What do you think?
Rate this book
Good Girl #1
Where There's Smoke
The Devil Went Down to Texas...
It turns out there is a worse place for a wannabe demon to be than hell...Fort Worth, Texas. Sure, it might be fine for all the humans walking around, but for me, it's the one thing getting in the way of me achieving full demon status. I need to corrupt a soul ASAP. Or else.
Lookin' For Just One Soul to Steal...
I figured the best place to find a corruptible soul would be in some dark corner of a western bar. Unfortunately, Chance Bellew is no ordinary cowboy perched on his barstool, looking like sin. He's a dark angel--the complement to my dark demon half--and now this assignment feels like much more than I bargained for.
Praise for Karen Kelley:
"The sex is steamy and the pacing gallops along."--Publishers Weekly
"A perfect blend of humor...and sexy intimacy."--Booklist
"Explosive! ...This story astounds at every level. Karen Kelley is an author not to be missed."?Fallen Angel Reviews
It turns out there is a worse place for a wannabe demon to be than hell...Fort Worth, Texas. Sure, it might be fine for all the humans walking around, but for me, it's the one thing getting in the way of me achieving full demon status. I need to corrupt a soul ASAP. Or else.
Lookin' For Just One Soul to Steal...
I figured the best place to find a corruptible soul would be in some dark corner of a western bar. Unfortunately, Chance Bellew is no ordinary cowboy perched on his barstool, looking like sin. He's a dark angel--the complement to my dark demon half--and now this assignment feels like much more than I bargained for.
Praise for Karen Kelley:
"The sex is steamy and the pacing gallops along."--Publishers Weekly
"A perfect blend of humor...and sexy intimacy."--Booklist
"Explosive! ...This story astounds at every level. Karen Kelley is an author not to be missed."?Fallen Angel Reviews
297 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
31 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
About the author
Karen Kelley
104 books223 followersKaren Kelley always had a secret desire to live the life of a Gypsy. So she and her husband quit their jobs, sold their house, decluttered their lives and moved into their 5th wheel RV. Now they're traveling the United States. She works full time on her writing and spends her downtime walking on the beach or hiking in the mountains. Her motto has always been 'Who says you can't have it all.'
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 8, 2016
http://www.romancenoveljunkies.com
BRIEF SUMMARY
Destiny is at a bar looking for her next soul because she needs to meet her quota. When she spots the lone cowboy sitting in the bar she figures it's a done deal but later wonder who's seducing who. But what she doesn't know is that that lone cowboy has his own agenda.
THOUGHTS
This was a enjoyable read from the start, middle and end. As this is a paranormal erotica, I have to commend the author on a mouth watering and thrilling first chapter and story. The first chapter sets the pace for the rest of the book physically and gives insight on what you can look forward to.
I love the setting and Texas feel to this paranormal. I wasn't craving a cowboy but Chance won me over. Chance and Destiny meets in a bar, they both have the same goal, with different agendas as one is a demon and the other an angel. Although they are total opposite, the one thing that is undeniable, is their fiery sexual chemistry. I didn't have a problem with Chance's character as he sets his plans in to motion to seduce Destiny. Destiny's character has a lot to sort out as she battles with whom she is becoming as well as finishing her quota to get where she needs to go; but she and Chance did not count on love.
The paranormal aspect of the story was ok for me in the beginning, as much is being explained about who and what Chance and Destiny really are. However, once the core of the story was reached and a villain is presented, it woke me up a bit. The villain was an interesting character whose connection to one of the characters was an unexpected surprise and added a nice climax to the story.
Last but not least, the sexy trio of friends and supporting characters of the story. The sexy trio consists of Ryder, Dillion & Hunter. They are Chance's friends and connected to who he really is. There is nothing more exciting than a group of sexy men grouped together with their own unique characteristics within a story. I'm looking forward to their story as well. LeAnn, Destiny's friend was such a lovable character and I will admit that the ending that she got did bring a tear to my eye. You can't go wrong with a teary eye reunion. I impatiently wait for other books in the series. If they are anything like this book I can’t wait to be satisfied.
Length: 304 pages
Storyline: GOOD
Enjoyment: GOOD
Intimacy Level: D.R.I.P (don't read in public) / SPICY
BRIEF SUMMARY
Destiny is at a bar looking for her next soul because she needs to meet her quota. When she spots the lone cowboy sitting in the bar she figures it's a done deal but later wonder who's seducing who. But what she doesn't know is that that lone cowboy has his own agenda.
THOUGHTS
This was a enjoyable read from the start, middle and end. As this is a paranormal erotica, I have to commend the author on a mouth watering and thrilling first chapter and story. The first chapter sets the pace for the rest of the book physically and gives insight on what you can look forward to.
I love the setting and Texas feel to this paranormal. I wasn't craving a cowboy but Chance won me over. Chance and Destiny meets in a bar, they both have the same goal, with different agendas as one is a demon and the other an angel. Although they are total opposite, the one thing that is undeniable, is their fiery sexual chemistry. I didn't have a problem with Chance's character as he sets his plans in to motion to seduce Destiny. Destiny's character has a lot to sort out as she battles with whom she is becoming as well as finishing her quota to get where she needs to go; but she and Chance did not count on love.
The paranormal aspect of the story was ok for me in the beginning, as much is being explained about who and what Chance and Destiny really are. However, once the core of the story was reached and a villain is presented, it woke me up a bit. The villain was an interesting character whose connection to one of the characters was an unexpected surprise and added a nice climax to the story.
Last but not least, the sexy trio of friends and supporting characters of the story. The sexy trio consists of Ryder, Dillion & Hunter. They are Chance's friends and connected to who he really is. There is nothing more exciting than a group of sexy men grouped together with their own unique characteristics within a story. I'm looking forward to their story as well. LeAnn, Destiny's friend was such a lovable character and I will admit that the ending that she got did bring a tear to my eye. You can't go wrong with a teary eye reunion. I impatiently wait for other books in the series. If they are anything like this book I can’t wait to be satisfied.
Length: 304 pages
Storyline: GOOD
Enjoyment: GOOD
Intimacy Level: D.R.I.P (don't read in public) / SPICY
June 2, 2012
I am a lover of stories about angels and demons so when I read the synopsis on this book I thought it sounded right up my alley! Boy, was I right! This was fun, hot, sexy story!
Destiny Carter is a demon in training, she has one week on Earth to corrupt a soul and bring it back to hell to become a full fledged demon. She ends up in a bar in Fort Worth, Texas with her eye on the sex on a stick cowboy bellied up to the bar. Little does she know that Chance Bellew is not your ordinary cowboy, he is in fact a nephilim. Centuries ago, angels came down from Heaven and mated with mortal women. When the women bore children, a new race was created. Immortals with powers—demigods, nephilim.
His task is to save Destiny's soul. Destiny is unaware of any of this but Chance knows exactly who Destiny is and what she is after. He also knows all about the horrific life that she lived and the horrific death that claimed her and how the demon promised her he could stop the pain and she would live out a peaceful eternity, in Hell! As if!!!!. They gradually begin to fall in love, which is a huge no-no for both of them. Destiny thinks that maybe she can work with this if only Chance will surrender his soul, they can live happily ever after in Hell. But Chance knows that everything the demons have told her is a lie and when she returns she will cease to be the person she is.
Chance also has the dilemma of getting too attached since once he saves her soul, if he can, she will be reborn and lost to him. There is no way they can be together. Or is there....
I love when a book introduces you to characters that you think you have figured out and then realize as you uncover more and more about them how absolutely wonderful they are. This was the case with both Chance and Destiny! Oh and did I forget to mention there is a ton of smokin' hot sex???
This was my first Karen Kelley book and I really, really enjoyed it. It also looks to be the first of a series. We were introduced to Chance's nephilim brothers as well and I am happy to see they will be getting their stories too!
***This book was provided to me as an ARC by Netgalley
Destiny Carter is a demon in training, she has one week on Earth to corrupt a soul and bring it back to hell to become a full fledged demon. She ends up in a bar in Fort Worth, Texas with her eye on the sex on a stick cowboy bellied up to the bar. Little does she know that Chance Bellew is not your ordinary cowboy, he is in fact a nephilim. Centuries ago, angels came down from Heaven and mated with mortal women. When the women bore children, a new race was created. Immortals with powers—demigods, nephilim.
His task is to save Destiny's soul. Destiny is unaware of any of this but Chance knows exactly who Destiny is and what she is after. He also knows all about the horrific life that she lived and the horrific death that claimed her and how the demon promised her he could stop the pain and she would live out a peaceful eternity, in Hell! As if!!!!. They gradually begin to fall in love, which is a huge no-no for both of them. Destiny thinks that maybe she can work with this if only Chance will surrender his soul, they can live happily ever after in Hell. But Chance knows that everything the demons have told her is a lie and when she returns she will cease to be the person she is.
Chance also has the dilemma of getting too attached since once he saves her soul, if he can, she will be reborn and lost to him. There is no way they can be together. Or is there....
I love when a book introduces you to characters that you think you have figured out and then realize as you uncover more and more about them how absolutely wonderful they are. This was the case with both Chance and Destiny! Oh and did I forget to mention there is a ton of smokin' hot sex???
This was my first Karen Kelley book and I really, really enjoyed it. It also looks to be the first of a series. We were introduced to Chance's nephilim brothers as well and I am happy to see they will be getting their stories too!
***This book was provided to me as an ARC by Netgalley
Want to read
September 6, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/6/2019)! 🎁
December 21, 2012
As seen on Ed and Em's Reviews!
This book… Dear God, this book. I honestly don't know how I finished it.
Here's the plot: Destiny is dead. She went to hell, but she's not a demon yet because she didn't bring enough souls with her to hell (or something like that). So they send her back to Earth to convince someone to go to hell, and she'll get to be a demon. She's got a week to do so. Chance (aren't you loving these names?) is a nephilim, half-angel, half-human. It's his job to convince people, especially those who are about to become demons, to join the ranks in heaven. He's got one week to convince Destiny that she should give up her dream of being a demon and find happiness in heaven. Along the way, they have copous amounts of sex, and… That's it. They just have a lot of sex. That's the plot.
The characters are dreadful. I hate Destiny. She's nasty, and not just because she's trying to be a demon or because she has sexual relations in a public place within the first ten percent of the book, but also because she treats everyone around her like crap. I know, I know. Demons aren't nice, but she's not a full demon yet - she still has her soul! There are so many inconsistencies… Like, why, if she's been dead for decades, is she JUST NOW being forced to coerce souls to the dark side? Her past is a jumbled mess that was so unlike the times that she's supposed from (the 50's, I think) that I wanted to scream. And Chance… Oh, Chance, how I don't understand you. In fact, all of the male characters in this book were strange. I thought God preached abstinence, yet these half-angels are sex fiends. THIS IS WHY I HATE PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVELS WITH ANGELS. No more. No, thank you.
