The Bartered Virgin by Chevon Gael -- Review (**18+over material)

 

The Bartered Virgin

by Chevon Gael

Publication Date: 12/15/2010

Rating: 3 / 5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and Carina Press for the eARC.

Synopsis (courtesy of Goodreads):

Sold to the highest-ranked aristocrat!

That's what Winnifred Percy, New York City heiress, considered her engagement to Sir David Knightsbridge, Earl of Wolshingham. It's 1902 and she wants to be a modern woman, free to travel the world. To do that she needs to show the Earl she is a completely unsuitable bride.
Smoking and cursing doesn't have much effect on David so Winn reads him a very naughty French book. That leads to unexpectedly passionate kisses, and David's declaration that he wants to marry her. Drat! Even when she takes him to Coney Island to mingle with ordinary people and eat exotic hot dogs he's intrigued...and intriguing.
When desire leads them into scandal, Winn realizes she's ruined his hopes for restoring his family's honor. Can she let him go to find a more suitable bride?

Review:

I initially was drawn to the book by the synopsis - I thought the main character, Winn, was going to be witty to the extreme, to try to get out of this arranged marriage. As luck would have it, David actually found her tactics and antics unveiling her to be that much more desirable. And then throughout this period, Winn becomes drawn to him, even as she is still attempting to resist and forgo this arranged marriage.


I found Winn's character to be not all that enticing - I never really clicked with her character and many a times she behaved so ignorantly, it was rather bothersome. Also, I never really found David to be the prince charming she thinks she is coming to see in him - crass language and his interactions/ commands of Winn (though he does become less of a jerk to her by the end). 


All in all, this novella was a quick read, not accurate in its historical time-frame, and kind of lagged a bit in "romance" though it definitely is an erotica/18-and-over book -- so it didn't disappoint in that aspect or scenes.

Among Thieves: A Tale of the Kin by Douglas Hulick

Among Thieves: A Tale of the Kin

by Douglas Hulick

Publication Date: 04/05/2011

Rating: 3 / 5 Stars

Synopsis (courtesy of Goodreads):

Drothe has been a member of the Kin for years, rubbing elbows with thieves and murderers in the employ of a crime lord while smuggling relics on the side. But when an ancient book falls into his hands, Drothe finds himself in possession of a relic capable of bringing down emperors-a relic everyone in the underworld would kill to obtain.

Review:

I got this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway (Ty! ^^).

I was a bit optimistic about the story during the firs few pages, but as I got into it, it turned out to be surprisingly fun and an enjoyable read. I found the main character, Drothe, to be an interesting and entertaining. :)

The setting in a fantasy world that is filled with crime and chaos where the characters are set in reminded me a bit of Gotham city -- I don't know it just kind of gave me that vibe -- but just minorly.

I liked how the author did a good job in integrating fantasy and reasonable/plausible magical elements with mystery and thrilling sword fight scenes. I found the pace to be engaging, and not too slow or too fast paced, so kudos to the author for not rushing through or being long-drawn out in the story structure and writing.

I look forward to reading more from this author, hopefully in the near future!

Pale Demon (Rachel Morgan/ The Hollows #9) by Kim Harrison

Pale Demon (Rachel Morgan/ The Hollows #9)

by Kim Harrison

Publication Date: 2/22/11

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

Synopsis (courtesy of Goodreads):

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Review:

OMG - I seriously cannot get enough of Jenks and his adorable "Tink" swears. They make me laugh so hard. 

Ok, that aside, I really enjoyed this book and would rank it as probably my favorite book in the series thus far. Not only do we catch up on how Jenks is doing with his deep loss that occurred in the last book, but also ALOT more about Trent, Al, Newt, the going-abouts in the demonic ever-after, and Rachel too. I think this book is really pivotal in the series in the sense that Rachel has come to realize and accept her status as "of demon origin" and that, hey, it might not be so bad to use black/demon magic against evil comes in the form of a crazy, lunatic day-walking demon that eats souls to live (eww to the imagery involved...).

I was pleasantly surprised how well the book was written, since the last 2-3 books kind of were "Eh" and dragging. But it seems that Kim Harrison has gotten her second wind (hopefully for the next few books too!) with this well written 9th book in the series that reflect upon her early books in the series.

There is a lot of action and fighting that keep you enthralled with the story and rooting for our merry band of characters (Ivy, Jenks, Rachel, Trent)....and sometimes Al too. ;) But along with all the action, there is a lot of focus on changing/evolving relationships between characters (Ivy/Rachel, Rachel/Al, Rachel/Trent, Rachel/Newt) so be prepared for some tears, some WAhhhhhh? moments and some surprises that come out of the left field.

Can't wait for the next book to see what happens! ^^

Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld #10) by Kelley Armstrong

Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld #10) 

By Kelley Armstrong

I was really disappointed with the new Women of the Otherworld series. While it was nice to discover more about Elena and Clay, I felt this book was not as enthralling or thrilling as the other books in the series. And this book did not involve the other characters as much as the other books in the past had, which I think is key to making the series quite enjoyable reads. Also, it was way way too short for my liking. What the heck Kelley, I need a good long story about those awesome characters, ...more This book is from Elena's perspective. It involves Elena and Clayton following the trail of an Australian mutt. They track the mutt to Alaska, which also lead Elena and Clay to face new threats and enemies of the Pack.

I was really disappointed with this Women of the Otherworld book. While it was nice to discover more about Elena and Clay, I felt this book was not as enthralling or thrilling as the other books in the series. And this book did not involve the other characters as much as the other books in the past had, which I think is key to making the series quite enjoyable reads. Also, it was way way too short for my liking. What the heck Kelley, I need a good long story about those awesome characters, like you did with your earlier books. 

Rating: 2/5 Stars