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Kindred #1
The Temptation
His touch was electric.
His eyes were magnetic.
His lips were a temptation....
But was he real?
After crashing her car on an empty highway, Shane is miraculously saved by Travis, a mysterious cowboy who walks out of nowhere. She is instantly attracted to him, and for the first time, she believes in “soul mates.” But Shane soon discovers that Travis is dead and that strict rules from the Underworld govern kindred spirits of different dimensions. Breaking these rules could destroy both their souls. And while Travis is almost impossible to resist, temptation proves to be the kindest enemy they encounter.
Can true love surpass the power of pure evil? Part love story, part supernatural thriller, this first book in the Kindred trilogy will leave readers lusting for more!
His eyes were magnetic.
His lips were a temptation....
But was he real?
After crashing her car on an empty highway, Shane is miraculously saved by Travis, a mysterious cowboy who walks out of nowhere. She is instantly attracted to him, and for the first time, she believes in “soul mates.” But Shane soon discovers that Travis is dead and that strict rules from the Underworld govern kindred spirits of different dimensions. Breaking these rules could destroy both their souls. And while Travis is almost impossible to resist, temptation proves to be the kindest enemy they encounter.
Can true love surpass the power of pure evil? Part love story, part supernatural thriller, this first book in the Kindred trilogy will leave readers lusting for more!
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2012
17 people are currently reading
2776 people want to read
About the author
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
29 books554 followersHello! I'm Alisa. I'm a writer and musician from New Mexico. I got my start writing in newspapers for nearly a decade, and then made the move to novels. I write in a variety of genres, though all of my work tends to have something to do with the things that interest me. Whether I'm writing young adult novels or historical fiction for adults, my stories are alike in that they seek to un-erase erased people, cultures and events, and there's usually something supernatural involved, as well as a general awe and reverence for the natural world. Fairness is important to me. Kindness is important to me. Holding monsters accountable is important to me. I try to write about all of that but also to keep things funny. Lots of labels have been placed on me over the years by a staggering variety of sleepwalking souls, but I don't tend to consider myself within such confines. I had a Near Death Experience in 2015 that changed everything for me. Now I know I'm a spirit living temporarily in a body, like everyone else. So I'm sort of existing, listening to the stories that exist all around us, allowing them to come through me to you. That's all. Sometimes my books sell. Mostly, they don't. Writing's a crap way to make a living, especially in this new era of fascism and billionaires. Ah, well. Keep loving those closest to you.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
September 9, 2016
1.5/5
You know self, it’s not the book’s fault so don’t blame it. The book implies that this is going to be another instant love kind of story. The summary gave you a sort of warning: she is instantly attracted to him. Instantly being the operative word. You hate insta-love and yet you still read it, now whose fault is it?
I’m talking to myself…this is not good. This is what happens when I write a review in the midst of a migraine. But I don’t want to put it on hold because I tend to lose what I originally wanted to say. And I want to write my thoughts on every book I read.
Now, where was I? Ah, the insta-love. It’s the most instantaneous attraction I have ever read. So if you hate this kind of development then I warn you to stay far, far away. But if you don’t mind then go for it! But I can guarantee you, that is only the beginning.
Let’s pretend that I’m fully ok with them falling head over heels so suddenly. But their first meeting was distasteful, especially the girl, Shane. She got into an accident and almost dying and then guy, Travis popped out of nowhere and saved her. You see, no matter how freakishly good-looking the guy, you don’t gawk at him and describe his facial feature at that very moment. You’re about to die. Doesn’t she have to think things like…I don’t know, her mother? her friends? her boyfriend? or herself?
But wait a minute there’s an explanation why they are oh so ridiculously attracted to each other. They’re soulmates—kindreds. This is not spoiler anymore since the summary already said this information: Travis is dead, he’s a ghost. But here’s a spoiler: technically he’s a revenant. And if you’re thinking Die For Me, not quite. Let just say he’s under consideration, he did some bad thing while he was alive so for him to be permitted to enter the afterworld, he must do good deeds here on earth. This is like a second chance for people like him. The unique part of his situation (and probably what makes it different from other ghost stories) is that he has a human body by day and everything is functioning like normal. By night he’s in ghostly form.
The good thing about this book was that it didn’t beat around the bush. Travis is very honest to Shane of what he was. And I liked Travis for that. Shane however pissed the living daylights out of me. She was ogling at the guy all the time. And after like a few days (or I think it was just a day) she realized that she was not in love with her boyfriend anymore. To say she love him so easily made think if she did really like the guy. I hate that just to prove that they’re not meant for each, it demonized Logan’s (the ex) character. And that’s not all, I hate how desperate she was, begging to be kissed even though the guy said no. Ang kulit mo ‘te?! P.P
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to read the second book. The revenants, afterworld and even the kindred parts were good, only it was overshadowed by Victor’s shallow motivations. What a shame. x.x
You know self, it’s not the book’s fault so don’t blame it. The book implies that this is going to be another instant love kind of story. The summary gave you a sort of warning: she is instantly attracted to him. Instantly being the operative word. You hate insta-love and yet you still read it, now whose fault is it?
I’m talking to myself…this is not good. This is what happens when I write a review in the midst of a migraine. But I don’t want to put it on hold because I tend to lose what I originally wanted to say. And I want to write my thoughts on every book I read.
Now, where was I? Ah, the insta-love. It’s the most instantaneous attraction I have ever read. So if you hate this kind of development then I warn you to stay far, far away. But if you don’t mind then go for it! But I can guarantee you, that is only the beginning.
Let’s pretend that I’m fully ok with them falling head over heels so suddenly. But their first meeting was distasteful, especially the girl, Shane. She got into an accident and almost dying and then guy, Travis popped out of nowhere and saved her. You see, no matter how freakishly good-looking the guy, you don’t gawk at him and describe his facial feature at that very moment. You’re about to die. Doesn’t she have to think things like…I don’t know, her mother? her friends? her boyfriend? or herself?
But wait a minute there’s an explanation why they are oh so ridiculously attracted to each other. They’re soulmates—kindreds. This is not spoiler anymore since the summary already said this information: Travis is dead, he’s a ghost. But here’s a spoiler: technically he’s a revenant. And if you’re thinking Die For Me, not quite. Let just say he’s under consideration, he did some bad thing while he was alive so for him to be permitted to enter the afterworld, he must do good deeds here on earth. This is like a second chance for people like him. The unique part of his situation (and probably what makes it different from other ghost stories) is that he has a human body by day and everything is functioning like normal. By night he’s in ghostly form.
The good thing about this book was that it didn’t beat around the bush. Travis is very honest to Shane of what he was. And I liked Travis for that. Shane however pissed the living daylights out of me. She was ogling at the guy all the time. And after like a few days (or I think it was just a day) she realized that she was not in love with her boyfriend anymore. To say she love him so easily made think if she did really like the guy. I hate that just to prove that they’re not meant for each, it demonized Logan’s (the ex) character. And that’s not all, I hate how desperate she was, begging to be kissed even though the guy said no. Ang kulit mo ‘te?! P.P
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to read the second book. The revenants, afterworld and even the kindred parts were good, only it was overshadowed by Victor’s shallow motivations. What a shame. x.x
April 11, 2012
Rating: 2.5/5
For most of us who love reading, the ideal story is one that seeps beneath our skin and leaves the topography of our hearts forever changed by the shape of the character’s footprints as they’ve traveled through and left no piece of it untouched. A less than ideal reading experience is one where the characters and their lives leave little to no impression at all, instead our journey with them is marked by a fleeting curiosity and mild interest, allowing us to move on to the next book with relative ease as we forgo any deep emotional attachment. Unfortunately, The Temptation falls into the latter category, the relationship between Shane and Travis of the instant and inexplicably deep love variety that has us hoping with each page we’ll be given a more thorough look at the two of them so we might better understand their behavior. That more extensive character examination never comes however, and we remain passengers on a motorboat, skimming atop the waves a speed that prevents us from appreciating any of the beautiful details instead of slowly churning beneath them absorbing all the details.
Shane is a young woman difficult to distinguish from a myriad of other young adult heroines, a bit weak-willed when it comes to a good-looking boy (though some leeway must be granted given her age, as we all can surely remember how thoroughly impressive a handsome boy was to us as teenagers), and at times exhibiting a reduced mental capacity when we know she’s capable of so much more. She walks into danger despite being repeatedly told to keep her distance, and she is prone to mild bouts of panic at the mere thought of being parted from a boy she met only days previously. While we are told that she and Travis are soul mates of a kind, we ourselves never experience the spark of their chemistry as it travels along sensitive skin and are given only a basic history of what it means to be Kindred in this first installment, leaving us feeling as though Shane and Travis are but simulations, mimicking love without making us believe it’s real.
The Temptation is certainly a quick and easy read, and will likely appeal more to a younger audience perhaps less interested in character intricacies and complexities and more focused on simply a fast-moving paranormal story with a little romance mixed in. Those who devour a great deal of young adult literature and are more critical readers looking for something memorable and fresh to stand out amidst the masses will likely be disappointed by an all-too familiar relationship type.
For most of us who love reading, the ideal story is one that seeps beneath our skin and leaves the topography of our hearts forever changed by the shape of the character’s footprints as they’ve traveled through and left no piece of it untouched. A less than ideal reading experience is one where the characters and their lives leave little to no impression at all, instead our journey with them is marked by a fleeting curiosity and mild interest, allowing us to move on to the next book with relative ease as we forgo any deep emotional attachment. Unfortunately, The Temptation falls into the latter category, the relationship between Shane and Travis of the instant and inexplicably deep love variety that has us hoping with each page we’ll be given a more thorough look at the two of them so we might better understand their behavior. That more extensive character examination never comes however, and we remain passengers on a motorboat, skimming atop the waves a speed that prevents us from appreciating any of the beautiful details instead of slowly churning beneath them absorbing all the details.
Shane is a young woman difficult to distinguish from a myriad of other young adult heroines, a bit weak-willed when it comes to a good-looking boy (though some leeway must be granted given her age, as we all can surely remember how thoroughly impressive a handsome boy was to us as teenagers), and at times exhibiting a reduced mental capacity when we know she’s capable of so much more. She walks into danger despite being repeatedly told to keep her distance, and she is prone to mild bouts of panic at the mere thought of being parted from a boy she met only days previously. While we are told that she and Travis are soul mates of a kind, we ourselves never experience the spark of their chemistry as it travels along sensitive skin and are given only a basic history of what it means to be Kindred in this first installment, leaving us feeling as though Shane and Travis are but simulations, mimicking love without making us believe it’s real.
The Temptation is certainly a quick and easy read, and will likely appeal more to a younger audience perhaps less interested in character intricacies and complexities and more focused on simply a fast-moving paranormal story with a little romance mixed in. Those who devour a great deal of young adult literature and are more critical readers looking for something memorable and fresh to stand out amidst the masses will likely be disappointed by an all-too familiar relationship type.