The writing is just as awful as the characters. The sex scenes were not, in fact, sexy. They were awkward and constant. The awkwardness ranged from clinical terms for part of female genetila to dirty talk that did nothing but make me cringe. In the first twenty percent alone, there were three sex scenes, the female MC went to a porn shop and the main characters watched a porno together.
I know this is supposed to be erotica, but really? ...This is a joke, right? Give me something! I skimmed the sex scenes, because even though there were a lot of them, they were written awfully. The characters were awkward. It wasn't like they didn't work well together. They had chemistry, I guess. But they don't even know each other! The first sexual experience they have together is the first time they meet. In a bar. That still has patrons inside. And then Chance just leaves her there. Really?
The book could've been a lot better, if the plot had taken precedence, but no. This book isn't romance. The romance in this doesn't even make sense! The main characters don't even know each other, yet claim to be in love! I can't say it enough: this has the plot of a badly written porn flick. And not even one that gets to the point! This was so drawn out! If you took out the sex scenes and the book probably would've been about a third shorter. I kept looking at the percentage on my kindle and thinking, "REALLY? I'm only that far in? There's so much left! When will this hell end?"
I wasted too much time on this book. I kept hoping it would pull through, but by the end, I was just morbidly curious about how the the story would tie up. It was a cheesefest, of course. I do not recommend this book.
I received and e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.
This book… Dear God, this book. I honestly don't know how I finished it.
Here's the plot: Destiny is dead. She went to hell, but she's not a demon yet because she didn't bring enough souls with her to hell (or something like that). So they send her back to Earth to convince someone to go to hell, and she'll get to be a demon. She's got a week to do so. Chance (aren't you loving these names?) is a nephilim, half-angel, half-human. It's his job to convince people, especially those who are about to become demons, to join the ranks in heaven. He's got one week to convince Destiny that she should give up her dream of being a demon and find happiness in heaven. Along the way, they have copous amounts of sex, and… That's it. They just have a lot of sex. That's the plot.
The characters are dreadful. I hate Destiny. She's nasty, and not just because she's trying to be a demon or because she has sexual relations in a public place within the first ten percent of the book, but also because she treats everyone around her like crap. I know, I know. Demons aren't nice, but she's not a full demon yet - she still has her soul! There are so many inconsistencies… Like, why, if she's been dead for decades, is she JUST NOW being forced to coerce souls to the dark side? Her past is a jumbled mess that was so unlike the times that she's supposed from (the 50's, I think) that I wanted to scream. And Chance… Oh, Chance, how I don't understand you. In fact, all of the male characters in this book were strange. I thought God preached abstinence, yet these half-angels are sex fiends. THIS IS WHY I HATE PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVELS WITH ANGELS. No more. No, thank you.
The writing is just as awful as the characters. The sex scenes were not, in fact, sexy. They were awkward and constant. The awkwardness ranged from clinical terms for part of female genetila to dirty talk that did nothing but make me cringe. In the first twenty percent alone, there were three sex scenes, the female MC went to a porn shop and the main characters watched a porno together.
I know this is supposed to be erotica, but really? ...This is a joke, right? Give me something! I skimmed the sex scenes, because even though there were a lot of them, they were written awfully. The characters were awkward. It wasn't like they didn't work well together. They had chemistry, I guess. But they don't even know each other! The first sexual experience they have together is the first time they meet. In a bar. That still has patrons inside. And then Chance just leaves her there. Really?
The book could've been a lot better, if the plot had taken precedence, but no. This book isn't romance. The romance in this doesn't even make sense! The main characters don't even know each other, yet claim to be in love! I can't say it enough: this has the plot of a badly written porn flick. And not even one that gets to the point! This was so drawn out! If you took out the sex scenes and the book probably would've been about a third shorter. I kept looking at the percentage on my kindle and thinking, "REALLY? I'm only that far in? There's so much left! When will this hell end?"
I wasted too much time on this book. I kept hoping it would pull through, but by the end, I was just morbidly curious about how the the story would tie up. It was a cheesefest, of course. I do not recommend this book.
I received and e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.
August 3, 2015
SPOILERS AHEAD
After spending her 26 years of life being "bad," as Destiny Carter puts it, she died in 1959. As she lay dying a demon offered to take away all her pain and give her everything she never had while she was alive. Of course she agreed. That's what leads us to the beginning of Where There's Smoke.
Seeing as Destiny went to hell back in 1959 her definition of "bad" is a lot tamer than today's definition is. But she believed she deserved to go to hell for the things she did leading up to her death. She is now a "demon-in-training" using all her seductive moves to grab another soul to take back to her demon bosses before she gets kicked out of hell for under-performing in the soul stealing department. Plus one more soul means she gets promoted to full-time demon, which is not going to be as much fun as Destiny was lead to believe (the demon lied to her, of course because that's what they do).
Destiny is spat out of hell and lands in a backwoods town in Texas right outside a bar. She goes inside hoping to find that last problematic soul. As she walks through the bar she scans the room, discarding the other patrons for one weak reason after another; the hookers were too easy, they wouldn't impress her demon bosses; two married guys would be too much trouble, plus they had their wives with them; the drunk college guys drooled too much and then just as she was about to start on the bartender the hero (a nephilim, also known as the children of angel/human matings) caught her eye. Obviously she has to pick the hero, but her excuses for NOT luring the rest of the people in the bar were dreadful and very undemonlike, even for one who's still in training and therefore maybe not as evil as a full-blood demon.
Ok, so there are some VERY hot scenes in this book and within the first 10 pages or so (Kelley certainly doesn't make you wait for the 'action' to get started).
Despite Destiny's lack of motivation in not picking anyone else in the bar (or on the street or anywhere else) and the occasional lame piece of dialogue I have so far really enjoyed Where There's Smoke. Update when I finish the book.
Ok, so I finished the book last night. I spent most of the last 100 pages wondering how Kelley was going to fix it so that Destiny the demon-in-training ends up with Chance the nephilim. Because either she got her soul quota and was promoted to demon and therefore was sent to the fires of hell until all her humanity was burned out of her; she didn't get her soul quota and was sent to the fires of hell for all eternity as punishment; or Chance is able to save her soul and she is reborn to live her life again and Chance is not allowed to have contact with her ever again, only to watch her as a guardian angel. I couldn't see a happy ending option. Fortunately Kelley could, it involved an appearance by Chance's father from the heavens and a surprise familial link between Chance and the demon, Retis, who took Destiny's soul.
When she realised she couldn't get Chance's soul it looked like Destiny was going to lure her new best friend, innocent LeAnn, the wannabe singer to hell instead. I was very pleased to see that Destiny wasn't evil enough to take such a low step, as I felt it would have been out of character. As I said earlier, her reasons for believing she belonged in hell were pretty tame, I means she wasn't a serial killer or a paedophile, and so if she had taken such an innocent person's soul that would suddenly have made her seem much more horrible and evil than she had been in any of the previous story. Even if you got charged with all of the crimes in the one trial you would probably only get a few years in jail, but I suppose in 1959 breaking and entering and small time drug dealing was a bigger deal than it is now (not that I don't think it's a big deal, but that our courts don't).
After spending her 26 years of life being "bad," as Destiny Carter puts it, she died in 1959. As she lay dying a demon offered to take away all her pain and give her everything she never had while she was alive. Of course she agreed. That's what leads us to the beginning of Where There's Smoke.
Seeing as Destiny went to hell back in 1959 her definition of "bad" is a lot tamer than today's definition is. But she believed she deserved to go to hell for the things she did leading up to her death. She is now a "demon-in-training" using all her seductive moves to grab another soul to take back to her demon bosses before she gets kicked out of hell for under-performing in the soul stealing department. Plus one more soul means she gets promoted to full-time demon, which is not going to be as much fun as Destiny was lead to believe (the demon lied to her, of course because that's what they do).
Destiny is spat out of hell and lands in a backwoods town in Texas right outside a bar. She goes inside hoping to find that last problematic soul. As she walks through the bar she scans the room, discarding the other patrons for one weak reason after another; the hookers were too easy, they wouldn't impress her demon bosses; two married guys would be too much trouble, plus they had their wives with them; the drunk college guys drooled too much and then just as she was about to start on the bartender the hero (a nephilim, also known as the children of angel/human matings) caught her eye. Obviously she has to pick the hero, but her excuses for NOT luring the rest of the people in the bar were dreadful and very undemonlike, even for one who's still in training and therefore maybe not as evil as a full-blood demon.
Ok, so there are some VERY hot scenes in this book and within the first 10 pages or so (Kelley certainly doesn't make you wait for the 'action' to get started).
Despite Destiny's lack of motivation in not picking anyone else in the bar (or on the street or anywhere else) and the occasional lame piece of dialogue I have so far really enjoyed Where There's Smoke. Update when I finish the book.
Ok, so I finished the book last night. I spent most of the last 100 pages wondering how Kelley was going to fix it so that Destiny the demon-in-training ends up with Chance the nephilim. Because either she got her soul quota and was promoted to demon and therefore was sent to the fires of hell until all her humanity was burned out of her; she didn't get her soul quota and was sent to the fires of hell for all eternity as punishment; or Chance is able to save her soul and she is reborn to live her life again and Chance is not allowed to have contact with her ever again, only to watch her as a guardian angel. I couldn't see a happy ending option. Fortunately Kelley could, it involved an appearance by Chance's father from the heavens and a surprise familial link between Chance and the demon, Retis, who took Destiny's soul.
When she realised she couldn't get Chance's soul it looked like Destiny was going to lure her new best friend, innocent LeAnn, the wannabe singer to hell instead. I was very pleased to see that Destiny wasn't evil enough to take such a low step, as I felt it would have been out of character. As I said earlier, her reasons for believing she belonged in hell were pretty tame, I means she wasn't a serial killer or a paedophile, and so if she had taken such an innocent person's soul that would suddenly have made her seem much more horrible and evil than she had been in any of the previous story. Even if you got charged with all of the crimes in the one trial you would probably only get a few years in jail, but I suppose in 1959 breaking and entering and small time drug dealing was a bigger deal than it is now (not that I don't think it's a big deal, but that our courts don't).
April 22, 2012
Review also posted on my blog: http://chattygirlbookreviews.wordpres...
*The publisher provided me with this book for review, via Netgalley.*
Where there’s smoke by Karen Kelley is one of those weird ones to review. I really, really struggled with it; I lost interest I found myself skimming a lot but not because the book was bad.
This book had everything that a book like this should have. It had an ok story line, a female lead character that you could relate to and a male character that makes you a little weak in the knees.
The sex scenes are just right, they are not overdone and they are not under done. In fact some of them are top-notch.
So why did I struggle so much? I did find it a little far-fetched and a little repetitive but that is something I am used to when reading Paranormal Romance.
At the end of the day I think that this book just wasn’t for me. For some reason I just didn’t connect with it. I just found it all a little flat. There was just something missing.
