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Darkest #3
Darkest Intentions
Geri Baxter is homeless, penniless, and scared thanks to her soon-to-be ex husband’s betrayal. Just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, she’s mugged in the park.
Malachi Mannering has lived for a thousand years. Most of those years have been possessed by the demons of his past caused by the abuse of one man.
When Malachi saves Geri after she’s injured by a shadowdrifter, he knows he is her only chance for survival.
Soon after, Geri and Malachi embark upon a journey that tosses them into a turbulent sea of betrayal, mystery and . . .
Malachi Mannering has lived for a thousand years. Most of those years have been possessed by the demons of his past caused by the abuse of one man.
When Malachi saves Geri after she’s injured by a shadowdrifter, he knows he is her only chance for survival.
Soon after, Geri and Malachi embark upon a journey that tosses them into a turbulent sea of betrayal, mystery and . . .
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First published January 13, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 18, 2011
Very emotional and intriguing story, that was very hard for me to put down. The hero and heroine in this book are what you call tortured, so this book will be hard to read for some while others will relish in its emotional rollercoaster. I’m not usually one for this kind of read because it really pains me to read all the heartache, but I loved how it flowed and how the author keeps them both working on their problems.
Few spoilers sorry, it’s the only way I can write this.
Malachi is a vampire that has lived thousands of years, but he had never felt a woman’s touch. When he was a teen he found himself in the hands of male sadists. So there is mention of m/m rape. I am one that has a hard time about m/m rape, but the author does a good job without going over board to make anyone uncomfortable. With this problem Malachi doesn’t think he can needs a woman until one night he here’s a cry in the park..
Geri is not in much better shape, she two is a victim of a man and now she is homeless. She is saved in a park one night by a huge and handsome man. As they embark on an adventure she finds herself falling for him, but can she change him and earn his trust to get him pour out his soul.
If you like tortured heroes and emotional rollercoaster then give this one a try. This is book 3 in a series, but this can read be as standalone.
Few spoilers sorry, it’s the only way I can write this.
Malachi is a vampire that has lived thousands of years, but he had never felt a woman’s touch. When he was a teen he found himself in the hands of male sadists. So there is mention of m/m rape. I am one that has a hard time about m/m rape, but the author does a good job without going over board to make anyone uncomfortable. With this problem Malachi doesn’t think he can needs a woman until one night he here’s a cry in the park..
Geri is not in much better shape, she two is a victim of a man and now she is homeless. She is saved in a park one night by a huge and handsome man. As they embark on an adventure she finds herself falling for him, but can she change him and earn his trust to get him pour out his soul.
If you like tortured heroes and emotional rollercoaster then give this one a try. This is book 3 in a series, but this can read be as standalone.
August 29, 2013
Full Disclosure: Free book in Swag Bag at CarolinaCon. Back of the book is marked "Proof" - so maybe some of my issues were resolved before final publication.
Standard paranormal romance. Two romantic interests (m-f in this case) with emotional problems and trust issue to overcome meet, male fights bad guys, other characters are introduced (to further the series), good guys win, and female gets the totally hot alpha male. Vampire flavor.
Not very memorable, but when eating candy books that is okay. Initially very nice - complicated and layered introduction. You feel for the characters, experience the park where they meet, take in the anguish as they explore their trust issues.
Then half-way through the book the editing stops. Not the proofing - spelling is still okay. The editing - ie, the honing of the story. The language because simplistic (dropping 2 or 3 grade levels), environment descriptions go away, and everyone starts taking dumb pills.
I should have stopped on page 12 when the hero is having a flashback from his teen years, a millennium ago. Anyone writing about the past needs to know about the past. But it is a modern story and most of the book stays there.
My issues with page 12: The hero's father had been put to death by "guillotine" - although commonly thought to have been invented in the 18th century - earlier versions of guillotine-like machines go back to possibly the 14th century. No accounts take it back to the tenth. Had the author used the word "beheaded" instead, all would have been good. Guillotine is not the word the character should have thought of. Then the teen's face was pushed into "cold cement blocks". Concrete, yes, invented by the Romans, ... cement, not so much ... and blocks, not at all. Then everything was bemoaning how young the character was "only a boy" - sorry in the tenth century a fifteen year old is a man working hard - deep into his apprenticeship, maybe even married. Yes a full-grown man could overpower a youth not in his full body, but the teen would not be thinking about his family or how young he was. He would seethe and think from the aspect of a cultural adult.
