Book Review: The Silver Chain (Unbreakable, #1) by: Primula Bond

Title: The Silver Chain (Unbreakable, #1)

Author: Primula Bond

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Erotic Romance

Theme(s): BDSM

Length: 400 pgs

Binding: E-book

Published: 4 July; HarperCollins

Buy: amazon.com

Synopsis:  

Bound by passion, she was powerless to resist.

One dark evening in London, photographer Serena Folkes is indulging her impulsive side with a night-time shoot. But someone is watching her – mysterious entrepreneur Gustav Levi. Serena doesn’t know it yet, but this handsome stranger will change her life forever...

Serena is fascinated by Gustav, the enigmatic owner of the Levi Gallery, and she soon feels an irresistible pull of attraction. The interest is mutual, and Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career at his gallery, but only if Serena agrees to become his exclusive companion.

To mark their agreement, Gustav gives Serena a bracelet to wear at all times. Attached to it is a silver chain of which he is the keeper. With the chain Gustav controls Serena physically and symbolically – a sign that she is under his power.

As their passionate relationship intensifies, Gustav’s hold on the silver chain grows stronger. But will Gustav’s dark past tear them apart?
 

An erotic romance novel perfect for fans of 50 Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series. The Silver Chain is the first in the sexy, passionate and addictive Unbreakable Trilogy by Primula Bond.

My Rating:

My Review: I'm going to try not to let this review turn into a full blown rant, but I can't promise anything. I really dislike giving a book anything lower than 3 stars because no matter how I feel, I try to always keep in the back of my mind that this story is someone's baby, something they poured time and effort into. But I am nothing if not honest, and sadly, there are so many things I found wrong with The Silver Chain by Primula Bond. Riddled with contradictions, awkward wording/scenarios, and a hero/heroine that were down right unappealing and unsympathetic, I'm still in shock that this book is being compared to the likes of Sylvia Day's sizzling Crossfire series. Yes, it does share the formula: a younger woman leaves behind a troubled past by moving to a big city to also attempt to make it on her own. Millionaire, dominant older man with a dark side meets said younger woman and wants total possession, ownership, etc. But that is where the similarities end and not all for the good.

Here is what I did like. Since so many erotic novels are following in the footsteps of series like 50 Shades of Grey and Crossfire, the actual setting of The Silver Chain was quite refreshing. The majority of the story takes place in London, England, on a completely different continent from which I am used to reading about. The author, Primula Bond, is also from the UK and it is quite noticeable in her writing which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it did come with some challenges, such as learning different words like "skint" which means not having much money.  And not laughing when the author uses "knickers" instead of panties, etc.

I also liked that the book's hero, Gustav Levi, is the owner of an art gallery. Yes, he is an entrepreneur, but the main focus of the novel centers around the Levi gallery. It's a nice change from other book millionaire heroes that we know. The art aspect of the novel was just about the only thing I could truly relate to. I not only minored in Art History in college, but I also interned at an art gallery so it was nice to delve back into that world.

So here is what I had issues with, starting with our main characters. I didn't like Serena at all. I give her a lot of credit for rising above her horrific childhood, but that's about the only compliment I can give her. I thought she was immature, selfish, and a bit hypocritical. There are so many examples to prove my point, but the biggest one is how she treats Gustav when it is his turn to try to find closure from his troubled past. Once she makes the deal with Gustav, she travels back to her village to finish selling her childhood home that held so many troubled memories for her. She also spies on her ex-boyfriend, Jake, having sex with another woman and takes photos of the encounter. She even meets up with him later-- my point is, she went back to find some closure for herself. After spending some time with Gustav and learning that many of his control and trust issues stem from his horrible marriage, he asks Serena to travel with him to the estate he shared with his ex-wife, Margot, in Switzerland to find closure. He didn't have to do that. He could have left her. But he trusted her to go with him, needing her support. Serena is even told by people that are close to Gustav (Crystal and Dickson) that she is the first girl he has ever taken back there, that this was a huge deal for him, and to try to be patient. So you would think she would go with an open mind, right? Nope, instead she flips. The very first day they arrive, actually. Serena sees the chapel where Gustav and his ex-wife Margot got married and literally freaks out. Really??? Why??? She knew by going with him that she was going to be seeing things that Gustav shared with his ex-wife. So why is it such a shock when she sees the chapel they got married in??? Serena yells at him, runs away-- makes it about her instead of giving him a chance to even try to find closure.