Despite the sex I think this is supposed to be a love story more than anything else and I didn’t feel the burning romance as much as I think I should have. I think that is where my problems came from. I wanted more.
Despite that I would recommend this book to fans of the genre. I think people will like it.
*The publisher provided me with this book for review, via Netgalley.*
Where there’s smoke by Karen Kelley is one of those weird ones to review. I really, really struggled with it; I lost interest I found myself skimming a lot but not because the book was bad.
This book had everything that a book like this should have. It had an ok story line, a female lead character that you could relate to and a male character that makes you a little weak in the knees.
The sex scenes are just right, they are not overdone and they are not under done. In fact some of them are top-notch.
So why did I struggle so much? I did find it a little far-fetched and a little repetitive but that is something I am used to when reading Paranormal Romance.
At the end of the day I think that this book just wasn’t for me. For some reason I just didn’t connect with it. I just found it all a little flat. There was just something missing.
Despite the sex I think this is supposed to be a love story more than anything else and I didn’t feel the burning romance as much as I think I should have. I think that is where my problems came from. I wanted more.
Despite that I would recommend this book to fans of the genre. I think people will like it.
April 11, 2012
I tried to get into this book...I really did, but the plot just felt weak...
Destiny died in 1957 and has been serving in Hell ever since collecting souls. But her time is running out and she still has one soul left to meet her quota if she is ever going to become a a full fledged demon. So she has been sent back to earth and has one week to get a mortal to sign over their soul or else...To bad she has her sights set on one man in particular, Chance. Little does she know that Chance is part angel and his mission is to save her soul. What happens when they both start to need each other and lose sight of their goals?
All of that sounds great right? Well I made it a little over half way in the book before I finally admitted defeat. It's not that the book is horrible, it's just that the plot feels week and flimsy. No matter how hard I try I'm not able to feel the romance and the love that is supposed to be building here. Now don't get me wrong the sex scenes are SMOKING HOT, but the rest just falls flat, and even a little boring at times. I get what is supposed to be happening but yet I'm just not buying it. Maybe it needs to be fleshed out a bit more.
Overall I had high hopes for this book and unfortunately it just didn't cut it.
Destiny died in 1957 and has been serving in Hell ever since collecting souls. But her time is running out and she still has one soul left to meet her quota if she is ever going to become a a full fledged demon. So she has been sent back to earth and has one week to get a mortal to sign over their soul or else...To bad she has her sights set on one man in particular, Chance. Little does she know that Chance is part angel and his mission is to save her soul. What happens when they both start to need each other and lose sight of their goals?
All of that sounds great right? Well I made it a little over half way in the book before I finally admitted defeat. It's not that the book is horrible, it's just that the plot feels week and flimsy. No matter how hard I try I'm not able to feel the romance and the love that is supposed to be building here. Now don't get me wrong the sex scenes are SMOKING HOT, but the rest just falls flat, and even a little boring at times. I get what is supposed to be happening but yet I'm just not buying it. Maybe it needs to be fleshed out a bit more.
Overall I had high hopes for this book and unfortunately it just didn't cut it.
December 29, 2012
There is just something about this author's writing voice that keeps me reading. There are some authors that just have "it". This author does. I wish the editor would do a better job. I ended up reading book 2 first, but I am glad I was gifted book 1. We tackle some pretty deep topics. Heaven vs. Hell and Demons vs. Angels, but with a light hearted feel that made me not want to put down my e-reader.
LOTS of sexy scenes. This is an author who enjoys some public fornication and dirty talk from her heroes. And I love her for it.
The same things that kept book 2 from being a 5 star hit me again here. The editing issues weren't as bad as book 2, but some misplaced words and wrong words took me out of the story. Also we had to suspend some serious belief here, but because of the author's voice I was more than willing to do so.
I will be buying the next one. 4 stars.
Would recommend to people who enjoy a happy ending. Well...lots of happy endings. :)
LOTS of sexy scenes. This is an author who enjoys some public fornication and dirty talk from her heroes. And I love her for it.
The same things that kept book 2 from being a 5 star hit me again here. The editing issues weren't as bad as book 2, but some misplaced words and wrong words took me out of the story. Also we had to suspend some serious belief here, but because of the author's voice I was more than willing to do so.
I will be buying the next one. 4 stars.
Would recommend to people who enjoy a happy ending. Well...lots of happy endings. :)
Read
October 21, 2019DNF @ 30% — what is this even supposed to be? I’m not sure this book knows what it’s supposed to be... PNR or erotic romance? Whatever, it’s not executed well enough for me to finish.
Angels x Demons have so much opportunity for world-building and mythology but it’s squandered here. The focus is on random sexual acts (that aren’t sexy or worthy of being read one handed) and a Nephilium not wanting to break celibacy that doesn’t last for long. It’s boring and exhausting.
Angels x Demons have so much opportunity for world-building and mythology but it’s squandered here. The focus is on random sexual acts (that aren’t sexy or worthy of being read one handed) and a Nephilium not wanting to break celibacy that doesn’t last for long. It’s boring and exhausting.
May 18, 2012
This is actually my first Karen Kelley book. I like the premise of the story, so thought it would be a good book to review. While I like the handsome and immortal cowboy hero – who wouldn’t want a cowboy for forever? – and the sex is hot and steamin’, there’s a couple of pet peeves that kept me on edge in between the sexy voice and grins that cowboy tosses around and the play of heaven against hell, stealing souls, and trying to do the right thing.
Destiny is a demon in training. She kinda messes up on occasion, so she’s been kicked out of hell to steal that one last soul to move her up to full demon status. Once there, it’s smooth sailing, she’ll finally have everything she’s been promised by the demon who turned her all those years ago. So she’s hunting for that next lucky – or unlucky, depending on how you look at it – soul, and she stumbles upon an uber sexy cowboy in a bar. Her first thought is not stealing his soul, it’s of sex – can’t blame her on that one! – which she hasn’t had in quite a little while.
The product of an angel and a human woman, Chance is a nephilim, a demigod, if you will. He’s immortal and, thus, has certain powers to go along with that status. His current mission is to save Destiny’s soul, convince her she can start again and have a better life than the one before, including her time in hell. Only thing is, she affects him as no other woman has. But he refuses to compromise his work ethic of saving a soul and then engaging in sex, if that’s what is desired. Sex first is the way his brothers in arms work, but not Chance.
What he doesn’t have a problem with is getting Destiny off any other way he can, and he does that quite deftly and often. This leads to the first of my pet peeves. For the first six chapters it’s Chance and Destiny coming together for their respective goals, only to have Chance work Destiny over to the point of boneless satiation so she forgets what she’s about. He then takes off because he won’t let things go any further. She gets pissed, promises to be in control next time, and then it starts all over again. Yes, there’s interaction between Destiny and the humans she befriends, as well as Chance and his brothers. Thus another pet peeve: we learn about these two characters’ lives and whatnot from this type of interaction and not from their interaction with each other. In the beginning all we get from them being together is plenty of foreplay.
Now, I like sex and all its variations in my romance books as much as the next reader – and, yes, I realize this is an erotic romance – but I also like a little story to go along with it. We get some basics in these six chapters, but that’s about it. Destiny isn’t allowed to fraternize with humans, but she’s suddenly overrun by neighbors in the apartment she “borrows.” Chance is still trying to keep his attraction to her at bay and discusses it over with his brothers, trying to do things the right way. Nothing new crops up until Destiny begins to care for her neighbors and Chance finally throws caution to the wind and the sex scenes ramp up a notch or two. But this is all too long in coming, too much redundancy for me in those initial chapters.
Once Chance and Destiny do the deed, though, the story begins to move along a little better. I enjoyed Chance’s use of magic, giving her romantic places to make love to her while they dance around one another trying to do their jobs. I also like Destiny’s shift in her attitude toward humans. She begins to really like this menagerie of quirky neighbors who invade her space every chance they get. Of course, the good times can only last so long before Destiny is reminded why she’s back in the land of the living. Her demon steps in with a heavy hand to show her the error of her ways in getting friendly with mortals. He also plants doubt about Chance, and Destiny then grabs hold again of her original mission to steal a soul so she’ll finally have everything she deserves. I waffled on whether I like the idea of Destiny throwing everything that she’s gained in the past few weeks to the wind, especially when she tells herself she’s not seen one thing promised to her in all the years she’s served in hell. But she talks herself into staying with what she knows. It’s when she sees the end result of her actions that she truly begins to see what she wants and needs in a different light.
The strong point of this book for me is Chance. I mean, how can you not love a sexy cowboy angel? :) I’ve yet to read one, so this is fun for me. That he has to go through his own hell and face an old adversary – all because of and for Destiny – makes him that much more appealing. Destiny herself had to grow on me, so she’s the weak link in my mind. At times she comes off a little too whiny, but she does redeem herself in the end. I think a little less with the secondary characters and more between Chance and Destiny would have played much better, especially once they begin to know each other, other than in a sexual way.
Though what doesn’t work for me may work for you. I’d be interested in hearing what you think!
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
Destiny is a demon in training. She kinda messes up on occasion, so she’s been kicked out of hell to steal that one last soul to move her up to full demon status. Once there, it’s smooth sailing, she’ll finally have everything she’s been promised by the demon who turned her all those years ago. So she’s hunting for that next lucky – or unlucky, depending on how you look at it – soul, and she stumbles upon an uber sexy cowboy in a bar. Her first thought is not stealing his soul, it’s of sex – can’t blame her on that one! – which she hasn’t had in quite a little while.
The product of an angel and a human woman, Chance is a nephilim, a demigod, if you will. He’s immortal and, thus, has certain powers to go along with that status. His current mission is to save Destiny’s soul, convince her she can start again and have a better life than the one before, including her time in hell. Only thing is, she affects him as no other woman has. But he refuses to compromise his work ethic of saving a soul and then engaging in sex, if that’s what is desired. Sex first is the way his brothers in arms work, but not Chance.
What he doesn’t have a problem with is getting Destiny off any other way he can, and he does that quite deftly and often. This leads to the first of my pet peeves. For the first six chapters it’s Chance and Destiny coming together for their respective goals, only to have Chance work Destiny over to the point of boneless satiation so she forgets what she’s about. He then takes off because he won’t let things go any further. She gets pissed, promises to be in control next time, and then it starts all over again. Yes, there’s interaction between Destiny and the humans she befriends, as well as Chance and his brothers. Thus another pet peeve: we learn about these two characters’ lives and whatnot from this type of interaction and not from their interaction with each other. In the beginning all we get from them being together is plenty of foreplay.
Now, I like sex and all its variations in my romance books as much as the next reader – and, yes, I realize this is an erotic romance – but I also like a little story to go along with it. We get some basics in these six chapters, but that’s about it. Destiny isn’t allowed to fraternize with humans, but she’s suddenly overrun by neighbors in the apartment she “borrows.” Chance is still trying to keep his attraction to her at bay and discusses it over with his brothers, trying to do things the right way. Nothing new crops up until Destiny begins to care for her neighbors and Chance finally throws caution to the wind and the sex scenes ramp up a notch or two. But this is all too long in coming, too much redundancy for me in those initial chapters.