April 26, 2012
I will keep my review of this as short as possible. I was incredibly disappointed with the book as a whole. I would not recommend this book to anyone I know personally and I tout the comparison to Ghost that was on the back cover of the book.
Basically, this story just has too much going on.
Examples:
I think I’ve covered just about everything. There is just entirely too much going on; the love story made me want to pull my hair out at times and the MC was pathetic with hardly any character development for ANY of the characters. The setting was static and the explanations of what was going on were nonsensical and abstract, at best. If I had to describe the entire book in two words: Campy and Awkward.
Basically, this story just has too much going on.
Examples:
I think I’ve covered just about everything. There is just entirely too much going on; the love story made me want to pull my hair out at times and the MC was pathetic with hardly any character development for ANY of the characters. The setting was static and the explanations of what was going on were nonsensical and abstract, at best. If I had to describe the entire book in two words: Campy and Awkward.
May 28, 2012
Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: This book takes all the fallback cliches of the young adult genre and brings them into a story fill with ghosts and evil.
Opening Sentence: The storm came out of nowhere.
The Review:
Shane is driving through New Mexico heading to her violin concert when an odd coyote jumps in front of her car. Swerving to avoid it she runs off the road and would have died if it were not for Travis and his magic healing powers. Travis is a temptation — think ghost — and Shane is attracted to him instantly when their souls recognize each other. He’s a gorgeous cowboy, which is an interesting addition to his character. Honestly, his backstory, his life and death, was the most interesting part of the book. I wanted to know more about the broken Travis before he died than the perfect temptation version of him.
Frankly, this book didn’t really do it for me. There’s nothing to complain about from the writing standpoint. In a number of places Shane is a funny and engaging heroine, but she’s also kind of useless. While I can completely understand that battling supernatural ghosts isn’t something your everyday girl learns in high school, there were a lot of moments when I as the reader knew Shane was smarter than the situation Valdes put her in. Shane’s not stupid, she’s just out of her depth. I felt throughout the story that the author was prohibiting her character development.
It took a long time for me to believe in Travis as a character, much less as the hero and love interest. He’s gorgeous, caring, sweet and all things good; Shane falls in love with him in less than a page. Like, literally the instant he comes into the book she knows they’re meant to be together. While I don’t want to say that there can’t be guys out there that are perfect in every way…no actually, I’ll just say that. I think the author really missed a chance in the dialogue to develop the love story and her heroes. Valdes didn’t give any of her characters flaws or depth or ways to grow in The Temptation. The good guys are 100% good and Victor, our evil villain, is 100% bad. There are no shades of grey, no deeper, meaningful conflict.
The mystery aspect was very linear, which is why I’m not mentioning a lot of it here. While the mystery angle to The Temptation definitely made it easier to swallow the love story, it’s a pretty predictable book. The religion mythology mash-up Valdes has based this series on is something I really hope to see expanded in the next two books. The idea of temptations as a kind of ghost is really intriguing and I think she can do a lot with it. I’m definitely not rushing out to pick up the sequel, but I think if she took the time in book two to develop Shane and Travis, their love, and add some shades of grey to the whole plot I’d probably continue with the series.
Notable Scene:
“Something wrong?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nah. Not really. Just getting late, is all. I’m not supposed to be out after dark, but I can’t just leave you here with Victor out there.” He looked conflicted.
“Who’s Victor?”
“My enemy,”he said point-blank. It was a strange thing to say.
“You have an enemy?”
“Any man who stands for anything good has enemies,” he said. “Men without them are usually cowards.”
The Kindred Trilogy:
1. The Temptation
FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of The Temptation. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: This book takes all the fallback cliches of the young adult genre and brings them into a story fill with ghosts and evil.
Opening Sentence: The storm came out of nowhere.
The Review:
Shane is driving through New Mexico heading to her violin concert when an odd coyote jumps in front of her car. Swerving to avoid it she runs off the road and would have died if it were not for Travis and his magic healing powers. Travis is a temptation — think ghost — and Shane is attracted to him instantly when their souls recognize each other. He’s a gorgeous cowboy, which is an interesting addition to his character. Honestly, his backstory, his life and death, was the most interesting part of the book. I wanted to know more about the broken Travis before he died than the perfect temptation version of him.
Frankly, this book didn’t really do it for me. There’s nothing to complain about from the writing standpoint. In a number of places Shane is a funny and engaging heroine, but she’s also kind of useless. While I can completely understand that battling supernatural ghosts isn’t something your everyday girl learns in high school, there were a lot of moments when I as the reader knew Shane was smarter than the situation Valdes put her in. Shane’s not stupid, she’s just out of her depth. I felt throughout the story that the author was prohibiting her character development.
It took a long time for me to believe in Travis as a character, much less as the hero and love interest. He’s gorgeous, caring, sweet and all things good; Shane falls in love with him in less than a page. Like, literally the instant he comes into the book she knows they’re meant to be together. While I don’t want to say that there can’t be guys out there that are perfect in every way…no actually, I’ll just say that. I think the author really missed a chance in the dialogue to develop the love story and her heroes. Valdes didn’t give any of her characters flaws or depth or ways to grow in The Temptation. The good guys are 100% good and Victor, our evil villain, is 100% bad. There are no shades of grey, no deeper, meaningful conflict.
The mystery aspect was very linear, which is why I’m not mentioning a lot of it here. While the mystery angle to The Temptation definitely made it easier to swallow the love story, it’s a pretty predictable book. The religion mythology mash-up Valdes has based this series on is something I really hope to see expanded in the next two books. The idea of temptations as a kind of ghost is really intriguing and I think she can do a lot with it. I’m definitely not rushing out to pick up the sequel, but I think if she took the time in book two to develop Shane and Travis, their love, and add some shades of grey to the whole plot I’d probably continue with the series.
Notable Scene:
“Something wrong?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nah. Not really. Just getting late, is all. I’m not supposed to be out after dark, but I can’t just leave you here with Victor out there.” He looked conflicted.
“Who’s Victor?”
“My enemy,”he said point-blank. It was a strange thing to say.
“You have an enemy?”
“Any man who stands for anything good has enemies,” he said. “Men without them are usually cowards.”
The Kindred Trilogy:
1. The Temptation
FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of The Temptation. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
March 13, 2012
A good ghost story I always adore to read. And this story, it hooked me. I love the intense plot line and a love that grows before your eyes.
What I liked most about this book is the plot line. I fell in love with another series similar to this one. A ghost who is fighting evil and finds his kindred. I love this types of plot line cause of the redemption in it. Travis was unable to move on cause of the bad things he done. By doing good things he is making his way back to where he needs to be. I like that the plot pacing is monumental. Nothing is giving away too fast yet the reader is given the right information at the right time.
The characters of the book I like. Each unique and bold, Travis is my favorite. I am interested in his past and what his future holds. Shane is another character that quickly caught my eye. You can definitely tell she is not the same even before the accident. I like the change she endured after the accident and how she held on to what she knew.
The love interest in the book is no surprise however, I did enjoy their passion. I can really tell while reading this book the deep love that they felt for each other. The constant sacrifices for each other made it quite clear that this was no ordinary love but something extraordinary!
The Temptation is romantic and entertaining. Beautiful and heart warming, there is no amount of dark that can over power their love. The Temptation is an increasingly passionate story that leaves you satisfied.
What I liked most about this book is the plot line. I fell in love with another series similar to this one. A ghost who is fighting evil and finds his kindred. I love this types of plot line cause of the redemption in it. Travis was unable to move on cause of the bad things he done. By doing good things he is making his way back to where he needs to be. I like that the plot pacing is monumental. Nothing is giving away too fast yet the reader is given the right information at the right time.
The characters of the book I like. Each unique and bold, Travis is my favorite. I am interested in his past and what his future holds. Shane is another character that quickly caught my eye. You can definitely tell she is not the same even before the accident. I like the change she endured after the accident and how she held on to what she knew.
The love interest in the book is no surprise however, I did enjoy their passion. I can really tell while reading this book the deep love that they felt for each other. The constant sacrifices for each other made it quite clear that this was no ordinary love but something extraordinary!
The Temptation is romantic and entertaining. Beautiful and heart warming, there is no amount of dark that can over power their love. The Temptation is an increasingly passionate story that leaves you satisfied.
April 17, 2012
I wish I could have liked this more, but it had a couple major flaws that really spoiled it for me.
One, the instant romance. Immediately they fall in love, and it is explained later that they are soulmates, etc., so that was why, but it just seemed hokey.
Two, they are both perfect people and the villains are perfectly evil. So no real surprises, no shades of grey, no depth.
The first in a trilogy.
One, the instant romance. Immediately they fall in love, and it is explained later that they are soulmates, etc., so that was why, but it just seemed hokey.
Two, they are both perfect people and the villains are perfectly evil. So no real surprises, no shades of grey, no depth.
The first in a trilogy.
December 31, 2011
Readers who can't stomach full-blown love stories but enjoy action, mystery, and the supernatural will find this book perfect! The main character, Shane, will lead the reader right to the heart of the plot. Shane was driving with her small dog early on in the book when an odd coyote limped in front of her car. Shane jerks the wheel to avoid the coyote and the car flips...leaving Shane near death and her small dog nowhere to be found. Shane's saving grace comes in the form of Travis. Travis has a remarkable ability to heal Shane and her small dog. The two form a natural connection from here. The reader may wonder-what happened to the coyote? The reader will be right to wonder...
As Shane's and Travis's relationship grows, the reader will begin to understand the ramifications of any potential relationship between the two. It is dangerous for Shane and Travis to love each other, but is love something two people can ignore? Shane's character is great; she is intelligent and courageous. However, she has her faults too-ignoring warnings and continuing in her stubborn ways. Travis is every teenage girl's dream boyfriend. He truly cares for Shane and is not embarrassed by his feelings. He does everything in his power to keep Shane safe-even at his own expense. The reader will learn to loathe the antagonists and root for Shane and Travis.
This book is exciting and a fun, fast read. The ending will leave the reader wanting more, a wish he/she will be granted as there will be a sequel! The authors' writing style is smooth and edgy, the writing style will hold the readers' attention. This book is recommended for young adult/teen readers.
As Shane's and Travis's relationship grows, the reader will begin to understand the ramifications of any potential relationship between the two. It is dangerous for Shane and Travis to love each other, but is love something two people can ignore? Shane's character is great; she is intelligent and courageous. However, she has her faults too-ignoring warnings and continuing in her stubborn ways. Travis is every teenage girl's dream boyfriend. He truly cares for Shane and is not embarrassed by his feelings. He does everything in his power to keep Shane safe-even at his own expense. The reader will learn to loathe the antagonists and root for Shane and Travis.