But I got past that, saying to myself it is only one scene and most people are not as informed about history as I was.
Then I got to the last third of the book and the editor quit or something. If you are wanting to learn how to be a content or line editor - this is a great book to train on.
(SPOILER ALERT - from here on down)
POV flips between the hero and heroine throughout the book; a brief glimpse of the villain and a decision-maker POV needed to move the story forward. All this is okay. Then we got an entire POV chapter of secondary characters getting together ... having nothing to do with the story, whom the main characters didn't care about at all ... where did that come from?
And the stupid pills - the characters doing out of character actions because the writer needed the story to have the twist there. An argument needed - the heroine pops a pill and freaks out about a training fight. Another argument needed, this one big to bring total "dark of the soul" (a literary term for the time when all is lost) - hero pops a stupid pill and freaks out, kicking the heroine to the curb. (Really man, you didn't realize the woman had other lovers in her past?) Finally the good guys take one so the bad guy (might - don't know for real) get away - they knew, he was different from anything fought in the past and extreme uberness - overkill is not excessive if it means bad guy stays killed.
Anyway mediocre story with a horrendous ending thanks to poor editing. The darlings (parts of the story the writer added because of scenes or people loved) needed trimming.
Standard paranormal romance. Two romantic interests (m-f in this case) with emotional problems and trust issue to overcome meet, male fights bad guys, other characters are introduced (to further the series), good guys win, and female gets the totally hot alpha male. Vampire flavor.
Not very memorable, but when eating candy books that is okay. Initially very nice - complicated and layered introduction. You feel for the characters, experience the park where they meet, take in the anguish as they explore their trust issues.
Then half-way through the book the editing stops. Not the proofing - spelling is still okay. The editing - ie, the honing of the story. The language because simplistic (dropping 2 or 3 grade levels), environment descriptions go away, and everyone starts taking dumb pills.
I should have stopped on page 12 when the hero is having a flashback from his teen years, a millennium ago. Anyone writing about the past needs to know about the past. But it is a modern story and most of the book stays there.
My issues with page 12: The hero's father had been put to death by "guillotine" - although commonly thought to have been invented in the 18th century - earlier versions of guillotine-like machines go back to possibly the 14th century. No accounts take it back to the tenth. Had the author used the word "beheaded" instead, all would have been good. Guillotine is not the word the character should have thought of. Then the teen's face was pushed into "cold cement blocks". Concrete, yes, invented by the Romans, ... cement, not so much ... and blocks, not at all. Then everything was bemoaning how young the character was "only a boy" - sorry in the tenth century a fifteen year old is a man working hard - deep into his apprenticeship, maybe even married. Yes a full-grown man could overpower a youth not in his full body, but the teen would not be thinking about his family or how young he was. He would seethe and think from the aspect of a cultural adult.
But I got past that, saying to myself it is only one scene and most people are not as informed about history as I was.
Then I got to the last third of the book and the editor quit or something. If you are wanting to learn how to be a content or line editor - this is a great book to train on.
(SPOILER ALERT - from here on down)
POV flips between the hero and heroine throughout the book; a brief glimpse of the villain and a decision-maker POV needed to move the story forward. All this is okay. Then we got an entire POV chapter of secondary characters getting together ... having nothing to do with the story, whom the main characters didn't care about at all ... where did that come from?
And the stupid pills - the characters doing out of character actions because the writer needed the story to have the twist there. An argument needed - the heroine pops a pill and freaks out about a training fight. Another argument needed, this one big to bring total "dark of the soul" (a literary term for the time when all is lost) - hero pops a stupid pill and freaks out, kicking the heroine to the curb. (Really man, you didn't realize the woman had other lovers in her past?) Finally the good guys take one so the bad guy (might - don't know for real) get away - they knew, he was different from anything fought in the past and extreme uberness - overkill is not excessive if it means bad guy stays killed.
Anyway mediocre story with a horrendous ending thanks to poor editing. The darlings (parts of the story the writer added because of scenes or people loved) needed trimming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2013
I have loved books 1-3, but this is my favourite!!! And I'm looking forward to reading book 4!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews