Book Review: Paramour by Margaret Ethridge

Review: Paramour
Author: Margaret Ethridge
No of Pages: 215
Release Date: 31 December 2010

Camellia Stafford has never been alone in her room. For twenty years she’s been engaged in a fierce power struggle with her bedrooms previous tenant, Frank DeLuca, the ghost trapped in the light fixture above her bed.

Caustic and cranky, Frank has one soft spot – Cam. Over the years, their feelings for one another have evolved from grudging friendship to an enduring love that burns white-hot until Frank puts his feelings for Cam on ice.

When she suffers the loss of her beloved father, Cam returns home to say good-bye, and confront her feelings for Frank. She finds and unexpected shoulder to lean on in neighbour, Bradley Mitchum. Cam falls hard and fast for the handsome ad man’s charming smile and passionate nature, but Brad’s easy-going exterior masks a steely backbone tempered by adversity.

Now Cam must choose – Is her heart strong enough to determine which dream could lead to a love that will last a lifetime?

My Thoughts:

Paramour was interesting, if a little odd.

Camellia Stafford’s dad has just passed away so she has come back to her childhood home to clean up and say her last goodbyes. But Cam has been keeping a secret for all these years, there is a ghost in her room, and she’s been in love with him ever since she was a teenager.

Cam is a strong, funny woman who is easily likeable. What’s not likeable about her is the fact that she has a hot, strong, successful live man, begging her to be hers and yet she is still hung up on a cranky ghost who can’t let go.

Frank has been with Cam since she was a child; he has been her friend, her supporter and her secret crush. The only problem with Frank is that he’s dead. He is a ghost who has haunted her wall sconce ever since he was shot in 1987.

Brad is the guy next door, he’s hot, spunky and completely in love with Cam. They have been neighbours for most of their lives and he was the typical geek turned god as he grew older. Brad is there for Cam when her dad passes, he is her friend but he wants something more, and so does she.

So we have the perfect basis for a human romance, yet Cam can’t seem to let go of Frank. This is what frustrated me throughout the whole novel. Frank didn’t want her, Frank never wanted her, and here she has a perfect man package scratching at her front door, and she still wants Frank.

Paramour was interesting, and made me want to read to the end, but the premise of the story was frustrating and un-relatable. Hot man or irritable ghost. There isn’t really a choice there. I was expecting more from Paramour maybe more humour or more light-heartedness.

Paramour was well-written and flowed nicely, but Cam’s hang-up with Frank was a let-down, I couldn’t see the attachment, I couldn’t understand how there was a choice. It was silly. I enjoyed Paramour immensely for the human romance and seeing if it would work between them is what made me read to the end, the addition of a frustrating ghost didn’t do much for me. The relationship between Cam and Brad is deeply emotional but kept light through their playful banter.

Paramour was a quick, hot read which was beautifully written, the only thing that really took away from it was the romanticisation of the relationship between Cam and Frank.

My Two Cents: Character Happiness

I have something that has been bugging me of late. Why can’t characters ever be happy in the middle of a book?

I suppose it would get quite boring, but in a way I am boring, and I would like to see some characters find their happiness before the end of the book.

What has brought this on? Well I was recently reading something, and the main character was so happy that I knew instinctively that something was coming to destroy that happiness...probably in the form of her lover dying as it wasn’t a romance novel, it was a fantasy.

It was inevitable really, because she was too happy. Life was working out, she had taken a really bad situation and a really scary one and turned into something that could work. She had found someone that she could love and that loved her dearly. They were planning how they were to work around the obstacles in their way and all was going to be lovely.

But no.

The poor girl had too much, so we had to take it away. Why is that? Is it the only way we can keep things interesting? Either that or the book would have come to an end for a standard HEA. Is it too boring to read about peoples lives after they have found their love?

Would we get jealous? Do we just not want to read about people being happy beyond belief?

I know there are many novels out there that characters do find love early on and it stays that way, then they can take things on together (Cat & Bones anyone?) but there are also many that end once the happiness is found...hence the HEA.

There is never an after though...why?

Teaser Tuesday: 28/6/2011

 

Currently Reading: Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer

In my usual connivin' way, I seeks out Liam, the sailor from Ireland who was nice to me that first day, and he seems willin'.

Teaser Tuesday is the brainchild of Should Be Reading

Book Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Review: Glass Houses
Series: Morganville Vampires – Book 1
Author: Rachel Caine
No of Pages: 239
Release Date: 3 October 2006

WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE TEXAS. DON’T STAY OUT AFTER DARK.

It’s a small college town filled with quirky characters. But when the sun goes down, the bad comes out. Because in Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows – one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. The popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks on the school’s social scene: somewhere less than zero. And Claire really doesn’t have the right connections – to the undead who run the town.

When Claire heads off campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don’t show many signs of life. But they’ll have Claire’s back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood...

My Thoughts:

I had high hopes for Glass Houses, but it didn’t really live up to my expectations.

Claire is a nerd, she’s sixteen and already in college. She moves to Morganville which is the closest college she is willing to go to that’s near her home, because she also wants to escape her parents, but what teen doesn’t?

When she gets to Morganville though Claire is faced with more than just being top of the class; extreme bullying, violent abuse and vampires are added to her list of worries. Claire can never seem to catch a break. One thing after another after another seems to be going on and it’s only until she moves into the Glass House that she finally is able to make a few friends that things can start to mildly resemble normality.

Claire for me wasn’t very interesting. Trouble follows her everywhere she goes it seems and at the start I felt sorry for her but it got old really quickly to the point where I was thinking “not again”. Caine wrote some cringe worthy stuff when it came to the extent of the bullying Claire faced at the hands of the cheerleaders.

Eve was probably my favourite character in the entire novel, purely because she was the rocker chick that didn’t want anyone to know she cared. She is the epitome of cool because she has a heart to go with her smarts.

Glass Houses also introduces us to some traditional vampires, and by traditional I mean blood-sucking, evil, human controlling fiends. These vampires are very similar to the mafia, expecting protection money so the humans can feel safe.

What detracted from Glass Houses for me was the intense bullying situation. Claire was nearly set on fire in the back of a van at one stage and no one does anything! A few school girls held her down as someone held a lighter to her clothes. Who does that? What kind of people are these? It was infuriating for me to visualise not because of the situation, but what kind of teenage girls would set someone on fire and not face any repercussions? What was the response to this atrocious act? That Claire needs to stay out of her way. She was pushed down a flight of stairs and laughed at, not helped because of the fear of this teenage girl. Even her over-protective parents who came rushing to see her when she didn’t answer their phone call just dismissed it.

For me Monica had too much power. It was more than just Queen Bee she was getting away with things that are illegal. Beating people is illegal, soliciting hit-men is illegal, ordering policemen to shoot people is illegal, and arson is illegal. Not just mean, but against the law and she was just getting away with it. It was unrealistic and it annoyed me that it was the only thing interesting about this book but also the most far-fetched.

I think I will continue this series, just to see where it goes and to find out what happens after the major cliff-hanger at the end, but I am not going in with high-hopes.

Others in this series:
The Dead Girls Dance
Midnight Alley
Feast of Fools
Lord of Misrule
Carpe Corpus
Fade Out
Kiss of Death
Ghost Town
Bite Club
Last Breath

Droolworthy Covers: Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

I love this cover so much! It's so beautiful, the colours, the silouette completely draws you back into the story, as soon as I saw it I had to have it and revisit Macs story.

I love all of the Fever series covers...but its a toss up between this one and Darkfever as to which one I like the most.

Do you have a favourite?

Question of the Week: Love Triangles in books?

Books for thought is hosted by Eleni at La Femme Readers
These are my answers to the questions she asks.

____________________

Question: What do you think about love triangles in books?

My Answer: I'm ok with them, as long as the triangle isn't completely obvious e.g. Twilight. Everyone knew she was going to end up with Edward, to the point that Jacob wasn't really needed as a love interest at all. If you can't be completely certain as to who is going to win I find it fun to win and at least be able to go for someone.

Friday 56: 24/6/2011

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Page 56, 5th Sentence

She strode into the foyer and hustled up the stairs.

YA adults...always walking off when their ward is having a life crisis, like oh, I don't know, watching their boyfriend die...






 



Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice.
*Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Book Review: Lover Unbound by J. R. Ward

Review: Lover Unbound
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 5
Author: J. R. Ward
No of Pages: 502
Release Date: 25 September 2007

In Caldwell, New York, war rages between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers – six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Now the cold heart of a cunning predator will be warmed against its will...

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous, son of the Bloodletter, possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father’s war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the time – until a destiny he didn’t choose takes him into a future that cannot include her...

My Thoughts:

Lover Unbound almost surpassed Lover Awakened as my new favourite in this series, until the ending.

