Craving

Talisman #2

by Sofia Grey

A deal with a demon, a biker psychic and the girl who might just be his salvation… if the demon doesn’t get to her first.

Dante isn’t your typical medium. With his leather jacket, tattoos and piercings, he looks more at home on his motorbike than he does holding a séance and Katherine has no intention of getting involved with him. He’s the complete opposite of the kind of man she wants and represents everything she’s tried to leave behind, but she needs a medium and he’s the best one around.

Dante’s never allowed himself to get close to anyone for fear of putting them in danger. His craving for Katherine is about to bring his worst nightmares to life.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Demons, Angels, Paranormal

344 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.

Find her at: www.SofiaGrey.com, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sofia.Grey.R..., on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sofiagrey1 and Instagram as @sofiagreyauthor

Reviews

[The BookChick · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: ★★★★

VERY GOOD: The characteristics of a 4 star book include: a great story; I loved the characters; and there was an interesting plot and unique story elements; there may have been a few odd things kept the story from being amazing. I would read it again and I would recommend it to a friend.

My Thoughts:
Fans of the Talisman series will absolutely love this one. It was high octane from beginning to end! I loved the twists and turns of the story as the author navigated the various facets of Dante and Katherine's relationship. I was holding my breath until the words, "The End" because the story held the reader in its thrall. Grey definitely has an amazing gift to weave a tale that is gritty, intriguing, and simply sexy!

Ratings Detail:
Rating for female protagonist: 4★
Rating for male protagonist: 4★
Steam Level: 4★
Plot Viability: 4★
General Storyline: 4★
Story Ending: 4★
Ease of Reading: 4★

Overall rating: 4★

For more of my reviews visit The BookChick Blog

[Heather book whore & shifter slut extrordinaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like I said in my comments "How can you not love this man?" When I met Dante in Obsession, the first book in this amazing, mind-blowing series by Sofia Grey, he came across as a “screw you & your friendship” type of guy - the bad boy, rough around the edges, Harley riding, HOT Dante in a "good girl/bad boy" way that makes a book a favorite. But Dante is so much more than that – he is a man who has lived his life on his own terms and is ready for whatever life throws his way – except maybe love and happiness. Those are two things he hasn't had much experience with but he desperately wishes to have for himself, especially as he sees the way it has affected the lives of those around him. But he is also afraid since loving him has obviously been too difficult for some people and caused others irreparable harm.

As a psychic medium Dante has lived a life few of us can imagine let alone understand. He has spent his life looking for thing for others – contacting their parents or families or people they just needed one more moment with. And he has done well for himself, considering. He has managed to make a few good friends along with some extremely dangerous acquaintances. Katherine is a young woman seemingly living the perfect life as a high-society girl with a rich father who indulges her every whim and allows her to follow her dreams. In reality, she is as trapped in her life as Dante is in his. Neither expected any real feelings to develop between them, mostly because neither expected the other to be anything other more than what they appear. They certainly never expected to find a kindred soul in the other – searching their lives for the love they lost because of a few words uttered, as a child, which changed the course of their lives forever.

Katherine and Dante both show, throughout this book, how we can be defined by choices – both the ones we make and the ones made by others. Whether they are conscious or simply a word or thought at the wrong moment, everything in our lives is impacted. These two also show us that, as people, we always have our free will and do not have to simply accept the consequences of these choices – we can fight to make our lives what we want. Sometimes making the right choice or making things better is the hardest thing to do - EVER. Even though others may see our choice as selfish and immature or even cruel, as long as we believe we are doing what is best for those we love, we can live unhappily alone ever after with the knowledge they are safe – from us and the hurt we bring. But sometimes life can surprise up and show us that love; unselfish, unconditional love given by others and accepted by us, may be the most difficult but absolutely the best choice anyone can make.

[SN the Viking · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually love Sofia Grey`s work after this book I think I need to worship her. What can I say, I absolutely loved it.


This is book 2 in the talisman series and book 1 was awesome this was even better. I don’t even know how to star it really.



Dante is a rough guy with a motorcycle, leather jacket, piercings and tattoo`s. His attitude is not real sugary sweet ether and he is in a bad situation. On top of that he is a medium with dead people approaching him constantly wanting stuff from him. He does so not want to meet sweet super cute kitten to settle down with. He is so out of luck with that.


