Devil May Cry – Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark Hunter #12)

Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As an ancient Sumerian god, Sin was one of the most powerful among his pantheon.  . . Until the night Artemis brutally stole his godhood and left him for dead. For millennia, this ex-god turned Dark-Hunter has dreamed only of regaining his powers and seeking revenge on Artemis. If only life were that simple.
 
Unfortunately he has bigger fish–or in Sin’s case–demons, to fry. The lethal gallu that were buried by his pantheon are now stirring and they are hungry for human flesh. Their goal is to destroy mankind and anyone else who gets in their way.  Sin is the only one who can stop them–that is if a certain woman doesn’t kill him first. Unfortunately, Sin discovers that now he must rely on her or witness an annihilation of biblical proportions.  

Enemies have always made strange bedfellows, but never more so than when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Now a man who knows only betrayal must trust the one person most likely to hand him to the demons. Artemis may have stolen his godhood, but this one has stolen his heart. The only question is will she keep it or feed it to the ones who want him dead?

When I started reading the Dark Hunter Books, I vowed that I wouldn’t do anything stupid that would spoil my wonderful journey reading through this series. We all know what happened with that– few days in and I’ve joined a DH/SK group on Goodreads and have browsed through SK’s website. The one of the biggest spoiler I’ve “accidentally” read was about Katra’s parentage.
While I love almost all things Viking, I didn’t completely fell in love with Wulf and Cassandra’s story. But Katra was a character I immediately thought I should look forward to.
Fast forward to this book, finally, it’s time Kat had her HEA. And boy was it an HEA of epic proportions. In a gist she gets to save the world from destruction, she gets her man (her one and only, literally) and at last she meets her father… Overall, I like Kat because she is an embodiment of a strong female lead. She’s tough, fierce and strong. She can kick evil’s ass while in heels but she has compassion and righteousness that makes her an endearing character. She’s a goddess inside and out.
Talking about Sin. How do I even begin? If the Dark Hunters had a betrayal hall of fame, he’d be up there in the ranks with Kyrian. He lost his family and his lost his godhood but that is just the tip of the iceberg that made him have serious trust issues. That said, I love him for it! If not for all that has happened to him he wouldn’t be half as awesome a character he was.
The baddies in this book are one-up from the regular baddies in the series which actually made it a more interesting read. They make me want to tear out my hair in agitation in behalf of Sin and Kat.
Another thing that I liked in this book was the battle towards the end. It was neat to see reinforcements coming from different sources. It also brought a certain new character in my radar. I’ve got my eyes on you Xypher.
Lastly, SPOILER ALERT: Ash and Katra moments. The father and daughter scenes were so well written, I still need a moment before I can go pick up another book. Book hangovers like these are the best!

Favorite quote from the book:
“You know the incredible thing about hearts is their unbelievable capacity for forgiveness. You’d be amazed what people will overlook when they love someone.” –Acheron

My reaction after I read this book:

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Sins of the Night — Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter #8)

Sins of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the realm of the Dark-Hunters there is a code of honor that even immortal bad boys must follow:

Harm no human. Drink no blood. Never fall in love.

But every now and again a Dark-Hunter thinks himself above the Code. That’s when I’m summoned. Who am I? I’m the one thing the fearless fear. Step over the line and it’s my wrath you will face. Nothing can touch me. Nothing can sway me. I am relentless and unfeeling.

Or so I thought until I met a female Dark-Hunter who goes by the name of Danger-it’s not just her name, it’s how she lives her life. She doesn’t trust me at all. And who could blame her? She alone knows that I’m here to be judge, jury and most likely executioner of her friends. Yet she is my key to saving some of them. Without her, they all will die.

Dangereuse St. Richard is a deadly distraction. Something about her is reawakening a heart I thought was long dead. But in a race against evil, the only hope mankind has is that I do my duty. And how can I do my duty when it means that I will have to sacrifice the only woman I’ve ever loved?