Gustav Levi just didn't do it for me as a hero. This could partially be the way he is described which would be the author's doing. Primula Bond has a habit of describing things that are supposed to come across as sexy but just doesn't work. Here is an example: "...the subtle flex in his forearm as he twirls his swizzle up and down his fingers like a cheerleader's baton." Umm, okay? Like comparing him in any way to a cheerleader is supposed to make him more manly? If anything it is a turn off. Also, the majority of the novel Gustav either spends hooking Serena to him with the silver chain (which totally annoyed me, I'll get to that later) or disappearing without letting her know where he's gone off to. He is more controlling than he is dominant which are two completely different things. I think the thing that bothered me the most about Gustav is that he didn't show much concern for Serena when it was really needed. Prime example is when they are horseback riding. Serena falls off her horse and injures her ankle really bad. By the time he figures out what happened,  instead of kneeling down beside her to check on her ankle, he just stands there! She's literally in tears and asks him to help bind her ankle or take her to a doctor. What does Gustav do? He asks her if she wants to go get some hot chocolate. Umm, WHAT??? Oh, it gets better. When Serena stupidly agrees (totally makes no sense if she is that hurt) instead of picking her up and carrying her, he just walks slowly next to her while she hobbles. WTF? Wow, what a freakin' gentleman.

 My other major issue is the slew of contradictions or inconsistencies throughout the book. I'm going to try to go through a few of the ones that stood out the most. 1) Serena accidentally left her camera after her first meeting with Gustav. We listen in on the phone call when he tells her where to meet him to pick up the camera. When she arrives, Gustav says, "You told me to guard it with my life, and that's exactly what I did...I told you I had a proposition for you, so I'll get straight to the point." What??? During their phone conversation she NEVER said to guard her camera with his life NOR does he mention anything about a proposition. 2) During their first sexual encounter, he asks her, "Please would you kneel down, Serena." Her response: "Hands and knees, you say? You want me to scrub the floor now?" What??? He told her to KNEEL, not to get on her hands and knees! 3) When Gustav arrives at the opening night of Serena's gallery exhibit, his, "...black hair is slicked back like the Godfather, making him look positively sinister and intimidating."  A few pages later his, "dark hair falls against his eyebrow." So WHICH IS IT? Slicked back hair or loose in his face??? 4) The next morning after her sprained ankle incident, Serena wakes up to find that she must have been undressed in the middle of the night. She fantasizing about both Gustav and Dickson (Gustav's driver). She wonders, "Did the men undress me together?...Did they grow hard looking at me, dare the other to make a macho remark about the sleep of the innocent or did they deny the bulge in their trousers?...Did they have their way, the two of them exploring me with tongues and fingers and other parts..." Several pages later, Serena is looking through Gustav's telescope and sees Dickson kissing a woman. Her response? "Eww. Think I'll leave them to it." What??? She just fantasized about Dickson taking advantage of her in her sleep yet she is disgusted by him when she sees him kiss another woman??? It just totally doesn't make sense.

 My last gripe is with the silver chain. I was first okay with it. This is obviously not my first book where the male character wants to mark his woman in some way, or to wear something that shows she belongs to him. I've read previous novels where men have made women wear collars, nipple clamps, even butt plugs all day. So I figured the silver chain between Serena and Gustav would be the same thing. At first it starts in private. He makes her wear a bracelet that is nearly impossible to get off, hooks the chain to it, and holds the other end to basically control the distance between them depending on his mood. Okay, I can deal with that. What totally turned me off and made it feel somewhat unbelievable was: 1) During opening night of her exhibit in a room full of people he hooks the chain up and tugs her around! I don't give a crap that the chain was so thin that you could barely see! It just doesn't seem realistic at all. Isn't it enough that she is wearing the bracelet? Isn't that symbolic enough? 2) Serena wakes up to find Gustav gone (yeah, like I said, he disappears all the time) and when she gets up off the bed, she notices that he had attached a longer chain on her wrist. Wait, get this. The chain is not only attached to her wrist, but to the wall and is so long that she can basically walk around the majority of the house. But essentially she is bound to the house and is unable to get dressed since she is attached to the chain. WTF! That's supposed to be a turn on??? I honestly don't blame her for breaking loose!!!