This book is exciting and a fun, fast read. The ending will leave the reader wanting more, a wish he/she will be granted as there will be a sequel! The authors' writing style is smooth and edgy, the writing style will hold the readers' attention. This book is recommended for young adult/teen readers.
May 8, 2012
I'm going to be honest, these "paranormal teen romance" books are not my cup of tea, so please bear that in mind when you're reading my review.
"The Temptation" is a novel about a beautiful young girl, Shane, who falls in love with an ethereal being. Travis, a smoking hot young cowboy rescues Shane from a hideous car wreck and the two become practically inseparable. The only problem is Shane can't explain Travis and all the mystery that follows him to her family and friends so everyone starts to think that maybe the car crash messed with her brain. As she get's closer to Travis,
Shane realizes that the forces of evil are closing in around them. If that sounds cheesy, that's because it is. It wasn't that it was badly written or anything, I just am NOT a fan of this genre. What is it with young girls falling for supernatural creatures all the time? And it's not like there's a drawn out romance either, they instantly fall in love (think Twilight).
That being said, if you're a fan of this genre, then you will most definitely love this book. If not, pass it over!
I received this book for free from GoodReads giveaways in return for my unbiased honest opinion.
"The Temptation" is a novel about a beautiful young girl, Shane, who falls in love with an ethereal being. Travis, a smoking hot young cowboy rescues Shane from a hideous car wreck and the two become practically inseparable. The only problem is Shane can't explain Travis and all the mystery that follows him to her family and friends so everyone starts to think that maybe the car crash messed with her brain. As she get's closer to Travis,
Shane realizes that the forces of evil are closing in around them. If that sounds cheesy, that's because it is. It wasn't that it was badly written or anything, I just am NOT a fan of this genre. What is it with young girls falling for supernatural creatures all the time? And it's not like there's a drawn out romance either, they instantly fall in love (think Twilight).
That being said, if you're a fan of this genre, then you will most definitely love this book. If not, pass it over!
I received this book for free from GoodReads giveaways in return for my unbiased honest opinion.
May 12, 2012
A book with a great flow and imagery that pulls you in. So descriptive that you can picture and practically feel the characters, surroundings, and emotions captured in the writing. I am a person that requires details to maintain my attention when reading. I need to get lost in the story and to become attached to the characters. I couldn't put this down.
This is a book better appreciated by younger readers or those that have experienced and remember how devastatingly powerful young love can be. This kind of love (and slight obsession)is amazingly expressed within the book. The draw between Shane and her ghost cowboy, Travis, can only be described as electric. Those fortunate enough to relate to and/or understand this inexplicable magnetism between two people will undoubtedly enjoy this novel immensely. No spoilers in this review...only a strong urging to check it out for yourself.
There are all kinds of reading preferences among different people, but this book is worth putting on your "to read" list. Even some who have been less than impressed with the book have mentioned that they will still be buying the second installment. Personally, I think that says something in itself.
This is a book better appreciated by younger readers or those that have experienced and remember how devastatingly powerful young love can be. This kind of love (and slight obsession)is amazingly expressed within the book. The draw between Shane and her ghost cowboy, Travis, can only be described as electric. Those fortunate enough to relate to and/or understand this inexplicable magnetism between two people will undoubtedly enjoy this novel immensely. No spoilers in this review...only a strong urging to check it out for yourself.
There are all kinds of reading preferences among different people, but this book is worth putting on your "to read" list. Even some who have been less than impressed with the book have mentioned that they will still be buying the second installment. Personally, I think that says something in itself.
August 21, 2013
Favourite Character: Minerva
Shane is an intelligent, pretty girl with a lot going for her, one night on her way to a concert she has an accident and her life as she knows it changes forever.
The writing was good in general, but I didn't like the main character mainly because no one in the world is that perfect and I couldn't relate to the character at all. I think that if I could have related to the main character more I would have enjoyed reading this novel a whole lot more than I did.
If you like paranormal romanance then you might like this, I don't know if I'll bother reading the next novel in the series.
Shane is an intelligent, pretty girl with a lot going for her, one night on her way to a concert she has an accident and her life as she knows it changes forever.
The writing was good in general, but I didn't like the main character mainly because no one in the world is that perfect and I couldn't relate to the character at all. I think that if I could have related to the main character more I would have enjoyed reading this novel a whole lot more than I did.
If you like paranormal romanance then you might like this, I don't know if I'll bother reading the next novel in the series.
June 22, 2012
This is a goodreads first-reads.
The Temptation by Alisa Valdes was terrific. I was hooked from the start and didn't want to put it down...and then there was an instance where I just shook my head and said "...what?..." (This is why I only gave 4 stars and not 5.) Then it picked up again I was hoping and wishing and then ...it ended... I want to know more, please tell me there will be a second book.
May 31, 2012
I find myself frustrated because I really wanted to like this book because its about revenants, but I didn't.The character was ok.I found Travis and Shane adorable.But the romance felt like it happened too quickly.Also there were many things in this book that seemed out of place and unnecessary.
September 22, 2012
I couldn't get past the 2nd chapter on this one and have no desire to ever try it again. Goes back to the library unfinished!
March 3, 2019
Uggh where do I begin? I have been on a 'soulmate' crave lately, and this book perfectly satisfied that hunger :) It is instant love, so if that is not your thing, you might want to pass, but I found this book intriguing.
Travis is totally swoon-worthy with his western accent and his physical appearance is told to be absolutely handsome. I think it's safe to say that this cowboy is my most favorite book crush at the moment. I love how kind he was to Shane, always putting her first.
Shane was a normal teenage girl going to a fancy school on a partial scholarship for music. From what the book describes, she's pretty amazing. Then she has a terrible car crash and nearly dies, but her knight in shining armor came to the rescue.
The only thing about this book that I didn't fully catch onto was that I didn't really know Kelsey or Logan that much, and I most definitely wanted to. Also, Shane's dad was barely mentioned and I would've liked to get to know him a little, you know? But all in all, this book was AMAZING!!
4.5 Stars
Travis is totally swoon-worthy with his western accent and his physical appearance is told to be absolutely handsome. I think it's safe to say that this cowboy is my most favorite book crush at the moment. I love how kind he was to Shane, always putting her first.
Shane was a normal teenage girl going to a fancy school on a partial scholarship for music. From what the book describes, she's pretty amazing. Then she has a terrible car crash and nearly dies, but her knight in shining armor came to the rescue.
The only thing about this book that I didn't fully catch onto was that I didn't really know Kelsey or Logan that much, and I most definitely wanted to. Also, Shane's dad was barely mentioned and I would've liked to get to know him a little, you know? But all in all, this book was AMAZING!!
4.5 Stars
October 30, 2012
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
See this review and more on my blog: Just a Booklover
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway
I entered to win this book because it seriously looked good. The description drew me in, as did the attractive boy on the cover. Plus, it's published by HarperTeen, and I could not remember ever disliking a book published by HarperTeen. Sadly, though, I thought I'd like this book a whole lot more than I actually did.
The Temptation is a ghost story, a love story--pretty much, just a run-of-the-mill YA paranormal romance book like the many we've all seen so much of as of late. To be quite honest, this book bored me. I found my attention wandering often as I read this book and had a hard time getting into it. I couldn't connect with this story at all, really, which made it a tedious read.
I DID like some of the termonologies Alisa used in this book, though. Instead of just calling it "Hell" she said "Underworld" and things like that. There were some things that could really have made this book unique and riveting. The characters had a lot of potential, too, but they didn't live up to it. Speaking of characters . . .
Character rundown! We have Shane. A character I feel nothing for. We know very little about her. She had no arc or anything in this book, which probably had to do with the fact that a character needs to be developed to begin with before one can develop into anything better. Next we have Travis. AH, TRAVIS. Travis is a gentleman. I respect that. He is genuinely kind and caring to people and animals alike. He is the character we learned the most about and connected with the most. Actually, I think he was the only character we could connect with in any way. This said, he was the only character who had anything like an arc. I really liked Travis. He was the character that made me want to stick with this book until the end.
Other than Travis, though, there was not really any character developement. We had a lot of potential in Shane and Kelsey and Logan, but we got virtually nothing from them. Logan didn't do much at all in the book--he only seemed to be different everytime we saw him. The only thing that was consistant was his blood-lust, I suppose you may call it, and that turned out to not be very defining, anyway. Kelsey did pretty much nothing, either, except be a tattletale. The character issue was important to me because if I can't connect with the characters, I have no way of connecting to the story. There WAS a little potential gem in here who was not Travis, and that would be Travis' brother Randy. I suppose we shall see in book 2 . . .
This book was a very cliche-type YA paranormal romance. Everything you'd expect to pop up in a book like this does. Which sounds great if you're a sweetness-lover like me, right? WRONG. It made The Temptation even more boring and predictable. Plus, the insta-love in here was too sudden and unbelievable to really amuse me. Travis was a sweet guy, but that's all that interested me as far as this went.
The ending. Before I get to the very end, I have to say some things about the 20-ish pages before that. Quite frankly, I did not want to read them. For reasons I'll let you discover on your own, my favorite boy in this book was not present in them. Which made me care about what they had to say about 0%. When one character is making the whole story for me and that character is pulled out for certain circumstances, my interest in what I'm reading evaporates. Now, the ending. I WILL be reading book 2 when it comes out. Because, yeah, there was a cliff-hanger. Not a cry-worthy one, but still a cliff-hanger nonetheless. Which means I need to know what will happen next, naturally. Plus, remember my comment on Randy? Well, I see some potential for him to be more involved in the next book! Which means I'll have to check that out when I can. I won't rush, though.
Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book. Just wasn't really my cup of tea. If you like ghost stories where ghosts find their soulamtes and other things happen that I'm not going to recount in this sentence because I'm just not, then you should certainly give this book a whirl. Who knows, maybe you'll like it more than I did.
See this review and more on my blog: Just a Booklover
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway
I entered to win this book because it seriously looked good. The description drew me in, as did the attractive boy on the cover. Plus, it's published by HarperTeen, and I could not remember ever disliking a book published by HarperTeen. Sadly, though, I thought I'd like this book a whole lot more than I actually did.
The Temptation is a ghost story, a love story--pretty much, just a run-of-the-mill YA paranormal romance book like the many we've all seen so much of as of late. To be quite honest, this book bored me. I found my attention wandering often as I read this book and had a hard time getting into it. I couldn't connect with this story at all, really, which made it a tedious read.
I DID like some of the termonologies Alisa used in this book, though. Instead of just calling it "Hell" she said "Underworld" and things like that. There were some things that could really have made this book unique and riveting. The characters had a lot of potential, too, but they didn't live up to it. Speaking of characters . . .
