CROSSROADS by Glory Rabenaugh proffers an interesting plot idea wherein a teenage coven has to figure out how to save its High Priestess from certain death. If that were the story illustrated in this novel, I might have enjoyed a small part of it. However, that is not the story told; rather this novel seems to be about how a young woman is caught in between several men and gets manhandled throughout. I did not enjoy this novel and would not recommend to any reader.
In the novel, Reece and her twin brother, Hunter, attend a private boarding school in New England. Reece is the High Priestess of her coven, made of up 13 other students, one of whom is her best friend and former boyfriend, and another who is her present boyfriend. The tragic love triangle is further complicated by the appearance of a vampire who is fated to save Reece from certain death, but is the vampire really her savior?
I felt utterly cheated by this novel; I felt like I was promised a teenage paranormal romance, and I got an erotic, paranormal violent drama where women are not treated respectfully. The plot was simple, which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, except that to make up for the dearth of plot, sex scenes, violence and submission/domination were used to fill the pages.
The novel begins in such a way to suggest this is a young adult novel, with all the main characters being in high school. However, this is anything but a YA novel. There is entirely too much sex for this novel to be appropriate for teens. There is also a lot of physical violence by young men against Reece--she's attacked by football players and almost raped, her boyfriend gets rough with her and hits her, her new boyfriend nearly strangles her. There is so much body-checking--shoving Reece up against something--that it could have been a game of ice hockey.
The violence against Reece also highlights her shallow character. Reece's character doesn't develop. If anything, she regresses. For someone who is supposed to be so powerful, she seems to have no sense of control over her own body. She also isn't a very nice person. Despite the narrator's assertion that she is a popular student because she treats everyone with respect, she's superficial and inconsiderate. Even though she knows that Nathan is in love with her, it is even verbalized, she is entirely too touchy feely with him, going so far as to sit on his lap. When you are sensitive to someone's feelings, you try to do whatever it takes to spare them hurt. Reece's actions simply reflect her lack of consideration of Nathan's feelings.
Also, despite her noble decision to wait to sleep with a guy, she sleeps with two guys within two weeks' time, showing her to have no better morals or decision making ability than any other teenager.
Moreover, there is no romance in this novel; it really is all lust and magical connections. There was no substance to the relationships, and given the bondage, submission and domination attitudes, this novel earns a rating of 5 out of 5 on the heat scale. It really should be labeled as an erotic novel instead of romance.
Along with Reece's character issues, the only character that actually changes over time is Piers, and his change isn't for the better, either. There doesn't seem to be any other kind of character development.
Certain aspects of the novel were also perplexing. First of all, where are Reece's parents? They actually allow her to spend the night at Nathan's house? We know nothing about them except that they don't supervise their children. How do they fit into the Coven? There is no mention of their connection except that the Book of Shadows was passed down to Reece from her family. What Book does her family use? Do they stop belonging to a coven once they graduate from high school? And why don't her parents get involved if her life is in danger? It just doesn't make any sense.
On the technical side, it seems as if the novel was originally written in first person, but when revised, the perspective was changed to the third person and the novel wasn't cleaned up. The words and pronouns used were inconsistent, e.g., myself instead of himself and we instead of them. There were also pervasive subject-verb, verb-object and verb tense disagreements, e.g., using "had went" instead of "had gone"
If all of the foregoing hadn't disappointed me, the ending is a cliffhanger. While the immediate issue of Reece's safety is resolved, the ending of the novel just hangs there waiting for the next installment to explain the newly introduced character. Clearly you need to read all of the books in the series to know what's going on, but honestly, after this book, I am not interested in any other book in the series. If you like erotic novels, you may like this book and series, but if you are looking for a bit more substance in your reading material, this is not the book for you.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=11034.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The Inconvenient Duchess by Christine Merrill - 3 stars
THE INCONVENIENT DUCHESS by Christine Merrill provides a classic early Regency period romance that can be enjoyed by any fan of romance. I give it three stars.
In the novel, Lady Miranda Grey shows up on the doorstep of Marcus Radwell, the fourth Duke of Haughleigh, in the middle of a storm, expecting to meet and possibly marry the duke. The machinations of Marcus' mother induced Miranda's visit, but unbeknownst to Miranda, the dowager duchess died six weeks before her arrival.