The Silver Chain is the first novel in a long time that I just wanted to stop reading, but because I had an obligation to review it, I forged ahead. It had an interesting premise and hey, any erotic romance being compared to Sylvia Day's Crossfire series is definitely worth a shot. But sadly, the story was a hot mess, filled with contradictions and characters that I honestly couldn't wait to forget. Gustav can't even light a candle next to the likes of Gideon (Crossfire series), Gabe and Jace (Breathless series), or Remington (Real, Raw, & Ripped series). These men would eat Gustav up and spit him out. And while I get the symbol of the silver chain, Primula Bond went a bit overboard with it. I don't think I will be reading any more books in this series but all I can hope is that the author hires some beta readers or finds a better editor to help point out the inconsistencies before any future novels are published.

Book Review: TRUE by: Erin McCarthy

Title: TRUE
Author: Erin McCarthy
ISBN/ISIN:  B00B7NPS60
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: New/Mature Adult, Contemporary Romance
Binding: E-book
Length: 235 pgs. 
Published: 7 May 2013

Buy: amazon.com

Synopsis:  A New Adult novel from USA Today bestselling author Erin McCarthy.
When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…
 
Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost… 

My Rating:

My Review: I actually wince every time I look at the 2.5 star rating I gave TRUE by Erin McCarthy. I keep asking myself, how could this book have turned out to be a hot mess? It had everything going for it, a hot cover, a premise that almost guaran-damn-teed one hell of a scorching romance, and the most important factor--the book was written by USA Today and NY Times Bestselling romance author Erin McCarthy.  Despite all of these positives and all of the marketing and advertising, TRUE does not live up to its hype.

Rory is a 20 year old college student who is studying to be a coroner. She loves math and science and feels more comfortable studying than going out clubbing. Her two best friends, Kylie and Jessica, on the other hand, like to party, get drunk, and like to "scratch their itch" regularly. Whatever, I'm not judging! This does, however, set the tone for the beginning of the book. And because I want to talk about the positive stuff first, I will come back to the trouble I had with the start of TRUE.

Despite the issues I had with the beginning of the book, the story gains strength as it chugs along, especially as the mystery surrounding Tyler starts to unravel. To be quite honest, I found his story and him as a character way more interesting than Rory. And I am not going to lie and say I wasn't a little disappointed that the book was only in Rory's point of view. I think the book blurb summary is a bit misleading. It made it sound like the story would have alternating POV. I have no issues with a story being told by one person, but I think TRUE would have benefited with Tyler's POV. Despite this, I was sucked into Tyler's world. His home life was absolutely horrific. No wonder the poor boy smoked so many damn cigarettes! I definitely fell a little in love with him AND his big brother Riley (also a hottie) for sacrificing their own childhood and dreams so that they could take care of their younger brothers, Easton and Jayden.

What is so frustrating is the fact that I am having a hard time finding other things about the book that I liked. Everything was just okay. There was hardly any character development. The "love" scenes between Rory and Tyler were just...okay. Not to say that there wasn't at last one that got me a little hot, but nothing that left me or my kindle overheated. And the story itself was just...okay. Nothing really made it stand out, other then Tyler and his family issues, but even that didn't feel fully committed to. Even the culmination of the main plot device which is the deal Rory's roommates make with Tyler to rid her of her virginity just kind of fizzles. I guess what I am trying to say is, I expected more, especially from an author who has some high credentials. Yes, she is known for her adult romance, but come on, New Adult or Mature Adult, whatever you want to call it, is not THAT much of a stretch for her. I've read debut authors in the New Adult/Mature Adult genre that have written WAY better stories than TRUE. This should have been a slam dunk for her. But I think what Erin McCarthy and other authors that may want to venture into this hot genre need to learn is if you are going to stick with a formula, you need to somehow not only make it your own, but give us a fresh way to look at it. I don't have a problem reading a story with the same premise as 10 other books. But MAKE IT STAND OUT. While I was reading TRUE, I couldn't help be reminded of Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits. Tyler's family situation is very similar to that of Noah's. I even remember shedding a few tears while reading Noah's story, remember feeling that lump in my throat and the pain in my chest. I'm not saying I need to feel those same emotions while reading a similar novel, I just expect to be moved in some way and walk away feeling like the book held its own.