Katherine aka kitten is a sweet girl on the surface, that does everything right and follow he fathers demands to the letter. She knows that boys like Dante are not good news for her and that she should run real fast in the opposite direction. For some strange reason her legs won’t listen.


The story line here is really captivating and I got sucked in on the first page and was never let down in this book. I was puzzled until last line with the plot and how to solve it. It was also real good to meet Suki and Josh again in this book and see how it all intertwines. Sofia I just brilliant in the way she does it.



I can hardly wait for the next book in this series, I hope she writes it real fast. I think we should give her free supply of coffee, redbull and any other energy source she wants.

I give 5 solid gold stars to this book.
Book provided by author for an honest review.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dante. Dante. Dante. Oh how I loved Dante. In this second installment of the Talisman series we see Dante who was originally seen in book one. Dante is a psychic and lives his life running from one problem to the next. He does a lot of bad things but he's just trying to get by and take care of his grandmother. Dante is hired by a bunch of students to hold a seance for them. It is there that he meets Katherine. He is immediately attracted to her but is sure he isn't good enough for this girl who comes from high society. Katherine is immediately attracted to Dante also but she has lived her life trying to avoid guys like him as she too has some secrets.

This story picks up from where book one left off and Josh and Suki play a major role in this story as well. This story was fast paced and was full of action. Lot's of pieces start to fall into place and the supernatural aspect of the series becomes a major part of it. There are ghosts, demons and angels. Some who's roles we figure out and some who's future roles are only hinted at. There was so much going on and being revealed that I couldn't put this book down. And Dante...........as I may have mentioned, he was yummy. I adored him. He and Katherine were really good together and I'm a sucker for the bad boy changing his ways to get the girl. I enjoyed everything about this book and I highly recommend you check out this series.

[╰⊱♥⊱╮ღ꧁Kathy,Ahmazing Book Faerie꧂ღ╭⊱♥≺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a Half Stars
Dante (Ernest)
Katherine Fitzwarren


Once again Sofia Grey has given us great strong characters with a purpose.

I fell for Dante in Obsession and nothing has changed for me, except the man has gone and got himself tangled up with Katherine (Kitten) Fitzwarren.!!!

This is a wonderful continuation of the story Ms Grey started in Obsession, with all the main characters having large parts to play in the overall story. This has lots of twists and turns and yes, we even get to revisit with The horrible Gabe from Obsession.

I was horrified when I got to 20 pages from the end, and couldn't possibly see how we could get a HEA for the beautiful Dante, and his Kitten, but in 20 pages Ms Grey turned the whole story around and there it was!, along with a huge opening for the next book, and a way to answer so many more questions brought up in this book.

Amazing work Sofia!!
Looking forward to the next installment already! Hope you're writing!!!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the first book in this series, this one immediately sucks you in, getting you caught up in the lives of the characters and in trying to puzzle out what's going on around them. You'll quickly find yourself lost in all the labyrinthine twists and turns, sure that the answers are just around the next corner as it were only to find that they're still nowhere in sight. But you won't care because the tapestry that's being woven is so fascinating that half the fun is watching to see which threads will be chosen and where they'll be laid in at.

Katherine initially appears to be the stereotypical college student with a rich daddy supporting her. This impression is quickly dispelled, however, when she invites Dante back to her godparents' home when she finds that he's preparing to sleep in the abandoned air control tower where they'd just held a séance. We quickly find out that she's really a very intelligent and down to earth sort of gal who's been having to make the best of life with a tyrannical father who's perhaps even more cold-blooded and heartless than Gabriel was in the first book, though we only really get a few glimpses of him here. As her relationship with Dante progresses, she shows that she has strength and determination to meet obstacles head on, and it's clear that she will very much be an active partner in whatever life they build for themselves.

We first met Dante in the first book, though we only got a brief look at him there when Josh encountered him holed up in a vacant house. He really gets to come into his own here, and we learn not only his history, but also that there is a lot more to him than just a brash, tattooed biker guy psychic. True, he's involved up to his eyeballs in a lot of shady dealings, but we're shown that he really is a truly upstanding guy at heart and that his reasons for doing the things he does are wholly commendable.