It took me a while (a very long while) before i finally finished Sins of the Night. The story took place in Mississippi, so it was kinda like breather from all the crazy happenings in New Orleans. Dangereuse is the first woman Dark Hunter to have a HEA. I didn’t love her as much as I did with the other heroines I have read of so far though.
The Alexion, I did find as a likable character. I just had a good deal of confusion on whether he was supposed to be a being who didn’t feel any emotion. There were definitely moments when he felt the emotions of an average human and yet he didn’t find that surprising. Sure he assumes human form from time to time to act as judge, jury & executioner to rogue Dark Hunters, but wasn’t the last time he was corporeal like years and years ago? Even then, I still found him likable because of one very important reason–> SPOILER ALERT he had gifted all Dark Hunters with an out clause. It was a heartbreaking story when Ias/Alexion was betrayed by his wife. But, as Ash would always say “We learn from our pain”. If not for that necessary pain, he wouldn’t have immortality with his true love and we can kiss all those lovely couples we’ve read of goodbye.
I personally vote that all Dark Hunters to pay tribute to Alexion at least once in their immortal life.
My reaction
when i read about the dark hunter rebellion and the theories about Ash

when Ash saves the day (deus ex machina i know, but still):

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Dance with the Devil — Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter #4)

Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zarek’s Point of View:

Dark-Hunter: A soulless guardian who stands between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. Yeah, right. The only part of that Code of Honor I got was eternity and solitude.

Insanity: A condition many say I suffer from after being alone for so long. But I don’t suffer from my insanity-I enjoy every minute of it.

Trust: I can’t trust anyone…not even myself. The only thing I trust in is my ability to do the wrong thing in any situation and to hurt anyone who gets in my way.

Truth: I endured a lifetime as a Roman slave, and 900 years as an exiled Dark-Hunter. Now I’m tired of enduring. I want the truth about what happened the night I was exiled-I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Astrid (Greek, meaning star): An exceptional woman who can see straight to the truth. Brave and strong, she is a point of light in the darkness. She touches me and I tremble. She smiles and my cold heart shatters.

Zarek: They say even the most damned man can be forgiven. I never believed that until the night Astrid opened her door to me and made this feral beast want to be human again. Made me want to love and be loved. But how can an ex-slave whose soul is owned by a Greek goddess ever dream of touching, let alone holding, a fiery star?

When I read about Zarek in the first few books in the series, I told myself that this character is so hateful…..I think I love him!
Zarek, Zarek, Zarek, you had the most terrible time when you were alive and when you finally became a dark hunter, the world still gave you more lemons than you can possibly handle. The physical beatings did not really affect me much. But the scene where he was going to buy bread totally broke my heart. I weep for you, Zarek.
I’ve never been happier for a fictional character who finally got his HEA more than I did for this Greek.On the other hand, I think Astrid could have been written better. Not that I’m complaining but, her character sort of lacked some “oomph” to convince me that she tamed the wild animal.
Overall, I had fun reading this book. Since the first DH book that I read, I’ve personally made it my goal to read as fast as I can so I can finally get to Acheron’s story. So cheers to me! 8 or 9 books to go!
My reaction
while reading about Zarek’s life:

whenever it’s a Simi moment:

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A Quick Bite — Lynsay Sands (Argeneau #1)

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

About 20-30 pages or so, I decided to put my misery to an end.
The writing just didn’t appeal to me. Every paragraph, I find myself cringing literally at how weird and poorly things are developing.
It was supposed to be a funny read. But all I ever did was raise a questioning eyebrow as I pushed myself to read.

As I write this I don’t know if I can continue reading this or try to kindle my interest by reading other books from this series. If you’re someone who likes reading alpha males and feisty heroines, look away because I don’t think this is the book for you.

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Just the Sexiest Man Alive — Julie James

No woman could resist him—except the one he wanted most…

Cool, Calm, Collected…

Nothing fazes Taylor Donovan. In the courtroom she never lets the opposition see her sweat. In her personal life, she never lets any man rattle her—not even her cheating ex-fiancé. So when she’s assigned to coach People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for his role in his next big legal thriller, she refuses to fall for the Hollywood heartthrob’s charms. Even if he is the Jason Andrews.

Confident, Famous, Irresistible…

Jason Andrews is used to having women fall at his feet. When Taylor Donovan gives him the cold shoulder, he’s thrown for a loop. She’s unlike any other woman he’s ever met: uninterested in the limelight, seemingly immune to his advances, and shockingly capable of saying no to him. She’s the perfect challenge. And the more she rejects him, the more he begins to realize she may just be his perfect match
Summary c/o Goodreads

Finally succumbed to the pressure of reading JTSMA. I think I might have had this book under my to read list for 2012. But Alas! 2012 was my year for PNR/Urban fantasy series. This is the first book from the author Julie James that I had the pleasure of reading. The story line was simple but hats off to the her for her witty writing. You’ve got to admit that at least once in every girl/woman’s life, she must have dreamed of movie stars as their knight in shinning armor who will whisk them away from their bleary existence; or as the dashing prince charming that will lead her to her happily ever after.

I had the most fun reading this book. It was light, it was funny and everything a chicklit ought to be. Suffice to say that I intend to read more titles from this author.

My general reaction while reading:

RATING:

Dark Needs at Night’s Edge – Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark #5)

Right, so at press time, I have already finished reading an entire series (Blackdagger Brotherhood by JR Ward–which I really want to write a review about because I’m so in to this series, like seriously!) and have started on another (Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole).

Hold up! These titles aren’t YA?!

Uhuh.. got that right. I’ve decided to take a break from all the YA stuff for the time being. Before I fell in love with YA books, there was my first love which historical romance (this was way back in high school–turn of the millennium). If you’ve seen the my reading-read-to-read list you will also notice that I have a thing for paranormal romance/urban fantasy and high fantasy novels. (hurray for world-building! does this mean that I don’t like the world i’m in?–quite possibly)

I digress.

So here is I am just finished with book number 5 of Immortals After Dark and book review writing struck my fancy.

SYNOPSIS

Normally, I am not so crazy over books with ghosts as main characters. I am so in love with the urban fantasy/PNR genre but ghosts just don’t seem so appealing or intriguing like the other beings that “go bump in the night. This IAD book is quite an exception.
It’s got a sexy demented vampire. It’s got haunting ex-burlesque-ballerina. And the plot has just the right elements of danger and passion.
In this book, Woede brother fans get to know Cade’s fated woman which will just lead you to jump the next book.
Props to Kresley Cole for her Lore-world building. All my love to the Wroth brothers!

RATING:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

First off, this book has such a lovely cover! If I had to rate the book for just its cover, I’d give it a four out of five.

Fun fact: I like high fantasy stories. Gaiman and Tolkien are my favorite authors when it comes to high fantasy. I haven’t read much high fantasy in the YA genre though. This book has just the right elements of a standard “hero-or for this instance heroine-journeys-and-discovers-her-strength-and-purpose-in-the-world”.

So we have, Lucero-Elisa (I like her name) or Elisa. She was born a princess and on her name day was given a gift and a responsibility. She is the bearer of the Godstone, supposedly bestowed by God to a chosen one every hundred years. On her sixteenth birthday, she was married off to a King from a neighboring land plagued by threats of war. It is in this foreign land of deserts and oasis that she will fulfill the prophecy of doing an act of service to God and the people of the land.

This book had religious tones which makes it really unique from most books that I’ve read. Reading about the characters in the book and of their faith reminded me a lot of the saying:

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”.

Religious faith and the will of God were emphasized which eventually reflected how humans, no matter how pure or jaded they may be, are all part of God’s plan.

Even if the story is in the fantasy genre, the characters are very real. Take Elisa for example, she is the first heroine that I’ve read in a long while who is described as fat and “sausage-looking”. King Alejandro de Vega, while his name sounds oh-so-majestic, was an indecisive leader and was blind to the betrayals around him.

I would like to give Father Alentin, priest and rebel, a shout out for his wonderful quips when speaking of the King. My personal favorite would have to be

“…but His Majesty, may multitudinous sons spring from his loins,…”

As for the love angle in this book, well let’s just say that it was a romance-that-never-was. I wouldn’t want to spoil you of anything. *grin

This book could have been super great if:
☆ some sort of backstory was given about the Inviernos, the enemy
☆ a map of the land –it’s a new world so a little help is necessary
☆ more sorcery stuff
☆ MORE HECTOR –I liked this character a lot

The second book in the trilogy is set to be released by September this year. While waiting for it, you can ogle at the lovely UK version of the book cover.

RATING:

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Summary over @ Goodreads

Story dragged during the early parts. I’d like to give myself a pat on the shoulder for pushing myself to read further. When the plot picked up somewhere along chapters 9 or 10-ish, I thought this book had its own charm.
Ari’s (our protagonist) character development was a slow to build. I wondered sometimes if the girl had schizophrenia.One second, she was this brave chick knocking strangely clad men’s head down then she suddenly freaks and breaks down for something totally unexpected. She did grew on me eventually.

Weak point? Definitely the love angle between Ari and Sebastian. Since this is going to be a series, it might have been better if the love angle was steadily built instead of dumping it on our heads.
Will I read on to the next installment? Sure, Goodreads did give the 2nd book a better rating than this one.  SPOILER ALERT! Also, the idea that the Greek goddess of wisdom is an evil bitch is quite foreign. (fun fact: Athena is one of the godesses that i actually like. So speaks the ravenclaw in me. LOL)…Yet another reason why I’m looking forward to the next book.

RATING: