30 Followers
7 Following
Feelingfictional

Feelingfictional

Onio - Linell Jeppsen I blame you Anzu! This is ALL your fault LOL
Dirty Trick - Christine  Bell 3.5 stars review to follow
Bound - Marina Anderson Buddy Read with Ange

Bound is the second instalment of an eight part serialized novel called The Dining Club. Each of these instalments are fairly short (around 30 pages) so don't expect to get a full story in any of them, you really are going to have to read all eight parts to reach what will hopefully be a satisfactory conclusion (I can't confirm that either way just yet because I've only read the first two parts!). The story will be released as a complete novel in January 2014 so if you might prefer to wait until then to read it if you don't like the idea of waiting between instalments.

I had a few issues with the the first instalment to this serialized novel but I hoped that I would enjoy the second part, Bound, more. Unfortunately I just find myself feeling more and more uncomfortable as I continue reading this story. I'm all for stories where couples or individuals experiment with the sexuality and try new things and I have nothing against the idea of the Dining Club. In fact I think it could have been a really fascinating story idea if I didn't feel that Grace was being pushed into something that she didn't want. David has been keeping a major part of his life a secret from her but rather than sitting her down and explaining the kind of things he enjoys and asking her if they can try out new things together he basically blackmails her into going to the club with him. She has no idea what happens at the club, she doesn't know what he wants from her and she is terrified of failing his "tests" because he's told her that their relationship is over if she does. This is not my idea of safe and consensual BDSM and that makes me extremely uncomfortable.

Let me share a couple of quotes to illustrate my point:

Grace's stomach tightened with fear. For a short time she'd forgotten what lay ahead, but now there was no way out. If she wanted to keep David, and after their conversation earlier she knew without doubt that she did, then she had to go through with this.

Grace began to tremble. “I don’t want either,” she whispered. “I don’t know what they mean. I don’t think I can do this.”
“Then you simply refuse the dessert, my darling, but of course you know what that will mean for us.”
“I’m scared; doesn’t that matter to you?”
“Don’t be scared. You don’t have to choose anything, you know that. If none of them appeal to you, then all you have to do is tell Laura. There’s no pressure on you, Gracie, it’s only that…”
Trembling, Grace looked at him, and saw the regret in his eyes.

These are not the thoughts of a woman who is enjoying herself and looking forward to a fun evening with the man she loves. These are the thoughts of a woman who is being forced into something unknown, something that terrifies her and that she has no experience of. Does David sound like a loving boyfriend? No, he doesn't. He sounds like a cold, unfeeling bastard who doesn't give a shit about Grace unless she does what he wants. We're led to believe that Grace ends up enjoying the things she experiences but I don't understand how anyone in that situation could. One minute she's scared out of her wits and the next she's orgasming on command the next - would that really happen?

Two instalments into this story and I can't stand David, I hate his attitude towards Grace and I can't see anything even slightly attractive about him. At this point I'm rooting for Grace to pass his damn tests and then when he claims he's madly in love with her I want her to kick him where it hurts and tell him to get stuffed while she waltzes off into the sunset with Andrew. Unfortunately I highly doubt that will happen. I'm just not sure if I can stomach reading any more of this story.

I also want to reiterate a point I made in my previous review about the cost of these instalments. I really like the idea of reading a serialized novel so you get a bite sized part of the story that is easy to read in a single sitting even if you don't have much time to spare. What I don't like about it is that it works out so much more expensive overall than it does if you wait for the full length novel. For example, the first part is currently £0.99 on Amazon.co.uk with the remaining seven parts being £1.49 each so you'll pay a total of £11.42 for the 8 ebooks that make up the whole story when the paperback version of the complete book can currently be pre-ordered for just £5.24. As a consumer that really upsets me and if I hadn't been given free review copies of the first four instalments from the publisher via Netgalley then I certainly wouldn't spend that kind of money on them.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black Holly Black is an incredibly popular YA author so I'm embarrassed to admit that this is the first of her books that I've read. Unfortunately I don't think I picked a very good place to start because I found The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was a very difficult book to get through. I really expected to love this book, I've heard so many good things about the author that I was sure it would be fantastic but I'm afraid it just missed for me. Perhaps my expectations were too high when I started it but I had to force myself to carry on reading and it took me five days to get to the end. I think I'd have given up about halfway through if I'd bought this myself but because I received the book from Amazon Vine I have to write a review for it and I hate to review a book I didn't finish.