As I mentioned in the intro, this book quickly pulled me in and kept me fascinated the whole time I was reading. I love the intricate plots that Ms. Grey is weaving in this series, and I also love how almost nothing is predictable here. Romances, even romantic suspense books, so often fall back on predictable tropes and plotlines such that even though the characters and the exact situations differ you still know what's going to happen in the end and much of what will happen along the way. Not so with this book, for just when you're sure that something is going to happen or turn out a certain way, it doesn't, and things take a turn and go off in another direction entirely. It is this unpredictability, as well as the author's skill at continually dangling the answers you're so desperately looking for just out of reach that makes this such a page turner.

If I have once complaint about this, it's that I think the major conflict, along with one or two of the lesser conflicts were all resolved just a bit too quickly and easily in a rather deus ex machina manner. Though you won't really realize this fact right away since it's masked as a seeming narrow escape and it's not until later that you realize that really was it. While that makes the final resolutions a bit anticlimactic in feel, not everything is tied up with a neat bow and there are still some issues left unresolved at the end along with a last paragraph teaser that a whole new crisis is about to descend.

Overall I can highly recommend this book and series to anyone who likes paranormal romance as well as romantic suspense, or even just anyone who likes a good mystery and to watch complicated plots slowly unfurl. If you haven't read book one, you can understand this one on its own, but I'd highly recommend reading it first so you'll be able to really understand the references to previous events and people. While I think my true rating on this would be about 4.5-4.75 due to the complaint mentioned above, I had no qualms in rounding this one up to a full glowing five stars because of it's innovativeness. Do yourself a favor and read this series.

Note: I received a free ARC copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest review

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway

Holy Crap. Where has this series been all my life!?
I loved "Obsession" and this book is a wonderful continuation of that story. I loved the multiple POV in the first book and loved it in this book as well. I was so happy, when I turned the page and found that Josh & Suki had been intertwined into this book. All the characters are strong, well developed and you can't help but to fall in love with them. They're all amazing! The story was fast paced, suspenseful and thrilling with great relationships, plenty of romance and there's just enough mystery involved to leave you wanting more. The author does a wonderful drop of pulling you in and fair warning, she won't let you go! The ending was perfect and leaves us set up for book 3. Speaking of book 3, I need it...immediately!! :D
-For mature readers-

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.

This book was reviewed by a member of the review staff at Cocktails and Books. The name of the reviewer can be found under the post categories.

[Sue MacKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another totally addictive read by Sofia Grey.
Full of paranormal action and so worth it, another story of hers that I found hard to put down.
The two main characters are not as unlike each other as they think in the beginning and it was fun to see them come to that realization.
This has peaked my interest and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

[Barb Taub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t you just hate those bad boys, with their bad language, bad attitude, and bad influence on good girls? Of course you’d never be interested in motorcycles, leather jackets, tattoos, or smoking hot stares?

Liar.

Katherine Fitzwarren knows it’s true—bad boys are bad news and Dante was the worst.

“Try as I might, I couldn’t find any redeeming features about Dante. I counted his failings in my head: his obnoxious, cocky attitude; his pierced and painted wannabe girlfriend; his leather jacket and black motorcycle; his tattoos and multiple piercings. Even his name rankled. Dante.”

If you asked her, she would say he needed a shave, a haircut, and a job. She would be lying. What Dante needs is just what she needs—each other. Both are hiding their real selves behind the image they project to the world. They’ve changed the names they grew up with, reinvented the stories behind the people they pretend to be, and never—ever—let the world see the truth. But both of their constructs hang by the thread a demon is waiting to snip. Katherine’s world of wealth and privilege could crash if she ever makes the slightest misstep. Dante walks a tightrope where one slip means tragedy. They should never have even met, but Katherine needs a medium, and Dante is the best.

“He placed his helmet on the floor, took off his boots, and lined them neatly beside it. Padding round the room in his socks, he peered at the photographs adorning the walls and shelves, eyeing the trinkets and ornaments. Even here, in an alien environment, he still acted as king of the jungle. His mid-length, brown hair fell roughly around his face, several days of stubble graced his jaw, yet he looked delicious. God. I’d been too long without a real boyfriend if I thought he was attractive. He was a thug! He wasn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks—he was the wrong side. No fixed address, according to Tristan. No regular employment. Tattoos. Piercings. Motorcycle. God’s-Gift-to-Women attitude. Get a grip, Katherine.