Once Chance and Destiny do the deed, though, the story begins to move along a little better. I enjoyed Chance’s use of magic, giving her romantic places to make love to her while they dance around one another trying to do their jobs. I also like Destiny’s shift in her attitude toward humans. She begins to really like this menagerie of quirky neighbors who invade her space every chance they get. Of course, the good times can only last so long before Destiny is reminded why she’s back in the land of the living. Her demon steps in with a heavy hand to show her the error of her ways in getting friendly with mortals. He also plants doubt about Chance, and Destiny then grabs hold again of her original mission to steal a soul so she’ll finally have everything she deserves. I waffled on whether I like the idea of Destiny throwing everything that she’s gained in the past few weeks to the wind, especially when she tells herself she’s not seen one thing promised to her in all the years she’s served in hell. But she talks herself into staying with what she knows. It’s when she sees the end result of her actions that she truly begins to see what she wants and needs in a different light.
The strong point of this book for me is Chance. I mean, how can you not love a sexy cowboy angel? :) I’ve yet to read one, so this is fun for me. That he has to go through his own hell and face an old adversary – all because of and for Destiny – makes him that much more appealing. Destiny herself had to grow on me, so she’s the weak link in my mind. At times she comes off a little too whiny, but she does redeem herself in the end. I think a little less with the secondary characters and more between Chance and Destiny would have played much better, especially once they begin to know each other, other than in a sexual way.
Though what doesn’t work for me may work for you. I’d be interested in hearing what you think!
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
April 19, 2019
Very boring. Poorly written. Lame characters. DNF 10%.
May 13, 2019
What happens when an angel and a wannabe demon get together? You'll have to find out for yourself in this cute, sexy story.
library
July 30, 20210
March 29, 2013
Setting:
Fort Worth, Texas – bar, apartment, angel’s ranch, hell/fire
Theme:
Redemption; love; choice
Characters:
Destiny Carter – a hard life – abandoned by mom in the grocery store (she wanted a man who did not want children); difficult foster homes – she was bad, they were bad; on own at 17, hooked up with a man – they drank, stole, drugs, sex – he beat her; she finally shot him; his friends beat her to death, and just as she was about to take her last breath, a demon whispered an offer to stop the pain – she took it; 20 years as a salewoman/demon-in-training in the souls clearance house, she is one soul short of becoming a demon (when she thinks her dreams will come true); she is back in human form with some minor powers and has 1 week to convince a soul to go to hell with her;
Chance Bellew – nephilim – half angel, half human, immortal; soul brothers with 3 other nephilim; all miss not knowing their fathers/angels, though at critical times, he is wrapped in warmth; once the four of them were bored with sowing wild oats, they began to save souls and answer prayers; his method for saving a soul (someone like Destiny) is to seduce them day by day but not having sex (he must keep some emotional distance) until they listen to him, see good and choice in the world, and agree to be born again, where he can watch over them (though they are not aware of it); mostly successful, but they don’t always win; part because of where he is in his life, and part because of the draw of Destiny, he feels at risk to lose his soul – he is so drawn to her;
LeAnn West – lives in the apartment building where Destiny sets up shop; friendly, like a puppy – has an innocence; lost her parents and brother in a car accident when 12 years old, and sent to live with a cold aunt/uncle who did not want her – so she has some in common with Destiny; she writes songs and dreams of fame as a singer; takes Destiny to a discrete sex shop to for sex toys; drops in; first friend Destiny ever had
Ryder / Dillon / Hunter – fellow nephilim; they have Chance’s back – for fun, for stress release, for teasing, for serious discussion, for walking through the flames of hell – literally.
Vestis: high demon; brother to Chance’s father; wanted his brother to rule earth with him, and angry that his brother would not – now has it out for Chance.
Summary:
An interesting way of drawing out sex when sex is inevitable – an angel who wins souls by giving orgasms but not by having sex… it makes for a nice build up (though a bit too much angst for each characters between hookups in my opinion).
Day 4.5 (after finger fucking in bar, orgasm while dancing and kissing, her attempt at seduction that led to his use of her sex toys on her, a day at the rodeo having fun and getting gifts) he indulges in ‘seeing’ her whole past/feelings – and passes out, then he goes to check on her – just to see watch her sleep, and she comes out of the bathroom naked – and jumps into his arms, she’s not letting him go again.
Then with doubts by Vestis beating at her, she angrily turns him away, goes after LeAnn’s soul – but in the end can’t – she pushes the recording guru to the bar LeAnn’s singing at , and she gets a contract – a year later, has 2 hits; and Destiny trades her own soul for LeAnn.
But Chance can’t let that happen – he goes to Vestis to offer his soul for hers… Vestis’ vendetta against Chance because of Chance’s brother is revealed – and they battle; as it looks like Vestis might loose, he tosses Destiny’s soul into the fire, and Chance goes after her – and when it looks like he can’t find his way out, his ‘brothers’ come for them, pulling them out… then dad shows up – takes care of Vestis (who seems almost relieved for ‘it’ to end)… and acknowledges that Destiny has made up for past deeds by the today’s sacrifices – and is ready to take her to be reborn – but she says no – she’s never had choices, but now she does – and she chooses to be with Chance. Ahhhh and a year later, Chance (as much to please Destiny as to do good) reunites LeAnn with the bar owner whose bar she was discovered in before they could explore if there was anything between them… giving them a 2nd chance. ahhhh
Memorable scenes:
After leaving Destiny the first time, his friends meet at their ranch, and go to the cowboy and Indians playing field – hologram Indians (with real arrows, that hurt, even if they can’t kill them), and like little boys they have fun defeating the Indians.
In the apartment, Destiny’s other neighbor is an old, bitter woman – when Destiny first runs into her, she is so ugly, Destiny thinks she is a demon ; ) but she finds a new lease on life when an older man in the apartment connects with her – she does her hair, makeup, new clothes, almost smiles, and apologizes to Destiny about hassling her (her beau says he can’t have her chasing his friends away).
Fort Worth, Texas – bar, apartment, angel’s ranch, hell/fire
Theme:
Redemption; love; choice
Characters:
Destiny Carter – a hard life – abandoned by mom in the grocery store (she wanted a man who did not want children); difficult foster homes – she was bad, they were bad; on own at 17, hooked up with a man – they drank, stole, drugs, sex – he beat her; she finally shot him; his friends beat her to death, and just as she was about to take her last breath, a demon whispered an offer to stop the pain – she took it; 20 years as a salewoman/demon-in-training in the souls clearance house, she is one soul short of becoming a demon (when she thinks her dreams will come true); she is back in human form with some minor powers and has 1 week to convince a soul to go to hell with her;
Chance Bellew – nephilim – half angel, half human, immortal; soul brothers with 3 other nephilim; all miss not knowing their fathers/angels, though at critical times, he is wrapped in warmth; once the four of them were bored with sowing wild oats, they began to save souls and answer prayers; his method for saving a soul (someone like Destiny) is to seduce them day by day but not having sex (he must keep some emotional distance) until they listen to him, see good and choice in the world, and agree to be born again, where he can watch over them (though they are not aware of it); mostly successful, but they don’t always win; part because of where he is in his life, and part because of the draw of Destiny, he feels at risk to lose his soul – he is so drawn to her;
LeAnn West – lives in the apartment building where Destiny sets up shop; friendly, like a puppy – has an innocence; lost her parents and brother in a car accident when 12 years old, and sent to live with a cold aunt/uncle who did not want her – so she has some in common with Destiny; she writes songs and dreams of fame as a singer; takes Destiny to a discrete sex shop to for sex toys; drops in; first friend Destiny ever had
Ryder / Dillon / Hunter – fellow nephilim; they have Chance’s back – for fun, for stress release, for teasing, for serious discussion, for walking through the flames of hell – literally.
Vestis: high demon; brother to Chance’s father; wanted his brother to rule earth with him, and angry that his brother would not – now has it out for Chance.
Summary:
An interesting way of drawing out sex when sex is inevitable – an angel who wins souls by giving orgasms but not by having sex… it makes for a nice build up (though a bit too much angst for each characters between hookups in my opinion).
Day 4.5 (after finger fucking in bar, orgasm while dancing and kissing, her attempt at seduction that led to his use of her sex toys on her, a day at the rodeo having fun and getting gifts) he indulges in ‘seeing’ her whole past/feelings – and passes out, then he goes to check on her – just to see watch her sleep, and she comes out of the bathroom naked – and jumps into his arms, she’s not letting him go again.
Then with doubts by Vestis beating at her, she angrily turns him away, goes after LeAnn’s soul – but in the end can’t – she pushes the recording guru to the bar LeAnn’s singing at , and she gets a contract – a year later, has 2 hits; and Destiny trades her own soul for LeAnn.
But Chance can’t let that happen – he goes to Vestis to offer his soul for hers… Vestis’ vendetta against Chance because of Chance’s brother is revealed – and they battle; as it looks like Vestis might loose, he tosses Destiny’s soul into the fire, and Chance goes after her – and when it looks like he can’t find his way out, his ‘brothers’ come for them, pulling them out… then dad shows up – takes care of Vestis (who seems almost relieved for ‘it’ to end)… and acknowledges that Destiny has made up for past deeds by the today’s sacrifices – and is ready to take her to be reborn – but she says no – she’s never had choices, but now she does – and she chooses to be with Chance. Ahhhh and a year later, Chance (as much to please Destiny as to do good) reunites LeAnn with the bar owner whose bar she was discovered in before they could explore if there was anything between them… giving them a 2nd chance. ahhhh
Memorable scenes:
After leaving Destiny the first time, his friends meet at their ranch, and go to the cowboy and Indians playing field – hologram Indians (with real arrows, that hurt, even if they can’t kill them), and like little boys they have fun defeating the Indians.
In the apartment, Destiny’s other neighbor is an old, bitter woman – when Destiny first runs into her, she is so ugly, Destiny thinks she is a demon ; ) but she finds a new lease on life when an older man in the apartment connects with her – she does her hair, makeup, new clothes, almost smiles, and apologizes to Destiny about hassling her (her beau says he can’t have her chasing his friends away).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2016
Original Post at FANGS, WANDS & FAIRY DUST: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE Fizzles — EVEN WITH FLAME
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE
By Karen Kelley
Sourcebooks/Casablanca
May 12, 2012
Disclosure: E-Galley from publisher via NetGalley.
No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.