Tana wakes up in the bathroom the morning after a party with her classmates, she is hung over, tired and can't remember much about what happened the night before. As she gets up and goes in search of breakfast she realises that all of the other party guests have been killed by vampires, the only survivors are herself, her ex-boyfriend Aidan and a mysterious boy called Gavriel. They only just escape with their lives but Aidan and Tana both suspect they have been infected with the vampire virus. Rather than risk spreading the virus or hurting their families they decide to hand themselves in at one of the quarantined Coldtowns.

Unfortunately after the fast paced start the story really slowed down and I found myself struggling to carry on reading. The idea of the Coldtowns was fascinating, I loved the fact that Holly Black has brought back the dark and dangerous vampires who wouldn't think twice about draining someone dry and killing them and I really liked the idea of the vampires becoming like celebrities. They rule the Coldtowns and the parties they host are broadcast to the general population via live feed like some kind of Big Brother experiment. I could understand why so many hangers on were hooked on the idea of living forever and getting to live the glamorous high life as a vampire, they travelled to the Coldtowns in droves looking for salvation. I couldn't imagine myself doing the same thing but I was interested in the idea of it. I was pleased that the author didn't shy away from showing the darker side to the life as well as the fun side though. The problem was that there was just so much world building going on. It really slowed the pace of the story and it felt like you had to slog through page after page where nothing actually happens.

I think my main problem was that I didn't connect to any of the main characters though. I didn't particularly like or care about any of them. Tana felt so alien, she hardly shows any emotions and even waking up in a house full of her murdered friends she seemed very blasé about it all. I couldn't understand the relationship she had with Aidan and I really wasn't a fan of his character, he was so shallow and selfish that I wanted to punch him and I lost respect for Tana because of the way she let him treat her. I also didn't believe the attraction between her and Gavriel, I saw it coming a mile away but hoped I'd be proved wrong because it just didn't make sense to me. We did meet a couple of interesting side characters in the Coldtown and I would have loved for Valentina and Jameson to have been given more page time. If they'd been the main characters I think I would have enjoyed the story much more because they seemed so much more human than everyone else.

Unfortunately The Coldest Girl in Coldtown just didn't end up being the right book for me. I've seen a lot of positive reviews for it so I'm obviously in the minority and I would recommend reading through some of those reviews before you make up your mind about buying it. I will say that Holly Black has a great imagination and she writes some great descriptive scenes so I'm definitely planning on trying some of her other books. Hopefully I'll enjoy them a lot more than this one!
Wicked Heat - Nicola Marsh Wicked Heat is the first book I've read by Nicola Marsh but if all of her stories are both as funny and as sexy as this one then it definitely won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am definitely adding future books in the series to the top of my wish list! If you like your romances spicy and with great characters then this is a book you're going to love.

Allegra's world has just fallen down around her, her fiancé dumped her days before their wedding and her company is going to go out of business if she doesn't land some big new clients fast. When she hears that the luxury resort where she was supposed to take her honeymoon is looking for a new advertising company she decides to continue with her trip just to try and clinch the deal. She meets Jett at the airport but she has no idea that he's heading to the island for exactly the same reason, what she does know is that she is extremely attracted to him and when he proposes a hot holiday fling she's more than willing to take him up on it. With both of them relying on winning the contract to secure their jobs one of them is bound to get hurt unless they decide that it's worth risking it all for love.

