Thursday, February 28, 2013

Book Review: Raid by Kristen Ashley

Title: Raid
Series: Unfinished Heroes #3
Author: Kristen Ashley
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Published: 02/25/2013
Publisher: Self-published
Genre(s): Contemporary Erotic Romance

DESCRIPTION

Hanna Boudreaux has lived in the small town of Willow all her life. She’s sweet, cute and quiet.

Hanna has a moment of epiphany when she realizes her crush for forever, Raiden Ulysses Miller, is not ever going to be hers. She sees her life as narrow and decides to do something about it.

Raiden Miller is the town’s local hero. A former Marine with the medal to prove his hero status, he comes home, shrouded in mystery. It takes a while, but eventually Hanna catches his eye.

After all these years of Raid and Hanna living in the same town, the question is why? Is Raid interested in Hanna because she’s sweet and cute? Or does Raid have something else going on?

 MY THOUGHTS
 
*minor spoilers contained herein*

At an estimated, two hundred and ninety-two pages Raid was quite brief for a Kristen Ashley novel. I think most of hers are well over four hundred pages. I read Knight, the first book in the Unfinished Heroes series, last year, but have not yet read Creed (it's ready and waiting for when I'm in just the right mood.) Reading stories about alpha-men sure can be delicious, but some of what they do or say can turn my stomach. I dealt with Raiden's 'alphaness' pretty well overall, but at 66% into the book when he yelled at Hanna to "GET OUTTA MY SIGHT" (cleaned up and paraphrased greatly!) after she barely mentioned how some soldiers felt disenfranchised after returning home...YIKES! At that moment I detested him. PTSD or no. Of course, he made up for it, and rather soon. Hanna is what he considers his "reward." His reward for all of the sh*t he had to put up with. He wasn't a fool, he knew he'd found everything he needed in her. She was his reason to smile, to laugh, to want a home...just by being her sweet, honest self.

I enjoyed the larger-than-life Raid living in his small Colorado hometown of Willow—a place where he couldn't disappear or be anonymous. Not that any man who looked like him could remain anonymous. ;) Physically, he sounded quite dreamy, but he was dealing with ghosts from his past as a Marine and his father's desertion. He was gloriously tall, dark, and handsome, but his occupation as an under-the-table bounty hunter for hire to less-than-lawful types...Well, that's where his being an unfinished hero probably stemmed from and further contributed to his 'badassness' as a whole, wouldn't you think? Hanna had her own style and way of speaking. Her silly inner dialog, especially the self-assessing dialog was so cute:

"I was a klutz and a dork. I was a dorky klutz!"

"It was good he was beautiful because he [Spot the cat] was a pain in the patoot."

"The last time, I matched my bike. This time, I matched my car. I matched my car!"

And then there was Hanna's "grams," Miss Mildred...OMG, she was the best! Funny, feisty, and aware of everything! Some of the things she said:

"Sweet Jesus, forgive her [Hanna, for falling asleep in church]. Pastor Wright's sermon is far from inspiring, you hear that, Lord, but still. My precious girl's got better manners."

"Every Friday, him [Raid] in my yard, sweatin' and mowin' my lawn. Even old women need a thrill. That right there's gonna be mine."

Too bad about Bodhi. He exhibited great promise in the quirky character category. I got a kick out of his observation of Raid spoken to Hanna:

"Dudette, GI Joe checkin' you out. Three o'clock. Total GI Joe. As in GI Joe, whoa. Seriously, they should update the doll to look like him. Every kid in America would buy that doll. Boys and girls."

The other Unfinished Heroes and their "women" made brief appearances, as does a character from the Rock Chick series. Another Rock Chick regular was mentioned, as well. That is a pleasant way of keeping those characters current, and alive, in a fictional sort of way. I love a good epilogue, and Raid's is a good one. Yes, there was some sadness there, but mostly it featured that wonderfully detailed Kristen Ashley passing-of-time happily-ever-after finish!