This is an interesting story line, based paced as far as action of the sexy kind goes, but it is more than halfway through the book before Chance and Destiny fess up to each other. There is a lot of sex. A. Lot. Of. Sex. In truth I felt it was a ridiculous amount and the first encounter is the Chance manually bringing Destiny to orgasm in a bar about five minutes after they meet. Now, if you want to "save" someone surely your first step is to masturbate them into a frenzy and then walk out—not in any spiritual practice I know (no, not the Tantric either that's the slow food of sex) At the very beginning I thought this might be a cleverly disguised religious tract, but quickly realized it's is surely not a book for Wednesday night Bible study.
I think Karen's idea of slowly transforming the bad girl who never had a chance at life into the person she would have been is a nice trope; it's one I usually enjoy. But in taking up so many pages with repetitive sexual encounters and the repetition of each other's missions to themselves or Chance to his brothers, the emotional content feels like an outline. The writing feels disassociated, simplistic, too third-person omniscient, making it hard to connect to the characters. There is quite a bit of humor though—a saving grace.
It was okay, I was able to read through it, which says more probably than my words do, but I just didn't feel it was that well-written, and it lacks sophistication. The best written emotive content is about Destiny's life, and that was poignantly described. The rest is Chance coming over to give her orgasms or out on a couple of dates. He talks a good game with his "brothers" about saving her but he spends a little too much time looking at her genitalia than convincing her to get out of hell. There's a lot of sex but I didn't find it enticing or erotic.
For something light and absorbing at the beach or in an airplane it would be a reasonable choice.
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE
By Karen Kelley
Sourcebooks/Casablanca
May 12, 2012
Disclosure: E-Galley from publisher via NetGalley.
No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.
When sexy wannabe-demon, Destiny Carter, is kicked out of Hell, she lands in Ft. Worth, Texas with one week to corrupt a soul. Or else. She slips into a slinky red dress, and heads straight for the delicious, corruptible looking cowboy at the bar.
But Chance Bellew has his own agenda-saving souls. He's not your typical angel. He’s a nephilim, to be exact. Centuries ago, angels came down from Heaven and mated with mortal women. When the women bore children, a new race was created. Immortals with powers—demigods, nephilim.
But the children don’t live by the same rules as mortals, or that of the typical, robe-wearing, bright light-surrounding-them angels. Hell, most of the time the nephilim are breaking the rules, and making up new ones as they go. As long as they don’t cross over to the dark side, everyone pretty much stays out of their way.
But sometimes a demon-in-training, who looks like Destiny, comes along and all Hell breaks loose. Karen Kelley's Website
This is an interesting story line, based paced as far as action of the sexy kind goes, but it is more than halfway through the book before Chance and Destiny fess up to each other. There is a lot of sex. A. Lot. Of. Sex. In truth I felt it was a ridiculous amount and the first encounter is the Chance manually bringing Destiny to orgasm in a bar about five minutes after they meet. Now, if you want to "save" someone surely your first step is to masturbate them into a frenzy and then walk out—not in any spiritual practice I know (no, not the Tantric either that's the slow food of sex) At the very beginning I thought this might be a cleverly disguised religious tract, but quickly realized it's is surely not a book for Wednesday night Bible study.
I think Karen's idea of slowly transforming the bad girl who never had a chance at life into the person she would have been is a nice trope; it's one I usually enjoy. But in taking up so many pages with repetitive sexual encounters and the repetition of each other's missions to themselves or Chance to his brothers, the emotional content feels like an outline. The writing feels disassociated, simplistic, too third-person omniscient, making it hard to connect to the characters. There is quite a bit of humor though—a saving grace.
It was okay, I was able to read through it, which says more probably than my words do, but I just didn't feel it was that well-written, and it lacks sophistication. The best written emotive content is about Destiny's life, and that was poignantly described. The rest is Chance coming over to give her orgasms or out on a couple of dates. He talks a good game with his "brothers" about saving her but he spends a little too much time looking at her genitalia than convincing her to get out of hell. There's a lot of sex but I didn't find it enticing or erotic.
For something light and absorbing at the beach or in an airplane it would be a reasonable choice.
April 30, 2012
***original review posted at Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance***
They say Texas is hotter than hell and well, I've never been to hell but this Texas girl can attest to the fact that it's almost hot all year round.
For demon in training Destiny Carter, she's been kicked out of hell and has one week to corrupt a soul. The soul ends up being one, Chance Bellew: sexy cowboy. Things heat up fast as in some inappropriate touching in a bar the first time they meet each other. This definitely starts off with a bang! *wink wink*
Chance has other things in mind. He knows what Destiny is or what she plans on becoming. He in turn has one week to show her that hell and becoming a demon isn't what it's cut out to be. The only problem is, he can't get caught up in the attraction. One wrong move and he could end up giving up his soul to her, leaving his fellow nephilim (Hunter, Dillon and Ryder) to their own devices.
One week. That's all it takes to tip the scales between good and evil. One week to flirt, seduce and play dirty to get the other person to cave in. One week to make the other person want to exchange their soul for everything. Easy peasy right? WRONG.
Destiny struggles with her past and getting to know her neighbors as well as getting an unwanted BFF. At first she's reluctant to let anyone in. After all, wouldn't you if your mother left you at the store when you were six promising to come back?
Chance has never let himself get near any of the souls he's trying to save, much less get intimate with them. Not Destiny. There's something sexy about this broken woman that draws him in. The more they fool around, the harder it is for him to not drive himself into her.
Between keeping their real identities from each other, finding a way to take each other's soul and giving into the physical attraction but not into the emotional, Destiny and Chance must find a way to tip the scales in their respective favor.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
OVERALL: I've never read Karen Kelley before but this won't be my last. Where have you been hiding Ms. Kelley? Or better yet, where have I been hiding? This is a sexy, steamy and 'oh my god I've got to put it down before I combust' kind of read. Confession: I put this book down 8 times because my face was getting a little warm. Between the dirty talk (oh my stars! there's a lot of dirty talk), the totally inappropriate touching and the actual deed itself, this girl was hot and bothered. (TMI) Throw in four sexy nephilim (the offspring of human women with angel baby daddy's) who walk a fine line while saving souls, answering prayers and saving animals, a rowdy, smoky bar and a demon in training and you've got one hell of an unputdownable putdownable read. Yes, I just contradicted myself. I wanted to keep reading but it was just too sexy to do it in one sitting. I'm looking forward to Chance's fellow nephilim: Hunter, Ryder and Dillon getting their own stories.
***review copy provided by Kim (SOS Aloha) and Netgalley***
They say Texas is hotter than hell and well, I've never been to hell but this Texas girl can attest to the fact that it's almost hot all year round.
For demon in training Destiny Carter, she's been kicked out of hell and has one week to corrupt a soul. The soul ends up being one, Chance Bellew: sexy cowboy. Things heat up fast as in some inappropriate touching in a bar the first time they meet each other. This definitely starts off with a bang! *wink wink*
Chance has other things in mind. He knows what Destiny is or what she plans on becoming. He in turn has one week to show her that hell and becoming a demon isn't what it's cut out to be. The only problem is, he can't get caught up in the attraction. One wrong move and he could end up giving up his soul to her, leaving his fellow nephilim (Hunter, Dillon and Ryder) to their own devices.
One week. That's all it takes to tip the scales between good and evil. One week to flirt, seduce and play dirty to get the other person to cave in. One week to make the other person want to exchange their soul for everything. Easy peasy right? WRONG.
Destiny struggles with her past and getting to know her neighbors as well as getting an unwanted BFF. At first she's reluctant to let anyone in. After all, wouldn't you if your mother left you at the store when you were six promising to come back?
Chance has never let himself get near any of the souls he's trying to save, much less get intimate with them. Not Destiny. There's something sexy about this broken woman that draws him in. The more they fool around, the harder it is for him to not drive himself into her.
Between keeping their real identities from each other, finding a way to take each other's soul and giving into the physical attraction but not into the emotional, Destiny and Chance must find a way to tip the scales in their respective favor.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
Every part of her became a part of him. He wanted her totally and completely etched in his mind forever. He didn't ask himself how he could feel so strongly about Destiny. He didn't ask because he was afraid of the answer, and to admit what he felt could destroy them both.
OVERALL: I've never read Karen Kelley before but this won't be my last. Where have you been hiding Ms. Kelley? Or better yet, where have I been hiding? This is a sexy, steamy and 'oh my god I've got to put it down before I combust' kind of read. Confession: I put this book down 8 times because my face was getting a little warm. Between the dirty talk (oh my stars! there's a lot of dirty talk), the totally inappropriate touching and the actual deed itself, this girl was hot and bothered. (TMI) Throw in four sexy nephilim (the offspring of human women with angel baby daddy's) who walk a fine line while saving souls, answering prayers and saving animals, a rowdy, smoky bar and a demon in training and you've got one hell of an unputdownable putdownable read. Yes, I just contradicted myself. I wanted to keep reading but it was just too sexy to do it in one sitting. I'm looking forward to Chance's fellow nephilim: Hunter, Ryder and Dillon getting their own stories.
***review copy provided by Kim (SOS Aloha) and Netgalley***
July 13, 2012
Actual Rating: 3.5
I feel cheated... and even though I did like reading the book, I feel as though it could have been better. The story has merit, and it definitely gets steamy in the bedroom, but it failed to wow me.
Destiny Carter is a demon in training, and in order for her to finally get what she's always wanted, she has to corrupt one final soul. But when she saunters over to the lone cowboy sitting at the end of the bar, she gets more than what she bargained for. Chance is no mere mortal, and he's got plans of his own. As a nephilim he's got only to help save souls, but can he resist the she-demon-wannabe before he loses his own?
I didn't quite make a connection with Destiny, I felt sorry for what she'd been through, but she only had herself to blame. She was so gullible she was willing to give up her soul to a demon, even though everything he told her was all lies. Then, her Debbie Downer self kept ruining the happy moments that happened in her life, all because of her past. I agree, it's hard to forget a troubled past, but sometimes we are the reason we aren't happy; because we are unwilling to accept anything good in our lives. I liked her approach with Chance, but I noticed a lot of arrogance which in turn made me dislike her a little more.
Chance, was great, and boy was he an orgasm enducing-tease! That first scene with Destiny in the bar, Oh lord that will stay with me forever! But! He failed to snag my interest any further. Idk what it is, I just couldn't see past the great sex. His friends however, they were awesome. Ryder, Hunter, and Dillon, whom are also nephillim were hilarious. Brothers by circumstance and there til the end no matter what, I wish we would have learned and seen more of them.
The story seemed to sort of idle in the background most of the time. I mean Destiny's goal is to corrupt a soul, but she spends more time trying to sex Chance that the plot sort of gets lost in the orgasms. It was agonizingly slow, and their conversations seemed cheesy for the most part, and the outcomes were predictable to say the least. Overall, I find myself at a like/hate crossroads with this book. If it turns out to be a series and one of the other Nephillim get their own book however, I will be picking up book 2 simply for the thrill of reading about Ryder, Hunter, and Dillon! ;)
*This book was given to me by the publisher for review via Netgalley
You can also find this review @Darkest Addictions' Book Reviews
I feel cheated... and even though I did like reading the book, I feel as though it could have been better. The story has merit, and it definitely gets steamy in the bedroom, but it failed to wow me.