Stranded in the Haughleigh house with two unmarried men, Miranda has little choice but to accept Marcus' reluctant and unromantic proposal. A marriage is hastily conducted, and with only a note to inform his vulnerable new wife, Marcus immediately travels to London to take care of marriage legalities.
While Marcus is away, his exiled and bitter younger brother, St. John, uses his charm and good looks to sow discord in the already fragile marriage. When Marcus returns home, Miranda is so suspicious of him and insecure in the marriage that drama and misunderstandings abound.
For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. The marital challenges seem authentic for a hastily arranged marriage. The insecurity and uncertainty about what the other partner thinks and feels is typical for any relationship, and certainly magnified in this arranged marriage. The romance is graphic, appropriate for adults only.
The characters and dialogue tend to be believable, but there is a feeling of overreliance on narration to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters. There is also a bit too much rumination of those thoughts and feelings (at least on Miranda's part), and occasionally, those thoughts seem contrived. For example, after a serious heart to heart conversation about how terrible Marcus' first marriage was and how shallow, deceitful and opportunistic his first wife was, Miranda walks away with the message that she needs to be more like Marcus' first wife. This just did not make sense to me, especially after Marcus repeatedly says that he wants Miranda to be herself, honest about what she thinks and feels. If I skip all the parts like this that annoy me, I have no problems enjoying the book.
I definitely enjoyed the ending - how the issue with St. John was resolved, and what Marcus gives Miranda as a Christmas gift.
If you are a fan of the classic Harlequin romance novels, this is the novel for you, and if you prefer something a bit more substantial, you can still enjoy this novel with a little self-editing.
**Review shared with The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=7923..
In the novel, Lady Miranda Grey shows up on the doorstep of Marcus Radwell, the fourth Duke of Haughleigh, in the middle of a storm, expecting to meet and possibly marry the duke. The machinations of Marcus' mother induced Miranda's visit, but unbeknownst to Miranda, the dowager duchess died six weeks before her arrival.
Stranded in the Haughleigh house with two unmarried men, Miranda has little choice but to accept Marcus' reluctant and unromantic proposal. A marriage is hastily conducted, and with only a note to inform his vulnerable new wife, Marcus immediately travels to London to take care of marriage legalities.
While Marcus is away, his exiled and bitter younger brother, St. John, uses his charm and good looks to sow discord in the already fragile marriage. When Marcus returns home, Miranda is so suspicious of him and insecure in the marriage that drama and misunderstandings abound.
For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. The marital challenges seem authentic for a hastily arranged marriage. The insecurity and uncertainty about what the other partner thinks and feels is typical for any relationship, and certainly magnified in this arranged marriage. The romance is graphic, appropriate for adults only.
The characters and dialogue tend to be believable, but there is a feeling of overreliance on narration to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters. There is also a bit too much rumination of those thoughts and feelings (at least on Miranda's part), and occasionally, those thoughts seem contrived. For example, after a serious heart to heart conversation about how terrible Marcus' first marriage was and how shallow, deceitful and opportunistic his first wife was, Miranda walks away with the message that she needs to be more like Marcus' first wife. This just did not make sense to me, especially after Marcus repeatedly says that he wants Miranda to be herself, honest about what she thinks and feels. If I skip all the parts like this that annoy me, I have no problems enjoying the book.
I definitely enjoyed the ending - how the issue with St. John was resolved, and what Marcus gives Miranda as a Christmas gift.
If you are a fan of the classic Harlequin romance novels, this is the novel for you, and if you prefer something a bit more substantial, you can still enjoy this novel with a little self-editing.
**Review shared with The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=7923..
A Lesson In Love (Lesson #9) by Jennifer Connors - 5 stars
Cue the fireworks! A LESSON IN LOVE concludes Jennifer Connors' Lessonseries with a long awaited happily ever after. I give it 5 stars and recommend to all lovers of the romance genre.