I have to say that the meeting between Allegra and Jett at the airport was one of the funniest first encounters I've come across and you could tell instantly how much chemistry they had. Their banter continues throughout the story and I loved the way Jett pushes past Allegra's cold outer shell and brings out the passionate woman she keeps locked inside. They fit together really well but you just know it is all going to go horribly wrong when they realise that they're both after the same contract. I'll admit that I was a bit frustrated with Allegra for not coming clean with Jett sooner and I could understand why he reacted as badly as he did to her deception but thankfully things all worked out OK in the long run. I loved Jett from the beginning, he's cocky, arrogant and sure of himself but I found his confidence attractive and he lived up to his self built hype. He was also a lot nicer than he let on and he really cared about Allegra's feelings and wanted to help her build her confidence.

The sex scenes were incredibly hot (anyone with mile high club fantasies will enjoy this one!) and I think Wicked Heat makes a perfect holiday read with the wonderful tropical island setting. Along with the main characters I also really liked Allegra's best friend Zoe and am hopeful that the next book might be her story. If you've not read anything by Nicola Marsh before then I'd urge you to give this a try, especially if you're looking for a super HOT story that will make you laugh and swoon at the same time.
First Bite - Dani Harper Buddy Read with Ange

First Bite is the first book I've read by Dani Harper but I loved the humour it contained and am definitely planning on checking out her Changeling series as soon as I get a chance. I think I picked up this book at the perfect time, I was looking for something fun that would be a quick and easy read and that is exactly what I got, the banter between Neva and Travis was fantastic and I really enjoyed spending time with them both. There was plenty of action and drama, particularly in the second half of the book, which made this a real page turner and it didn't take me long to devour the whole book.

You can read the rest of review on my blog: FEELING FICTIONAL

(I'm sorry but I'm no longer including my full reviews on Goodreads because I don't agree with the way they implemented the latest change to their TOS and started deleting user content with no prior warning.)
Her Wicked Angel (Her Angel: Eternal Warriors #3) - Felicity Heaton I'm a huge fan of Felicity Heaton's Her Angel series so the last year has been a very long wait for Her Wicked Angel. The revelations in Her Demonic Angel were sure to have a larger impact on the series so it shouldn't come as any surprise to hear that most of the previous couples have an important role to play in this story. It was great to catch up with some of my favourites and see how they're getting on now and I was pleased with the way they stood by Liora when she needed their help and that they were eventually able to trust and accept Asmodeus.

We have briefly come across Asmodeus before - he's Apollyon's evil twin - and I was a little worried about how the author would be able to redeem someone who has done such horrific things but I have to say it didn't take long for me to fall for him and I think he's now taken the top spot as my favourite hero in the series! Asmodeus is unapologetically a badass, known as the King of Demons he has done terrible things as the devil's right hand man and he doesn't try to hide that fact. He isn't completely evil though, there is a tiny spark of good deep inside him but he has been raised in an environment where any sign of good is a sign of weakness so he has spent thousands of years trying to suppress his conscience. Liora is the first person to see through that tough man persona he puts on and she is the only person who has ever tried to encourage his good side. She makes him want to be a better man and although he'll always have a dark side when he's with her he is sweet, caring and very protective. I loved how we're shown that the good has always been there though and I enjoyed watching him learn how to interact with others after he has spent so much of his life alone.

Liora was the perfect heroine for Asmodeus, she is a kind and loving woman but she also has a bit of a wicked side. She is able to understand his darker moods because she hasn't always led a perfect life and she knows all about making mistakes and the lengths that revenge will take you to. There was one moment towards the end of the book where I found myself really annoyed with her for judging Asmodeus when she'd been so willing to accept him for who he was before that but I was able to forgive her for that because of how bad she felt when she realised how much she'd hurt him. Together they make a great couple and they had superb chemistry. Without a doubt Her Wicked Angel contains some of the hottest sex scenes in the series! For someone who was so shy in the beginning of the book Asmodeus is certainly a fast learner.