Destiny Carter is a demon in training, and in order for her to finally get what she's always wanted, she has to corrupt one final soul. But when she saunters over to the lone cowboy sitting at the end of the bar, she gets more than what she bargained for. Chance is no mere mortal, and he's got plans of his own. As a nephilim he's got only to help save souls, but can he resist the she-demon-wannabe before he loses his own?
I didn't quite make a connection with Destiny, I felt sorry for what she'd been through, but she only had herself to blame. She was so gullible she was willing to give up her soul to a demon, even though everything he told her was all lies. Then, her Debbie Downer self kept ruining the happy moments that happened in her life, all because of her past. I agree, it's hard to forget a troubled past, but sometimes we are the reason we aren't happy; because we are unwilling to accept anything good in our lives. I liked her approach with Chance, but I noticed a lot of arrogance which in turn made me dislike her a little more.
Chance, was great, and boy was he an orgasm enducing-tease! That first scene with Destiny in the bar, Oh lord that will stay with me forever! But! He failed to snag my interest any further. Idk what it is, I just couldn't see past the great sex. His friends however, they were awesome. Ryder, Hunter, and Dillon, whom are also nephillim were hilarious. Brothers by circumstance and there til the end no matter what, I wish we would have learned and seen more of them.
The story seemed to sort of idle in the background most of the time. I mean Destiny's goal is to corrupt a soul, but she spends more time trying to sex Chance that the plot sort of gets lost in the orgasms. It was agonizingly slow, and their conversations seemed cheesy for the most part, and the outcomes were predictable to say the least. Overall, I find myself at a like/hate crossroads with this book. If it turns out to be a series and one of the other Nephillim get their own book however, I will be picking up book 2 simply for the thrill of reading about Ryder, Hunter, and Dillon! ;)
*This book was given to me by the publisher for review via Netgalley
You can also find this review @Darkest Addictions' Book Reviews
April 20, 2012
First off, can I say how much I drooled over the cover??? Like, damn. The tattoo on his pec is so yummy looking I just want to lick it up. *wipes drool off chin* Of course you don't want to hear my ramblings of the half naked (One day someone will make a cover with a completely naked guy. I vote David Gandy. I would be first in line to buy it. *waggles eyebrows* I really need to stay on topic. Lol.)
We find Destiny kicked out of Hell because she is one soul short of getting all expenses paid vacation in Hell that every demon works hard for. Being the sensual person that she is and the whole no sex rule she is forced to live by, she feels the need to break a few rules in order to get her soul quick. She materializes a sexy red dress and goes into a bar and sees a delicious cowboy in a black hat sitting at the bar. What she thinks is an easy target turns out to be the most challenging thing she will ever encounter in her life.
Chance knows Destiny will be at this bar tonight and is determined to save her soul before she is eternally damned into the fires of Hell. He always draws in the demons with hints of wild nights but never actually goes through with it. That's Chance's rule, or it was until the sexy demon in the red dress coming his way makes him think again. The rules change in an instant and Chance knows he must do anything necessary to save this addicting woman or die trying.
The beginning of this story had me zipping through the pages at top speeds. I have read my share of steamy books but this was so wonderfully written I was regretting reading it while my husband wasn't home. Destiny is all about finding her soul and becoming a demon but she slowly comes to like her quirky accidental friends and realizes that this time is much better then the retro era she was from. It helps that she eventually learn that all her misfortunes (and there were some heartbreaking ones) were actually the work of a demon. Why you ask? One word. Chance. Speaking of that sexy nephilim, there were times in this story where I thought he was going to lose it completely. Destiny had her issues but Chance kept tearing my heart into tiny pieces over and over. The man could have used a hug, or a Xanex. Whichever. I personally vote for some more smokin' hot sex! (With me of course. HA!) Who knew a demon and a half-angel make such a good couple?!
We find Destiny kicked out of Hell because she is one soul short of getting all expenses paid vacation in Hell that every demon works hard for. Being the sensual person that she is and the whole no sex rule she is forced to live by, she feels the need to break a few rules in order to get her soul quick. She materializes a sexy red dress and goes into a bar and sees a delicious cowboy in a black hat sitting at the bar. What she thinks is an easy target turns out to be the most challenging thing she will ever encounter in her life.
Chance knows Destiny will be at this bar tonight and is determined to save her soul before she is eternally damned into the fires of Hell. He always draws in the demons with hints of wild nights but never actually goes through with it. That's Chance's rule, or it was until the sexy demon in the red dress coming his way makes him think again. The rules change in an instant and Chance knows he must do anything necessary to save this addicting woman or die trying.
The beginning of this story had me zipping through the pages at top speeds. I have read my share of steamy books but this was so wonderfully written I was regretting reading it while my husband wasn't home. Destiny is all about finding her soul and becoming a demon but she slowly comes to like her quirky accidental friends and realizes that this time is much better then the retro era she was from. It helps that she eventually learn that all her misfortunes (and there were some heartbreaking ones) were actually the work of a demon. Why you ask? One word. Chance. Speaking of that sexy nephilim, there were times in this story where I thought he was going to lose it completely. Destiny had her issues but Chance kept tearing my heart into tiny pieces over and over. The man could have used a hug, or a Xanex. Whichever. I personally vote for some more smokin' hot sex! (With me of course. HA!) Who knew a demon and a half-angel make such a good couple?!
May 19, 2012
When sexy wannabe-demon, Destiny Carter, is kicked out of Hell, she lands in Ft. Worth, Texas with one week to corrupt a soul. Or else. She slips into a slinky red dress, and heads straight for the delicious, corruptible looking cowboy at the bar.
But Chance Bellew has his own agenda-saving souls. He's not your typical angel. He’s a nephilim, to be exact. Centuries ago, angels came down from Heaven and mated with mortal women. When the women bore children, a new race was created. Immortals with powers—demigods, nephilim.
But the children don’t live by the same rules as mortals, or that of the typical, robe-wearing, bright light-surrounding-them angels. Hell, most of the time the nephilim are breaking the rules, and making up new ones as they go. As long as they don’t cross over to the dark side, everyone pretty much stays out of their way.
But sometimes a demon-in-training, who looks like Destiny, comes along and all Hell breaks loose.
Review: Where There’s Smoke by Karen Kelley was a book I doubt I’ll ever forget! Fully of hilarious lines, steamy sexy scenes, romance, and action – such an enjoyable read that you’ll delight in everything that is between the smoking hot cover pages.
Destiny, our lead female, is hilarious, strong, and goes after exactly what she wants. We (the reader) watch as she slowly changes – for the better – all through the mortals she has grown close to here on Earth.
Chance is such a sweetheart who tries like hell to avoid the attraction he feels towards Destiny – but ultimately, as it should be, hits the ground hard for her.
We watch as these two go on a ride of their lives, however long they may be, discovering themselves, each other, and all about just what makes humanity something else.
The only downside to the novel were there were times that things had gotten a little cheesy as far as the lines shared between the two leads. That doesn’t take away from the nice plot, great writing, or the fantastic read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for some new and exciting on the scene. Four out of five stars.
But Chance Bellew has his own agenda-saving souls. He's not your typical angel. He’s a nephilim, to be exact. Centuries ago, angels came down from Heaven and mated with mortal women. When the women bore children, a new race was created. Immortals with powers—demigods, nephilim.
But the children don’t live by the same rules as mortals, or that of the typical, robe-wearing, bright light-surrounding-them angels. Hell, most of the time the nephilim are breaking the rules, and making up new ones as they go. As long as they don’t cross over to the dark side, everyone pretty much stays out of their way.
But sometimes a demon-in-training, who looks like Destiny, comes along and all Hell breaks loose.
Review: Where There’s Smoke by Karen Kelley was a book I doubt I’ll ever forget! Fully of hilarious lines, steamy sexy scenes, romance, and action – such an enjoyable read that you’ll delight in everything that is between the smoking hot cover pages.
Destiny, our lead female, is hilarious, strong, and goes after exactly what she wants. We (the reader) watch as she slowly changes – for the better – all through the mortals she has grown close to here on Earth.
Chance is such a sweetheart who tries like hell to avoid the attraction he feels towards Destiny – but ultimately, as it should be, hits the ground hard for her.
We watch as these two go on a ride of their lives, however long they may be, discovering themselves, each other, and all about just what makes humanity something else.
The only downside to the novel were there were times that things had gotten a little cheesy as far as the lines shared between the two leads. That doesn’t take away from the nice plot, great writing, or the fantastic read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for some new and exciting on the scene. Four out of five stars.
May 30, 2012
Posted on Romancing the Book blog
Reviewed by ~ Marissa
Review Copy Provided by ~ the Publisher
I was drawn to Where There’s Smoke after reading the blurb. I liked the idea of a demon (wannabe, not actual) falling in love an angel very enticing. That, and the fact that it was a new novel by Karen Kelley, author of the Planet Nerak series which features aliens and male robots who satisfy a woman’s every whim, I mean, honestly, who can you resist?
To begin with, you have Destiny, a demon-in-waiting (so to speak), landing on Earth in order to earn her true demon-ness. But all she really wants is to relax a little and enjoy all the up-grades Planet Earth has made in the last 40 years. And sex. See, Destiny (appropriately named) died in 1959 and was thereby summoned to the Dark Side. Having seen nothing but the dark side all her life, she succumbed and has been biding her time in Hell’s sorting station. Now she’s offered the chance to prove herself. If she brings in just one soul – signed, sealed, delivered to the bosses that be – she will become the demon she’s been dreaming of being.
Then she sees Chance sitting in a bar. Mysterious, masculine, a black Stetson and tight jeans… What’s not to love there? Of course Destiny sees Chance and immediately succumbs to his good looks, great body, and amazing smile. And, oh! What he does to her in that bar! *blushing* But she has no idea that Chance is a nephilim (half angel, half human) sent to save her soul from the clutches of Satanism.
There is a great cast of background characters – a goody-two-shoes neighbor, the demon-like Beulah, plus a few souls who have great faith and belief in mankind. Then, because no good nephilim story would be without them, Chance’s friends, roommates, and fellow nephilim, Dillon, Hunter and Ryder (whose story is due out in September).
Where There’s Smoke is a breezy, light read – perfect for those lazy days when you get to lay around, be it on the beach or your sofa, and fall into another world. Let someone else worry about the laundry and the dishes. Read and enjoy!
Reviewed by ~ Marissa
Review Copy Provided by ~ the Publisher
I was drawn to Where There’s Smoke after reading the blurb. I liked the idea of a demon (wannabe, not actual) falling in love an angel very enticing. That, and the fact that it was a new novel by Karen Kelley, author of the Planet Nerak series which features aliens and male robots who satisfy a woman’s every whim, I mean, honestly, who can you resist?