Funny how I forgot all that when he smiled at me.”

Their attraction is immediate, but both know it for the potential disaster it is. Katherine faces the loss of everything she’s worked for. Dante fears the danger to her is even more deadly. But as they work to resolve the mysteries of their pasts, Dante and Katherine realize that their relationship could be the best thing they ever have. If it doesn’t kill them first.

There are just not enough good words to say about Craving. Of course, it’s a smoking hot paranormal with plenty of romance. But it’s also a tightly crafted thriller, each chapter made up of segments told in the first person from the main characters’ point of view. In the wrong hands, this technique might be confusing or even annoying. But Sofia Grey has absolute mastery over the different voices. She allows Dante and Katherine to develop and grow personally as their relationship does. In addition, she takes us into the established but still fragile relationship of Josh and Suki (from Book 1 in the series). Supporting characters are three-dimensional and believable, even (especially!) the spirits who guide Dante.

And Sofia Grey’s command of her story line displays the split-second precision that rivals any thriller. I was watching the remaining page count drop, convinced that there was no way they were going to be able to win against overwhelming odds. The resolution, when it came, was at once unexpected, exactly right, and pointing to enough further mysteries to ensure that I’ll be desperate for the next volume. Five stars? Hell, yeah!

**I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

[texxie-PRUFreads.blogspot.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review: 4 out of 5 stars

***Please note, a copy of this book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest review***

"You are an asshole, but a misguided one." ~Eve

A big thanks to author Sofia Grey for giving me the opportunity to read and review the second installment of her Talisman series, Craving. I also had the privilege to read book one but I have to say, I liked this one better, love it actually!

As noted above, Dante is kind of an asshole. He's grumpy, has the a chip on his shoulder and tends the shun the rich kids mainly before they can shun him first. He has no real place to call home so he crashes wherever he can, including cold empty buildings. He holds séance, makes contact with spirits to make his money and what little he makes isn't his to keep. Dante made a deal with the devil...

What's so great about Craving is that it's a group effort. I have a habit of reading books, picking out one, two characters tops and to hell with the rest. In Craving, I not only liked the two leads but the supporting cast as well. In fact, my stand out is a little Goth-girl named Eve. Hands down, FAVORITE CHARACTER. She's charming, witty and is a quirky voice of reason. Not to mention she can appreciate a hot guy when she sees one. ;-)

Bumpy pacing is enough to make my eye twitch but this story flowed very nicely with a great mix of intrigue, romance, paranormal deliciousness and wait. WTF JUST HAPPENED? I loved the twists and turns and while there is no throw your kindle against the wall type of cliffhanger, it does set up NICELY for book 3. Ms. Grey can't write fast enough!

[Rosie Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craving is book 2 in the Talisman Series and I can honestly say that it wasn't until I was about half way through that I found anything that made me wonder what I'd missed in book 1. This was such an enjoyable read.

Dante is a psychic biker, a young man with tattoos and piercings who is short of cash. We meet him holding a séance in an old RAF aerodrome in Cornwall for students who want to record any activities.

Katherine is one of the circle and Dante labels her as "posh" but is surprised when she returns and offers him a bed for the night. She intrigues him and takes him to her God parents farm near Camelford.

The second night in the aerodrome is much scarier and from it Katherine asks Dante to help her contact her mother. They both return to Manchester, Katherine to her Father's house and Dante to earn money to pay for his Grandmother's care home.

In Manchester both Katherine and Dante meet up with Josh and Suki people they've known and met before. Suki is haunted by her ex-husband and Josh has met Dante before. Together they find themselves pulled nearer to the darkness and evil of man known as Alistair. Can a new spirit called Eve help Dante out of the mess and the debts he must pay?

I'm a fan of mediums and the psychic world having experienced it's wonders first hand, so this book appealed to me. It crosses several sub-genres, I would say mild thriller/horror, some hot romance, new adult, ghosts and the after-life. I read the book in a day because I was hooked on the storyline and the strong characters. Definitely worth a read if you like a good ghost mystery.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also available on my blog at: http://neverkissandblog.blogspot.com....

Craving is book two in the Talisman series. I was offered this book as an ARC in exchange for a review from the author so here goes…

The story starts with Dante, who is someone I was curious about at the end of Obsession. The story retreads some of the same beats of Obsession, Katherine has an asshole father who plays a similar role in her life to Gabe.

I liked that a lot more of the paranormal aspects of the story were explored. You do find out a bit more about the source of Josh and Dante’s powers (not the talismans and that’s all I’m telling).

However I was disappointed to see that Dante and Kat’s story was dominated by Josh and Suki tying up loose ends. Gabe is around as a ghost, that Dante has to try to deal with. Josh also gets a lot of POV moments where he naturally is thinking about Suki which serves to further distract from the Dante/Kat stuff.

I really liked Dante he was very self sacrificing, but also very selfish. He was willing to be homeless in order to make money for his gram, but wouldn’t risk real pain for himself until he meets Kat. Kat was a bit more of an enigma and could have benefitted from more focus.

Final verdict This one managed to hit that emotional angst spot in a similar way without being a retread of the previous book and I look forward to the next one.
**I received a copy of this book as an ARC from the author**

[angelblue · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW... That is all I can think of after finishing Craving. Sofia Grey has blown my mind with this one! I was on the edge of my seat through the whole read. I was hooked from the beginning! It was non stop action and I have to say that by the time that I got to the last 30% of the book or so my anxiety was ratcheting up. I had NO clue how Dante and Katherine were going to manage to have a HEA after everything that happened. I kept looking at the percentage to the end of the book dwindling down and kept thinking Nooooo! There's not enough time! And I LOVE when authors do this to me! It makes everything so exciting. Craving was thrilling, suspenseful, had a great plot and HOT! OMG Dante was a dream come true. Gorgeous tatted biker dude with piercings? Yeah baby...bring it on! Katherine was an awesome heroine too. She was strong willed and brave which is a must in my opinion. I can't stand when some PNR books have strong male heroes but the heroines are meek and frail. Katherine was none of that and she held her own through the entire book. We also get to see Josh and Suki from the previous book and they played a prominent roll in Craving. The last part of the story flew by and now has me chomping at the bit for the next book! The ending was perfect to me and I can not wait to see what comes next in the series. If you love your PNR fast paced and smexy then Craving is the book for you!

* I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review

[Diane Saxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

No lightweight romance, Craving delves deep into the dark world of the paranormal, creating a compulsive story with threads winding through to bind the whole thing together and pull the reader in deep. A creative storyline, cleverly told.

Not normally a fan of first person stories, I was totally absorbed by Grey’s ARC which I’d requested after seeing some of her snippets. Pleased that I had, I think Ms Grey may well have convinced me that first person works. It certainly does here, and having already read another of the author’s books, I know that she is a master of her craft.

Highly recommended.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deal with a demon, a biker psychic and the girl who might just be his salvation... if the demon doesn't get to her first.

Dante isn't your typical medium. With his leather jacket, tattoos and piercings, he looks more at home on his motorbike than he does holding a séance and Katherine has no intention of getting involved with him. He's the complete opposite of the kind of man she wants and represents everything she's tried to leave behind, but she needs a medium and he's the best one around.

Dante's never allowed himself to get close to anyone for fear of putting them in danger. His craving for Katherine is about to bring his worst nightmares to life.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of Sofia Grey's that I have read and it won't be the last. This story pulls you in from the beginning to the end and has you on the edge of your seat. Has HOT romance, suspense, action and so many twists and turns that you wonder if there will be a happy ever after ending.

Loved Dante, the hot tattooed, psychic biker and Kitten (Katherine) the smart and down to earth woman he falls for. Love how their relationship develops. I definately recommend this book and intend to get the first one to rea

This is a Goodreads First Reads.

[LaGina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again I have found someone to give my book boyfriend a run for his money and his name is Dante. I was getting kind of scared towards the end because I didnt see how Sofia was going to be able to pull this off and have a HEA but she did and I was so happy for it.

[Yuri Bellamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I will update with a review soon**

[♡ Jeri's Book Attic ♡ Jeri the Romance Bibiliophile ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]