Kristen Ashley must adore her character Hanna very much since I believe she gave Hanna her pink Schwinn bicycle! :)


HIGHLIGHTS

"I did not see Raiden Ulysses Miller. Not for five months. What I didn't know was...He saw me." ~ Hanna

~*~

“You, that dress, those shoes, that hair, beverages and furniture you can get horizontal on would not be a good combination.” ~ Raid

~*~

“If you’re the kind of woman who can withstand the blaze of hellfire he’s got burning inside, he battles that and wins, you will know nothing for the rest of your life, no taste, no experience, not even the birth of your children that will be sweeter than the love he’ll have for you.”  ~ Miss Mildred to Hanna

~*~

“It was then Raiden Ulysses Miller scorched me a second time, but I didn't battle this blaze. There was no pain. But that didn't mean I didn't end up branded.” ~ Hanna

~*~

“You do it for me because you were the girl across the street, your hair shining in the sun, laughing, making me fall in love with you, and I didn't even goddamned f*cking know you.” ~ Raid

~*~

Hanna: “'He backed me into a wall, caging me in, got in my face and explained he is most definitely into me.'

When I was done speaking, her lips were parted and her eyes were glazed.

'KC?' I called when she didn’t say anything.

KC: 'Shh,' she shushed me. 'I’m having an orgasm.'” ~ Hanna and KC


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Book Review: Up in the Air Trilogy by R.K. Lilley

Title: In Flight
Series: Up in the Air Trilogy #1
Author: R.K. Lilley
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Published: 10/20/2012
Publisher: Self-published
Genre(s): Contemporary Erotic Romance

DESCRIPTION

When reserved flight attendant Bianca gets one look at billionaire hotel owner James Cavendish, she loses all of her hard-won composure. For a girl who can easily juggle a tray of champagne flutes at 35,000 feet in three inch heels, she finds herself shockingly weak-kneed from their first encounter. The normally unruffled Bianca can't seem to look away from his electrifying turquoise gaze. They hold a challenge, and a promise, that she finds impossible to resist, and she is a girl who is used to saying no and meaning it.

Bianca is accustomed to dealing with supermodels and movie stars in her job as a first class flight attendant, but James Cavendish puts them all to shame in the looks department. If only it were just his looks that she found so irresistible about the intimidating man, Bianca could have ignored his attentions. But what tempts her like never before is the dominant pull he seems to have over her from the moment they meet, and the promise of pleasure, and pain, that she reads in his eyes.

This book is intended for ages 18 and up.



Title: Mile High
Series: Up in the Air Trilogy #2
Author: R.K. Lilley
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Published: 11/02/2012
Publisher: Self-published
Genre(s): Contemporary Erotic Romance

DESCRIPTION

James and Bianca’s tumultuous story continues in the sequel to In Flight.

James has initiated Bianca into a dark and drugging world of passion and pain. He taught her about her own submissive, masochistic nature, and she fell swiftly and deeply in love with the undeniably charming and impossibly beautiful Mr. Cavendish, but a painful misunderstanding and the return of the brutally violent demons of her past have combined to overwhelm Bianca, and, confused and hurt, she pushes him away.

It’s been over a month since the shocking attack that hospitalized her, and since she told a distraught James that she needed space, but her feelings haven’t gone away. Even she knew that it was only a matter of time before he would cast his spell on her again…

This book is intended for ages 18 and up.



Title: Grounded
Series: Up in the Air Trilogy #3
Author: R.K. Lilley
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Published: 02/10/2013
Publisher: Self-published
Genre(s): Contemporary Erotic Romance

DESCRIPTION

James and Bianca’s story draws to a close in the explosive conclusion to the Up In The Air Trilogy.

After a short but earnest courtship, Bianca can no longer deny her feelings for James, and though she’s tried her hardest, she can’t help but see that he cares deeply for her, as well. In a completely uncharacteristic move, she has put aside her misgivings and agreed to live with the enigmatic billionaire. Is her leap of faith the beginning of something wonderful, or is it too much, too fast?

As James and Bianca feel a growing need for each other that neither can deny, circumstances beyond their control intervene, trying to tear them apart. Amidst the ever mounting threat of a monster who wants Bianca dead, and the constant pitfalls of an indiscreet past that James can’t seem to escape, can these two passionate lovers manage to find their happily ever after?


This book is intended for ages 18 and up.


MY THOUGHTS
 
 *minor spoilers contained herein*

First, a proclamation of sorts. I neither read nor write scathing reviews. If I really don't care for the book I'm reading I simply stop reading it. I feel hesitant even offering up criticism of a book is that I am merely a reader and not a writer. Now that that is out of the way, I will do my best not to be scathing and to hold my tongue. I will admit to being way outside my comfort zone with the (more hardcore) BDSM elements of the books and also admit that in not reading any negative reviews on Goodreads or Amazon I may be doing a disservice to the author and avid fans (not that any of them will ever read this). I further admit to being someone who feels a peculiar sense of loyalty to things (like authors and books) I favor and that I get defensive when they are bad-mouthed.  So, with all that in mind I will, giving paraphrased credit to John Mayer's Song, Say What I Need to Say...

One of the reasons I began reading self-published (digital) books last year was because of their advantageous pricing structure. I subscribe to newsletters, follow blogs, and "Like" author Pages on Facebook to keep up with all the latest news—paying particularly close attention to bargain pricing and "freebies." This is critical for someone like me, who begins a new read every day or so. (Example: some books I have rated five stars were free, whereas, the new mainstream digital release by my favorite author will be $14.99.) In reading indie books I know not to expect perfection when it comes to editing, in particular, grammar and spelling. I know the formatting may be inconsistent. I know there may not be an ISBN or page numbers. I know there will be other issues like the cover not representing the story well enough (or, at all). However, even knowing all these things before I began reading this trilogy I found myself flinching and cringing a lot, especially while reading Mile High. Although my first real cringe came with the following passage said by the character James Cavendish (excellent name, BTW) to Bianca Karlsson, just 16% into the first book, In Flight:

"'I'm going to ruin you,' he breathed. 'I'll be your first, and I'll f**k you so thoroughly that I'll be your last, too. You won't want any other man after I've gotten my hands on you. Every last inch of you.'"

According to the number of other Kindle readers who highlighted that passage and the number who liked the first part of it, as a quote, on Goodreads my thinking that Mr. Cavendish (the Dom) saying this to a stranger (who is obviously young and inexperienced, who he already knows is a virgin, and who is AT WORK) SOUNDS LIKE A RAGING PSYCHOPATH! To be fair(?) another outrageously sexy fictional billionaire said something slightly similar to an inexperienced young woman in my favorite kinky trilogy, but, and this is a BIG but, she was not at work, and she had already been gently propositioned before he got to the more vulgar language. I don't want to "condemn" something in one book that I "accepted" in another. Okay, so onward...

I made note of six misspellings, typos, and obviously improper grammar usage ("shinning" instead of shining, "your'e" instead of you're, "lilly" instead of lily, "HIs" instead of His, and two instances of "I" being used instead of "me")  in book one—not bad, not bad at all.  Of course, I am aware of my own severely restricted grammar skills, and that is why I ask for proofreading assistance. I don't consider myself a "grammar nazi." How can I? However, I do think we all need to check ourselves when we are publishing something anyone can see! Especially when the reader is required to shell out money for those words.

The main reason for reading books like these has to be for the fantasy they represent. No, the books are fiction, but one has to admit that these fictional rich-as-Croesus, over-the-top, "smexy," controlling, sex gods are all fantasy, right?  Reading (especially romance of any type) is a readily obtainable form of escapism, is it not? While some over-the-top stuff can be entertaining I think sometimes it can just be too much. I found that Mr. Cavendish was too exaggerated in his negative qualities and too cold-hearted with Bianca. I cringed all too often with the things he said and did to her throughout the series, but especially in book three where there were several acts that literally made me feel ILL! Originally I listed them, but reconsidered after reading them aloud.*shudders* Although, as James he could be thoughtful, caring, tender, and even "sweet." Leave it to me to prefer the apparently much less popular version of the man. ;)

James (the lover) pondered these words aloud to Bianca 22% into Grounded:

"It makes me wonder if everything I do to you is a sort of rape—if I'm taking advantage of that beautiful submission that you give to me."

I think that self-assessment was very accurate! Several times I wondered what happened to the safeword. Why didn't Mr. Cavendish remind Bianca before each potentially harmful scene? He's supposedly an experienced Dom and she was anything but experienced! Why didn't she ever use it?  Especially when her narration made it obvious that the pain was well beyond her threshold! It made me furious that Mr. Cavendish's character didn't remind Bianca's of the safeword more often. It's not that novels should ever be used as guides for this lifestyle, but still, I get the feeling some people may get carried away. This is scary stuff! Of course, I do not and will never understand how someone who professes to love, cherish, or treasure someone could ever "get off" by physically and emotionally abusing them—enough to leave scars on their beautiful skin or cause them to retreat emotionally to a dark place. *more shuddering*

I'm sure Bianca's being a masochist contributed to my inability to develop a deep fictional fondness for her character like I have with so many other romantic heroines. It's not that I disliked her character or any of the other main characters. Even with her, James', and Stephan's traumatic back-stories explained in increments throughout the trilogy, I still had trouble empathizing with them and that is rarely a problem for me. I tend to get caught up in the character's lives and, at times, feel an unreasonable attachment. The relationship I felt was the healthiest was that of Bianca and Stephan. Wow! I really did love how their mutual friendship was depicted—they continually exhibited empathy, trust, respect, support, compassion, and encouragement to the other. Their need for each other seemed a beneficial thing in just about every way.

Bianca says the following to James 64% into In Flight, which helped me a little to understand how she feels.

"'Even masochists need lovers', I told him, my tone gentle. 'What would a girl like me do without someone like you? Perhaps everyone is good for someone.'"

Moving on to the overall tone of the books, I thought it was rather...monotonous. Oh, there were plenty of highly charged sexual encounters and times where Mr. Cavendish emoted like crazy ("crazy" being a word Bianca herself used to describe him several times), but Bianca's narration was surprisingly lacking in color, and she is an artist—a painter. I was looking for some vivid descriptions and colorful metaphors; some dramatic prose to express her totally and ridiculously excessive life with James. She made mention, sure, but I wanted "awe" and "wow" and "oh my", and, can you believe this?! I can't recall even a single exclamation mark in any of the books. How strange is that?! I mean, really?! I, just now, skimmed through page after page of all three books and didn't come across a single one! It's not like I want excessive exclamation marks, but to not use any?! Apparently, the Kindle Search feature doesn't allow for returns on punctuation because I even tried that! (Going forth I shall probably be on the lookout for exclamation marks in books to see if it is usual.)

So, onto book two, which was almost painful for me to finish and believe me, I am NO masochist! My reasons for continuing to read it were: 1) I really wanted to get to a happily-ever-after ending for James and Bianca 2) I wanted Mr. Cavendish, the sadist, and Bianca, the masochist, to discover the pleasure in being together and ditch their need for the extreme pain and degradation sh*t 3) I liked the first book enough to hope the third would be the best and 4) I paid freaking $6.99 for it!

I did two status updates (on my iPod, which meant typing difficulties for me) while reading Mile High. I apologize for the snark now, but at the time I allowed myself to become highly exasperated!

The first status update at 34% -

"Horse terminology gripe time! They are spelled "reins" NOT "reigns." And over twenty-five years in the horse industry and I can't recall ONE knowledgeable person using the word "thoroughbred" to describe a well-bred horse, only "Thoroughbred" referring to the breed. It's always "chaps" not "chap." Okay, I feel a *little* better now."

Regarding research (or the lack thereof) when writing about subjects we're unfamiliar with, I'm of the mind if you're going to include the details, you should know the details. If you don't, research it! I have absolutely no idea about proper flight attendant protocol, hotel management/ownership, how to put on an art gallery show, "proper" BDSM techniques, or how to put designer duds together for the "perfect" look, BUT I do know about horses, and instead of being excited about the fact that James had horses on his amazing ranch in Wyoming, I found myself flinching throughout the entire "horsey" part of the book. There were EIGHT instances of reins being misspelled...flinch, flinch, flinch, flinch, flinch, flinch, flinch, flinch. Yeah, that many! Again, sorry for the snark. It's extremely rare that I feel like this. If all the inexpert things written could have been attributed to Bianca's being a complete novice, I would have been accepting, but James and his trainer, Pete, were supposed to be "experts." Hence, my being disgruntled about the entire ordeal!

The second update at 50% -

"It's a 'fun' read, but this is another thing that is DRIVING ME CRAZY - I'll 'blame' Bianca since she is narrating! :)
The 'I' and 'ME' Rule: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/iandme.htm"

Like I said above, I have my own grammar deficiencies. The "I and Me rule" even messes me up, but that's where proofreading and editing come in. I can understand not wanting or being unable to pay for editing, but what about asking one person who is qualified to offer assistance? Again, this is something that people are paying to read. There has to be a sense of worth and pride in doing it right, right?

James was a self-professed slut before meeting Bianca. His childhood took a horrific turn after the death of his loving parents, and the abuse he suffered was what he attributed his "downfall" to.  He told her about his sordid past incrementally, and she was subjected to some of his toxic "exes" several times. We're talking evil bitches here. Yikes! Fortunately, Bianca toughened up and actually fought back: both verbally and physically. That was certainly a relief! There seemed to be only two things James wasn't "comfortable" (for lack of a better word) doing to/with Bianca. I don't feel particularly comfortable writing about them in detail here, but one had to do with exhibitionism and the other with a particular sex act. I was really relieved to find out that he could set some boundaries with her and felt he needed to learn to control his demons with this woman he claimed to love.

I did a little "aww" over this line James says to Bianca in Mile High:

"I was a slut once with my body, but I've never been a slut with my heart."

He earned some points acknowledging the positive effect Bianca had on his life with the following:

"You're my angel, Bianca. You've exorcised my demons. I don't have nightmares when I'm with you. I don't have to work seventy hour work weeks to keep my mind distracted. My life has become more than work and emotionless affairs. You make me a better man."

A couple other oft-repeated grammar lapses I let get to me were the casual spelling of the term "you know" that the author used, and the absence of the correct suffix to make words adverbs. The most commonly used casual example is spelled "ya know." Her version was "yanno", which I consistently read in my head as it's written and not how she intended it to be read. "Yanno" is in the Urban Dictionary, but I have never seen it used prior to these books and it threw me off. The other was the consistent use of an adjective in place of an adverb. Some examples:

"Me and Marnie are official [instead of officially] losing it, guys."
"Don't take it personal [instead of personally], girls, he's hopelessly in love with Bianca."
"...so that you would take him serious [instead of seriously] when he asked you out again."
"It grew real [instead of really] quiet after that..."

There were also times when an apostrophe was used to make what should have been a plural a possessive. Also, the capitalizing of the word "god" and not capitalizing the name "God" occurred a couple of times.

As evidenced by my two-star rating and list of complaints, Mile High brought out the worst in me. I thought of several possible scenarios for this: 1) The author rushed the writing because of some sort of deadline 2) She didn't have time for proofreading, re-writes, or editing and 3) She may not have had someone offering feedback before publishing that she may have had with the other books. This was just my mind speculating on the possible reasons I found this book to be so vastly different from the other two.

So, finally, my overall favorite of the three—Grounded. With the good there was the bad; the bad mostly being Mr. Cavendish's sadistic treatment of Bianca. Several instances that I found unacceptable, others may not so I'll not dwell on those here. Grounded was where James and Bianca confessed their love to one another. It was where James told Bianca the details of the abuse he suffered as a teenager. It was where Bianca had a change of occupation and her first art gallery showing. I thought it was also the most suspenseful of the three books. Bianca's walking, talking nightmare made his second violent (and deadly) appearance and the entire episode gave me chills! That was some effective storytelling!  It was also where they take an idyllic trip in which something really romantic occurs. There were numerous "happy" things that happened in this book and also, finally, I noticed some humor. Not out of context, just subtle humor, which fits with these characters. The sunshine-y bits really brightened my feelings about the trilogy as a whole. Here are some passages I found particularly...pleasant:

"Have I told you today how happy you make me? I can never go back from this, Bianca. It would break me to let you go. You know that, right?"
~ James

"'The thought of losing you makes me desperate,' I said, shifting our faces closer. My eyes steady on his when I took the leap. 'I love you, James,' I said, my voice just a whisper. 'So much.'"
~ Bianca

"I fell in love with your eyes first because I looked into their depths and saw the other half of my soul."
~ James

I don't recall if there was a total absence of Sadistic Mr. Cavendish and Masochistic Bianca towards the end, but with no specific unpleasant appearances of either that I can recall I was able to concentrate entirely on the rather lovely conclusion! It was...the saving grace, the light at the end of the tunnel, the happily-ever-after ending everyone deserved—characters and readers alike! *swoons*

As an afterthought...Sheesh, I hope I don't feel compelled to write another book-length (and chiefly unpleasant) review of this nature, because, really, I could have read a book for how long this took to write. :)


*Special thanks to my daughter who graciously helped me with, um, editing, and my roommate for his suggestions. :)


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Book Review: Exquisite by Ella Frank

Title: Exquisite
Series: Exquisite #1
Author: Ella Frank
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Self-published: 10/08/2012
Genre(s): Contemporary Erotic Romance

DESCRIPTION

Her heart was guarded…

Tormented by self-imposed guilt, Dr. Lena O’Donnell has spent the last nine years in survival mode. Struggling through days that seem to blend together and battling her way through each horrifying night, she’s determined that this is what she deserves…

Until he tore down the walls…

Mason Langley’s life is going exactly the way he planned it, until her. A confirmed bachelor and the successful owner of the hottest restaurant to hit Chicago, he never expects to be blindsided by an angry woman in a pair of scrubs. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to shake the doctor, and he finds himself liking the way she makes him feel.

Almost overnight Lena finds her world turned upside down by Mason and the sexual desire they discover together. Slowly, she lowers her guard and invites him inside but when tragedy strikes she begins to believe that sometimes it’s better to be alone and safe than to love and lose.


MY THOUGHTS (Short and Sweet!)

Exquisite is Ella Frank's first published novel and is an "exquisite" blend of sentiment, humor, and sexiness. It takes talent to express all of those things equally well and end up without an overly contrived work. I am quite eager to read Entice, the second book in the Exquisite Series. The reviews are, well, "enticing!"

HIGHLIGHTS

"Memories aren't your friends—just cruel reminders of your past and what you need to make up for before you die."
~ Lena

~*~

“My dad once told me that one day I’d meet someone who drives me so crazy I want to strangle her and yet never would because I can’t bear for her to be gone. Well, that’s when I’ll know I've met a woman worth keeping.”
~ Mason

~*~

“'It’s time to feel again. Let me save you from yourself. You were drowning when I found you, but I’m not letting you go, not without a fight.' He kissed her sweetly and moved back standing up and over her. Lena looked up at his out stretched hand. 'Take my hand Lena.' He offered and she knew he meant it in a way that went far beyond offering to help her stand.'”
~ Mason

~*~

"We were discussing catching fish, Langley, not fishing for compliments."
~ Lena

~*~

"I don't know if I'm sick but you sure as hell have everything to do with my temperature issues."
~ Mason

~*~

“I believe in fate and I believe you were supposed to walk into my life, so Mason could walk into yours.”  ~ Catherine Langley



Friday, February 8, 2013

Book Review: Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron

Title: Deeper We Fall
Series: Rise and Fall #1
Author: Chelsea M. Cameron
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Published: 01/23/2013
Publisher: Self-published
Genre(s): Contemporary New Adult

DESCRIPTION

Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart.

Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie's face.

Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can't help but listen.

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie's discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness or deeper heartache.


*This is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is not suitable for readers under 16 due to language and scenes of sensuality*

 MY THOUGHTS
 
This is the second book I've read by Chelsea M. Cameron, the first being My Favorite Mistake, which I liked a great deal. Deeper We Fall is a Mature Teen/New Adult novel written in the alternating points-of-view of Lottie (Charlotte) Anders and Zan (Alexander) Parker. The author scored a lot of points with me by clearly identifying who narrated each section — I've read several books where the narrator was not identified and found them to be highly frustrating!

The opening chapter introduced us to four of the characters: best friends, Lottie and Lexie, and brothers, Zack and Zan. It closed with Zan driving off with his brother and Lexie - the car accident that irrevocably changed their lives was left unexplained at that point.

The story continued as Lottie and her twin, Will, arrived at college. Will's best friend, Simon, was his roommate, and a girl named Katie, was introduced as Lottie's roommate. Coincidentally, through literary kismet, Zack and Zan were attending the same college, and further, Katie was Zack's girlfriend and Zan's dorm room was next door to Will and Simon's. That made for a number of instances of crossed paths, which, in turn, made for plenty of conflicts. It was obvious that Lottie detested Zack and Zan for disabling her friend. Will and Simon were very protective of Lottie, hence they hated the brothers by proxy. Zack? Well, he was an all-around nasty piece of work. Then, there was Zan who ended up being nothing like Lottie expected. He was quiet, polite, thoughtful, had had a crush on Charlotte for years, and kept saying he was sorry — for everything!

The sibling relationships in Deeper We Fall were concise examples of a consummate/unsound dichotomy. While Lottie and Will were nothing but loving and supportive (complete with lots of lighthearted teasing) of each other, Zan and Zack had a contemptuous relationship, one in which Zan attempted to prevent Zack from wrongdoings and, in some instances, took care of the disastrous results when he was too late.

Looking at all of the highlighting I did, it's obvious I thought a large portion of the book was quite notable. There were a number of pop culture references I loved: music, books, and movies. Lottie and Zan shared a lovely appreciation for literature and were able to quote from their favorite books. I delighted in Lottie and Zan's metaphorical descriptions, Simon's keen sense of humor, and the establishing of new relationships, both friendly and romantic. There were several situations featuring underage drinking and one instance, I believe, where characters smoked a joint. So, even though there was much to admire about most of the characters, they did exhibit lapses in judgment.

I can recall one instance where Zan's inner dialogue came across as sociopathic, but for the most part, I thought of him as just extremely shy. He knew his issues and limitations, but he dealt with them with the help of his social worker with whom he had a beneficial relationship.

My least favorite character, besides Zack, was Katie. I felt she was a pampered princess with boyfriend codependency issues. However, following a violent incident and with support from her new friends, I saw the possibility of a more sensible young woman going forward.

Lottie held on to her anger against Zan for awhile even after he consistently exhibited endearing qualities. I like to think of him as one of those "silent types" rather than as a creepy stalker. Once Lottie got past her "mad," opened the lines of communication, and stopped denying her feelings for him, their romance bloomed. That lead to the predictably lovely ending of this first book in the trilogy/series. Katie and Stryker's story continues in the next book, Faster We Burn, which is set to be published later in the year.


 HIGHLIGHTS
 
"Lexie went from a girl who loved horses and strawberry ice cream to a girl who had to learn how to walk again. A girl who couldn't remember my name."
~ Lottie

~*~

"He was already using her up, like a tube of toothpaste that would soon be squeezed dry."
~ Zan, referring to his brother

~*~

"'You know you can't lie to me, Lottie. My twindar is strong.' He tapped his forehead. Any moment he was going to start quoting Yoda. 'Avoid confrontation, we should,' he said. I pretended to punch his stomach, and he clamped my neck under his arm and messed my hair up. I went limp until he let me go. 'Annoying, you are,' I said as I tried to fix my hair."
~Lottie and Will

~*~

"Charlotte didn't just shake my world. She created an earthquake that had irrevocably changed the landscape of my life."
~ Zan

~*~

"I forced my eyes back on the page. Forced them to stop tasting her name over and over in my mind, like a piece of delicious candy I didn't want to dissolve."
~Zan

~*~

"'What do you want from me? Haven't you taken enough already.' He turned around slowly, and his face fractured for a second. I was so used to him being so expressionless, it startled me.
"'I can't take anything you don't give me. Stop giving me power over your life,' he said before turning and walking toward the stairs before I could say anything else."
~ Lottie and Zan


Sunday, February 3, 2013

Book Review: Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye

Title: Hearts in Darkness (Novella)
Series: Standalone
Author: Laura Kaye
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: 04/21/2011
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Republished: 05/19/2013
Publisher: Laura Kaye
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
 

DESCRIPTION

Two strangers...

Makenna James thinks her day can't get any worse, until she finds herself stranded in a pitch-black elevator with a complete stranger. Distracted by a phone call, the pin-striped accountant catches only a glimpse of a dragon tattoo on his hand before the lights go out.

Four hours...

Caden Grayson is amused when a harried redhead dashes into his elevator fumbling her bags and cell phone. His amusement turns to panic when the power fails. Despite his piercings, tats, and vicious scar, he's terrified of the dark and confined spaces. Now, he's trapped in his own worst nightmare.

One pitch-black elevator...

To fight fear, they must reach out and open up. With no preconceived notions based on looks to hold them back, they discover just how much they have in common. In the warming darkness, attraction grows and sparks fly, but will they feel the same when the lights come back on?


MY THOUGHTS
 
The opening quote by William Shakespeare is most appropriate: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." Most short stories and novellas are difficult for me to appreciate completely, but I fully appreciated all one hundred and twelve pages of Hearts in Darkness. What an intriguing idea it was to have the characters meet in that manner. The delightful ways they passed the time in the elevator...ALL the ways! *fans herself* After the elevator was wonderful too—after the feelings of awkwardness and doubt were pushed aside. It's said that you can't judge a book by its cover, but it was the evocative cover that first got my attention. The story that followed more than held it! And the ending? It wasn't what I feel is fairly typical of short stories, it was propitiously perfect!

HIGHLIGHTS


"When I finally got over the worst of the claustrophobia, I got the dragon. I wanted to be strong for Sean. And I wanted him to know I wasn't going to live my life in fear, when he couldn't live his at all." ~ Caden 

~*~

"Make you a deal: I'll help you through your claustrophobia, and you can help me with spiders." 
~ Makenna 

~*~

“I love...that elevator,” she said. 

With a sleepy smile and a full heart, he turned his head and kissed into her soft hair. “Aw, Red. I love that elevator, too.” 
~ Makenna and Caden

Autograph from the Richmond Author Event 12/14/2013!