3.5 stars
I have to say this one took me by surprise, and I really enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to pick it up as part of the blog tour.
Summary:
Hamish hasn't been interested in love since his beloved wife died four hundred years ago. He knows that it's impossible for her to reincarnate, but he hasn't been able to let her go. Until now.
When he meets Desiree in Colorado, Hamish can't resist her. When she moves to Vermont to work, she's right in his back yard. He sets about winning her, ready for a future with her.
Yet his past won't let that happen
My take:
Ok I will warn you this one may be a long one. So first off I cut the summary down a bit from the one on amazon. The reason for that is that the summary gives too much away. I think so stories, like this one, are better if you don't know whats going to happen next. Its like when movie trailers have all the good parts in the movie, don't give it away too soon or no one will be interested.
That being said, I really did enjoy this book. Shannon Pheonix has done an excellent job working supernaturals into the regular world in a very smooth and seamless fashion. I found her slow addition of characters made the story easier to digest. Now after complaining about the summary giving too many things away I don't want to do it myself but I do feel the need to mention that there are Gargoyles! I mean Gargoyles, you know stone figures on churches and castles, who walk and talk. Their interaction with the main characters really made this book for me. Alright, enough spoilers lets move on.
I enjoyed the romance between Hamish and Desiree. Desiree is a little stubborn, but willing to take a chance and of course Hamish is your typical Alpha male. As far as love stories go I found it endearing that Hamish had held out for 400 years. That is true love as only an author can right, lets face it in real life people tend to move on in months not years. But isn't that one of the reasons we enjoy romances? They give us everything real life is unable to.
Another enjoyable part was the limited sex scenes. This is a romance novel so although there were I think two or three scenes they do not dominate the storyline. It has been awhile since I have read a romance that wasn't filled with sex scenes, this was a nice change of pace.
Now your thinking why the 3.5 if the story is so great? There are a few things that kept this novel from four stars for me. First I think the author has a few favorite words that she overused a little bit. I think a quick look at a thesaurus would clear this up (maybe in the next release). The only other thing I would mention is that the sex scenes themselves are rough. This is one of those instances when think the author may be trying too hard. This may just be a personal preference but I'm not into hearing about the fast of sperm, maybe its just me.
Seriously though if you skip past the sex scenes this is a great book. It has a truly original story line with fantastically crafted supernaturals. It takes a lot to surprise me and this one did. I will be keeping my eyes open for the next one in the series.
Author Bio:
Shannon Phoenix always wrote stories. She watched the
characters take on their lives within her mind, and began to write down what
they were doing. She would write the stories and then let them go. But a few
years ago, she got caught writing those stories. You know... those stories.
To her surprise, the person who
found her stories loved her characters as much as Shannon did. She tentatively
allowed others to read the stories, as well, and it was from that first foray
into the scary world of letting others read her 'little tales' that Shannon
Phoenix Books was born.
Shannon lives in New Hampshire
with her husband, her daughter, and their family cat. Her full time job is
parenting, her part time job is as a mother's helper to a family friend, and
her passion is letting the characters in her mind out on paper--or keyboard, as
the case may be.
Welcome to Shannon Phoenix's
Books. May you find the magic in your own life.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hi Wolfie!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for that great review! I hadn't noticed I'd used the same words over and over. I generally do use a thesaurus, I promise. *ducks under the desk* Apparently I need to use it more, and I truly do thank you for pointing it out to me. I'll be sure to read it over and look for that.
That being said, I really like gargoyles a lot. I love werewolves, and I like vampires, but the gargoyles really are my 'babies' so to speak. It's awesome to see someone else liking them as much as I do! Yay!
I'm so glad that you liked the story. For me, romance novels are more about the love story than about the sex [though I'm sorry my scenes did not appeal].
I really liked Hamish and Desiree, and they'll be in future books. Plus some surprises about others whom we met in this book, too.
Again, I thank you for your awesome review, both the praise, and the constructive. How am I to learn and grow as a writer if no one is honest about where I need to do it? :)
Your review was awesome, and I thank you all around!
Thanks so much for stopping by Shannon. I really did enjoy your book. Its hard to find originality in this Genre and you have done a fantastic job! I look forward to the next one. Also I couldn't find A Wolfs Song on Goodreads? I would be happy to put a review up there as well. My Amazon one should be up today.
ReplyDeletep.s. I can send you the page numbers in question if you want to PM me.
As an author I love reviews like this. So much so that I have liked your various links and am creating a shortcut so I can come back and visit your site.
ReplyDeleteBest Wishes
Eri Nelson
Hi again Majick!
ReplyDeleteI don't currently have a blogger acct, and I don't know how to write a PM without one. I would be very happy if you could send me that, though. As I said, always thrilled to learn and grow!
I have an email, if it wouldn't inconvenience you. shannon(@)shannonphoenix(dot)com (you know what to do :D ).
Thank you so very much, and here's A Wolf's Song on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13633244-a-wolf-s-song