Alongside the incredibly hot romance this story is packed with action and some fantastic twists and turns. You'll see appearances from unexpected friends and old enemies and the build up to what is sure to be an epic battle in the next book. I have a suspicion that Nevar might be the next hero and if he is it'll be really interesting to see if he can come to terms with the changes that have taken place in himself over the last couple of books. Whoever the next couple turns out to be the next book will definitely be at the top of my wish list though and I can't wait to continue with this series!
The Tailor (The Grisha, #1.5) - Leigh Bardugo The Tailor is a free short story that can be read on Leigh Bardugo's Facebook page here. It retells a small part of Shadow and Bone from Genya's point of view and I wouldn't recommend reading it until after you've read the book because you will pick up spoilers. I'll also point out that even though this is a short review it will also contain spoilers for Shadow and Bone so don't continue beyond this first paragraph if you're new to the series. This is one of my favourite YA fantasy series though so it's one I'd highly recommend reading!

I really loved Genya when we first met her in Shadow and Bone, I thought she was such a fantastic friend for Alina so I was shocked and hurt by her betrayal towards the end of the story. Of course we already had a pretty good idea of how terrible her life was at the palace thanks to the King and Queen but seeing things told from her point of view in this short story just made my heart break for her. I still don't agree with her actions but it does make them much more understandable and I can't help but forgive her for them.

The Tailor is a great short story and one I'd definitely recommend to fans of this series. I love it when authors give us extra insight into side characters or show us the background into their stories and it's even better when they offer these free for their fans.
Dead Sexy Dragon - Lolita Lopez Buddy read with Ange
Desire - Marina Anderson Buddy read with Ange

2.5 stars

Desire is the first instalment of an eight part serialized novel called The Dining Club. Each of these instalments are fairly short (around 30 pages) so don't expect to get a full story in any of them, you really are going to have to read all eight parts to reach what will hopefully be a satisfactory conclusion (I can't confirm that either way just yet because I've only read this first part!). The story will be released as a complete novel in January 2014 so if you might prefer to wait until then to read it if you don't like the idea of waiting between instalments.

I really like the idea of reading a serialized novel so you get a bite sized part of the story that is easy to read in a single sitting even if you don't have much time to spare. What I don't like about it is that it works out so much more expensive overall than it does if you wait for the full length novel. For example, the first part is currently £0.99 on Amazon.co.uk with the remaining seven parts being £1.49 each so you'll pay a total of £11.42 for the 8 ebooks that make up the whole story when the paperback version of the complete book can currently be pre-ordered for just £5.24. As a consumer that really upsets me and if I hadn't been given free review copies of the first four instalments from the publisher via Netgalley then I certainly wouldn't spend that kind of money on them.

Now, to look at this first instalment in a bit more detail I have to say that Desire was much better written than the other serialized novels I've tried. We are introduced to the main characters Grace and David who have been dating for six months. Grace is happy with the way things are going between them, they get on well, have fun together and their sex life is fantastic but although she is on the verge of falling in love with him she feels that David is holding himself back. When David offers to take her away for the weekend she thinks it is the next step for them becoming more serious about each other, little does she know that David is taking her to a sex club, one where she must pass a series of tests if she wishes to continue seeing him.

Now the idea of the club and the different challenges Grace will face intrigues me, I have to say that if they had discussed it in advance and it was something that they were both interested in trying together I would have felt much better about it though. What bothers me is that David pretty much gives Grace and ultimatum that if she doesn't pass the any of the tests or isn't willing to try whatever he wants her to do then their relationship is over. He has played the perfect boyfriend for six months, waited until she is in love with him and then he pushes her into something that isn't necessarily what she wants. I don't have a problem with him enjoying the club (we don't really know what is going to happen there yet - we'll have to wait for part two to get any details - but it's definitely some kind of BDSM club) but I do have a problem with his deception and the fact that he has been visiting the club on a monthly basis behind her back without telling her about it. I think it's important to be upfront in a relationship, if you have a kink that's fine but you should let the other person know about it and let them decide if it's something they're willing to participate in before they fall in love with you.

Issues aside I'm still curious enough to want to know what happens next. I'm sure Grace is going to find she enjoys things she never would have even considered before, I just wish she'd been given more of a choice about whether she wished to try them! I already have the next 3 parts so I'll be reading at least that far to see how things progress between them. Hopefully we'll get to know more about David's motivations and why he went behind Grace's back for so long before introducing her to his darker side.
Rebecca's Lost Journals, Volume 1: The Seduction - Lisa Renee Jones I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to this one but I just didn't find myself enjoying it that much. It was interesting to get a glimpse of Rebecca's life before she disappeared but I don't feel connected enough to her to really care about her story.

If you've read If I Were You you'll see that Rebecca and Sara are pretty much the same character. I just find it impossible to believe that the person who randomly finds Rebecca's journals has exactly the same tastes, education and dreams for the future as she did. I also can't understand why both of them are so attracted to Mark - he really is a complete and utter douche and I can't stand him.

I think for what it is this story is completely overpriced, it's currently £1.99 on kindle and is only about 40 pages long. I'm assuming you have to read all four of the short stories in Rebecca's journal to get any kind of resolution to the story because this one certainly doesn't add anything new to the series on it's own.

I don't think I'll be reading any more of Rebecca's Lost Journals. I'd rather save my money for something I know I'm going to enjoy. I haven't made up my mind about continuing with the Inside Out Trilogy though, I already have the next 2 books so I might give them a try at some point but I'm not going to be in any rush to do so - I'm starting to come to the conclusion that this series and I just aren't meant to be.
Four: A Divergent Story Collection - Veronica Roth [b:Four: A Divergent Story Collection|18126198|Four A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent, #0.1 - 0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25457412] contains all of the following short stories:
1. [b:The Transfer: A Divergent Story|18080920|The Transfer A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.1)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1375978012s/18080920.jpg|25389330]
2. [b:The Initiate: A Divergent Story|18080921|The Initiate A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.2)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389331]
3. [b:The Son: A Divergent Story|18080922|The Son A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.3)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389332]
4. [b:The Traitor: A Divergent Story|18080923|The Traitor A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389333]
5. [b:Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story|13615258|Free Four Tobias Tells the Story (Divergent, #1.5)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350838641s/13615258.jpg|19216323]
The Traitor: A Divergent Story - Veronica Roth Do yourself a favour and don't buy this ebook if you don't want to waste your money.

As of 10th September it will cost you £1.99 for this ebook but if you wait until January you can get this and 4 other short stories (all priced at £1.99 each when purchased separately) in one print bind up that is currently available to pre-order for just £4.99 (versus the £9.95 it would cost you for the 5 ebooks!!!)

[b:Four: A Divergent Story Collection|18126198|Four A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent, #0.1 - 0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25457412] contains all of the following short stories:
1. [b:The Transfer: A Divergent Story|18080920|The Transfer A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.1)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1375978012s/18080920.jpg|25389330]
2. [b:The Initiate: A Divergent Story|18080921|The Initiate A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.2)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389331]
3. [b:The Son: A Divergent Story|18080922|The Son A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.3)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389332]
4. [b:The Traitor: A Divergent Story|18080923|The Traitor A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389333]
5. [b:Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story|13615258|Free Four Tobias Tells the Story (Divergent, #1.5)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350838641s/13615258.jpg|19216323]
The Son: A Divergent Story - Veronica Roth Do yourself a favour and don't buy this ebook if you don't want to waste your money.

As of 10th September it will cost you £1.99 for this ebook but if you wait until January you can get this and 4 other short stories (all priced at £1.99 each when purchased separately) in one print bind up that is currently available to pre-order for just £4.99 (versus the £9.95 it would cost you for the 5 ebooks!!!)

[b:Four: A Divergent Story Collection|18126198|Four A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent, #0.1 - 0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25457412] contains all of the following short stories:
1. [b:The Transfer: A Divergent Story|18080920|The Transfer A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.1)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1375978012s/18080920.jpg|25389330]
2. [b:The Initiate: A Divergent Story|18080921|The Initiate A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.2)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389331]
3. [b:The Son: A Divergent Story|18080922|The Son A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.3)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389332]
4. [b:The Traitor: A Divergent Story|18080923|The Traitor A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389333]
5. [b:Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story|13615258|Free Four Tobias Tells the Story (Divergent, #1.5)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350838641s/13615258.jpg|19216323]
The Initiate: A Divergent Story - Veronica Roth Do yourself a favour and don't buy this ebook if you don't want to waste your money.

As of 10th September it will cost you £1.99 for this ebook but if you wait until January you can get this and 4 other short stories (all priced at £1.99 each when purchased separately) in one print bind up that is currently available to pre-order for just £4.99 (versus the £9.95 it would cost you for the 5 ebooks!!!)

[b:Four: A Divergent Story Collection|18126198|Four A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent, #0.1 - 0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25457412] contains all of the following short stories:
1. [b:The Transfer: A Divergent Story|18080920|The Transfer A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.1)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1375978012s/18080920.jpg|25389330]
2. [b:The Initiate: A Divergent Story|18080921|The Initiate A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.2)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389331]
3. [b:The Son: A Divergent Story|18080922|The Son A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.3)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389332]
4. [b:The Traitor: A Divergent Story|18080923|The Traitor A Divergent Story (Divergent, #0.4)|Veronica Roth|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|25389333]
5. [b:Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story|13615258|Free Four Tobias Tells the Story (Divergent, #1.5)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350838641s/13615258.jpg|19216323]
Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #4; Were-Hunter, #1) - Sherrilyn Kenyon I'm so pleased that I'm finally getting around to reading this series because I'm enjoying every minute of it. I knew when we met Zarek in Night Embrace that I was going to love him and I wasn't wrong, learning about his past in Dance with the Devil broke my heart but I now have a new favourite tortured hero! I don't think I've ever come across a hero with such a horrific background (not even Zsadist!) so it is no wonder that Zarek doesn't trust anyone. He deliberately puts on a cold outer shell to prove that he doesn't need anyone and that he is fine all on his own. He pushes people away before they can hurt him because nobody has ever shown him any kindness. Even since he became a Dark-Hunter he has been ostracised by the others and he has spent hundreds of years exiled in Alaska with very little in the way of physical comfort let alone any emotional connection. How Zarek isn't completely insane is beyond me but in spite of the way he has always been treated he has clung stubbornly to life and refused to just give up and die. Nobody has ever taken the time to push past his defences but in spite of that he shows a caring side in the way he secretly looks out for others. Not that he'd ever admit to the nice things he does because he wouldn't want anyone to think he had a softer side!

The only person who has ever fought for Zarek has been Acheron but you could hardly call the two of them friends. Zarek resents the fact that Ash is his boss and able to order him around and he doesn't trust Ash to have his best interests at heart. Even though Zarek keeps him at arms length Ash does his best to protect him and when Artemis decides it is time for Zarek to die Ash makes a bargain with her to save his life. Artemis agrees to stand by the judgement of justice nymph Astrid knowing that Astrid hasn't found anyone innocent in her thousands of years as a judge. Astrid fully expects to find Zarek guilty but when she starts to spend time with him she sees the inconsistencies in his character, the fact that he could so easily have attempted to hurt her but that even though he is snappy and angry he actually goes out of his way to help her. She is the first person to take the time to get to know him properly and see just how hard his life has been. She doesn't pity him but instead admires his will to survive and she comes to respect the man hidden deep inside.

I just want to say how much I loved these two as a couple, their banter was hilarious and I liked the fact that Astrid just kept on pushing him out of his comfort zone trying to get a rise from him. She is the only one who is willing to call him on his behaviour and that makes him want to trust her. Their relationship builds slowly and was so sweet to watch, I loved seeing how he reacted to her and my heart melted when he finally starts to believe in her. Dance with the Devil was hard to read at times, reading about Zarek's past had me in tears (this book should definitely come with a tissues needed warning!) but there were also laugh out loud moments and a lot heart melting romance. I haven't even mentioned the other characters yet but I loved the scenes with Ash (he's definitely a hero I can't wait to spend more time with), Simi is hilarious and I hope we're going to get a book about Jesse at some point. I'm also very curious about Astrid's friend and companion Sasha. I can see why this series is so popular and I'm looking forward to continuing my reading binge with Kiss of the Night.