Now to what I truly disliked about TRUE. Let's go back to the beginning of the story. I'm not going to sugarcoat the scene. Rory's two best friends, Jessica and Kylie, want to get some, so they ask her to come with them to Nathan's apartment. Nathan is basically Tyler's best friend and Tyler hangs out and crashes over there often. So while Kylie and Jess are getting it on with Nathan and Tyler (YES, Tyler and Jessica are f-buddies), Rory is out in the living room with Grant. Grant tries to RAPE Rory and instead of screaming for help, she has this whole inner monologue about what she should do, or maybe she should just play along in order to throw him off when he least expects it, etc., etc., etc.. WTF!?! Her best friends AND 2 guys are in the apartment. It's not like there is a party going on or there is loud music that would muffle her screams. Why she just didn't scream for help is so absurd.

Once the almost rape is interrupted (you can guess who comes to her rescue), Rory obviously wants to go back to the dorms. Cool, totally understand. I at first thought her best friends were pretty sympathetic and outraged at what Grant tried and almost did to Rory. Great. But then I read this: "'I'm staying here,'" Jessica stated. "'It's too cold outside to go home. See you tomorrow, Rory.' Kylie was already curled up on the couch, in a praying position, half-asleep as she gave a weak wave. 'Bye, sweetie.'"  WTF!!!!!!!!!! Are you SERIOUS??? Her BEST FRIENDS won't go back to the dorm with her???? She almost got raped for goodness sakes!!! This made me insanely angry. I'm going to stop while I'm ahead or else I will keep on ranting about that!

There were other minor things that annoyed me, lines that didn't quite make sense such as this one: "Oh my God. It was Tyler, just propped up casually, legs sprawled out, his feet dangling over the side in nothing but socks." Obviously he wasn't naked, but the way she wrote that sentence made it seem like he was. I know I had an ARC copy of TRUE, so it could just be a proof reading error, so I won't hold it against her.

I really wanted to like TRUE. It had a great set up, everything from the attractive cover art, marketing campaign, catchy book blurb, and a seasoned author. Sadly, the story itself did not live up to its expectations, just a shell of what it could have been. Some of her plot devices were just poorly executed. It's one thing if you are going to use a rape scene to have the hero come to the heroine's rescue (it's happened in books a thousand times) but maybe make it more believable. Maybe have her locked in a room with the creep while a party is going on with really loud music so no one can hear her screams. But to have the girl sitting there in the quiet living room while at least 4 other people are within hear shot and she doesn't even try to cry out for help is just ridiculous. And in my opinion, her "best friends" are no friends at all for staying behind because it's "too cold". Again, a poor plot device to get the hero and heroine alone (Tyler ends up taking Rory back to the dorm.) Erin McCarthy either needs to stick with what she is good at or take her spin in the New/Mature Adult genre more seriously.

Book Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Title: Lies Beneath

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

ISBN: 0385742010

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Theme(s): Mermaids/Merman, revenge

Binding: Hardcover

Length: 320 pgs

Published: 12 June 2012; Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Buy: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

My Rating:

My Review: First, let it be known how much I love mermaid mythology. Yes, I started out like most young girls, fascinated with Disney's The Little Mermaid and falling in love with Splash starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. As an English major in college, I had the opportunity to take a Legends, Fairytales, & Folklore course and was exposed to all kinds of mer tales from around the world. Some tales were sweet while others showed a very dark side to these sea creatures. It is no secret that mermaids have recently become popular in Young Adult literature and it has been exciting to read different authors' perspectives. But just like the overabundance of vampire and werewolf novels out there, it's getting harder to find a mer story that stands out from the rest. Maybe that is why I was so psyched when I came across Lies Beneath. It's just a shame that the book didn't live up to my expectations.