Character rundown! We have Shane. A character I feel nothing for. We know very little about her. She had no arc or anything in this book, which probably had to do with the fact that a character needs to be developed to begin with before one can develop into anything better. Next we have Travis. AH, TRAVIS. Travis is a gentleman. I respect that. He is genuinely kind and caring to people and animals alike. He is the character we learned the most about and connected with the most. Actually, I think he was the only character we could connect with in any way. This said, he was the only character who had anything like an arc. I really liked Travis. He was the character that made me want to stick with this book until the end.
Other than Travis, though, there was not really any character developement. We had a lot of potential in Shane and Kelsey and Logan, but we got virtually nothing from them. Logan didn't do much at all in the book--he only seemed to be different everytime we saw him. The only thing that was consistant was his blood-lust, I suppose you may call it, and that turned out to not be very defining, anyway. Kelsey did pretty much nothing, either, except be a tattletale. The character issue was important to me because if I can't connect with the characters, I have no way of connecting to the story. There WAS a little potential gem in here who was not Travis, and that would be Travis' brother Randy. I suppose we shall see in book 2 . . .
This book was a very cliche-type YA paranormal romance. Everything you'd expect to pop up in a book like this does. Which sounds great if you're a sweetness-lover like me, right? WRONG. It made The Temptation even more boring and predictable. Plus, the insta-love in here was too sudden and unbelievable to really amuse me. Travis was a sweet guy, but that's all that interested me as far as this went.
The ending. Before I get to the very end, I have to say some things about the 20-ish pages before that. Quite frankly, I did not want to read them. For reasons I'll let you discover on your own, my favorite boy in this book was not present in them. Which made me care about what they had to say about 0%. When one character is making the whole story for me and that character is pulled out for certain circumstances, my interest in what I'm reading evaporates. Now, the ending. I WILL be reading book 2 when it comes out. Because, yeah, there was a cliff-hanger. Not a cry-worthy one, but still a cliff-hanger nonetheless. Which means I need to know what will happen next, naturally. Plus, remember my comment on Randy? Well, I see some potential for him to be more involved in the next book! Which means I'll have to check that out when I can. I won't rush, though.
Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book. Just wasn't really my cup of tea. If you like ghost stories where ghosts find their soulamtes and other things happen that I'm not going to recount in this sentence because I'm just not, then you should certainly give this book a whirl. Who knows, maybe you'll like it more than I did.
April 20, 2012
I received this ARC at RT Booklover's Convention via the Goody Room
I have not read such an amazing "ghost" book since Jenny Carroll/Meg Cabot's Mediator series! And that series is pretty old!! Alisa Valdes's The Temptation was amazing! Totally takes ghosts and revenants to a new level!!
Shane was on the verge on death when Travis saves her, she knows then that there's something unique about him, but she doesn't know what. Although she soon finds out exactly what he is! The pacing was pretty good, I mean I breezed through this in two afternoons! And I really liked it! There's the whole forbidden love, this can't work out, we're too different thing going on with the two. Of course that's pretty standard in paranormal romances, but I felt that Valdes does a good job of it. For if the two were to be together, to even kiss, it could ruin Travis's chance at getting to the Afterworld aka Heaven.
I liked that Valdes had names for these places instead of ones we get from religion and the Bible, I just thought it gave it an interesting spin and it doesn't offend anyone either!
But there is a catch, if Travis were to find his Kindred, aka soul mate, then it would be okay for him to kiss her and everything. But he has to know, if he decides to be with someone or kiss her, and she's not his Kindred, then there's trouble. But neither can fight the feelings they have for one another.
To make things a little tricky, Shane does start out with a boyfriend, one we definitely don't root for though. Not sure if his character will change or not. There's also a brother! Yes, Travis has a ghostly bro! And we do learn about what happened to them and why they are still here roaming earth. Not sure if there's going to be something more with the brother, he wasn't there too much, but I could see him being a more prominent character in the next book!
Which brings up another problem, Shane now sees and talks to ghosts. People around her start treating her differently. Like her best friend whom she confided in and her mother. They think she's going crazy due to her accident. This was an interesting move and pretty realistic too. I liked that it brought up challenges for Shane that was difficult to overcome.
There were only two minor, meager things that bothered me about the book, but not enough to detract my enjoyment. First was the insta-love. I mean really, it's never been a fave thing of mine--except when it happens in Disney and they can get away with it because they're Disney--it's just too unrealistic for me to believe. That because he saves her life, she loves him? It's been a week or two when she finally realizes she loves him. You know, the big L?! But again, it wasn't too bad, I just got a little tired of it when Shane kept proclaiming that she loves him.
The other was simply using the word "brain doctor". It felt kind of dumbed down to me. Why not just say neurologist? It's a pretty common term. I mean we don't call the dentist a "tooth doctor". Maybe it's just because I had to go see a neurologist myself when I was 15 due to having had incredibly horrendous headaches. So I knew the term, I knew prior to going to see him the term. So having to read "brain doctor" just felt childish to me. But again, it wasn't something that ruined the novel!
This was a fabulous read! It's rare to find a good ghost novel these days, for how can a romance between a girl and ghost work? Carroll/Cabot did it years ago and now Valdes has done it! The Kindred trilogy is definitely one I'll be keeping an eye on!
Overall rating 4.5/5 stars
The Temptation releases April 24, 2012
I have not read such an amazing "ghost" book since Jenny Carroll/Meg Cabot's Mediator series! And that series is pretty old!! Alisa Valdes's The Temptation was amazing! Totally takes ghosts and revenants to a new level!!
Shane was on the verge on death when Travis saves her, she knows then that there's something unique about him, but she doesn't know what. Although she soon finds out exactly what he is! The pacing was pretty good, I mean I breezed through this in two afternoons! And I really liked it! There's the whole forbidden love, this can't work out, we're too different thing going on with the two. Of course that's pretty standard in paranormal romances, but I felt that Valdes does a good job of it. For if the two were to be together, to even kiss, it could ruin Travis's chance at getting to the Afterworld aka Heaven.
I liked that Valdes had names for these places instead of ones we get from religion and the Bible, I just thought it gave it an interesting spin and it doesn't offend anyone either!
But there is a catch, if Travis were to find his Kindred, aka soul mate, then it would be okay for him to kiss her and everything. But he has to know, if he decides to be with someone or kiss her, and she's not his Kindred, then there's trouble. But neither can fight the feelings they have for one another.
To make things a little tricky, Shane does start out with a boyfriend, one we definitely don't root for though. Not sure if his character will change or not. There's also a brother! Yes, Travis has a ghostly bro! And we do learn about what happened to them and why they are still here roaming earth. Not sure if there's going to be something more with the brother, he wasn't there too much, but I could see him being a more prominent character in the next book!
Which brings up another problem, Shane now sees and talks to ghosts. People around her start treating her differently. Like her best friend whom she confided in and her mother. They think she's going crazy due to her accident. This was an interesting move and pretty realistic too. I liked that it brought up challenges for Shane that was difficult to overcome.
There were only two minor, meager things that bothered me about the book, but not enough to detract my enjoyment. First was the insta-love. I mean really, it's never been a fave thing of mine--except when it happens in Disney and they can get away with it because they're Disney--it's just too unrealistic for me to believe. That because he saves her life, she loves him? It's been a week or two when she finally realizes she loves him. You know, the big L?! But again, it wasn't too bad, I just got a little tired of it when Shane kept proclaiming that she loves him.
The other was simply using the word "brain doctor". It felt kind of dumbed down to me. Why not just say neurologist? It's a pretty common term. I mean we don't call the dentist a "tooth doctor". Maybe it's just because I had to go see a neurologist myself when I was 15 due to having had incredibly horrendous headaches. So I knew the term, I knew prior to going to see him the term. So having to read "brain doctor" just felt childish to me. But again, it wasn't something that ruined the novel!
This was a fabulous read! It's rare to find a good ghost novel these days, for how can a romance between a girl and ghost work? Carroll/Cabot did it years ago and now Valdes has done it! The Kindred trilogy is definitely one I'll be keeping an eye on!
Overall rating 4.5/5 stars
The Temptation releases April 24, 2012
January 28, 2013
This book was alright but it was slow, a little bit too slow for my taste.
Shane a normal rich talented girl got into a car accident and was almost attacked by coyotes, when a guy on a horse comes and safes her, he heals all her wounds , and she right away is completely in love with him, and he is too. She already has a boyfriend that she wants to break up with.
She finds out that the cowboy is called Travis and that he died a yr ago with his brother in a car accident. So that makes him a ghost, or what he is called a Revenant. He is placed to haunt the highway he died on to save people or animals. He has to do that to get a chance to go to heaven. He used to do Rodeo competitions. He turns into a human in the day time but invisible or a blurry thing at night.
Mean while Shane and Travis like each other. There's a bad guy Victor who killed Travis's dad when he was little, Travis's killed Victor, he shifts into a coyote and other animals, so now he's mad and wants revenge.
Shane tells her friends and mom and both think she crazy and treat her like shes crazy, nobody believes her about Travis being a ghost, about her following Travis into the desert, she meets his brother, about Victor taking her dog, nothing, she breaks up with her boyfriend who likes to kill animals, he tells people Shane is crazy, kids at school laugh.
Shane is completely in love now, Travis tells her they can't be together cus Victor will just hurt her to hurt him. He shows her how he travels from memorial to memorial, She gets her dog back. Travis leaves, she tries to act normal, goes to her friends party, and her and her friend are kidnapped by guys.
She learns that it was Logan her ex helping Victor. She is tied and kept hostage to lure Travis there, he does end up coming, saves her and the friend, his horse is killed by Victor arrow, Travis and Logan fight, Victor wants to kill Shane but instead wants to Logan to do it. Shane and friend escape, Victor catches up and stabs her in the neck, killing her. Shane sees the light and heaven, the gates and family members, but is brought back to life buy Travis and the special rock he carried. He had to leave to the Underworld cus he brought her you life, a tornado looking thing comes for him, they kiss and find out that they're each others kindred.
Victor is still out there, her friend believes get now, a demon woman wants to kill her and take get necklace, she also wants Travis for herself, since they're together in the Underworld, she tells her mom about it, again bad idea duh, get moms a doctor, she now wants to put her in a mental hospital.
Shane talks to her physics teacher, he knows about stuff like that, tells to go to a medium called Minerva. She and friend go, talk to her, she tells them about the demon, and that they need something from Travis to try to find him in the Underworld, so they go to his house, pretend to be lost, met his mom, pretend to use the toilet, and takes Travis's first Rodeo medal when he was 4. Minerva agree to help Shane get Travis back, so they agree to go into the desert and the carvens there to get into the Underworld.
The ending was okay, it actually got a little interesting, but the book was slow, and some parts were just cheesy, she was begging him not to leave her, how long have they known each other, not long enough shesh, I guess it was cute, sad that he died, and they can't really be together. I just don't like when the characters family and friends think they're crazy and end up putting them in a crazy house, I've read to many, it frustrates me that no one believes the character. Any who, it was an alright book.
