What a fantastically original plot and story idea! If you like westerns, American history, the native American Indians or just want a read with some seriously sexy Bannister boys (cowboys!!), well then this one is for you.

The plot moved along at a cracking pace, it kept me interested and had plenty of action. There are bigger plot arcs that aren’t really finished in this one, which gives Keta plenty of opportunity to bring these boys and girls back for more. I loved the female characters, Maddie and Sacheen are headstrong and know themselves well. It was a lovely thing to see strong women in a romance novel with such strong males.

The mixing of Indian folklore/beliefs with Mexican and Christian beliefs worked really well. Given the setting, and the little Indian translation list at the start I was initially concerned that there’d be too much in Indian or Mexican and I’d miss plot points because I don’t speak/read either. Thankfully, Keta took care of me, and the different languages ended up giving the story a lovely exotic spice, without being too much. There wasn’t any point where I didn’t understand what was going on.

There were a couple of points that bothered me (hence the 3.5-4 star rating). I disliked how easily it was for Uday to lure Sacheen away from the rest of them (it seemed a little too convenient that Maddie knew the answers but it’d slipped her mind to share with someone else), and it was a little rushed at the ending. Minor things really, just the last rough edges of an otherwise enjoyable read. The manuscript needed another once over, to catch some minor typos, but it was mostly really well written.

I would recommend it for romance lovers, paranormal fans and general readers who are interested in an engaging plot, strong characters and action with a fantastic setting.

I received this book free of charge from the author in return for an honest review.

Throwback Thursday. It's back to cleaning up reviews from the GR conversion. I read this . . . awhile ago. 

 

The Sin Eater’s Prince is a sexy and atmospheric tale that reminded me a bit of an old-timey gothic horror movie starring a young Vincent Price, if he were a vampire who preferred handsome auburn tressed young men, that is!



Is that picture not dreamy? Ok, back to business. Set in Wales in 1842, Owen lives amidst superstition. He is a sin-eater and deemed unholy by the townsfolk who only call on him when a loved one is dying. It is Owen’s job to consume the sins of the dying so their souls are able to move on cleansed and free of sin.

“Born a sin eater, I’m unsavory, destined to lead an afterlife in Hell carrying the sins of others. Visions of death haunt me night and day”

Sweet, tormented Owen, I loved him from the very start. And for Owen’s kind deeds he is shunned, called unclean and lives a lonely existence with only goats and a fiddle for company. The only two people who are civil to him are Doctor Andras Maddock and his ward Carys who stops by often for goat milk and doesn’t seem to give a damn about what people say. Owen has had a secret crush on the handsome doctor forever and never in his wildest dreams expected to act upon it. When he finds his attraction returned, well, let’s just say things heat up and years of pent up longing are released.

“He tasted like summer rain and Andras couldn’t slake his thirst fast enough.”

Stop here to ponder whatever you wish.

Andras is a vampire in possession of a magical sword that another clan of vampires will do anything to possess. When they get wind that he’s been spending a little too much time with Owen they realize they have the perfect weapon to wield against him. What follows is an action packed smack-down of evil creatures, selfish small-minded towns-peopl and a rough road to happiness for the lovely Andras and Owen.

I was enchanted by the opening of this story. Longing from afar and secret crushes along with a nice slow burn of attraction sucks me in every time and the atmosphere was fab and very well done. But if I’m being completely honest, I have to admit that I really, truly wish the story had stayed focused on Owen and Andras’s new feelings as a couple and their banter as they formed a relationship because when the focus switched to more of a standard good vs. baddies my interest began to wane. But that’s my personal bias and I freely admit it. I’m not a huge danger and action kind of girl and go for the more intimate character based reads. I know I’m probably in the minority based on the explosion of danger based paranormal romances.

I enjoyed the heat between Andras and Owen and found much of the writing intoxicating but would’ve enjoyed spending more time watching Andras and Owen fall in love and getting to know sarcastic and independent Carys better (loved what I saw of her) before all of the bloodshed began. But that’s me, I’m greedy like that. For the most part, this was a haunting, hypnotic and sexy little story and a good way to while away a few hours.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (do I have to say that here? probably).

In sum, I think the best way to reflect on this book is to say that it really wasn't my cuppa. Originally I got this at a bargain bin at my uni back in 2010 when someone no longer wanted it, so I'm guessing from the edition I have, they ordered it from Ravenous Romance and no longer wanted it.  (Ravenous Romance no longer carries this title, so I held onto it for quite a while.  I have no idea if this book has been updated or changed since that point, so I'm going from what my copy lent as I read it.)

 

My dislike wasn't so much for thematics or even the erotic elements of the story, but more or less, this narrative was full of many problems.  The prose was repetitive - particularly when it came to the sensuous scenes between Gavin and Sophia, and apart from capitalizing on numerous period stereotypes and over the top conflicts for drama, there wasn't much holding this narrative together.

 

Sophia is a young woman who has no family (parents died some time before), and whose life had been completely destroyed by the Yankees during the Civil War.  Her home's the only thing she has left, apart from her promised marriage to Jesse as she waits for him to return South.  Sophia grew up with Gavin and Jesse, two of her childhood friends.  Gavin has always loved Sophia (even saved her life when they were kids), but Jesse was promised her hand in marriage from a young age.  Yet Gavin, a Yankee serving during the War, accidentally shoots Jesse on the battlefield, killing him.  Gavin has to return to Sophia to deliver the terrible news and Jesse's final letter and message, for Gavin to take care of her and confess that Gavin has always loved her.  (This conflict to me came across far too easily.)