Here's what I liked. If you've read any of my reviews before, then you already know how much I enjoy reading books from the male perspective and how hard they are to find. I give Anne Greenwood Brown kudos for writing Lies Beneath entirely in Calder's point-of-view. Not only that, she nailed it.

I also liked the author's writing style. The chapters were not overly long and I enjoyed the poetry that was weaved throughout. It was also nice to see each chapter labeled with a title. I find it kind of fun when authors do that because I like to see how a title connects within that chapter.

One of the biggest things that drew me to this book was knowing that the author was taking what we think we know about mermaids/mermen and giving us a completely different mythology. Mermaids that survive by absorbing human emotions and energy? Cool! Cold blooded killers? Intriguing! I really liked what the author brought to the table, such as Calder not being born a merman, but being turned into one. The silver ring that appears around their necks when they are in their mer form. The depths that they will go to exact revenge and the consequences of not keeping your word if you should break a mer promise. So much potential that somehow just gets...lost.

Here is where I had issues with Lies Beneath. The story absolutely starts off strong. Calder tells us from the very first couple of pages that he is a killer, that's how he survives, but he hasn't made a kill in several months (9 months I think, right?). His three sisters, Maris, Tallulah, and Pavati, lure him to Michigan to exact revenge on Jason Hancock, the man responsible for the death of their mother. I say lure because while Calder feels bonded to his sisters, he desperately wants to be free from them. Maris, the ring leader, reluctantly agrees to cut the ties that binds him to them if he helps finish what they have set out to do. So far so good, right?

But once Calder gets to Michigan, that is sort of where the story falls flat. They decide the best way to get Jason Handcock is through his daughters. They at first think it's best to go for the youngest girl but Calder becomes fascinated with Lily, the eldest daughter of Hancock...and the story becomes boring. Seriously! The majority of the book is Calder watching, following, and...stalking Lily Hancock. He sleeps in the hammock outside her house at night. He gets a job at the same place she does. I've seen the "stalker" technique used before (for lack of a better term or phrase) and while in some books it works (Twilight, for example), it fails epically in Lies Beneath. Why you ask? I wish I could give you a good reason why. I tried going back to find some examples as to what bothers me about Calder, why I didn't feel myself swooning for him like I have for many other male lead characters. Maybe it's because he just doesn't seem fully developed, which is odd considering the book is in his point-of-view.

This also leads me to my dislike for his love interest, Lily Hancock. It's really rare for me to dislike BOTH the male and female main lead characters of a story. Actually, this may be a first. I thought Lily was going to be this rebellious, no nonsense kind of girl by the way she was first described. She annoyed me with all of the mermaid poetry and the blatant disregard for the "killing" parts. I guess I have to give it to Calder since even he was a bit annoyed that she had this romantic image in her head and no matter how he tried to redirect her back to the truth, she refused to see it. I'm not stupid, I get that in order for us to have a happily ever after, she has to forgive and come to terms with the things he has done. But to completely IGNORE it? Yeah, I have major issues with that.

Here is also a major mistake I found that became distracting. It's revealed early that Calder was born human and was made into a merman. When he was a small child, he was on a boat with his parents. A mermaid, later to become his "adopted" mother, capsized the boat and killed his parents. She showed mercy by turning him. But later in the story Calder thinks to himself, "They were out there somewhere. They might have even loved me. Did they search for me still, all these years later?" (page 241). HUH? Didn't she kill his biological parents??? If anyone has read this book and is reading this review, please feel free to let me know if I am wrong. Maybe I didn't read it correctly, but I could have sworn Calder said early in the story that they were killed.

Another thing that bothered me is how Calder and his sisters' mermaid mother died. I know she was caught in a fisherman's net. And I am assuming the fishermen never saw her? Or did they? If they did, then mermaids would be out of the closet, right? This isn't exactly a mistake but this is the kind of thing that happened a lot throughout the story. The author throws out some great ideas but doesn't fully explore them or give us enough details.

