My Thoughts on a Scattering of Novels (Pt 2)

RVincent-Blood Bound

Here’s the second part in what I’m considering an ongoing review, of which I’m calling, My Quick Thoughts on a Scattering of Novels. Shall we begin?

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

RVincent-Blood BoundAnother fabulous novel by Rachel Vincent. The first novel in her new adult series, Blood Bound not only kept my attention, but it didn’t let it go. I seriously stayed up until 3am reading it and a book hasn’t done that for me in a long time.

By blood, by word, by magic…

Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood. Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend’s daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can’t rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it’s over…

There’s one thing that normally annoys me with stories, but Vincent somehow not only makes it work, but does it so seamlessly that it doesn’t mess with any of the story comprehension. I’m talking about switching character point of views through the story. The story rotates between Liv and Cam and it doesn’t do anything to the flow of the story. Let me explain. Usually, when I read a story with changing POVs and the voice changes, there’s a hiccup in the story. Like the scene or voice changes enough that it’s rarely a smooth transition. That’s so not the case here. Not only is each transition done within the same scene, but it’s done in a way that you get to see both sides of the equation. Liv and Cam are working with each other, but due to their circumstances, they are also working against each other. There are things that Cam can’t tell Liv and vice versa that drives the other to frustration, but with the POV changes, you get to see how they think around them.

Read Order:
Blood Bound
Shadow Bound
Oath Bound

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Darkest MercyWith a series, you can usually tell who it is going to be about.  There’s one central character that everything revolves around, but honestly, that’s not the case with the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.  Darkest Mercy makes that painfully clear as it ends this fabulous series the same way it began.

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

Through five amazing novels, we’re given the story of Niall, Irial, Aislinn, Seth, Keenan and Donia as they work to bring order back into the faerie courts.  They are never given an easy time – we wouldn’t want them to have it easy – but they have fought through everything to make it work.  I have read novels, where an author has tried to make the story about more than one person and it has never ended well.  However, Marr has done a fabulous job of weaving the lives of these six individuals together and through their personal choices, they give us an incredible conclusion and I honestly didn’t see their solution coming.  In fact, I don’t think a few of the characters saw it coming, but they could’ve been written that way too. *grin*  But that’s one of the reason I love Marr – her characters are so well developed, so personable (even the villains), that it’s hard not to be invested in all of them.

Read Order:
Wicked Lovely
Ink Exchange
Fragile Eternity
Radiant Shadows
Darkest Mercy
Desert Tales

House Rules by Chloe Neill

CNeill-House RulesSeriously, I love me some Chicagoland Vampires and all the wondrous characters we get to meet. I think the reason I am having such a hard time writing this one is because it’s simply fabulous, and I’ve said that about all the novels in this series.

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.

At the tender age of twenty-seven, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal—tested like never before.

It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined.

Quite honestly, Neill is one of those authors who doesn’t let a readers reaction scare her. I mean, Hard Bitten should prove that; and I’m not going to say why, but if you’ve read Hard Bitten then you know what I’m talking about. Neill has put her characters through some hard times – both physically and emotionally – and she’s not holding back the punches this time around here. Between Mallory’s addiction recovery, Lacey Sheridan popping back into Cadogan House, vampires disappearing, and the crap that’s being tossed around by the GP.

Read Order:
Some Girls Bite
Friday Night Bites
Twice Bitten
Hard Bitten
Drink Deep
Biting Cold
House Rules
Biting Bad
Howling For You (Jeff & Fallon novella)
Wild Things
Blood Games
Novella Title Yet To Be Announced (Feb 2015)
Dark Debt (Mar 3, 2015)

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.