Shane a normal rich talented girl got into a car accident and was almost attacked by coyotes, when a guy on a horse comes and safes her, he heals all her wounds , and she right away is completely in love with him, and he is too. She already has a boyfriend that she wants to break up with.
She finds out that the cowboy is called Travis and that he died a yr ago with his brother in a car accident. So that makes him a ghost, or what he is called a Revenant. He is placed to haunt the highway he died on to save people or animals. He has to do that to get a chance to go to heaven. He used to do Rodeo competitions. He turns into a human in the day time but invisible or a blurry thing at night.
Mean while Shane and Travis like each other. There's a bad guy Victor who killed Travis's dad when he was little, Travis's killed Victor, he shifts into a coyote and other animals, so now he's mad and wants revenge.
Shane tells her friends and mom and both think she crazy and treat her like shes crazy, nobody believes her about Travis being a ghost, about her following Travis into the desert, she meets his brother, about Victor taking her dog, nothing, she breaks up with her boyfriend who likes to kill animals, he tells people Shane is crazy, kids at school laugh.
Shane is completely in love now, Travis tells her they can't be together cus Victor will just hurt her to hurt him. He shows her how he travels from memorial to memorial, She gets her dog back. Travis leaves, she tries to act normal, goes to her friends party, and her and her friend are kidnapped by guys.
She learns that it was Logan her ex helping Victor. She is tied and kept hostage to lure Travis there, he does end up coming, saves her and the friend, his horse is killed by Victor arrow, Travis and Logan fight, Victor wants to kill Shane but instead wants to Logan to do it. Shane and friend escape, Victor catches up and stabs her in the neck, killing her. Shane sees the light and heaven, the gates and family members, but is brought back to life buy Travis and the special rock he carried. He had to leave to the Underworld cus he brought her you life, a tornado looking thing comes for him, they kiss and find out that they're each others kindred.
Victor is still out there, her friend believes get now, a demon woman wants to kill her and take get necklace, she also wants Travis for herself, since they're together in the Underworld, she tells her mom about it, again bad idea duh, get moms a doctor, she now wants to put her in a mental hospital.
Shane talks to her physics teacher, he knows about stuff like that, tells to go to a medium called Minerva. She and friend go, talk to her, she tells them about the demon, and that they need something from Travis to try to find him in the Underworld, so they go to his house, pretend to be lost, met his mom, pretend to use the toilet, and takes Travis's first Rodeo medal when he was 4. Minerva agree to help Shane get Travis back, so they agree to go into the desert and the carvens there to get into the Underworld.
The ending was okay, it actually got a little interesting, but the book was slow, and some parts were just cheesy, she was begging him not to leave her, how long have they known each other, not long enough shesh, I guess it was cute, sad that he died, and they can't really be together. I just don't like when the characters family and friends think they're crazy and end up putting them in a crazy house, I've read to many, it frustrates me that no one believes the character. Any who, it was an alright book.
December 24, 2012
Via http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2012/12/...
12/23/12
I hate instant love romance. This is one of those. Why do I keep reading this crap?
12/24/12
The only temptation I got with this book was to stop reading it. But obviously I must have some kind subconscious line of masochism in me that I actually finished it despite wanting to kill Shane.
So, Shane is driving to a violin performance with her dog. Stupidity #1 right there. What was she going to do with the dog in a concert? Leave him in the car? Which she actually does later on (very smart).
Going forward, there is a heavy storm and she can hardly see the road but instead of stopping she keeps driving and has an accident. Long story short, Travis saves her and the dog, and they are instantly in love. Turns out that this sudden love is because they are kindred souls; that is, destined to be together.
***** WARNING ********* Full of spoilers from here on!
But Travis is a ghost during the night and human during the day and the rules of the underworld forbid them to be together just in case they have sex and have supernatural children.
Anyways, Travis has an enemy, Victor, who goes after Shane to hurt Travis. Let's leave it at that.
Travis and Shane meet up in the dessert and they admit the almost, like, love for each other, and "if we feel like this just holding hands imagine when we kiss."
Travis tells Shane to go home but she follows him and ends up in a cave where all ghosts are. This cave is like a portal to another dimension for Travis and his kind. In the cave full of ghosts, Stupidity #2 happens: Shane receives a phone call. Really, reception out there? And shouldn't you be concerned that you are surrounded by ghosts (even if in the form of shadows) to answer your cell?
Stupidity #3) Shane brought her dog with her... again. Obviously, she left the dog in the car and Victor, Travis's enemy took him. Pretty intense to kidnap a dog!
Stupidity #4) Logan, Shane's actual boyfriend, is telling her that he loves her and pouring his heart out about how he enjoys killing animals. Shane is all grossed out and like "eeohh, no way" but Logan just keeps going on and on about his ability to track and kill animals, and how killing with guns in not enough anymore and he now super enjoys killing with his hands and feeling the blood.... whatever. I don't know what is the point of this confession. Obviously Shane breaks up with him right there and then.
You would think that Logan would stop his monologue at Shane's reaction. But nope, he just goes on and on like that rabbit with the Energizer batteries. Hello! "We should break up" Shane says. "Okay, it's not like I cannot get any chick I want" Logan says. Smooth!
Pretty much the entire school knows that Shane sees ghosts and is in love with one so she is looked at as a mental case.
The must unbelievable part is that this book is only the first one of what I assume will come in three. It ends with Shane going to the "other side" or underworld to rescue Travis.
I also assume that Logan's animal killing power will develop and have a meaning in coming books.
There, I told you it was spoiler full :-)
12/23/12
I hate instant love romance. This is one of those. Why do I keep reading this crap?
12/24/12
The only temptation I got with this book was to stop reading it. But obviously I must have some kind subconscious line of masochism in me that I actually finished it despite wanting to kill Shane.
So, Shane is driving to a violin performance with her dog. Stupidity #1 right there. What was she going to do with the dog in a concert? Leave him in the car? Which she actually does later on (very smart).
Going forward, there is a heavy storm and she can hardly see the road but instead of stopping she keeps driving and has an accident. Long story short, Travis saves her and the dog, and they are instantly in love. Turns out that this sudden love is because they are kindred souls; that is, destined to be together.
***** WARNING ********* Full of spoilers from here on!
But Travis is a ghost during the night and human during the day and the rules of the underworld forbid them to be together just in case they have sex and have supernatural children.
Anyways, Travis has an enemy, Victor, who goes after Shane to hurt Travis. Let's leave it at that.
Travis and Shane meet up in the dessert and they admit the almost, like, love for each other, and "if we feel like this just holding hands imagine when we kiss."
Travis tells Shane to go home but she follows him and ends up in a cave where all ghosts are. This cave is like a portal to another dimension for Travis and his kind. In the cave full of ghosts, Stupidity #2 happens: Shane receives a phone call. Really, reception out there? And shouldn't you be concerned that you are surrounded by ghosts (even if in the form of shadows) to answer your cell?
Stupidity #3) Shane brought her dog with her... again. Obviously, she left the dog in the car and Victor, Travis's enemy took him. Pretty intense to kidnap a dog!
Stupidity #4) Logan, Shane's actual boyfriend, is telling her that he loves her and pouring his heart out about how he enjoys killing animals. Shane is all grossed out and like "eeohh, no way" but Logan just keeps going on and on about his ability to track and kill animals, and how killing with guns in not enough anymore and he now super enjoys killing with his hands and feeling the blood.... whatever. I don't know what is the point of this confession. Obviously Shane breaks up with him right there and then.
You would think that Logan would stop his monologue at Shane's reaction. But nope, he just goes on and on like that rabbit with the Energizer batteries. Hello! "We should break up" Shane says. "Okay, it's not like I cannot get any chick I want" Logan says. Smooth!
Pretty much the entire school knows that Shane sees ghosts and is in love with one so she is looked at as a mental case.
The must unbelievable part is that this book is only the first one of what I assume will come in three. It ends with Shane going to the "other side" or underworld to rescue Travis.
I also assume that Logan's animal killing power will develop and have a meaning in coming books.
There, I told you it was spoiler full :-)
July 6, 2012
A haunting ghost story mixed with romance, redemption and danger. The Temptation is a beautifully told story about a kindred who's trying to right the wrongs he did before his death and the beautiful mortal who's life he saves.
Before you think this is just another love story, there's so much more to it than that. I mean, yet it is one part love story, and another part paranormal thriller with an intriguing good vs evil plot line. This story has a paranormal twist that encompasses romance, and has a well developed relationship between the two main characters/love interests and plenty of evil that will cause your adrenaline to spike a bit during the course of reading this book. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I don't know what I was excepting, but what I got was a fabulous read, and I wish I had picked up sooner than I did.
Shane and Travis's paths cross in an unlikely way and I loved being able to sit back and watch their relationship grow, their romance blossom, and see how these two characters change and grow over the course of this fast paced read. Shane is more than just a beautiful rich girl, with an incredible musical talent. She's genuine, down to earth and I loved getting to know her as her story unfolded. It was nice getting to see glimpses of who she was before her accident and how she changed after. Travis is the hero with a painful past and an uncertain future. The fact that his soul is currently in limbo puts him in a hard place when it comes to his feelings for Shane. There's definitely more to him that his south western cowboy manners and pretty boy looks. He's a genuinely nice guy and I think a lot of YA readers are going to fall in love with him.
I quickly fell in love with this story's setting! I don't know what it is about the rugged New Mexico desert, but there's something I found fascinating about it in The Temptation. It was the perfect setting for all that happens in this book, and I felt like it added something unique to the story. Though I've not yet been to NM in person, I felt like I was able to envision what it looked like based on Alisa's vivid details. Thanks to Alisa, I now want to take a road trip out to New Mexico to see her setting for myself.
The Temptation has an incredibly engaging plot line that not only flows smoothly, but offers a variety of different elements that kept me turning it's pages. I loved that Alisa wasn't quick to reveal everything at once, but instead carefully crafts a story that builds up at the right moments, allowing her to reveal bits and pieces of her plot at the right moment. This allowed me as a reader to really get into her story, and kept me invested with everything that was going on. I love it when an author captures my attention like that. I was hooked with this story. I wanted to know more about the world, the paranormal elements and the different characters that make up this story.
If you're looking for an exciting read with a well craft paranormal twist, a beautiful love story, and plenty of danger, I highly recommend picking this book up! Now if only the movie and the rest of this trilogy would hurry up and be out.....
Before you think this is just another love story, there's so much more to it than that. I mean, yet it is one part love story, and another part paranormal thriller with an intriguing good vs evil plot line. This story has a paranormal twist that encompasses romance, and has a well developed relationship between the two main characters/love interests and plenty of evil that will cause your adrenaline to spike a bit during the course of reading this book. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I don't know what I was excepting, but what I got was a fabulous read, and I wish I had picked up sooner than I did.