Vishous is the intelligent one, the ruthless one, the cursed one. With his birthday just around the corner he gets a visit from the Scribe Virgin telling him that he is destined to become the Primale, a warrior who lives amongst the Chosen and is charged with replenishing the race. But when he gets shot in the chest and rushed to a human hospital, a wrench gets thrown in the works in the form of Jane, the doctor who saves him.

I have loved Vishous from the first book. He’s dark mysterious ways and his unique, calculating nature was all explored in Lover Unbound. His odd sexual tastes that seem to stem from his violent and traumatic past involving his father all come to the surface as Vishous is ripped apart and put back together again because of his attraction for Jane who was at the centre of his first vision in a long time.

Jane is a strong woman, nothing much fazes her and she is only interested in surviving and saving lives with her work. After losing her sister when she was young Jane went into the medical field to try and save as many people as she could, so they would never have to go through what she went through.

I loved Lover Unbound; I loved exploring Vishous’ nature and the inevitable barriers of falling in love after being traumatised by people he should have been able to trust. I loved Jane’s and Vishous’ relationship in general Jane’s no nonsense attitude when it comes to what she does best. She doesn’t care if Vishous is a dangerous monster as long as he is well.

Lover Unbound was beautifully written as the others are in the series and gave us further insight into John’s story and that of the Scribe Virgin. Lover Unbound was almost perfect, I say almost because of one thing. The last fifty pages.

The ending of Lover Unbound was absolutely atrocious. Ward created an unneeded problem and then created an even worse solution. She had laid all the ground work for an ending that would have worked perfectly giving each party what they wanted in the end, but no, she had to rip one apart and give all of the control to the other.

It was unfair on the couple, and unfair on Vishous what she did to them, she couldn’t just leave him alone to finally be happy. Perfect ending right there, I’ve found what I’m looking for, I am a complete person now let me take my woman home and be happy. But no.
The ending disappointed me, not because it didn’t end how I wanted it to, but it ended stupidly and unnecessarily. It makes me worry about what is in store for the rest of the series if Ward is willing to destroy a perfect book in the way she did.

Of course I am eager to continue on, because I want to get to John’s story, but I have become wary of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series in general now because it was moving along swimmingly, until this.

Also in this series:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged
Lover Mine
Lover Unleashed

It's My Birthday!!!

Once again that time of year has rolled around...and yet again it didn't sink in until today this it is my birthday.

20 years old and oh how I have grown up...

I think back to 20 years ago...when I was 0....and well I can't remember much.

I think back to 10 years ago when I was 10 funnily enough and watching "The Mr. Hell Show"


I think back to 5 years ago when I was leaving school and deciding on a career path.

I think back to just 1 year ago when I wasn't really happy or completely with it.

And I think to right now, I am in the best place I can be in, I have finished college, I have a job, a future and a wonderful, beautiful boyfriend.

Life starts at 20?

I have been dreading this day for a year...20...no longer a teenager...old *shudders*

But really, I am the happiest I have been in a really long time, and I have my family and my books to thank for that. My family has gotten me to where I am today and my books have helped keep me (mostly) sane in the process.

Throughout the years I have always been able to turn to my books, the heroes, the laughs and the tragedy to help compliment or sometimes supplement my current feelings and situations. And it will most likely always be to books that I turn.

I have already treated myself to The Sims 3 Generations and a couple of books. But I may be going on another spending spree soon :D

So I hope you all have a great day...I know I will be :D

Teaser Tuesday: 21/6/2011

 

Currently Reading: The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen

But not wanting to let on that my heart was reacting so excitedly, I kept cool and gave a half-hearted shrug. "No, you can stay if you want."

Teaser Tuesday is the brainchild of Should Be Reading

Book Review: Enticed by Jessica Shirvington

Review: Enticed
Series: Violet Eden Chapters – Book 2
Author: Jessica Shirvington
No of Pages: 413
Release Date: 29 March 2011

CONSEQUENCE HAUNTS EVERY CHOICE

Violet Eden is Grigori – part angel, part human. Her destiny is to protect humans from the vengeance of exiled angels.

Knowing who to trust is key but when Grigori reinforcements arrive it becomes clear everyone is hiding something. Even Lincoln. The only thing Violet does know...Phoenix’s hold over her is more dangerous than ever.

The race to find the one thing that could forever tilt the balance of power takes them all to the sacred mountains of Jordan, where Violet’s own powers will be pushed to the extreme. And the ultimate betrayal exposed.

My Thoughts:

Enticed made for a brilliant sequel that had me glued to every page.

Violet is still reeling over Phoenix’s deception and what she saw in the desert when she embraced, so when Lincoln deserts her again to go off on a secret mission while she is left to figure out why Phoenix wants the sacred Grigori scriptures, and when he is going to come after her.

Violet once again astounded me with her strength. Granted she is not the sharpest tool in the shed and not nearly the strongest, but her sheer will to power through her troubles and not let anyone get her down has me cheering her on through each new obstacle she faces. Violet is coming into her powers now and hopefully it seems, her fighting ability but she is still getting distracted by Lincoln, with whom she is still in love.

Lincoln is so far from being in my good books that he is going to have to do something astounding in Emblaze to even begin to make me like him. His character is a good one because you know he is the good guy but he is just so incredibly mean to Violet. He’s on a crusade to avenge his mother and instead of telling Violet what is happening, instead of being there for his partner when not only she, but his race needs him is incredibly selfish. I would want to avenge my mother too, but for a guy that was in love with a girl for two years and able to control himself every time he was around her to a loose cannon that doesn’t care what happens to him as long as he destroys this one exile is awful.

Phoenix crops up from time to time in Enticed as well, to remind Violet that he is all powerful and can kill her with a single thought, but there is still that connection between them that has me rooting for him to come good.

I also can’t wait to see more of Onyx – the exile turned human – who has taken on the role of comedic relief to help ease the tension of impending doom. Shrivington’s secondary characters all have their own personalities and aren’t hidden by the main which takes this series to that extra level.

Enticed was yet another whirlwind dive into the beautiful picture that Shrivington’s created with her words. Her superb historical elements of the story and completely believable explanations for how some exiles have lived out their existence on Earth has had me looking at the skies from time to time over the last couple of days.

Violet’s story has me enthralled with intense anticipation of what is to come in Emblaze and I absolutely cannot wait until I can get my hands on it as soon as possible.

Also in this series:
Embrace
Emblaze

Book Trailer: The Taste of Apple by James Laidler

Below is the trailer for The Taste of Apple a multi media book by James Laidler. I am quite looking forward to reading this...



Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Pedro Jones is lost. Abandoned by his father and forced into commission housing with his Filipino immigrant mother, the future seems bleak.
But when Pedro meets the 'mad' street busker, Johnny Lazzaro, and gets involved with the East Timor freedom movement, life takes an unexpected detour through the uncharted backblocks of the human heart.

Book Review: The Shadow Seer by Fran Jacobs

Review: The Shadow Seer
Series: Ellenessia’s Curse – Book 1
Author: Fran Jacobs
No of Pages: 337
Release Date: 2 April 2009

For generations prophets have foreseen the birth of the Shadow Seer, the oracle of dark visions and fallen kingdoms. But by the time of Sorron, King of Carnia, their warnings have mostly been forgotten and his name is known only to a handful of scholars. When Sorron's grandson, Prince Candale, falls deathly ill, the Seer's legends are brought to light once again by his saviour, a witch named Mayrila. She believes that Candale is the fulfilment of those long forgotten prophecies. She believes that he is the Shadow Seer...

My Thoughts:

The Shadow Seer was an extremely interesting read, but it was a little slow in its movement.

Candale is a prince with a secret; he is having prophecies, hearing voices, and seeing people that aren’t there. The Shadow Seer starts with Candale being gravely ill and close to death. All we hear are snippets of conversation between his relatives, arguments between his father and grandfather about how to best help him.

His grandfather sends for a woman named Mayrila, a conniving, gold-digging witch, who seems to be the only person who can help him. Mayrila saves Candale, but she also changes his life forever, revealing herself as his birth mother and him as the Shadow Seer, a dark prophet whose visions will only ever be of death and destruction.

Candale is an interesting character, if a little naive. He is intelligent and easily relatable being a quiet, odd child who fits in well enough at court, but is always dreaming and looking for something more. Candale did get a little infuriating at times when he went off by himself without thinking things through only to nearly get killed by his enemies. At times I wanted to shake him, but mostly I felt empathetic and a little sad about his situation.

The Shadow Seer was well written and completely engaging because it didn’t seem like you were racing to the finish line. Each new event in the timeline was well paced and flowed seamlessly into the plot.

The only problem with The Shadow Seer was that we never really get answers to our questions, the world of Carnia that Jacobs created was superb, but there was so much groundwork to lay that we only got to see snippets about the myths behind the shadow seer and those myths were relentlessly repeated.

The Shadow Seer was an excellently written story with an engaging main character who kept me entertained and continuously coming back for more. The mystery behind who Ellenessia is and how she is going to affect Candale in the long run has me itching to get my hands on the second book in this promising fantasy series.

Friday 56: 17/6/2011

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
Page 56, 5th Sentence

Claire took a deep breath of hot afternoon air, and walked around the corner to wait for Kim.



Gotta love that hot afternoon air...oxygen and suffocation all in one motion.






 


Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice.
*Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Question of the Week: Weird character names, do they bother you?

Books for thought is hosted by Eleni at La Femme Readers
These are my answers to the questions she asks.

Question: What is your opinion on weird character names? (i.e. Renesmee, Katniss, Po, etc.). Love them or loathe them?

(Question credit goes to: Colleen from The Story Inventory)

Answer: They don't bother me, especially when they fit the story. If everyone else has a normal name and then you come out with something weird just for the sake of it (Renesmee anyone?) that kind of annoys me but really, it's not like you've known these people their whole lives and all of sudden they come out with this weird name...it's the only thing you've ever known them as.

Book Review: Ada Legend of a Healer by R. A. McDonald

Review: Ada Legend of a Healer
Author: R.A McDonald
No of Pages: 250
Release Date: 1 January 2011

No sickness, No injuries, No pain, No limits.

If you had the power to heal, what would you do?

For fifteen-year-old Ada discovering that she can heal feels more like a curse than a gift. When she learns of the mystery surrounding her mother’s disappearance, and sees the indifference of so-called friends, she sets out for Paris to find her.

The power to heal protects her, but also has her hunted by a man who sees her as nothing more than his fountain of youth. Ada realizes her true power is her will to survive, and that her only chance at freedom is to become the best at escaping.

My Thoughts:

Ada Legend of a Healer had a bad start, but ended up turning into a rather good read.

Ada is an orphan with an attitude problem. After getting kicked out of yet another foster home she can’t be placed anywhere else, so she leaves the system, embarking on her own journey to find her mother. Her journey leads her to France and the people she meets there help her hone not only her healing skills but develop skills in the art of parkour.

Ada was not a likeable character for most of the story. Her only redeeming attribute was her sheer force of will power, all of her other aspects boiled down to her being an egotistical, self-centred teenager. For the first hundred pages I had the urge to not only scream but stick a fork in my eye because of the constant whining about how unfair the world is and how unfair it is that she have to bear the burden of having the ability to heal not only others, but herself.


Ada Legend of a Healer did start to get interesting when Ada went to France on her mission to find her mother. After using Jessie – her aunt – for money and information Ada struck out on her own to find out if her mother was still alive.

Delving into the world of parkour and the limits of Ada’s power was the highlight of the novel because we got to see McDonalds writing ability on show. Daniel and his friends and Daniel’s budding romance with Ada drove the novel from that point.


Ada Legend of a Healer was a slow read to get started and once it got going it was easy to see where it would end up, but I felt oddly compelled to finish, quickly. McDonalds writing drew me in after Ada got to France to a point where I couldn’t let go and Ada’s story wouldn’t let me go. Even after the final page was turned McDonalds message - to cherish what you have - stayed with me for a long time afterwards.

Teaser Tuesday: 14/6/2011

Currently Reading: The Taste of Apple by James Laidler

Her deep sultry eyes connect with mine, drawing me in, sending a shiver down my spine. She stares at me in that teasing way and I struggle to resist her allure.

Teaser Tuesday is the brainchild of Should Be Reading

Guest Post: The Lazy Writer by Missy Jane

Today we have a very special guest in erotic romance author Missy Jane. She is joining me here today as part of her Birthday Blog Tour. Missy Jane's newest book Erotic Images will be published on the 15th which also happens to be Missy's birthday!

Happy Birthday Missy Jane!
_______________________________

I’m a Lazy Writer

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and has been for a while. Back when I used to watch TV I loved to watch documentaries on anything historic, and National Geographic is a favorite. So, when I turned to reading romance a few years ago it didn’t take long for me to find regency. I love reading about reformed rakes, marriages of convenience and the ton. I also enjoy reading romances set in the old west and long-lost civilizations. However, you will most likely never see such work published under my name. Why? Because I’m honestly too lazy for that level of research. Oh sure, I don’t mind scouring the web to find the perfect name for one of my characters, down to the earliest known uttering. I’ll even dig up old, dusty books to see if I can find a usable quote to make my characters sound well-read. But ask me to actually research common phrases in Victorian-era England and my eyes glaze over. I just can’t do it.

All I know of ancient times has come from books, movies and television. It amazes me when authors can speak with authority on what type of dress a woman would have worn in the 1700s. I applaud their intelligence and bow to their expertise. I might even use that knowledge in future conversations. However, I’m not going to try to write it into a story. I prefer the here and now, or a fantasy world of my own making where anything I want goes. Whether it’s laziness, fear or just plain stubbornness, it’s the way my writing stands…for now. Of course, I reserve the right to change my habits at any given time.

Do you like historical romance? Have you ever read any type of romance where the author’s knowledge amazed you? Recommend a good read to me based on that in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a prize pack in my Birthday Blog Tour give away. One winner will be chosen tomorrow, but all comments will be entered for the grand prize to be chosen on June 30th on my blog: www.msmissyjane.blogspot.com

Ms. Missy Jane is a paranormal and erotic romance author published through Samhain and Ellora’s Cave.

-Missy Jane
*Make reading a guilty pleasure…*
www.msmissyjane.com
___________________________

Thank you so much for your post Missy Jane, and if you would like to contribute a guest post please feel free to follow the link on the left hand sidebar.

Book Review: Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Review: Dead to the World
Series: Sookie Stackhouse – Book 4
Author: Charlaine Harris
No of Pages: 321
Release Date: 3 May 2005

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She’s pretty. She does her job well. But she has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie’s gift: she can read minds. That’s not exactly every man's idea of date bait - unless they’re undead; vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that’s just the kind of guy Sookie’s been looking for. Maybe that’s why, when she comes across a naked vampire on the way home from work, she doesn’t just drive on by. He hasn’t got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy – and dead – as the day she met him. But now he has amnesia, he’s sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie’s help – because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

Sookie’s investigation into what’s going on leads her into a battle between witches vampires and werewolves. But there could be even greater danger – to Sookie’s heart – because the kinder, gentler Eric is very hard to resist.

My Thoughts:

Another dive into the world of Sookie Stackhouse, and now that Bill is out of the way, it’s getting interesting.

Sookie once again is just getting better, taking Eric in after he suffers amnesia to help keep him safe to me is just so good for her and her growth in this society. Sookie still remembers her place in the supernatural society, but she also is starting to come into her own. Things aren’t quite as scary anymore and when Sookie finds out about witches actually existing she doesn’t freak out like she would have in earlier books.

Eric is just getting hotter as far as I’m concerned. Suffering from amnesia at the hands of the witches Eric has forgotten that he is a 1,000 year old Viking vampire that people bow to and cower in fear from as soon as he enters a room. Eric’s tender side in Dead to the World made me fall even more in love with him than before, because it proves that he’s not just an evil overlord, but that he may have a sliver of humanity left.

Eric is a little bit of an odd character for me, I don’t want him to be gentle; I want him to be hard hitting, evil and funny. But in Dead to the World, his tender side was just so perfect; it didn’t even seem like Eric. So although I missed witty Eric, I absolutely loved gentle Eric and although it fits him I can’t see the two sides of him ever reconciling into one being and if I had to choose it would definitely be evil Eric.

Alcide and his wolves also play a major part again in this book and with the addition of Alcide it once again adds more of a plot mover to the story.

I was so glad that Bill barely made an appearance in Dead to the World, as in Club Dead because I really don’t like him. Sookie doesn’t need the distraction that Bill causes and I am hoping that the series continues on this broader path of the extended set of characters.

Dead to the World also introduces witches, which for me wasn’t that big a deal. They seemed more like the hippy Wiccans rather than full blown cackling witches for most of the story. They made for an interesting dilemma for Sookie to deal with though.

Dead to the World was yet another excellent instalment in this fabulous series.

Others in this series:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and GoneDead in the Family

Question of the Week: How do you feel when you're called a nerd for reading?

Books for thought is hosted by Eleni at La Femme Readers

 

Question: When you are called a nerd for loving books, how do you feel?

 

Answer: I used to feel embarrased, but now I just feel annoyed, and sorry for the people who think its ok to make fun of people's hobbies. You don't see me making fun of your 8 hour a day Call of Duty addiction. I more feel upset at the lack of respect rather than being put down for reading.

I have been made fun of for reading for most of my life so now I'm used to it (sad aye?) but I still feel sorry for people who think that reading is something to be made fun of, I;m not saying you have to love it, I'm just saying...each to their own.