Tes Hilaire

A different (read this as being good)take on the tired Vampire/demon/other paranormal sub-genre but one that could have been executed a bit better. At the half way mark I was still a bit confused what a Paladin was and what they could do. It seems that each of them have unique gifts but why one would have the gift of vampire frying God's grace (aka: High voltage Holy Light) and another would have the ability to become shadowy mist is still beyond my comprehension.

In addition to my confusion the idea of a 24 year old virgin heroine grates on my nerves. Yes it is possible yet the reasoning behind it was never explained. No she wasn't F'ugly. No she didn't HeeHaw when she laughed. She wasn't Queen of the Looney Bin either. Yet in this day and age this attractive, single, intelligent woman was mysteriously still a virgin (which the hero could smell by the way....TANGENT UP AHEAD~~~~does anyone else find it a bit yucky that the hero could smell her hymen?~~TANGENT OVER). Karissa not only was a virgin but she went from hating and being scared of our hero, Roland (who spoke terms of endearments in French for no apparent reason other than all vampires should speak French...thank you for that BS Ann Rice), to the Newest Member of Slutsville in a millisecond (or less). Her remarkable attitude adjustment from hatred and fear to acceptance of Roland being her mate was jarring and left me wondering how in the world it happened.

Now for the good stuff....The last 1/3 of the book was pretty awesome. Epic battles between good and evil. Tough decisions were made by several people. The lines were blurred a bit between good and evil. Not to mention some characters separated themselves from the backdrop to become intriguing and totally piqued my interest to where I will totally go on to read books 2 and 3 even though the first 2/3s of the book could have been better.
… (lisätietoja)

While I liked this book better than the first one I find a month after reading it that the book just didn't stay with me.

The Good Stuff: For the most part the cast of characters are really interesting ones. I liked Logan from the first book and liked him even more in the second. However, Valin really stole the show for me. Is he good or is he bad? I don't know but I want more of him. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of Jess investigating the murder that Roland (from the first book) was accused of.

The Bad Stuff: For a cop, Jessica is truly TSTL. I couldn't get over her lack of common sense. She's a detective for Pete's sake! She continually made poor decisions that put her into harms way and when she was almost killed she never reported it. I really can't stand when a character doesn't follow certain specifics that the author had already established. Like, calling for backup which would be standard procedure for a cop. She bugged the crap outta me.

In a Nutshell: As I mentioned before, I read this book about a month ago. Some of the book stuck with me (my obsession with Valin and my anti-girl crush with Jess). However, I have already forgotten the ending. I honestly don't remember if Jess and Logan got their HEA. I'm gonna assume they did as this is a PNR and all but what does that say about a book when the reader lost the entire ending? Despite that issue I'm still going to continue with the series. Valin's story is next up for me. Wooohoooo!… (lisätietoja)

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A heartbreaking story about two people who thought they were never meant for True Love. My only complaint was that the story wrapped up too fast for anything to be resolved.

Opening Sentence: Valin fought to breathe through the layers of dust shifting through the stale air of the cave.

The Review:

Prince of Shadows appears to be the final book in the Paladin Warrior Series. I have enjoyed how different this series has been from other paranormal books. Ultimately it has been a fight of good (light) against evil (dark) and how there can be a little bit of dark and light in each of us. It just depends on how we act that defines whether we truly are evil or good. This is a line that Valin and Gabriella have been skirting for quite some time.

Valin has been trying to catch Gabby for some time now. The wily vampire/succubus has managed to elude him. When Valin unexpectedly moves in with the group Gabby is training to help fight the dark, she can’t avoid him any longer. Valin has known that Gabby is his mate. He just has to show her that their feelings are real.

Gabby is dying. She is fighting her vampire side because she no longer wants to give in to those emotions. She will use what strength she has left to fight the evil demons who are trying to kill those who have weak powers. Valin has opened up emotions in Gabby that she never wanted to feel. After so many years of torment and torture, Gabby’s head won’t let her give in to these feelings.

Valin is a Paladin but he has always skirted the dark side. He has always been on the borderline of being not quite good but he’s never quite gone over the line. The Paladin’s are even wary of Valin’s power of being able to become a shadow. The only difference is that he doesn’t really care what others think of him. He values the brotherhood that he has with the other Paladin’s but mostly he just keeps to himself.

Gabby has had an unfortunate life. It is no wonder that she is ready to sacrifice herself. She wants to destroy those who have hurt her. When Valin shows how he feels, she can’t quite believe it. She thinks he has ulterior motives. I felt really sad for Gabby and the stuff that she had to go through. She has a lot in common with Valin but she doesn’t take the time to learn about him more.

Prince of Shadows could be read as a standalone but the events of this book fall entirely between events of the second book. It references back to Deliver Me From Temptation a few times. I would still recommend reading the full series just to get the whole story of the fight between good and evil.