In this ninth installment of the Lesson series, our romance heroine Ginny is thrust into her last romance novel. The year is 1813 and Ginny is thoroughly confused when she finds herself in Miss Samantha Rylan's fourteen year-old body at her father's funeral. Life quickly gets very rough for Ginny, but she uses all that she's learned over the years and her many lives to escape from dangerous situations and build a great life. At twenty-one, she travels to England from America to meet her only living relative, the ailing Earl of Carlisle, and almost immediately meets her mega-hunk, Andrew Blake William Clarke, the seventh Duke of Rutland.
Drew has only had the Rutland title for a couple of years and must learn to live his own life and make his own decisions, despite his mother's toplofty temperament. He and Samantha/Ginny strike up an unlikely friendship, and after some life-altering experiences, fall in love. The only problem is that Ginny doesn't get to stay in 1820; she has a life to return to in 21st Century America.
After waking from her coma, Ginny is given a clean bill of health and returns to work. However, in addition to having seriously weird and vivid dreams that include characters from her friend's romance novels, Ginny has acquired some unlikely talents. Ginny can now speak fluent French, ride a horse, and fence. She has also grown in self-confidence in inexplicable ways. Finally, she decides to make some changes in her life and travels to London to meet Dr. Westhaven, a university professor doing research on people like her who have awoken from comas with some new skills or talents. Is this professor The One? No spoilers here; you will just have to read the book to find out.
I loved this book, mostly because I've been looking forward to seeing what happens to Ginny when she returns to her real life. I also like that the "lesson" in love seems to be a culmination of all the previous lessons Ginny learned through her various romance heroines' lives, underlining the fact that relationships take more than just passion or friendship, but trust and selflessness, etc.
The dialogue and plotlines--both in the novel and in Ginny's real life--were believable, and the pace was excellent. I am so glad that the book was 300 pages long because I started to become sad around page 200, anticipating the end of the novel and series.
As with the other books in this series, the romance is graphic and detailed, making the book appropriate for adults only. In so many of the books in the Lesson series, Ginny makes fun of romance novels, and here, in an amusing turn of events, when Dr. Westhaven reads her journal detailing her dreams since waking from the coma, she tells him that her journal is very detailed. Dr.Westhaven is not expecting just howdetailed it is, though, and tells her, "You weren't kidding about it being detailed." To which Ginny responds, "No, I wasn't. Should I have warned you more vehemently?" Dr. Westhaven then says, "Perhaps. I was beginning to think you might have a future as a romance novelist."
All in all, followers of this series will not be disappointed in this last installment. It is a must read.
**Review shared with The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=13705.
In this ninth installment of the Lesson series, our romance heroine Ginny is thrust into her last romance novel. The year is 1813 and Ginny is thoroughly confused when she finds herself in Miss Samantha Rylan's fourteen year-old body at her father's funeral. Life quickly gets very rough for Ginny, but she uses all that she's learned over the years and her many lives to escape from dangerous situations and build a great life. At twenty-one, she travels to England from America to meet her only living relative, the ailing Earl of Carlisle, and almost immediately meets her mega-hunk, Andrew Blake William Clarke, the seventh Duke of Rutland.
Drew has only had the Rutland title for a couple of years and must learn to live his own life and make his own decisions, despite his mother's toplofty temperament. He and Samantha/Ginny strike up an unlikely friendship, and after some life-altering experiences, fall in love. The only problem is that Ginny doesn't get to stay in 1820; she has a life to return to in 21st Century America.
After waking from her coma, Ginny is given a clean bill of health and returns to work. However, in addition to having seriously weird and vivid dreams that include characters from her friend's romance novels, Ginny has acquired some unlikely talents. Ginny can now speak fluent French, ride a horse, and fence. She has also grown in self-confidence in inexplicable ways. Finally, she decides to make some changes in her life and travels to London to meet Dr. Westhaven, a university professor doing research on people like her who have awoken from comas with some new skills or talents. Is this professor The One? No spoilers here; you will just have to read the book to find out.
I loved this book, mostly because I've been looking forward to seeing what happens to Ginny when she returns to her real life. I also like that the "lesson" in love seems to be a culmination of all the previous lessons Ginny learned through her various romance heroines' lives, underlining the fact that relationships take more than just passion or friendship, but trust and selflessness, etc.
The dialogue and plotlines--both in the novel and in Ginny's real life--were believable, and the pace was excellent. I am so glad that the book was 300 pages long because I started to become sad around page 200, anticipating the end of the novel and series.
As with the other books in this series, the romance is graphic and detailed, making the book appropriate for adults only. In so many of the books in the Lesson series, Ginny makes fun of romance novels, and here, in an amusing turn of events, when Dr. Westhaven reads her journal detailing her dreams since waking from the coma, she tells him that her journal is very detailed. Dr.Westhaven is not expecting just howdetailed it is, though, and tells her, "You weren't kidding about it being detailed." To which Ginny responds, "No, I wasn't. Should I have warned you more vehemently?" Dr. Westhaven then says, "Perhaps. I was beginning to think you might have a future as a romance novelist."
All in all, followers of this series will not be disappointed in this last installment. It is a must read.
**Review shared with The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=13705.
Midnight Hunt (Bonded by Blood #3) by Arial Burnz - 4 stars
MIDNIGHT HUNT by Arial Burnz provides a tumultuous roller coaster of a plot and, depending on a reader's disposition, will provide thrilling twists and turns or will cause vertigo and disorientation. Either way, I give it 4 stars.
In this third installment in the Bonded by Blood Vampire Chronicles, Broderick spends eighty years mourning the loss of his wife and soulmate, Davina, only to be drawn to the Kingdom of Germany during a time of religious and social unrest. Not only do the characters deal with the Inquisition, but werewolves are known to roam the countryside killing and cursing unfortunate villagers. The Elementals--those people who control a natural element such as earth, air and fire-- have gone into hiding, but it doesn't take long for Broderick to meet a Fire Witch, Monika, who reminds him of his beloved Davina. Together, Broderick and Monika fight against the werewolves, the Inquisition, and an old foe in hopes of fulfilling The Prophecy and providing redemption for all Vamsyrians.
Overall, I enjoyed MIDNIGHT HUNT. I like the new female protagonist, Monika. She is not timid or weak, but she is still soft and feminine. The werewolf aspect of the book is also interesting, and enough lore is described to make this piece of the puzzle fit nicely in the overall series plotline.
The romance was believable, and I liked how Broderick continues to show his faithfulness to Davina while attempting to figure out if Monika is really Davina reincarnated. The romance is graphic, though, earning a heat rating of 4 out of 5, and sex scenes are pervasive and detailed throughout the entire novel, making this novel appropriate for adults only. I felt like there were about 3 sex scenes too many for the plot, but that is more of a personal preference. The scenes did not detract from the plot, though I felt they slowed the pace a bit.
On the technical side, overall the pace of the novel was good, but there were some editing issues that tripped me up and detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. Overall, though, this series continues to be worth reading for any vampire lover. So don't miss out!
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=10987.
In this third installment in the Bonded by Blood Vampire Chronicles, Broderick spends eighty years mourning the loss of his wife and soulmate, Davina, only to be drawn to the Kingdom of Germany during a time of religious and social unrest. Not only do the characters deal with the Inquisition, but werewolves are known to roam the countryside killing and cursing unfortunate villagers. The Elementals--those people who control a natural element such as earth, air and fire-- have gone into hiding, but it doesn't take long for Broderick to meet a Fire Witch, Monika, who reminds him of his beloved Davina. Together, Broderick and Monika fight against the werewolves, the Inquisition, and an old foe in hopes of fulfilling The Prophecy and providing redemption for all Vamsyrians.
Overall, I enjoyed MIDNIGHT HUNT. I like the new female protagonist, Monika. She is not timid or weak, but she is still soft and feminine. The werewolf aspect of the book is also interesting, and enough lore is described to make this piece of the puzzle fit nicely in the overall series plotline.
The romance was believable, and I liked how Broderick continues to show his faithfulness to Davina while attempting to figure out if Monika is really Davina reincarnated. The romance is graphic, though, earning a heat rating of 4 out of 5, and sex scenes are pervasive and detailed throughout the entire novel, making this novel appropriate for adults only. I felt like there were about 3 sex scenes too many for the plot, but that is more of a personal preference. The scenes did not detract from the plot, though I felt they slowed the pace a bit.
On the technical side, overall the pace of the novel was good, but there were some editing issues that tripped me up and detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. Overall, though, this series continues to be worth reading for any vampire lover. So don't miss out!
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=10987.
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