While I absolutely loved the structure of the novel such as the male point-of-view, the edgy, dark mythology, and writing style, there really wasn't a whole lot of substance to hold it together. The story focused too much on Calder spying on Lily. The characters weren't fleshed out enough. I get there is going to be a sequel but there could have been way more character development without giving away too much story. In any case, I am thankful to NetGalley and Delacorte Books for Young Readers for giving me this opportunity to read and review Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown.

Book Review: When Copper Suns Fall

Title: When Copper Suns Fall
Author: KaSonndra Leigh
ASIN: B0065QYXQA
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Futuristic
Theme: Dystopian, Angels
Binding: ebook
Length: 266 pgs
Published: TriGate Press; First Edition 6 Dec 2011
Buy: Amazon.com
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars


Synopsis: In fifteen-year-old Chela Prizeon’s city, alchemy is forbidden and angels hide among the mortal. With a deadly virus ravaging the globe, Chela’s nightmarish memories compels her to experience a past riddled with gloom, and now her brother is infected.

Chela’s only hope is the Caduceans, slayers sworn to protect the last seven Light Keepers and the ancient memories they share. A group led by the sometimes elusive, sometimes infuriating boy who intrigues Chela. But can she trust this boy with the mysterious past, someone who can influence her memories?

With the Caduceans aid, Chela races to defeat her rivals, to unearth dark family secrets, desperate to find a cure…only to discover the glutovirus is far more than a simple disease.

In this haunting debut, KaSonndra Leigh offers an escape into a world as intriguing as The Mortal Instruments and a story as chilling as Enclave. Full of celestial creatures, fascinating villainy, high-stake choices, and a secret romance, When Copper Suns Fall, is a fresh and original urban fantasy—with a dystopian twist—that will take readers on an unforgettable adventure.

My Review: I signed up for this e-book through goodreads.com's "Read It & Reap" section under the group "Shut Up and Read". This story had such an interesting premise and me being a lover of angel themed books, I was really excited at the prospect of reading a different take on angel mythology. I was also excited when the synopsis mentioned it was as "chilling as Enclave." If someone is comparing it to Ann Aguirre's Enclave, then I am game! So you can imagine my disappoint When Copper Suns Fall did not live up to my expectations.

First with the positives. I thought the beginning was engaging and heartfelt. Chela, our main character, is sitting by the bedside of her twin brother who is in a coma from the glutovirus. In this dystopian world, there is no cure and Dr. Van Meter tries to convince Chela to give up hope and allow them to use Micah's body for critical research since he'd make a "strong vessel". But Chela stands firm, knowing deep down inside something isn't quite right and vows silently to herself that she will find the cure and the answers to her troubling questions.

The mythology and new world the author creates is interesting and different. In this futuristic world, the Tribunal now governs and the citizens are given new rules to abide by in order to help rebuild what was lost during the "Great War." Children must now take "ale-meds" in order to protect their immune systems, when really it is to do something entirely different. It is forbidden to associate with Caduceans and the Tainted-- light and dark celestial creatures (angels) that are blamed for the "Great War".

All of these important factors are introduced in the beginning of the book and combined with the well written opening scene, I thought I was in for a real treat. But that is the big problem with this story. The author gives us the elements but doesn't EXPLAIN them! What happened during the "Great War"? I am not the type of reader that needs everything spelled out for me-- I like some mystery, drawing my own conclusions-- BUT, if you are going to introduce everyone to a new world and a new mythology, some sort of background story is a must if you want your reader to connect.

My other issue was the characters. It's not that I hated Chela or any of the other characters, it's that I didn't really feel a connection with them. Here we go with that word "connect", right? Don't get me wrong, I was really feeling her turmoil in the beginning, but somewhere along the way I just lost interest :/ Oh and the love interests? I did love the scene where Faris was introduced. I liked the chemistry between the two. But then Seth came into the picture...then later you find out that Jalen has feelings for her....really? I guess I am just tired of that type of love triangle. Or is that a love square? Why do all the guys have to fall head over heels for the one girl? And if you are going to do it, then do it right because there are soooo many authors that have written GREAT love triangles, so much so that you can tell the difference between the good ones and the bad ones.

Oh and since we are on the topic of Faris...okay, I love alpha males. If you've been reading my reviews, then you already know this. HOWEVER, there was way too much "wrist grabbing" if you get what I mean. Literally. Faris was constantly taking her by the WRIST instead of hand, or when she pulled her arm away, he would grab her arm/hand again. I love an alpha but not a caveman and if I notice hand grabbing in a book, then you know there is just way too much.

I give When Copper Suns Fall a 2 1/2 star rating. I give the author a lot of credit for creating a unique world and new angel mythology to go with it. But without some back story to fill in the holes, to really make me feel like I was there and to better understand the characters plight, I found myself bored. I know this book is the first in a series, but I highly doubt I will be picking up book 2. I thank the gang at the goodreads.com group "Shut Up & Read" for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book.

Book Review: A Temptation of Angels

Title: A Temptation of Angels
Author: Michelle Zink
ISBN: 0803737262
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Romance
Theme: Angels
Binding: ARC Paperback (advance reader copy)
Length: 435 pgs
Published: 20 March 2012
Buy: amazon.com, bn.com
My Rating:


Synopsis: Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

**The following review may contain SPOILERS**


My Review: I won an early reviewer's copy of this book from Library Things, so I was obligated to write a review once I was finished. The book is not due to be published until early next year, March 2012. There is another person who reviewed this book on Library Things under the name MargK that I completely agreed with. A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink was nothing like I expected and I don't mean that in a good way. The list of positive things about this book is very short.

Here are a few of the positives:

1) Like MargK mentioned in her earlier review, the author has a certain simple elegance to her writing, therefore it was easy to read.

2) I liked that the story took place in London (Despite this, I had major issues with the setting—or lack thereof which I will get to shortly).

3) Even though I agree that the author doesn’t really give us any new dimensions to her characters or the love triangle (we’ve read it all before), I will say that she did a good job at building the sexual tension and romantic moments between Helen and Griffin.

Sadly, this is where the positives end. I don’t want to make this a long, drawn out review nor do I want to repeat the negatives that other reviewers have pointed out, so I am going to stick to my 3 main issues with this book.

1) The setting. Like I said above, I was looking forward to reading this book partly because it was supposed to take place in London. The reason I enjoy reading books with settings around the globe should be obvious—it’s a way to learn about a country or time period without having to do extensive research (unless you want to). I think that is one of the important jobs an author has to do—transport you to that time and place, make you feel like you are there. Unfortunately, this does not happen in A Temptation of Angels. The author does not give us any specific dates (not always necessary) or landmarks, or historical references. Helen and the Channing brothers seem to walk everywhere—there is no mention of horses or cars—nothing that could help me get a better sense of what type of London the story takes place in. The only thing that finally gave me an idea where to place the story is when it is revealed that Helen wears corsets and that it is not proper etiquette for a young lady to be walking the streets alone, or to be living with young bachelors that are not her family. This of course is a big contradiction in the book. I’m not even going to go there since MargK’s review gets into detail the major contradictions of the mysterious and supposedly powerful organization called the Dictata.

2) My other major problem with this book is this: the book is supposed to be about angels. Other then Helen and the Channing brothers being able to “jump” through light (as in being able to dissolve their bodies into tiny molecules through light in order to transport to other places), nothing else is explored as far as their abilities. What else can they do? Hell, if they are angels, aren’t they supposed to have wings? Not once are wings mentioned.

3) Lastly, this book is riddled with parts that are unbelievable, unnecessary, or just plain didn’t make sense. The author spends too much time on parts that could be simplified in a page or two while she does not give enough attention to things such as the term “Enlightenment” for example. What does it mean when one reaches “Enlightenment”? This term was mentioned several times in the beginning of the book but was never explored. What happened to Darius’ face? How did he get the scar? I also think that her reaction AND the outcome of the whole dart/dog situation was completely ridiculous. I don’t want to give it away since it would be a major spoiler, but it was a very poor plot device.

To sum it up, the book had an interesting premise but the execution fell flat. For lack of a better way to say this, I was bored. Unless the finished product differs greatly from the ARC I just read, I don’t see Michelle Zink's A Temptation of Angels making any great waves in the YA literature world.

~Mia~