To begin with, you have Destiny, a demon-in-waiting (so to speak), landing on Earth in order to earn her true demon-ness. But all she really wants is to relax a little and enjoy all the up-grades Planet Earth has made in the last 40 years. And sex. See, Destiny (appropriately named) died in 1959 and was thereby summoned to the Dark Side. Having seen nothing but the dark side all her life, she succumbed and has been biding her time in Hell’s sorting station. Now she’s offered the chance to prove herself. If she brings in just one soul – signed, sealed, delivered to the bosses that be – she will become the demon she’s been dreaming of being.
Then she sees Chance sitting in a bar. Mysterious, masculine, a black Stetson and tight jeans… What’s not to love there? Of course Destiny sees Chance and immediately succumbs to his good looks, great body, and amazing smile. And, oh! What he does to her in that bar! *blushing* But she has no idea that Chance is a nephilim (half angel, half human) sent to save her soul from the clutches of Satanism.
There is a great cast of background characters – a goody-two-shoes neighbor, the demon-like Beulah, plus a few souls who have great faith and belief in mankind. Then, because no good nephilim story would be without them, Chance’s friends, roommates, and fellow nephilim, Dillon, Hunter and Ryder (whose story is due out in September).
Where There’s Smoke is a breezy, light read – perfect for those lazy days when you get to lay around, be it on the beach or your sofa, and fall into another world. Let someone else worry about the laundry and the dishes. Read and enjoy!
June 12, 2012
Rhys' review posted on Guilty Pleasures
Destiny Carter was a bad girl, so bad that even hell didn’t want to deal with her yet. When she was sent back to earth to collect more souls before she can become a true demon, while this sounds like an easy task Destiny is in for a rude awakening. While Destiny had the worst life before her transformation into a demon-in-training, the golden life of demonhood loses its luster quickly the longer Destiny is back on earth. Not only does she meet wonderful people and get to do all the things that she has lusted over for years, she also meets Chance Bellow, who just might be able to change all of Destiny’s bad girl ways. But will a visit from Destiny’s maker show her how bad things used to be or will he only show her how much she wants to change for good?
Chance Bellows is a demi god in the truest sense. Born of an angel and a mortal woman, he is not only gorgeous but he has the ability to steer lost souls from damnation into rebirthing. The more time that Chance spends with Destiny trying to save her, the more Chance realizes that Destiny may just be saving him from himself. Being a demigod is a big responsibility, one that Chance has taken to heart for years, while putting his own needs on the back burner. Meeting Destiny could just be the thing that Chance needs to push him to his limits.
What a wonderful story! Karen Kelley is a new to me author, and she has hit it out of the park for me with this one. The story of Destiny and Chance was so hot and heartfelt that I couldn’t put this one down. Seeing the story end, was bittersweet, only because it makes me want to wait to see if this will become part of a series. I can’t wait to see what else Karen Kelley comes up with in the future, and if you are looking for a great story with hot characters and just a twist of paranormal than this is one that you definitely need to pick up for your collection.
Destiny Carter was a bad girl, so bad that even hell didn’t want to deal with her yet. When she was sent back to earth to collect more souls before she can become a true demon, while this sounds like an easy task Destiny is in for a rude awakening. While Destiny had the worst life before her transformation into a demon-in-training, the golden life of demonhood loses its luster quickly the longer Destiny is back on earth. Not only does she meet wonderful people and get to do all the things that she has lusted over for years, she also meets Chance Bellow, who just might be able to change all of Destiny’s bad girl ways. But will a visit from Destiny’s maker show her how bad things used to be or will he only show her how much she wants to change for good?
Chance Bellows is a demi god in the truest sense. Born of an angel and a mortal woman, he is not only gorgeous but he has the ability to steer lost souls from damnation into rebirthing. The more time that Chance spends with Destiny trying to save her, the more Chance realizes that Destiny may just be saving him from himself. Being a demigod is a big responsibility, one that Chance has taken to heart for years, while putting his own needs on the back burner. Meeting Destiny could just be the thing that Chance needs to push him to his limits.
What a wonderful story! Karen Kelley is a new to me author, and she has hit it out of the park for me with this one. The story of Destiny and Chance was so hot and heartfelt that I couldn’t put this one down. Seeing the story end, was bittersweet, only because it makes me want to wait to see if this will become part of a series. I can’t wait to see what else Karen Kelley comes up with in the future, and if you are looking for a great story with hot characters and just a twist of paranormal than this is one that you definitely need to pick up for your collection.
September 28, 2012
4.5♥s
Destiny Carter works at the sorting station between Heaven and Hell. She wants to become a full-fledged demon because she's been promised she'll have everything she's ever dreamed of. She's been sent back to earth and has one week to collect a soul so she can become a demon, or she'll be damned to the fires of Hell for eternity.
Chance Bellew, a half-angel, half-mortal nephilim, has one week and one day to convince Destiny to give up her soul for his side. His plan is to make Destiny want him so much that she'll do anything to give up her soul. Destiny's plan is to ... make Chance want her so much that he'll do anything to give up his soul. Their contest of seduction is scorching.
Where There's Smoke is filled with characters you'll love. Chance is hot as, well, Hell. And he'll make you melt in more ways than one. He's determined to show Destiny that life can be good. He treats her to a special day that will touch your heart.
Destiny had a disadvantaged life, which turned her into a "bad" girl when she was alive. Now that she is dead, she is not allowed to get involved with mortals topside. But mortals get involved with her and she can't resist them. She learns what it's like to have friends. Even worse, she learns what it's like to love.
Destiny is desperate to spend what she believes will be a wonderful eternity as a demon with Chance. But Chance knows the reality. If he succumbs to her, they will both burn in Hell. If he convinces her to give her soul to Heaven, he will have to give her up and she will be reborn.
Do they have any chance of fulfilling a destiny together?
Enjoy Where There's Smoke!
Please see my full review at Paranormal Romance with Lisa Annesley.
Destiny Carter works at the sorting station between Heaven and Hell. She wants to become a full-fledged demon because she's been promised she'll have everything she's ever dreamed of. She's been sent back to earth and has one week to collect a soul so she can become a demon, or she'll be damned to the fires of Hell for eternity.
Chance Bellew, a half-angel, half-mortal nephilim, has one week and one day to convince Destiny to give up her soul for his side. His plan is to make Destiny want him so much that she'll do anything to give up her soul. Destiny's plan is to ... make Chance want her so much that he'll do anything to give up his soul. Their contest of seduction is scorching.
Where There's Smoke is filled with characters you'll love. Chance is hot as, well, Hell. And he'll make you melt in more ways than one. He's determined to show Destiny that life can be good. He treats her to a special day that will touch your heart.
Destiny had a disadvantaged life, which turned her into a "bad" girl when she was alive. Now that she is dead, she is not allowed to get involved with mortals topside. But mortals get involved with her and she can't resist them. She learns what it's like to have friends. Even worse, she learns what it's like to love.
Destiny is desperate to spend what she believes will be a wonderful eternity as a demon with Chance. But Chance knows the reality. If he succumbs to her, they will both burn in Hell. If he convinces her to give her soul to Heaven, he will have to give her up and she will be reborn.
Do they have any chance of fulfilling a destiny together?
Enjoy Where There's Smoke!
Please see my full review at Paranormal Romance with Lisa Annesley.
May 8, 2012
As reviewed on The eBook Reviewers
This is one of the books that I received from Sourcebooks through NetGalley. It was released last week. And I simply loved it, I plowed through it in one sitting.
I love paranormal stories, ghosts, vampires and zombies being my favorites. Though there's just something special about a book with angels. Now add a demon on top of that and I shiver with delight! Now Destiny and Chance are a level all their own. You have basically a demon in training and a half-breed angel. The demon is trying to steal the angels soul, and the angel is trying to save the demon's soul. Can you say forbidden lovers here? Oh I love it!
The chemistry between the two main characters was electric, the sex between them was smokin' hot. Make no mistake this one is erotica, these two get it on in graphic detail, multiple times.
How can it get any better than that? Enter Chance's brothers, which I have to got a desire to know more about! The meddling demons and the forbidden interaction with Destiny and the mortal's around her rounded out the story perfectly. I though the story line itself was quite original and different than anything I have read recently, and it was a breathe of fresh air. The story moved along at quite a fast pace, I never thought it was moving too slow or fast, but at the perfect speed. This story is told in alternating points of view, so you to be pulled into the story though the eyes of Destiny and Chance.
Destiny... is a very complex and enduring character, yet her story is heartbreaking at times.
This is one of the books that I received from Sourcebooks through NetGalley. It was released last week. And I simply loved it, I plowed through it in one sitting.
I love paranormal stories, ghosts, vampires and zombies being my favorites. Though there's just something special about a book with angels. Now add a demon on top of that and I shiver with delight! Now Destiny and Chance are a level all their own. You have basically a demon in training and a half-breed angel. The demon is trying to steal the angels soul, and the angel is trying to save the demon's soul. Can you say forbidden lovers here? Oh I love it!
The chemistry between the two main characters was electric, the sex between them was smokin' hot. Make no mistake this one is erotica, these two get it on in graphic detail, multiple times.
How can it get any better than that? Enter Chance's brothers, which I have to got a desire to know more about! The meddling demons and the forbidden interaction with Destiny and the mortal's around her rounded out the story perfectly. I though the story line itself was quite original and different than anything I have read recently, and it was a breathe of fresh air. The story moved along at quite a fast pace, I never thought it was moving too slow or fast, but at the perfect speed. This story is told in alternating points of view, so you to be pulled into the story though the eyes of Destiny and Chance.
Destiny... is a very complex and enduring character, yet her story is heartbreaking at times.
February 10, 2013
Where's There's Smoke by Karen Kelley
This is a new author for me and I really enjoyed this book.
The premise: Destiny is a "wanna be" demon but she has to capture one more soul in order to become a full fledged demon and reap all the rewards she's been "promised". She walks into a bar and sees Chance who is one sexy cowboy and the sparks ignite between them.
What she doesn't know is that Chance is "Niphilim", half angel/half human immortal who try to save the souls of people like Destiny by getting them to choose to be re-born rather than be consigned to hell.
The love scenes are scorching (like I like them) and there is lots of humor and the story flows well. I liked Chance and Destiny and felt like I got to know them. Destiny could have come off like a biatch (she is a wanna-be demon after all) but the author did a good job letting her painful past be revealed. The abandonment and abuse she experienced kept her from being able to make her own choices in life.
The secondary characters had well-defined personalites. I especially hope the author writes stories for Chance's 3 "brothers" and Neveah's story too.
One small quibble: Destiny died in 1959 but she doesn't come off as from that era. There are a few references to her surprise at reality shows and sex toys available through mail order, but at one point she talks about how she "jacked a car" when she was still alive (doesn't sound like 1950's slang to me). Still, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.
**Content Alert - The love scenes are graphic in description and language.
This is a new author for me and I really enjoyed this book.
The premise: Destiny is a "wanna be" demon but she has to capture one more soul in order to become a full fledged demon and reap all the rewards she's been "promised". She walks into a bar and sees Chance who is one sexy cowboy and the sparks ignite between them.
What she doesn't know is that Chance is "Niphilim", half angel/half human immortal who try to save the souls of people like Destiny by getting them to choose to be re-born rather than be consigned to hell.
The love scenes are scorching (like I like them) and there is lots of humor and the story flows well. I liked Chance and Destiny and felt like I got to know them. Destiny could have come off like a biatch (she is a wanna-be demon after all) but the author did a good job letting her painful past be revealed. The abandonment and abuse she experienced kept her from being able to make her own choices in life.
The secondary characters had well-defined personalites. I especially hope the author writes stories for Chance's 3 "brothers" and Neveah's story too.
One small quibble: Destiny died in 1959 but she doesn't come off as from that era. There are a few references to her surprise at reality shows and sex toys available through mail order, but at one point she talks about how she "jacked a car" when she was still alive (doesn't sound like 1950's slang to me). Still, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.
**Content Alert - The love scenes are graphic in description and language.
April 5, 2012
An angel just trying to save souls meets a demon wannabe trying to steal one. Just that is enough to cause some friction, but once these two meet the friction between them has nothing to do with their occupations and everything to do with physical attraction.
This cowboy angel is smokin hot. No wonder Destiny zeros in on him when she walks into the bar. From the start these two can’t keep their hands off each other, though Chance does his best to keep Destiny away from his heart. Difficult to do when the plan of action is to seduce her into being willing to say yes to anything he asks.
Chance and his “brothers” are an interesting bunch of angels. Some are naughtier than others, but they do all have good hearts and intentions. It is fun to read about their interactions with each other and how they act like guys, giving each other a hard time but then lending support.
Destiny has been cut off from the world for a long time, she has forgotten what it is like to interact with people and enjoy someones company. The friends she reluctantly makes are enjoyable to read about, who would want to live in an apartment if you didn’t have some colorful neighbors?
Kelley certainly lights a fire with Chance and Destiny. Where There’s Smoke is a fun light read. By the time you are done you might just find yourself with a chocolate craving.
Review to be posted at Reading Between the Wines blog.
This cowboy angel is smokin hot. No wonder Destiny zeros in on him when she walks into the bar. From the start these two can’t keep their hands off each other, though Chance does his best to keep Destiny away from his heart. Difficult to do when the plan of action is to seduce her into being willing to say yes to anything he asks.
Chance and his “brothers” are an interesting bunch of angels. Some are naughtier than others, but they do all have good hearts and intentions. It is fun to read about their interactions with each other and how they act like guys, giving each other a hard time but then lending support.
Destiny has been cut off from the world for a long time, she has forgotten what it is like to interact with people and enjoy someones company. The friends she reluctantly makes are enjoyable to read about, who would want to live in an apartment if you didn’t have some colorful neighbors?
Kelley certainly lights a fire with Chance and Destiny. Where There’s Smoke is a fun light read. By the time you are done you might just find yourself with a chocolate craving.
Review to be posted at Reading Between the Wines blog.
July 15, 2012
Originally posted at: http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...
Breaking loose has never been this hot.
I love the work of Karen Kelley. When I saw this book was up for review, I jumped on it. I'm glad I did. This book was HOT. That pretty well sums it up. HOT. Ms Kelley's story flowed well. I didn't feel jarred even when there was a lot of sex. I know, this is an erotic work, but there is a lot of sex. Since Destiny is a demon, I expected nothing less.
This book is a story of second chances and redemption. I identified with Destiny. She's had it rough and is doing the best with what she's got. Although her story is heartbreaking, part of it was lost in the amounts of sex. I like sex in a book, but sometimes I wanted to skip ahead. Don't get me wrong. The sex is hot, but I wanted more plot.
Then there's Chance. I really liked him, but I wanted more of him. I wanted to see what went on in his head. He's smoldering hot and consumed by his passion for Destiny, even though she's forbidden fruit and yet...I didn't feel as much as I'd have liked. He is drool-worthy, though and I could've read the descriptions of him over and over. Yum. Where can I find a nephilim of my own?
If you want a story with a demon trying to become a better person, then this might be the book for you. If you want lots of sex and a hero to drool over, then it really might be for you. Pick up a copy.
Breaking loose has never been this hot.
I love the work of Karen Kelley. When I saw this book was up for review, I jumped on it. I'm glad I did. This book was HOT. That pretty well sums it up. HOT. Ms Kelley's story flowed well. I didn't feel jarred even when there was a lot of sex. I know, this is an erotic work, but there is a lot of sex. Since Destiny is a demon, I expected nothing less.
This book is a story of second chances and redemption. I identified with Destiny. She's had it rough and is doing the best with what she's got. Although her story is heartbreaking, part of it was lost in the amounts of sex. I like sex in a book, but sometimes I wanted to skip ahead. Don't get me wrong. The sex is hot, but I wanted more plot.
Then there's Chance. I really liked him, but I wanted more of him. I wanted to see what went on in his head. He's smoldering hot and consumed by his passion for Destiny, even though she's forbidden fruit and yet...I didn't feel as much as I'd have liked. He is drool-worthy, though and I could've read the descriptions of him over and over. Yum. Where can I find a nephilim of my own?
If you want a story with a demon trying to become a better person, then this might be the book for you. If you want lots of sex and a hero to drool over, then it really might be for you. Pick up a copy.
May 10, 2012
Destiny Carter is kicked out of Hell and told she needs to corrupt one person or she will not move up in the demon hierarchy. Destiny is sent to Ft. Worth, TX and given a week to meet her goal. One of the first places she sees is a bar, and what better place to meet easily corrupted souls than at a bar? She meets a cowboy named Chance that is hunky and just what she is looking for. Little does Destiny know that Chase is an nephilim (half angel, half human) and has a plan of his own.
Chase plans to convince Destiny that Hell isn't as great as she believes. He has one week to convince her to change her mind and to save her soul. There is a rather large problem, and that is the attraction that he feels towards Destiny is interfering with what he needs to do. Will he be able to not act on his attraction, and save her soul?
This book is a race against the clock since both characters have only a week to get the other person's soul. It shows the human side of Destiny, how she reacts to dates with Chase, how she deals with a nosy neighbor who she befriends eventually, etc. It also shows the strain on Chase since he is trying not to combine business with pleasure, and having such a hard time. I enjoyed reading this book and suggest it if you like this type of content.
Warning: There is a lot of sexual content in this book.
Chase plans to convince Destiny that Hell isn't as great as she believes. He has one week to convince her to change her mind and to save her soul. There is a rather large problem, and that is the attraction that he feels towards Destiny is interfering with what he needs to do. Will he be able to not act on his attraction, and save her soul?
This book is a race against the clock since both characters have only a week to get the other person's soul. It shows the human side of Destiny, how she reacts to dates with Chase, how she deals with a nosy neighbor who she befriends eventually, etc. It also shows the strain on Chase since he is trying not to combine business with pleasure, and having such a hard time. I enjoyed reading this book and suggest it if you like this type of content.
Warning: There is a lot of sexual content in this book.
May 4, 2012
Originally posted at Find the Time to Read
Reading through the synopsis that GoodReads offered I thought that Where There’s Smoke would be more like Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead. Instead I got something that just fell slightly short. The characters were likable and funny, but a lot of the interaction between them seemed forced.
I would have really liked to see Destiny’s friendships grow, since yanno she wasn’t supposed to make friends with humans at all. She was supposed to get their soul and then scoot her butt back to Hell. I also would have liked more background information on Chance’s character. He’s supposed to be this good guy who is going to save Destiny, and he’s got all these rules for himself, but there isn’t any reasoning behind them. At least none that I could distinguish. His buddies were pretty funny though, and I am assuming that there will be subsequent stories with them in them, although at the time of this review I couldn’t find any information on them.
Do I Recommend: Kinda. The story was fast paced, and interesting. I just wish there had been more. It is something I could easily see reading on the beach or in the backyard while relaxing.
Reading through the synopsis that GoodReads offered I thought that Where There’s Smoke would be more like Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead. Instead I got something that just fell slightly short. The characters were likable and funny, but a lot of the interaction between them seemed forced.
I would have really liked to see Destiny’s friendships grow, since yanno she wasn’t supposed to make friends with humans at all. She was supposed to get their soul and then scoot her butt back to Hell. I also would have liked more background information on Chance’s character. He’s supposed to be this good guy who is going to save Destiny, and he’s got all these rules for himself, but there isn’t any reasoning behind them. At least none that I could distinguish. His buddies were pretty funny though, and I am assuming that there will be subsequent stories with them in them, although at the time of this review I couldn’t find any information on them.
Do I Recommend: Kinda. The story was fast paced, and interesting. I just wish there had been more. It is something I could easily see reading on the beach or in the backyard while relaxing.
June 4, 2012
Full Review at Talk Supe
Overall, the story was light in plot but hot in heavy on sex. This story is not meant to be taken very seriously and I would discourage you from dissecting it with the hopes of finding something profound between the pages. But though the story is not cerebral it involves varying shades of rational romantic and erotic responses from both Chance and Destiny which made it easy for me to connect with the story. This is far from a mind-fuck erotica, this just has FUCK and a hint of the supernatural to make things interesting. But for the life of me I found it very entertaining, it wasn’t crass in spite of the dirty talk and nasty words thrown about, I guess Kelley laid out the premise really well that I didn’t expect nothing less from Chance and Destiny.
Overall, the story was light in plot but hot in heavy on sex. This story is not meant to be taken very seriously and I would discourage you from dissecting it with the hopes of finding something profound between the pages. But though the story is not cerebral it involves varying shades of rational romantic and erotic responses from both Chance and Destiny which made it easy for me to connect with the story. This is far from a mind-fuck erotica, this just has FUCK and a hint of the supernatural to make things interesting. But for the life of me I found it very entertaining, it wasn’t crass in spite of the dirty talk and nasty words thrown about, I guess Kelley laid out the premise really well that I didn’t expect nothing less from Chance and Destiny.
May 2, 2012
I really liked this book. I have read plenty of paranormals about angels and demons, but I don't remember reading one quite like this one. Destiny had it so hard in her life as a human that it's easy to understand why she chose the path that she did. This book is all about love and 2nd chances and it is hot, hot, hot.
The thing that i liked the most are the character names, Destiny and Chance. She was his destiny and he gave her a chance at a better existence.
All I can say is it is definitely worth the time to read and I can't wait for the other guys stories.
The thing that i liked the most are the character names, Destiny and Chance. She was his destiny and he gave her a chance at a better existence.
All I can say is it is definitely worth the time to read and I can't wait for the other guys stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews