Book Review: Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Mira Ink (1 Jun 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848451245
• ISBN-13: 978-1848451247

One kiss can change everything . . .

Samantha's never been special. 

She's always the girl who blends into the background. 

Until a surprise kiss from unattainable crush Stephen.

Now suddenly every guy in school is clamouring for her number.

But Samantha s newfound popularity comes at a dangerously high price a desperate need to devour human souls.

Enter Bishop a street kid with secrets as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. He s immune to her mesmerising new power and her only hope of salvation. Together, giving into the darkness inside of them, is their strongest weapon to combat a terrifying demonic threat.

Once you ve embraced the dark, can you ever go back again?

Samantha thinks everything about her life is dull and predictable. But then one night at the club she and her best friend, Carly, love, Samantha’s crush finally notices her. And Samantha can’t resist when kisses her. But the kiss changed her far more than she could ever have guessed. Now she’s hungry all the time, and not just for food.

Bishop has a mission on Earth and if he fails, it could mean the end of everything. Two angels and two demons must together against a mutual enemy to keep the universe balanced. Neither side factored in Sam.

When Sam meets Bishop she thinks he is a street kid, and one who isn’t all there. But they discover her touch soothes him, helps organise his thoughts. And soon both crave the touch. But romance can’t be on the cards for them. Because Bishop is an angel, and Sam is one of the things he must stop to save the world. 

Dark Kiss was an interesting take on the recent surge of angel novels hitting the YA market again. It had original characters that were like nothing I had ever read before. Samantha struggles with who she is becoming and questions everything around her, not taking anyone’s word for it. She is fiercely loyal and protective and really, just wants to do the right thing.

Bishop isn’t like other angels in other novels. He is dark and brooding and committed to his mission and struggles with his mounting feelings for Sam. 

There are many loose ends left at the end of this book, leaving us questioning what will happen in the second installment, and ensuring that the wait will be agonising.

Perfect read for any YA, angel, romance etc fan. A welcome addition to the genre. 

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Book Review: Emerald City by Alicia K Leppert

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sweetwater Books (10 April 2012)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 1599558645
• ISBN-13: 978-1599558646

Olivia Tate is a broken shell of a girl haunted by the tragic events that fill her past. She has closed herself off from the world, each day grasping at something—anything—to live for. Convinced there will never be a way out, she seeks solace in the depths of her medicine cabinet. When she wakes up days later in the hospital she is introduced to Jude, the quiet stranger responsible for saving her life. She never could have guessed then that her mysterious rescuer would end up saving her life a second time, while simultaneously turning her world upside down.

Emerald City is an understated, touching, endearing read. Olivia is living a quiet life, slowly disappearing inside herself while the nightmares torture her nights and her insecurities and social anxiety’s prey on her days. After a particularly bad day Olivia sees no other option open to her, and, just wanting it all to stop, just for a little while, she takes solace in her medicine cabinet.

She is rescued by quiet and strong Jude, who is determined to make sure she realises she has something to live for.

Emerald City is told by both Olivia and Jude and while Olivia’s head is a self-deprecating and anxious place to be in, Jude’s is both strong and sure and equally worried.

The synopsis doesn’t give much away about this book, and I am loathe to do different here. What I will say is it is an edgy and dark read that will take you to difficult places and make you squirm in your seat. But where there is dark there is also light. And even in the deepest shadows, sunshine can still find you.                  

Emerald City holds many surprises. It doesn’t take long before it etches itself on your heart.       

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Book Review: Fallen In Love by Lauren Kate

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Childrens (2 Feb 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0857531646
• ISBN-13: 978-0857531643

Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.

True love never says goodbye . . .

 What better way to fill the time between books in a series you love, than a lovely valentine’s novella?

Fallen In Love had the same feel as the other books in the Fallen series, but shorter and with something beautiful – a new insight into the angels.

We get snippets of Roland’s lost love, his struggle with balancing who he is and someone he thinks will never accept him...and wonders if it is even fair to ask her to try. Arriane gets her own chapter and Cam gets a small look in also (thank goodness - I am majorly Team Cam!)…but the most touching was Miles and Shelby and their portion of the book.

The nephilim work together with the angels to try and give Luce and Daniel something the never get – a Valentine’s day together and no drama with it.

There isn’t a lot to be said about Fallen In Love…it’s short and to the point and oh so perfectly written. Fallen fans will adore it and make the wait for Rapture that bit more easier. Or harder. Depends how you look at it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the review copy.  

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Book Review: Bond With Me by Anne Marsh

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 396 KB
• Print Length: 322 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0505528584
• Publisher: Leisure (24 Aug 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language English
• ASIN: B005NWRL16

Fallen angels… They rule Moscow’s seedy underworld, promising untold pleasure to the females who dare to mate them. That promise — and Brends Duranov’s own raw sexual power — has hopefuls mobbing the velvet rope outside his elite club G2’s.

But Mischka Baran has no intention of hooking up with one of the Fallen. Not even after Brends gives her an unforgettable taste of the sin and seduction he can deliver with those wicked lips. She’s after information, not a stint as some Goblin’s toy of the month. What she doesn’t know is that with a sadistic killer carving up his brethren, Brends is playing for keeps, hunting the one woman whose bloodline can end the mayhem, whose bond can restore his lost wings.

G2s is Moscow’s hottest spot. At the centre of the seedy underworld is the Fallen Angels, Goblins, banished from Heaven and stuck without their wings on Earth. Brends Duranov is one of the Fallen and owner of G2s. Swarms of hopefuls wait outside, hoping to be chosen by him, hoping for a glimpse into his world.

All Mischka Baran wants is to find her cousin, Pell. Pell disappeared after a fight with her family, and Mischka tracked her to G2s. She knows there is one man who can help her find Pell, the one man she wishes to never meet: Brands.

Brands cuts her a deal. He promises to find Pell, but for a price. Mischka must bond herself to him, body and soul. Mischka has no intention of selling her soul…but how else would she find Pell? 

Pell isn’t Brands only problem – someone is attacking and killing his brethren and their mates, leaving only a bloody mess in their place. Could the two be connected? One thing is for certain…he isn’t letting Mischka go without a fight.

Brands is the ultimate sexy, bad boy you just can’t help but want. With a wicked sense of humour and body to die for, Brands dominates the page. Mischka is his perfect counterpart – a strong natural, sharp tongue whilst still being feminine.

I adored Mischka and Brands’ story. The action rose in peaks, the sexual tension scorching the page. Let the lovers steal you away from reality.

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Book Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (1 Feb 2012)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0310728185
• ISBN-13: 978-0310728184

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with. 

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

Enjoying a quiet moment in the woods whilst she sketches, seventeen year old Nikki is attacked by vicious dogs. As she runs for her life, she is observed by three young men. Vine, Raven and Mace. Halflings on a mission. But with Nikki’s eyes wide open during the dog attack, the rescue isn’t going to go unnoticed.

As Halflings, the children of Fallen angels and mortal women, they are bound to carry out any mission entrusted to them, with the hope that one day they will be admitted into Heaven. And now their mission seems to involve Nikki. Posing as high school students, they integrate into her life, growing closer to her and flirting with danger. The Halflings carry a curse where Heaven will be out of reach and their souls will be damned if they fall in love with a human.

Nikki knows there is something different about the three boys. And she can’t stay away from them. With their good looks and obvious appeals, they open her eyes in ways the other boys at her school never have before. Mace makes her feel safe beyond measure as she swims in his cerulean eyes. Raven makes her feel strong and able as he teaches her how to fight.

I cannot express enough how refreshing it was to come across a YA protagonist like Nikki. Too often nowadays when a teenage girl is confronted with things she believed impossible, she accepts it no questions asked, because the guy telling her gives her the eyes. Nikki is resistant at first, accepting a little at a time what she knows deep down in her heart to be true.

I loved being able to get into the head’s of Mace and Raven – two very different characters but with the same focus and goals. And now with one thing in common: Nikki. There have never been two different types of guy vying for a girl’s attention. Mace, one of the strongest male characters I’ve ever come across, determined to do the right thing yet unable to stay away from what could ultimately become his downfall. Literally. And Raven. The ultimate bad boy. Already resolved in his beliefs, he sees no reason to stay away or heed warning.

Halflings was an awesome romantic adventure with loveable and sympathetic characters. The plot was easy to follow yet kept me engrossed and guessing to the very end. I absolutely adored all Halflings and their inner musings. One thing is for certain – I cannot wait for the next instalment of what is sure to be a hit series.  

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