Shane and Travis's paths cross in an unlikely way and I loved being able to sit back and watch their relationship grow, their romance blossom, and see how these two characters change and grow over the course of this fast paced read. Shane is more than just a beautiful rich girl, with an incredible musical talent. She's genuine, down to earth and I loved getting to know her as her story unfolded. It was nice getting to see glimpses of who she was before her accident and how she changed after. Travis is the hero with a painful past and an uncertain future. The fact that his soul is currently in limbo puts him in a hard place when it comes to his feelings for Shane. There's definitely more to him that his south western cowboy manners and pretty boy looks. He's a genuinely nice guy and I think a lot of YA readers are going to fall in love with him.
I quickly fell in love with this story's setting! I don't know what it is about the rugged New Mexico desert, but there's something I found fascinating about it in The Temptation. It was the perfect setting for all that happens in this book, and I felt like it added something unique to the story. Though I've not yet been to NM in person, I felt like I was able to envision what it looked like based on Alisa's vivid details. Thanks to Alisa, I now want to take a road trip out to New Mexico to see her setting for myself.
The Temptation has an incredibly engaging plot line that not only flows smoothly, but offers a variety of different elements that kept me turning it's pages. I loved that Alisa wasn't quick to reveal everything at once, but instead carefully crafts a story that builds up at the right moments, allowing her to reveal bits and pieces of her plot at the right moment. This allowed me as a reader to really get into her story, and kept me invested with everything that was going on. I love it when an author captures my attention like that. I was hooked with this story. I wanted to know more about the world, the paranormal elements and the different characters that make up this story.
If you're looking for an exciting read with a well craft paranormal twist, a beautiful love story, and plenty of danger, I highly recommend picking this book up! Now if only the movie and the rest of this trilogy would hurry up and be out.....
May 16, 2012
Alright, so after reading the synopsis on the back, I decided firmly that I wanted to read this because I loved the concept. However, after I started reading it, I soon realized that it wasn't my cup of tea.
I found Shane to be extremely hard to relate to, and also very unrealistic. She fell in love with Travis so suddenly, so abruptly, that I didn't really know what to say about it. Of course, as it is a Kindred Novel, they are bound to have another deeper connection than what they think they do. But still, I found it to be, in a way, over the top. For example, Shane owns a dog. Don't get me wrong, I understand the bond that is formed between animal and owner, and I also understand that Travis has the deeper connection with all animals as he is a healer, but I think using the dog as a lure and making the poor puppy the center of attention briefly in the middle was the author not knowing exactly what to do with the story.
Speaking now in the sense of mechanics, I found that some of the things written were quite redundant. "The hairs on my back of my neck stood up,", then one paragraph later, "I feel the hairs on my neck prickle," and then a few lines later, "Goosebumps form throughout my body," I even said aloud that I understood that she had a tingling feeling. It didn't need to be said every paragraph.
That being said, there were also things that I did enjoy about the novel such as Travis's character being wonderfully developed, the concept of the whole novel being intriguing and heartbreaking at the same time, and the incorporation of characters that surprise you.
The love story (i.e., the reason I wanted to read The Temptation in the first place) was portrayed well enough that you knew that the whole story revolved around Shane and Travis. It was enough to make my heart swell, made me want to laugh, cry, and even be wrapped in Travis's strong, tender arms myself as I fall to sleep.
There were many ideas incorporated into The Temptation, and each concept concluded itself--except for the conclusion, of course. Cliff-hanger! Consider yourself warned! I was expecting at least twenty more pages, but I flipped one page and there read "Acknowledgments".
All in all, I was intrigued enough to continue to read it, and never once did I consider putting the book down and stop reading it, because it was, with all honesty, captivating enough to keep you wondering what happens next. However, did this book change my life? Not so much. Did I find some writing tips within, good and bad? Definitely.
All in all, I gave The Temptation three stars out of five because there had been more I disliked about it than I did like. That being said, would I recommend this book to anyone? Of course! I recommend this book to anyone looking for a read that will be enjoyable over the summer, have a deep enough meaning that it will be captivating, a love story that will make your heart swell and want to burst with both joy and sadness at the same time, but with flaws that stick out like a sore thumb. Of course, this story needn't be flawless, but in the same token, there are just a few things here and there that I couldn't get over.
I found Shane to be extremely hard to relate to, and also very unrealistic. She fell in love with Travis so suddenly, so abruptly, that I didn't really know what to say about it. Of course, as it is a Kindred Novel, they are bound to have another deeper connection than what they think they do. But still, I found it to be, in a way, over the top. For example, Shane owns a dog. Don't get me wrong, I understand the bond that is formed between animal and owner, and I also understand that Travis has the deeper connection with all animals as he is a healer, but I think using the dog as a lure and making the poor puppy the center of attention briefly in the middle was the author not knowing exactly what to do with the story.
Speaking now in the sense of mechanics, I found that some of the things written were quite redundant. "The hairs on my back of my neck stood up,", then one paragraph later, "I feel the hairs on my neck prickle," and then a few lines later, "Goosebumps form throughout my body," I even said aloud that I understood that she had a tingling feeling. It didn't need to be said every paragraph.
That being said, there were also things that I did enjoy about the novel such as Travis's character being wonderfully developed, the concept of the whole novel being intriguing and heartbreaking at the same time, and the incorporation of characters that surprise you.
The love story (i.e., the reason I wanted to read The Temptation in the first place) was portrayed well enough that you knew that the whole story revolved around Shane and Travis. It was enough to make my heart swell, made me want to laugh, cry, and even be wrapped in Travis's strong, tender arms myself as I fall to sleep.
There were many ideas incorporated into The Temptation, and each concept concluded itself--except for the conclusion, of course. Cliff-hanger! Consider yourself warned! I was expecting at least twenty more pages, but I flipped one page and there read "Acknowledgments".
All in all, I was intrigued enough to continue to read it, and never once did I consider putting the book down and stop reading it, because it was, with all honesty, captivating enough to keep you wondering what happens next. However, did this book change my life? Not so much. Did I find some writing tips within, good and bad? Definitely.
All in all, I gave The Temptation three stars out of five because there had been more I disliked about it than I did like. That being said, would I recommend this book to anyone? Of course! I recommend this book to anyone looking for a read that will be enjoyable over the summer, have a deep enough meaning that it will be captivating, a love story that will make your heart swell and want to burst with both joy and sadness at the same time, but with flaws that stick out like a sore thumb. Of course, this story needn't be flawless, but in the same token, there are just a few things here and there that I couldn't get over.
May 1, 2013
The Temptation was a major disappointment for me. I didn't have extremely high hopes for this book, due to the mixed reviews, but I did expect the narrator to at least be tolerable. None of the characters were very well developed. The plot was ridiculous, and the insta-love was unhealthy to say the least. The world-building and writing were pretty good, and the pacing was okay. Due my absolute hatred of Shane, though, I just could not enjoy this book.
Shane has got to be one of the most obnoxious narrators I've ever read. The girl overreacted to everything. EVERY-FREAKING-THING. She'd get intensely terrified at the drop of a hat. By page 100, I was wishing that she had just died in the car accident in the beginning of the book and that the story had been about someone else. Also, her obsession with Travis? Creepy to the extreme. When she's not throwing herself at him and whining and begging for a kiss, she's basically stalking him. I mean I try not to judge all novels that have insta-love, but this was not a healthy situation. And Shane is so STUPID. She makes one dumb mistake after the other, and for some ungodly reason, she insists on taking her dog with her EVERYWHERE. Then when something happens to the dog, which obviously it will because you're taking it to inappropriate spots in the first place, then she blames everyone but herself. She's self-absorbed and doesn't care how her actions affect others. She does what she wants, then whines and apologizes like an idiot later. She's the weakest and sorriest excuse of a main character I've seen lately. Okay. I think I'm done with this rant. *Takes a deep breath*
Moving on, the rest of the characters are extremely bland. Travis is nothing special, in my opinion. He's just some guy who happens to not be a sociopath, like Shane's boyfriend Logan. Logan, however, is a boring sociopath. He loves killing animals (which is disgusting), but he doesn't do anything that I'd consider off the wall for a creepy psycho. Kelsey, like Shane, is dumb as a rock and obnoxious. Shane's mom is a cookie cutter image of what someone thinks a mom would be... you get the idea. No one is developed and no one has an actual personality. Reading interactions with the overly dramatic Shane and a non-developed character extremely painful.
The plot is kind of ridiculous, in my opinion, but whatever. It didn't blow me over, and I really didn't care what happened. I just wanted Shane to shut up and die. The world-building is actually pretty good, and Valdes' writing isn't bad. If I hadn't hated Shane so much, I'd actually be tempted to try some of Valdes' other works, but if she creates characters like Shane, then I don't need to read anything by her. The pacing was pretty spot-on, and everything flowed naturally.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless they wanted to read from the perspective of one of the most obnoxious characters ever created. However, if you can get past Shane, the book isn't half bad.
Shane has got to be one of the most obnoxious narrators I've ever read. The girl overreacted to everything. EVERY-FREAKING-THING. She'd get intensely terrified at the drop of a hat. By page 100, I was wishing that she had just died in the car accident in the beginning of the book and that the story had been about someone else. Also, her obsession with Travis? Creepy to the extreme. When she's not throwing herself at him and whining and begging for a kiss, she's basically stalking him. I mean I try not to judge all novels that have insta-love, but this was not a healthy situation. And Shane is so STUPID. She makes one dumb mistake after the other, and for some ungodly reason, she insists on taking her dog with her EVERYWHERE. Then when something happens to the dog, which obviously it will because you're taking it to inappropriate spots in the first place, then she blames everyone but herself. She's self-absorbed and doesn't care how her actions affect others. She does what she wants, then whines and apologizes like an idiot later. She's the weakest and sorriest excuse of a main character I've seen lately. Okay. I think I'm done with this rant. *Takes a deep breath*
Moving on, the rest of the characters are extremely bland. Travis is nothing special, in my opinion. He's just some guy who happens to not be a sociopath, like Shane's boyfriend Logan. Logan, however, is a boring sociopath. He loves killing animals (which is disgusting), but he doesn't do anything that I'd consider off the wall for a creepy psycho. Kelsey, like Shane, is dumb as a rock and obnoxious. Shane's mom is a cookie cutter image of what someone thinks a mom would be... you get the idea. No one is developed and no one has an actual personality. Reading interactions with the overly dramatic Shane and a non-developed character extremely painful.
The plot is kind of ridiculous, in my opinion, but whatever. It didn't blow me over, and I really didn't care what happened. I just wanted Shane to shut up and die. The world-building is actually pretty good, and Valdes' writing isn't bad. If I hadn't hated Shane so much, I'd actually be tempted to try some of Valdes' other works, but if she creates characters like Shane, then I don't need to read anything by her. The pacing was pretty spot-on, and everything flowed naturally.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless they wanted to read from the perspective of one of the most obnoxious characters ever created. However, if you can get past Shane, the book isn't half bad.