 

Yet mistaking Gavin for an enemy Yankee, Sophia shoots Gavin as he's coming to deliver her the harsh news.  (She doesn't recognize him as he's staggering to greet her from a distance).  She nearly kills him and has to nurse him back to health.  The two hit it off sexually (with a myriad of love scenes), but Gavin doesn't deliver the news to Sophia straight away that Jesse's dead.  When Sophia finds Jesse's last letter in Gavin's things, she gets angry (she actually claws at him and bites his cheek, declaring her hatred for him) - things happen with respect to a vile guy who wants nothing more than to rape Sophia and kill Gavin. Sophia's manor gets burned down and Sophia hits her head on a bed post, rendering her blind.

 

So Gavin has to take her up north to a special school of the blind.  On their journey there, Sophia's threatened with rape again, and other such things happened to the point where I just read to the end and couldn't care anymore.  Especially considering Sophia uses her blindness at one point to determine whether Gavin really loves her.

 

In sum, this was just too much and I think nothing really defined the characters very well.  Couldn't really follow the over the top scenarios, contrived drama, nor the repetitive sensuous scenes.

 

My hope is that the person who has the book now enjoys it more than I did, but I can't really recommend this for those who like erotic romance or erotica with a historical fiction grounding. 

 

Overall score: 1/5 stars

Land of Falling Stars - Keta Diablo In sum, I think the best way to reflect on this book is to say that it really wasn't my cuppa. Originally I got this at a bargain bin at my uni back in 2010 when someone no longer wanted it, so I'm guessing from the edition I have, they ordered it from Ravenous Romance and no longer wanted it. (Ravenous Romance no longer carries this title, so I held onto it for quite a while. I have no idea if this book has been updated or changed since that point, so I'm going from what my copy lent as I read it.)

My dislike wasn't so much for thematics or even the erotic elements of the story, but more or less, this narrative was full of many problems. The prose was repetitive - particularly when it came to the sensuous scenes between Gavin and Sophia, and apart from capitalizing on numerous period stereotypes and over the top conflicts for drama, there wasn't much holding this narrative together.

Sophia is a young woman who has no family (parents died some time before), and whose life had been completely destroyed by the Yankees during the Civil War. Her home's the only thing she has left, apart from her promised marriage to Jesse as she waits for him to return South. Sophia grew up with Gavin and Jesse, two of her childhood friends. Gavin has always loved Sophia (even saved her life when they were kids), but Jesse was promised her hand in marriage from a young age. Yet Gavin, a Yankee serving during the War, accidentally shoots Jesse on the battlefield, killing him. Gavin has to return to Sophia to deliver the terrible news and Jesse's final letter and message, for Gavin to take care of her and confess that Gavin has always loved her. (This conflict to me came across far too easily.)

Yet mistaking Gavin for an enemy Yankee, Sophia shoots Gavin as he's coming to deliver her the harsh news. (She doesn't recognize him as he's staggering to greet her from a distance). She nearly kills him and has to nurse him back to health. The two hit it off sexually (with a myriad of love scenes), but Gavin doesn't deliver the news to Sophia straight away that Jesse's dead. When Sophia finds Jesse's last letter in Gavin's things, she gets angry (she actually claws at him and bites his cheek, declaring her hatred for him) - things happen with respect to a vile guy who wants nothing more than to rape Sophia and kill Gavin. Sophia's manor gets burned down and Sophia hits her head on a bed post, rendering her blind.

So Gavin has to take her up north to a special school of the blind. On their journey there, Sophia's threatened with rape again, and other such things happened to the point where I just read to the end and couldn't care anymore. Especially considering Sophia uses her blindness at one point to determine whether Gavin really loves her.

In sum, this was just too much and I think nothing really defined the characters very well. Couldn't really follow the over the top scenarios, contrived drama, nor the repetitive sensuous scenes.

My hope is that the person who has the book now enjoys it more than I did, but I can't really recommend this for those who like erotic romance or erotica with a historical fiction grounding.

Overall score: 1/5 stars

My edition's cover is a lot steamier than the other cover of this book (and I don't think Ravenous Romance carries it anymore), but nonetheless, I think I'm going to finish it.  I rarely put down books that I've already started, and I was four chapters into this before putting it to the side.

 

The author's name came up again today (poor BookSmugglers, they didn't deserve that reaction at all) and jogged my memory.

 

I wasn't fond of the writing at the time I picked it up, and I remember the only reason I picked it up was because I was looking for historical romance recs and one mention said this was like "Gone With the Wind" but steamier. 

 

I remember thinking "That's...setting the bar really high isn't it?"

 

Might as well try again and give it an honest review since I started it.

 

I may tackle it between reads or later on.  Not sure yet, but I've got about five books that are on my priority list for review.  I think I'd rather keep my good book streak going for as long as possible or at least be on one before jumping into this.

 

All right, back to reading "Through the Smoke" among a few other reads tonight.