There are quite a few point of views throughout this book. The story doesn’t just focus on Valin and Gabby’s relationship but also a budding relationship with Bennett and Annie. The big baddie also chimes in on his evil plans. I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere of this story and the quiet desperation of Valin and Gabby. These characters seem to be misunderstood.

My only complaint was that this story wrapped up way to fast. It was like major climax then turn the page and it’s over. There are so many things that never happened. I was really looking forward to the major battle but it never happened. Hell the big reveal didn’t happen, the story ended before that was unveiled. I really hope the author releases some kind of short story to wrap up this series. I know that probably isn’t going to happen but I would like to have known what the ultimate endgame would have been.

Notable Scene:

“You wanted to know why I care, right?” he asked, his thumb rubbing a circular path at the back of her neck. Damn but she had the softest skin. He wanted to touch every inch of it, brand it as his and his alone.

She nodded, though her brow was still pinched in confusion, her kiss-swollen lips clamped tight between her bottom teeth and one sweet little fang.

“The answer is simple, Gabby.” He rubbed his hips against hers, letting her feel how much he ached for her. “Your mine.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’re delusional.”

“Must suck to belong to a delusional man,” he said with a twisted smile, then crushed his mouth back down on hers.

FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks/Casablanca provided me with a copy of Prince of Shadows. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.… (lisätietoja)

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Dark, gritty world with a romance that quickly explodes on the page. I recommend for readers who like angels, demons and vampires.

Opening Sentence: Logan Calhoun III was going to die.

The Review:

Deliver Me from Temptation is the second novel set in the “Paladin” world. It has been a while since I read this first novel in this series so it did take me a bit to remember what happened but it honestly didn’t take away any enjoyment for getting into this story. Deliver Me from Temptation has a dark, gritty feel about the battle of good versus evil that must remain hidden at all costs. A good persons soul could be lost if the dark can fuel and twist and persons’ wants and needs.

Logan Calhoun is a Paladin. He is next in line to take over as leader when his father decides to give up his role. In the meantime, Logan focuses his time on hunting down dark souls such as demons, vampires and succubae. On one of his hunts, he is confronted by a human policewoman who stops Logan and his partner from going after their dark prey. He erases her memories and feels bad about it. There is something about this woman that just draws Logan. He decides to keep an eye on her because he doesn’t believe in coincidences. He thinks there was a reason she was there, especially after learning she had vampires following her.

Jessica Waters could have been anything that she wanted to be, instead she devotes her life to fighting for those who need her help. As a cop, she knows that the latest murder case was a terrible person in life but she still must find out who killed him and get justice. Her latest tip brings her to a back alley where she can’t remember what happened with her night. The next night she goes “undercover” looking for a key clue in her murder case when she is attacked. Logan, who has been following her for more than one reason, joins in on the fight.

Jessica is quite focused and determined. She wants to get the bad guy no matter the cost. She’s almost suicidal in her hunt for questions. Logan calls her out on it. I enjoyed Jessica’s tenacity even though she made a stupid move in the end.

Logan feels the pull toward Jessica. He can’t believe that she is his mate. A human that will die while he continues to live on. He wants to fight the pull as much as possible. He wants her to live a normal human life without the danger of his world to add on to it. He has another major reason for not giving in to his needs: The last Paladin who mated with a human turned evil. He doesn’t want to go down that path when Jessica inevitably dies.

The world of the Paladin is evolving and not necessarily in a good way. Logan’s father is quite adamant about the purity of Paladins. Logan is also one of the last pure Paladins. Logan sees the world in a different light and wants to change how the Paladins operated but he can’t do that until he is in charge.

Deliver Me from Temptation was a dark, gritty and incredibly fast read. The events take place over the course of three days so the romance is quick and passionate. I enjoyed the overall world that this series is set in plus the secondary character of Valin. I can’t wait to read his story next. I think my only issue was how fast the romance played out, there was a bit of temptation and looks but it was more of an “I dare you to kiss me” act and that’s how fast it plays out.

Notable Scene:

“Why were you there, Jessica? Trying to get killed?”

She sucked in a breath, shaking her head at the absurdity of his accusation. “I wasn’t trying to get killed.”

“You weren’t? Could have fooled me.”

“Of course not!”

“Damn it, Jessica. I can’t understand you. You won’t tell me why you were there. You won’t let me help you.”

“I don’t want your help.”

“What do you want then? To die? What happened to you that you’re so obsessed with avenging others’ deaths that you don’t even care about your own life?”

“I do care about my own life.”

“Prove it.”

She laughed. “How? Should I dance a jig? Maybe grab a bottle of wine and whoop it up on the beach?” She shook her head. “Staying focused and doing my job doesn’t mean that I don’t have a life or that I don’t care about staying alive to live it.”

FTC Advisory: Sourcebook Casablanca provided me with a copy of Deliver Me from Temptation. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.… (lisätietoja)