March 19, 2012
So basically what happens throughout this book is that Shane meets a boy who is not from this world!Shane was driving long New mexico going to her violin concert. She is a professional violinist. Shane meets a boy who is not from this world! It turns that he saved her life after a deadly car crash which was caused by a snow storm shane goes through. She meets this handsome, caring and sweet guy named Travis and it turn out that he is a temptation( a ghost ). As soon as shane meets Travis her whole life turns around!First of all he saved her life with his magic healing power. Without him she would have died! Shane goes throug travis's death how and why it happened. And the bad guy (victor) who tries to demolish and bring him to the under world so he can get demolished. At the end victor killed something that meant so much to Travis; Shane! But... there was a twist....
Travis's story: When travis was at a young age, his father died due to someone who killed him for fun. He and his brother thought it was their fault for his fathers death. One day when travis won first place for a horse riding thing, his brother recognized the guy who killed his dad long ago. They followed him with a truck filled with oil that they found and killed him at his house. when travis was coming home with his ( slightly drunk ) brother, in a horrible lightning, thunder and rain weather. Then the lightning hit the truck filled with the oil and boom. Travis and his brother died right there.
To be honest with you I needed a book for English. And Was told that I should go beyond the twilight saga and princess
Diaries. So I went for the temptation. At first I thought it was going to be a bad book cause it has a bit of mystery and romance. For me those two genres don't go together but I realized that I needed a book for English so I continued reading.
I was really surprised to finish this book cause I didn't think I had it in me to read a book like this, let alone to finishing it!!! But it actually was really good! I finished it because it kept me engaged. I also kept reading because I wanted to know if they can be together forever, or if they are kindreds or not! So ya that's why I continued.
I recommend this book to anybody who loves romance with a twist of mystery. I guess people who enjoy reading about ghosts and where people go after they die but I don't think that would be such a great idea because some of the information May be false so ya.
Travis's story: When travis was at a young age, his father died due to someone who killed him for fun. He and his brother thought it was their fault for his fathers death. One day when travis won first place for a horse riding thing, his brother recognized the guy who killed his dad long ago. They followed him with a truck filled with oil that they found and killed him at his house. when travis was coming home with his ( slightly drunk ) brother, in a horrible lightning, thunder and rain weather. Then the lightning hit the truck filled with the oil and boom. Travis and his brother died right there.
To be honest with you I needed a book for English. And Was told that I should go beyond the twilight saga and princess
Diaries. So I went for the temptation. At first I thought it was going to be a bad book cause it has a bit of mystery and romance. For me those two genres don't go together but I realized that I needed a book for English so I continued reading.
I was really surprised to finish this book cause I didn't think I had it in me to read a book like this, let alone to finishing it!!! But it actually was really good! I finished it because it kept me engaged. I also kept reading because I wanted to know if they can be together forever, or if they are kindreds or not! So ya that's why I continued.
I recommend this book to anybody who loves romance with a twist of mystery. I guess people who enjoy reading about ghosts and where people go after they die but I don't think that would be such a great idea because some of the information May be false so ya.
May 21, 2012
My Thoughts: So, this sounds right up my alley. It sounds like something I would really love, a 5 cupcake rating. But it just wasn’t for me.
We are introduced to Shane who lives with her mother. She is just a normal girl with a boyfriend named Logan. Until one day, she gets in a car accident. Her car is totaled, and she is hurt badly, even on the brink of death. Until a mysterious boy steps up and heals her. His name is Travis. He is a sort of cowboy. He looks the part, and acts the part. This sounded so yummy to me.
She encounters Travis, and instantly falls in love with him. I hate the insta love thing! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! It just doesn’t work in novels for me! Travis shows up again one day and gives her the necklace of hers he found. He randomly starts showing up, in different forms. Confused yet? Yes, that is what I thought too. What do you mean different forms? Read the novel to find out. Vampire, werewolf, shapeshifter, ghost, angel?
Travis and his brother are in a sort of purgatory. They committed some wrongs and are trying to make up for it in the afterlife. And of course, they have an enemy who wants to hurt them more. Yep, Shane gets caught in the crossfire of that dilemma.
Honestly, The Temptation was an ok book but it just wasn’t for me. About halfway through I almost didn’t even finish it. I didn’t hate this one, but I also felt myself not caring at times and I just wanted the story to hurry up so I could at least find out the ending. Maybe some people will like this more than me. I’m just not a big fan of insta love, or the way they assumed they were “soulmates” from the beginning. I can at least say I finished it, and it was an alright novel.
Overall: I read a lot of novels, and not every novel is going to be a 5 cupcake rating for me, and this one just wasn’t the right kind of novel for me and that is ok. I accept that I won’t always love novels and that some can just be average books for me. Maybe you’ll enjoy it a lot more than me.
Cover: I do like the cover. It’s not real colorful, but like how he fades in the background.
What I’d Give It: 3/5 Cupcakes
______________
Review Taken From Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com
We are introduced to Shane who lives with her mother. She is just a normal girl with a boyfriend named Logan. Until one day, she gets in a car accident. Her car is totaled, and she is hurt badly, even on the brink of death. Until a mysterious boy steps up and heals her. His name is Travis. He is a sort of cowboy. He looks the part, and acts the part. This sounded so yummy to me.
She encounters Travis, and instantly falls in love with him. I hate the insta love thing! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! It just doesn’t work in novels for me! Travis shows up again one day and gives her the necklace of hers he found. He randomly starts showing up, in different forms. Confused yet? Yes, that is what I thought too. What do you mean different forms? Read the novel to find out. Vampire, werewolf, shapeshifter, ghost, angel?
Travis and his brother are in a sort of purgatory. They committed some wrongs and are trying to make up for it in the afterlife. And of course, they have an enemy who wants to hurt them more. Yep, Shane gets caught in the crossfire of that dilemma.
Honestly, The Temptation was an ok book but it just wasn’t for me. About halfway through I almost didn’t even finish it. I didn’t hate this one, but I also felt myself not caring at times and I just wanted the story to hurry up so I could at least find out the ending. Maybe some people will like this more than me. I’m just not a big fan of insta love, or the way they assumed they were “soulmates” from the beginning. I can at least say I finished it, and it was an alright novel.
Overall: I read a lot of novels, and not every novel is going to be a 5 cupcake rating for me, and this one just wasn’t the right kind of novel for me and that is ok. I accept that I won’t always love novels and that some can just be average books for me. Maybe you’ll enjoy it a lot more than me.
Cover: I do like the cover. It’s not real colorful, but like how he fades in the background.
What I’d Give It: 3/5 Cupcakes
______________
Review Taken From Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com
April 8, 2015
The Temptation, written by Alisa Valdes, is about Shane, a young teenage girl, who crashes her car on an empty highway. She is saved by Travis, a cowboy who walks out of nowhere. Afterwards, the two become practically inseparable. The only problem is Shane can't explain Travis and all the mystery that follows him to her family and friends. Everyone starts to think that the car crash messed with Shane’s head and that she is going crazy. Soon Shane discovers that Travis is dead [and has always been dead even when she first met him] and strict rules from the Underworld govern kindred spirits of different dimensions from being together. Breaking these rules could destroy them both, but Travis is Shane’s temptation.
I thought The Temptation was an average book, not exceptional. The story was original and captured my attention. Alisa Valdes did a great job captivating the reader. The authors' writing style is edgy, and holds the reader's attention. The story is descriptive; you can picture surroundings and emotions captured in the writing. As far as constructive criticism, I would offer that the book wasn’t consistent. The story was captivating at first, but later the story becomes a little cliche and cheesy. I didn’t enjoy how the love of the characters is portrayed. Shane’s love for Travis isn’t built up throughout the book. She falls in love with him in the first chapter. I thought that there could have been more character development in the story. Compared to other young-adult books I’ve read, this story didn’t grow on me, and I constantly felt distant from the characters. It wasn’t as interesting as I had anticipated it to be, based on my read of the summary. The story had no real depth. Some people could argue that the depth was in how the author connects the story to other dimensions and worlds. Honestly, though, I didn’t really enjoy reading the book after the first few chapters. It was nice at first - just a teen love story - but then it became so unrealistic and extremely predictable.
The Temptation was an average read and I wouldn’t recommend it to people who like depth in a story and character development. It is, however, a nice book for a quick and simple story.
I thought The Temptation was an average book, not exceptional. The story was original and captured my attention. Alisa Valdes did a great job captivating the reader. The authors' writing style is edgy, and holds the reader's attention. The story is descriptive; you can picture surroundings and emotions captured in the writing. As far as constructive criticism, I would offer that the book wasn’t consistent. The story was captivating at first, but later the story becomes a little cliche and cheesy. I didn’t enjoy how the love of the characters is portrayed. Shane’s love for Travis isn’t built up throughout the book. She falls in love with him in the first chapter. I thought that there could have been more character development in the story. Compared to other young-adult books I’ve read, this story didn’t grow on me, and I constantly felt distant from the characters. It wasn’t as interesting as I had anticipated it to be, based on my read of the summary. The story had no real depth. Some people could argue that the depth was in how the author connects the story to other dimensions and worlds. Honestly, though, I didn’t really enjoy reading the book after the first few chapters. It was nice at first - just a teen love story - but then it became so unrealistic and extremely predictable.
The Temptation was an average read and I wouldn’t recommend it to people who like depth in a story and character development. It is, however, a nice book for a quick and simple story.
September 25, 2012
I entered a Goodreads First Reads giveaway for this book because it sounded like it was going to be really awesome, and I won a free copy. I hadn't heard of this idea of a ghost and human falling in love and thought it would make for a super interesting plot. I have to say though, after reading it, I was a little disappointed. The writer is a bestseller author, so I was expecting a bestseller book. The idea of the story was awesome, but the story in and of itself, not so great.
I liked the overall plot of the book, but the characters seemed underdeveloped and cliché. The romance between Shane and Travis was also underdeveloped. It's not unusual in young adult fiction to have two characters falling in love quickly, but it seemed insincere in this story. Pretty much all of Shane's relationships seemed insincere: dog, best friend, ex-boyfriend, even her mother.
I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been a few hundred pages longer. That would have allowed Valdes to develop the characters and their relationships to one another a little better and all the twists and turns of the storyline could have been fleshed out more as well. Honestly the last few chapters flew by so fast and had so much going on that it was hard to follow. New characters were introduced and not very well explained.
I did like that Valdes left it at a cliffhanger ending, which makes me much more likely to give the second novel a chance when it comes out. Without the edge of the seat ending I would not have even considered reading the next book.
