Lila's Lair

Mmm, Spencer.

That's one hell of a man

Some books stay with you long after the pages have been closed. This is the best way for me describe my experience with Shadowfever. Hands down. Oh Fever....

Who needs sleep anyway?

For those who've read some of the previous books... yes, they were at times very dark. In this final hour things will get a bit darker still. Never fear though daylight seekers! As Moning has said, while it might not seem like it, this is a story about light.

"I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down"

When I call something an emotional rollercoaster, it usually isn't a compliment. Too often when such a ride comes by, it'll be sappy, or lacking substance beyond some tear jerking and uplifting scenes. The Fever series, especially Shadowfever, is an exception. Moning balances action with a beautifully intricate plot, sorrow with morality, humour with deeper meaning, and romance with integrity.  There were countless times where I was overwhelmed while reading these books, more so as they went on. The characters, plot, and writing combine to create something potent. Beautiful. Savage.

Disturbing.

Sexy.

No. Sorry Joe.

A darker kind of sexy.*

With epic love. Epic betrayal.

And epic answers to all those questions that Karen has been shaping.

Like any book, this won't be for everyone. Doesn't matter though. This book, this series, is now a favourite of mine. I recommend it to anyone (18+, sorry kiddies) who hasn't tried it. Hype-stigma be damned.

I need to stay true to myself by standing up for what I believe in, even if it means standing alone.

Brutally honest and beautifully insightful. Hartlin's journal provides a touching, unflinching account of her experiences with the impulsive skin-picking disorder, Dermatillomania.

Value is further added to this book by just how little information exists on this silenced disorder. It's only been recognized as a disorder in recent times (and only as a sub-category in the DSM), is poorly understood, not widely known about (even among health professionals) and lacks sufficient research. Furthermore, it only affects a small portion of the population (an estimated 1.4%), with considerable stigma and shame surrounding it. Thus, Forever Marked provides a source of hope for those suffering from this disorder. It shows that we are not alone in this fight, and that we all are more than our scars.

While there are sections in this book that may trigger some individuals, I believe this is a worthwhile read for anyone with, who knows someone with, or is interested in learning more about, this disorder.

P.S. I wrote a nice long review and then I had a not-so-well timed browser crash, so here lies a slightly shorter one. May the old version R.I.P.

As much as I love that time isn't constructed as a linear 'progression of cause to effect' in the story, I felt that most of All Our Yesterdays - not just the construction of time - was a little wibbly wobbly.

Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of time travelling; so All Our Yesterdays sat better with me than it could have. However, I kept swinging to and fro in my opinions on this novel. At some points I really liked it and really got into the characters. At other times I just wanted to fall asleep or bump off certain characters so that I wouldn't have to hear about them anymore. Perhaps I'm a tad cold and heartless, but  I really wanted Em to get her job over and done with.

Seriously… if I could, I would have pushed her aside and done it myself. I know. I'm a terrible person.

Admittedly, that would have probably cut the book down by half it's length. Oh well.

Regardless, this novel started off really strong. It gave me enough information to stir my curiosity and allow me to relate to Em, while still giving me several questions that I wanted answered. As mentioned above, the there were some good concepts surrounding time travel - how it works, how it was used, and the different perspectives on it's efficacy. I also really liked the Em / Marina connection. It wasn't completely unexpected, but I feel it worked really well (even though I absolutely can't stand Marina). All in all, those from the future had a lot more integrity than most of the characters from the past. They were more interesting and I wanted to know more about their relationships and situation. The characters from the past I really didn't care that much about, except Nate.

This book certainly wasn't perfect for me though. Certain scenes were drawn out and all the characters I liked were ruined in one way or another.

Admittedly there were characters I was supposed to care about, and I really didn't. Other details, such as the seizures were flaky.

Hopefully they're better explained in the next installment. I also really wanted to see Em and Finn have a bit more in the romance area. Near the end, everything went downhill. Then, I thought they were going to pick up. Alas… it all turned into a black hole of crushed doom and made me rather bitter.

Criticisms aside, I did enjoy this book. I just wasn't thrilled with it.

The Easter bunny gone awry. Whips and blindfolds. Breathtaking sunsets. Put simply - it was eclectic. Some of these tickled my fancy more than others. There were especially a lot of poems surrounding darker themes, most of which I absolutely ate up.

Whilst I was not drawn to every piece in this collection, I thoroughly enjoyed the poetry bound within these pages. Many of these are not for the faint of heart. It gets dark and many contain a heavy air of sexuality. However, for those who are open to something a little different, this is a treat. Ranging from themes of the perverse, to those of beauty, to the wickedly comical (it's not often that poetry makes me giggle-snort), Boxley captures the imagination and evokes the best and worst of humanity through these potent works.

As for the rhythm? I'd attempt to critique that but I'm not a poetry fiend and sincerely would have no idea what I'd be babbling about. Oh well.

But...

Let's be honest.



You can't go wrong with evil bunnies.

...

That wasn't awkward at all.

I felt this story had a lot of potential. However, I do not feel that it was met. Petronela Ungureanu comes across as a very strong writer, with a beautiful use of words and a skill for crafting exotic worlds and creatures. That being said… I felt that this short-story was rather lacking in many departments.

The first chapter is a quick info-dump that could have been worked into something that flowed a bit more smoothly, or integrated as the story progressed. The remaining story is written in a very formal manner for a first-person narration and dialogue, that doesn’t seem all that realistic given the context of the story (if this was intentional I would have liked to know why – to further understand the society of the worlds). Other than that, the plot is lack-lustre, and the romance would have been considerably stronger if some build-up had been provided.

What really seemed to make this story fall short of its potential was simply that it was SHORT. Ungureanu clearly had a lot of ideas bubbling away, yet cramming them into so few pages hasn’t allowed them to blossom.

Although this story has not left me all that impressed, I do believe that there is a lot of potential for the worlds that have been built and even the characters (which were left a bit 2D in this rush). With some more editing, time and words I think some very great things may be seen from this author.

Let's begin with the end, shall we?

Wait, that would be easier... if I had the fecking words.

Moning, it's like you want me to buy the next book… nowish! Well, your wish is my command. Though at the moment it feels like a point of no return.  I can safely say I've never had as many conflicting and messed up feelings at the end of a book than I have with this one. I was devouring this book the whole way through (I tried to put it down to no avail)… but no one can brace themselves for THAT. No one. I want to make some fancy critique but my mind is still reeling.

Maybe I should just stick to an overview… yes, that’d be easier, wouldn’t it?

Faefever is the third installment of the Fever series and I can safely say that, if anything, the books are getting better with time. While a certain residence of 700 didn’t tickle my fancy, there were introductions to new and intriguing characters, extremely unexpected (if you haven’t already noticed) but strong plot advancements, suspense and a spoonful of Mac’s lightening humour (and cake). The books so far have been fairly friendly for someone to just ‘jump straight in’ to them. However, I absolutely would recommend that any new-comers to the series should start from #1, for the simple reason that each book has been a thousand shades of fantastic.

Though when all said and done, it comes down to…

That ending...

I've never read any novels from Harlequin before now. However, this little book - written by a lady with a passion for the Mills & Boon collection - has certainly perked my curiosity about this romance company.

A Hint of Scandal is steamy, light-hearted, wonderful little popcorn novel. The characters are amusing and the plot is a fun romp through decadent society, conflicting characters and a lot of sexual heat. The lead female is intelligent and not well understood, but thankfully is independent and strong in her own right. The male, while slightly obnoxious at times, was one that grew on me - to the point where I was keenly vouching for him as the novel progressed.

I should mention that (while is an enjoyable read) it is not high class literature. There are a fair few clichés thrown in and the story is character driven, not plot driven – the plot is mainly there for humour and direction for the romance. If you prefer an intricate storyline filled with twists and turns, this may not be your first choice. Beyond that, A Hint of Scandal was fairly well written for a light-read - there were a few odd word choices here and there, however, the writing was more sophisticated than some in this genre: it managed to remain erotic without becoming trashy and emotional without spelling-out every character’s feelings.

While not flawless (though really, what is?), this is a scrumptious debut from a young romance author - I'm excited to see where the future of writing takes her!

- Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, by Joss Whedon)