laser? Lani breaks the very thing that Colin has slaved over night and day for months and it's never mentioned again. Seriously? 2. Did the engagement party happen? Did everyone approve of Lani? Was 'their love for each other visible in their eyes' or whatever? After all that shit about the fucking party, we don't even get to read about it? A small epilogue would have easily wrapped up both of these situations. 3. Did Lani's crazy Aunt Jennie ever accept Colin? Did she start hanging out with Colin's mom & aunts? That would have been an epically hilarious scene that I have no doubt Jill Shalvis could have written beautifully. But nope. 4. Colin told his assistant Claudia that the engagement was a sham, so what happens when the engagement becomes real? Again, Shalvis misses out on a scene. Colin, shameful and abashed, explaining to Claudia that he was a moron and fell in love. (hide spoiler)]
I don't like how it just ends, though public groveling is always a plus. An epilogue of the engagement party and even just a few sentences about the other plot holes would have bumped this up to 2-2.5 stars for me. As it is, I can only give it 1.5 stars. But at least it's not all because the female lead's desperation made me want to chew nails. This time, part of the blame falls on the plot.
I wouldn't recommend this book. Especially not to anyone experiencing unrequited love, as I don't want to encourage their insanity....more
I almost put this book down after finishing every chapter. Lily was just that frustrating. And after reading book after book where the heroine/female I almost put this book down after finishing every chapter. Lily was just that frustrating. And after reading book after book where the heroine/female lead is in complete denial about her emotions, I have to wonder if this is something that happens in real life. If so, the divorce rate is no longer surprising.
I'd recommend this book as a "here's what not to do" guide for dumb bitches....more
Bah! I'm so damn tired of these sexually repressed women turning into hellcats as soon as they're touched by a ruggedly handsome man! This was just a Bah! I'm so damn tired of these sexually repressed women turning into hellcats as soon as they're touched by a ruggedly handsome man! This was just a bunch of people deluding themselves into thinking they don't really have the feelings they think they're having.
"No, I can't possibly like him, he's handsome and fierce and has wet hair and- *orgasm*" WTF NO....more
I'm giving it 3.5 stars. This book should have been like, 100 pages shorter. There was just sooo much thinking... and thinking... and worrying... and I'm giving it 3.5 stars. This book should have been like, 100 pages shorter. There was just sooo much thinking... and thinking... and worrying... and more thinking. When it wasn't Karen sitting by herself thinking, I was loving the book. I liked the characters, the romance, the sex, the plot, etc. But there were literally pages of "Karen mulls over her dilema" and I found myself skimming. Basically reading the first and last sentences of a paragraph and since everything made sense, I don't think I missed anything but Karen's long-winded thought process.
I will point out that I didn't like the timing of Karen suddenly realizing how ridiculous her avoidance of relationships was. And her revelation that her hatred for her father was immature. How convenient they should both happen in the 3 days this book covers. But at least she does come to the realization, so I can't really complain.
Marc was super yummy and being from Nooawlins myself, I know just how sexy a cajun accent is. I'd eat him up and sop up the drippings with cornbread.
I would recommend this book. Then I'd gush with my friends over how steamy the hero is....more
I finished this book last night and while I remember most of what happened, nothing positive sticks out.
I didn't like theThis was kinda 'blah' for me.
I finished this book last night and while I remember most of what happened, nothing positive sticks out.
I didn't like the way Jane treated herself. Her low self-esteem was bad enough, but to then be in denial about it is just shitty icing on a crap cake. I didn't like how the team treated Jane. I didn't like the way Luc treated Jane. I didn't like the way Luc treated Marie. I didn't like how Jane wouldn't take any chances with Caroline. I didn't like the way Jane treated Darby. I didn't like Jane's reasons for keeping her secrets.
So how could I not hate this book? Because it was so 'blah' and 'meh' that disliking so much barely registers. It's not a choice between "I liked it" or "I didn't like it"... it's simply "I didn't feel anything one way or another about it."
And that feels like a more negative review than the reviews I give where I'm screaming bloody murder at the stupidity of the heroine. At least those books that I hate so much have left me with some sort of feeling, even though it's negative and probably not the feeling the author was hoping for. But this book just left me with nothing.
I wouldn't recommend it, but I also wouldn't smack it out of somebody's hand if I saw them holding it....more
Lana, our heroine female lead, is a delusional coward of epic proportions. After being kidnapped, tortuYet again, my complaints are about the heroine.
Lana, our heroine female lead, is a delusional coward of epic proportions. After being kidnapped, tortured, terrorized and all that other bad stuff that happens to women in third world countries, she had to learn how to walk again. She's dealt with so much, but she's a huge freakin' pussy!
The good guys think Lana is holding back information that she gained while being held captive. She does, but she doesn't feel that information will help them. She thinks keeping this information to herself is the only solution. If the bad guys don't think she knows anything, they'll go away, right? When has this assumption ever, ever turned out to be true?
People want to kill her. So obviously, the best course of action is to keep her mouth shut, pretend she doesn't know anything, and send her bodyguard away. Because she's totally proven she can take care of herself by... living on her own for a few months? By not dying when everyone thought she would? She can take care of herself when facing shady extremist terrorist groups. She doesn't need anyone's help, damnit.
Her coworker/friend gets shot. Her parent's house is burned down. And she still thinks that if she just keeps her mouth shut, nobody will hurt her or her family. How fucking stupid can you be?! There is a sniper on the roof, but she still can't bring herself to be honest with the person putting his life on the line to protect her? Her dishonesty is more likely to get people killed than if she just told people what the hell was going on!
I hated this heroine. I hated her enough to want to put the book down and DNF it. Pop it into the 'dnf-hated-the-heroine' shelf and forget about it. But Caleb... oh good lord. I want one of him for myself, please.
Caleb was touching, emotional, rough, tough, and manly. I loved him. I couldn't picture him very well, so I think my brain just defaulted to Matt Bomer. I really liked how he wouldn't let Lana push him away at every turn and didn't spend his entire inner monologue on trying to convince himself that he and Lana couldn't be together. I honestly don't know why he'd want to be with her, but whatever. He was a great character.
Grant was a funny guy and, unless the heroine is as 'too stubborn to live' as Lana, I'll read a book about him with pleasure.
The 2 stars are for Caleb. He's the only reason I finished this book....more
Read it just for this moment, which had me laughing so hard I actually pulled a muscle in my neck:
Molly [is masturbating and] stroked one of her nipplRead it just for this moment, which had me laughing so hard I actually pulled a muscle in my neck:
Molly [is masturbating and] stroked one of her nipples, imagining the way he— A sudden metallic screech interrupted, terrifying her into a scream. She sprang up, flinging the vibrator across the room. It landed with a thud and writhed itself into a dim corner. “Jesus! What the—?” The ancient phone next to her bed rang again, nearly jangling itself off the table. “Oh. My. God.” She thought she’d electrocuted herself with a defective sex toy. Her heart was still trying its best to escape from her chest, jumping ship at the first sign of danger. She pressed her hand to it, panting to catch some air. Brrrrrrr-ring.
Really didn't like Cassie that much. She has a metric shit ton of baggage, which Shane fully accepts and tries to deal with. But Shane's itty bitty caReally didn't like Cassie that much. She has a metric shit ton of baggage, which Shane fully accepts and tries to deal with. But Shane's itty bitty carry-on baggage? FUCK THAT, END THE RELATIONSHIP! HE CAN'T BE TRUSTED! COLD SHOULDER, THE END. What a bitch....more
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