After I got done writing my review I went and looked at other reviews and found many of the same complaints there. I'm seriously hoping that Valdez will take these reviews into account while she's writing the sequel and will give the readers what we're looking for. I really think that this story has such potential, and just needed a little more time invested in it. I'm most likely going to give the author a second chance to wow me whenever she writes the sequel to change my mind. I hope that I won't be disappointed.
http://jenireadabook.blogspot.com/201...
I liked the overall plot of the book, but the characters seemed underdeveloped and cliché. The romance between Shane and Travis was also underdeveloped. It's not unusual in young adult fiction to have two characters falling in love quickly, but it seemed insincere in this story. Pretty much all of Shane's relationships seemed insincere: dog, best friend, ex-boyfriend, even her mother.
I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been a few hundred pages longer. That would have allowed Valdes to develop the characters and their relationships to one another a little better and all the twists and turns of the storyline could have been fleshed out more as well. Honestly the last few chapters flew by so fast and had so much going on that it was hard to follow. New characters were introduced and not very well explained.
I did like that Valdes left it at a cliffhanger ending, which makes me much more likely to give the second novel a chance when it comes out. Without the edge of the seat ending I would not have even considered reading the next book.
After I got done writing my review I went and looked at other reviews and found many of the same complaints there. I'm seriously hoping that Valdez will take these reviews into account while she's writing the sequel and will give the readers what we're looking for. I really think that this story has such potential, and just needed a little more time invested in it. I'm most likely going to give the author a second chance to wow me whenever she writes the sequel to change my mind. I hope that I won't be disappointed.
http://jenireadabook.blogspot.com/201...
February 19, 2017
The Temptation was ok. And that's all I really have to say about it.
The writing was ok but basic. The characters were ok but not fleshed out. The plot was ok - and actaully had a lot of promise - but was so rushed.
Overall, The Temptation had a lot of promise but was very poorly executed. I would read the next book in the series for closure but it doesn't look like it's being published any time soon.
The writing was ok but basic. The characters were ok but not fleshed out. The plot was ok - and actaully had a lot of promise - but was so rushed.
Overall, The Temptation had a lot of promise but was very poorly executed. I would read the next book in the series for closure but it doesn't look like it's being published any time soon.
June 23, 2012
Temptation started off really good, there was a horrible accident in the beginning which kind of set all these chain of events in place. Shane was badly hurt but lucky for her, Travis was there to help her. To me, he was the most interesting person in this book. Travis turns out to be dead, but at the same time very much alive to some point. Interesting huh? But that's it. After that, the story died for me.
Can temptation lead into love? Sure, with time. But in this novel, love became a factor almost immediately and that's where my problem lays. Shane became unbelievably in love with Travis after meeting him for the very first time. Now normally instant love hardly ever bothers me and I believe that you can meet someone and be immediately attracted to them. So that concept hardly troubled me when I read about it. But it's a problem for me in this book. The insta-love here was completely and utterly unbelievable. I felt there wasn't enough character to character interaction for there to be any love. Her obsession for him completely turned me off. Had the author taken her time developing the character's relationship then lead into love, this book could have been amazing.
Lets put aside the whole unbelievable love story between the characters and focus on the remaining part of the story. The story behind Travis is a bit of a mystery and it was intriguing. What happened that lead to his death was what kept me reading. Travis has a brother (who is a huge knuckle head) and I think if this was his brother's story it would have been a bit more appealing. Maybe if the author had wrote about the brothers instead, I would have enjoyed it more.
Sadly, I didn't enjoy this story as must as I hoped. But if you're into this kind of story. A dead soul and a human girl who fall in love immediately. Then I say go ahead and give it a try. Just because it didn't work for me, it can work for you. I give this book a 2.5 stars.
http://www.goodchoicereading.com/2012...
June 14, 2013
This is a near 180° turn for Alisa Valdes in this book. I have followed her literary expressions for years now. Mostly they are about romances between people who feel very real. Like Chicanos and Latinas that you'd meet anywhere.... Or nowhere. The characters are deliciously diverse and well fleshed out. Character driven stories with intriguing events that draw them closer to each other, or rip them apart.
But in this book, the characters seemed flat and uninteresting for several chapters. In fact I didn't feel a connection to any character until chapter 9 when Shane (the primary) interacted with her mom before leaving to learn why Travis was ultimately going to be so important in Shane's life. The inner dialogue and unspoken pain felt in that one exchange was critical but never really explored from that point on. A real miss, I think.
Shane went most of the book misunderstood and unfairly outed by so many people who should've had her back. I was frustrated with everyone who claimed to ".. Only have her best interests at heart.."
All that said, it's because I know Alisa is trying a wholly new genre in this book, and on the strength of her other novels I pressed on. I was not to be disappointed. By the end of the book, I was sucked in and looking forward to the sequel. The descriptions of 'what's out there' just beyond our limited vision was highly compelling.
Writing a supernatural novel isn't simple. It's difficult to add that level of disbelief atop the already suspended disbelief that two star crossed lovers will ever find true happiness together. But as I said, this book made the case for me to grab the sequel and find out just how far the principles in this story will go for true love.
I give three stars because it took 9 chapters to feel a connection. But the book is good and he end is worth pressing onward to.
But in this book, the characters seemed flat and uninteresting for several chapters. In fact I didn't feel a connection to any character until chapter 9 when Shane (the primary) interacted with her mom before leaving to learn why Travis was ultimately going to be so important in Shane's life. The inner dialogue and unspoken pain felt in that one exchange was critical but never really explored from that point on. A real miss, I think.
Shane went most of the book misunderstood and unfairly outed by so many people who should've had her back. I was frustrated with everyone who claimed to ".. Only have her best interests at heart.."
All that said, it's because I know Alisa is trying a wholly new genre in this book, and on the strength of her other novels I pressed on. I was not to be disappointed. By the end of the book, I was sucked in and looking forward to the sequel. The descriptions of 'what's out there' just beyond our limited vision was highly compelling.
Writing a supernatural novel isn't simple. It's difficult to add that level of disbelief atop the already suspended disbelief that two star crossed lovers will ever find true happiness together. But as I said, this book made the case for me to grab the sequel and find out just how far the principles in this story will go for true love.
I give three stars because it took 9 chapters to feel a connection. But the book is good and he end is worth pressing onward to.
May 20, 2012
I received an ARC through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
*may contain spoilers* *probably does contain spoilers*
May give away some parts of the book. Read at your own risk.
I thought this book was ok at the beginning. I liked the book less and less as I read more. I felt that there was barely any character development, especially with Logan. He was barely in the book at all. I mean, come one. It was all of the sudden that Logan became all crazed and then got arrested at the end. I felt that the author could have done a lot more with Logan's character, as well as Kelsey's. I especially didn't like how the Old Hag was introduced so suddenly. It was like BAM, there is another enemy. What happened to Victor? Is the Old Hag a new problem now?? I was so confused at that part, not to mention Minerva and Travis's mother. After the fight with Travis, Victor, and Shane I was beyond confused with the plot
I just felt that the whole book was sort of rushed. I'm used to the author taking their time delving into the situation. If this book was split into 2 parts with both part being described more, i probably would have liked it more (although there is no guarantee).
I did, however, enjoy the love story. I did feel that Shane fell in love a little too quickly, but they are kindreds after all. I liked Travis throughout the whole book. I especially loved how attached to Buddy Shane was. As an animal lover, i'm glad that Buddy stayed in the story line.
Overall, i would give this book a 2 out of 5 stars because to me, it felt way too rushed. I didn't like how the plot jumped from one thing to another, over and over again. I enjoyed the love story and Buddy.
*may contain spoilers* *probably does contain spoilers*
May give away some parts of the book. Read at your own risk.
I thought this book was ok at the beginning. I liked the book less and less as I read more. I felt that there was barely any character development, especially with Logan. He was barely in the book at all. I mean, come one. It was all of the sudden that Logan became all crazed and then got arrested at the end. I felt that the author could have done a lot more with Logan's character, as well as Kelsey's. I especially didn't like how the Old Hag was introduced so suddenly. It was like BAM, there is another enemy. What happened to Victor? Is the Old Hag a new problem now?? I was so confused at that part, not to mention Minerva and Travis's mother. After the fight with Travis, Victor, and Shane I was beyond confused with the plot
I just felt that the whole book was sort of rushed. I'm used to the author taking their time delving into the situation. If this book was split into 2 parts with both part being described more, i probably would have liked it more (although there is no guarantee).
I did, however, enjoy the love story. I did feel that Shane fell in love a little too quickly, but they are kindreds after all. I liked Travis throughout the whole book. I especially loved how attached to Buddy Shane was. As an animal lover, i'm glad that Buddy stayed in the story line.
Overall, i would give this book a 2 out of 5 stars because to me, it felt way too rushed. I didn't like how the plot jumped from one thing to another, over and over again. I enjoyed the love story and Buddy.
May 1, 2012
I will say right off the bat that I was definitely surprised by this story. The summary sounded interesting and I knew that I wanted to check it out, but once I started reading it I was completely sucked in.
Ending up in a dangerous crash on an empty highway leaves Shane in pretty dire circumstances. At least until Travis, a beautiful cowboy, comes to her rescue out of nowhere.
Shane's attraction and connection to Travis are immediate and strong, even after she learns that he's actually dead. But the rules he has to follow could ultimately keep them apart. The only hope for more is that they are kindred's, but neither is willing to risk the other. And with a threat looming on the horizon will they be able to resist the temptation.
From the very beginning I was intrigued to find out what was going on. Alisa takes her readers on a pretty intense and heart wrenching journey and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat during certain parts. A little romance, a little supernatural, a little bit of everything for the readers.
A bit of a change of pace, the male lead in this book is a swoony cowboy. That's not normally something I go for or read about, but it really worked for this story. Travis was sweet and caring and strong. I really wanted to learn more about him and hope that we get to in the other books.
I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this book and am looking forward to more from this author (including the movie based on this book and the rest of this trilogy). If only we didn't have to wait so long for more.
Ending up in a dangerous crash on an empty highway leaves Shane in pretty dire circumstances. At least until Travis, a beautiful cowboy, comes to her rescue out of nowhere.
Shane's attraction and connection to Travis are immediate and strong, even after she learns that he's actually dead. But the rules he has to follow could ultimately keep them apart. The only hope for more is that they are kindred's, but neither is willing to risk the other. And with a threat looming on the horizon will they be able to resist the temptation.
From the very beginning I was intrigued to find out what was going on. Alisa takes her readers on a pretty intense and heart wrenching journey and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat during certain parts. A little romance, a little supernatural, a little bit of everything for the readers.
A bit of a change of pace, the male lead in this book is a swoony cowboy. That's not normally something I go for or read about, but it really worked for this story. Travis was sweet and caring and strong. I really wanted to learn more about him and hope that we get to in the other books.
I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this book and am looking forward to more from this author (including the movie based on this book and the rest of this trilogy). If only we didn't have to wait so long for more.
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