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Little Goddess #1
Vulnerable
Working graveyards in a stop & rob seemed a small price for Cory to pay in order to get her degree and get the hell out of Nor-Cal. She was terrified of disappearing into the aimless vortex that awaited the lost and the young that haunted her neck of the woods. Until the night she actually stopped looking at her books and looked up. What awaited her was a world she had only read about one filled with fantastical creatures that she was sure she could never be.
And then Adrian walked in and she discovered that risking your life was nothing compared to facing who you really were. And then falling in love.
And then Adrian walked in and she discovered that risking your life was nothing compared to facing who you really were. And then falling in love.
265 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2005
270 people are currently reading
1977 people want to read
About the author
Amy Lane
203 books3,487 followersAmy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
December 29, 2021
Meet Corinne Carol Anne, otherwise known as Cory. Cory is a sad, chubby, little goth girl. She's also a bit on the white trash side of the fence and just happens to work the graveyard shift at a Chevron station. Cory, who absolutely hates herself, her life and her town, is not a very lovable character. She is rather on the pitiful side.
After a few paragraphs of smack talking and descriptions of herself as a tough chickie...the book veers right into statements that only halfway make sense and hint of knowledge but actually do not reveal anything. The writing tries to be verbose and mysterious but it just is confusing. Cory spouts off statements, like if I knew then what I know now...and all these back and forth jumbled thoughts that just left me in the dark, instead of gearing me up for the big reveal.
The second character is then introduced. Enter Arturo, a mexican fairie that works as a short order cook at Denny's. You see Arturo just happened to be an Aztec god in a former life, but now is content to be #2 to a sex fairie, and eek out a meager existing serving greasy bacon and sausage to humans - even though he himself is a vegetarian. Great character, well though out (sarcasm).
Arturo is described by Cory as someone she is definitely interested in romantically, but when he touches her, he opens something within her. He also inadvertently ignites some kind of elfstruck thing which has her itching for a day or two. This wasn't thought out also, because later in the book, elfstruck is said to happen when someone touches and elf/fairie without their consent. Arturo touches Cory and inadvertently opens her up to the whole world of the paranormal.
The book goes down hill from there. Arturo quickly moves form a romantic interest to a "brother", especially after she reacquaints herself with bad boy vamp, Adrian. The book then turns into erotica, with a bit of a plot thrown in there.
I did try to hang throughout this novel, and I hoped that maybe at some point it would make an upward turn. Once I made it halfway through the novel I knew, there was no way this book could redeem itself. For one, the editor should be flogged and then fired, but since this was self-published I'm figuring that she didn't have it proofed, because the writing was terrible. I WISH I COULD GET MY MONEY BACK. Here are two sentences from the book that show exactly how poor the writing was:
"On Friday, the twentieth, we decided that on Saturday night, Litha, the day before Midsummers Eve, we would to send Arturo and Phillip to Folsom, in the daylight, to leave a message that we would meet Crispin and Sezan's people by the slag heaps and rock quarries below the railroad, Midnight, the day after Litha."
"I almost ran into him, trying to it, the curled ends, the coarse, melted texture, and I felt tears, again, sliding down my face."
Secondly, the novel starts on in first person from Cory's POV. Later on throughout the book it switches to Adrian's first person POV - and then to a third character, Green it takes a 3rd person POV. Horrendous writing, bad grammar, childish characters...and it worsens as the "plot thickens."
The author has even admitted her "editing" was badly handled...but even the plot and characters weren't worth saving the book. The characters were emotional midgets that flung you back and forth between thoughts and actions that gave me whiplash. I would sometimes have to reread paragraphs to understand what was happening in the story. Character responses were predictable and unoriginal. Cory's character was not likable in the least, her continuous use of the word "moron" was aggravating. Also the fact that she would speak in eloquent "adult speak" than in the next sentence revert to teeny bopper slang had me gagging. Speaking of gagging, I have not read anything that had so much vomiting and passing out. Tough chickie my derriere. Keep the bean burrito down after the lycanthrope popped like a zit in front of you...well then you get the tough chickie label. I regress, let me get back on track.
Once we get into the meat and potatoes of the book it takes a nice little turn into debauchery, cloaked in pure wholesome pollyanna love. Cory's character morphs form a self-loathing little do-gooder, lets call her Bella - into a raunchy, lover of multiple men, whom I like to refer to as Anita. She strips the dye from her hair, the contacts from her eyes, loses some weight, dresses in GAP and now all of sudden she's some kind of weird paranormal creature. I never did figure out what she was, maybe you figure it out later in the series, personally I don't care, and I will not buy another one of these books.
There is a reason Amy Lane self-published, no one would touch this book. I can't even comprehend why so many reviews gush over this novel, but hey opinions are like...you know what I mean. I'm upset that I paid 10 bucks for this, but since it was such a terrible read it took me a week to get through, normally I read a book in 2-3 days, which averages to about 25 bucks a week...so thanks Ms. Lane for saving me 15 bucks. In tribute to you, I will not proof this review.
After a few paragraphs of smack talking and descriptions of herself as a tough chickie...the book veers right into statements that only halfway make sense and hint of knowledge but actually do not reveal anything. The writing tries to be verbose and mysterious but it just is confusing. Cory spouts off statements, like if I knew then what I know now...and all these back and forth jumbled thoughts that just left me in the dark, instead of gearing me up for the big reveal.
The second character is then introduced. Enter Arturo, a mexican fairie that works as a short order cook at Denny's. You see Arturo just happened to be an Aztec god in a former life, but now is content to be #2 to a sex fairie, and eek out a meager existing serving greasy bacon and sausage to humans - even though he himself is a vegetarian. Great character, well though out (sarcasm).
Arturo is described by Cory as someone she is definitely interested in romantically, but when he touches her, he opens something within her. He also inadvertently ignites some kind of elfstruck thing which has her itching for a day or two. This wasn't thought out also, because later in the book, elfstruck is said to happen when someone touches and elf/fairie without their consent. Arturo touches Cory and inadvertently opens her up to the whole world of the paranormal.
The book goes down hill from there. Arturo quickly moves form a romantic interest to a "brother", especially after she reacquaints herself with bad boy vamp, Adrian. The book then turns into erotica, with a bit of a plot thrown in there.
I did try to hang throughout this novel, and I hoped that maybe at some point it would make an upward turn. Once I made it halfway through the novel I knew, there was no way this book could redeem itself. For one, the editor should be flogged and then fired, but since this was self-published I'm figuring that she didn't have it proofed, because the writing was terrible. I WISH I COULD GET MY MONEY BACK. Here are two sentences from the book that show exactly how poor the writing was:
"On Friday, the twentieth, we decided that on Saturday night, Litha, the day before Midsummers Eve, we would to send Arturo and Phillip to Folsom, in the daylight, to leave a message that we would meet Crispin and Sezan's people by the slag heaps and rock quarries below the railroad, Midnight, the day after Litha."
"I almost ran into him, trying to it, the curled ends, the coarse, melted texture, and I felt tears, again, sliding down my face."
Secondly, the novel starts on in first person from Cory's POV. Later on throughout the book it switches to Adrian's first person POV - and then to a third character, Green it takes a 3rd person POV. Horrendous writing, bad grammar, childish characters...and it worsens as the "plot thickens."
The author has even admitted her "editing" was badly handled...but even the plot and characters weren't worth saving the book. The characters were emotional midgets that flung you back and forth between thoughts and actions that gave me whiplash. I would sometimes have to reread paragraphs to understand what was happening in the story. Character responses were predictable and unoriginal. Cory's character was not likable in the least, her continuous use of the word "moron" was aggravating. Also the fact that she would speak in eloquent "adult speak" than in the next sentence revert to teeny bopper slang had me gagging. Speaking of gagging, I have not read anything that had so much vomiting and passing out. Tough chickie my derriere. Keep the bean burrito down after the lycanthrope popped like a zit in front of you...well then you get the tough chickie label. I regress, let me get back on track.
Once we get into the meat and potatoes of the book it takes a nice little turn into debauchery, cloaked in pure wholesome pollyanna love. Cory's character morphs form a self-loathing little do-gooder, lets call her Bella - into a raunchy, lover of multiple men, whom I like to refer to as Anita. She strips the dye from her hair, the contacts from her eyes, loses some weight, dresses in GAP and now all of sudden she's some kind of weird paranormal creature. I never did figure out what she was, maybe you figure it out later in the series, personally I don't care, and I will not buy another one of these books.
There is a reason Amy Lane self-published, no one would touch this book. I can't even comprehend why so many reviews gush over this novel, but hey opinions are like...you know what I mean. I'm upset that I paid 10 bucks for this, but since it was such a terrible read it took me a week to get through, normally I read a book in 2-3 days, which averages to about 25 bucks a week...so thanks Ms. Lane for saving me 15 bucks. In tribute to you, I will not proof this review.
October 11, 2008
Cory (Corinne Carol-Anne Kirkpatrick) a nineteen year old girl works at night at a gas station to earn money for her planned escape of her small hometown. She wants to go to college and make something of her life and herself. One night she´s accidentally touched by Arturo an elf and suddenly she can see what was hidden from her view up to this moment. Her customers are not really humans but elves, shapeshifters and vampires. When she meets Adrian, a vampire her life changes dramatically. Not only that she falls deeply in love with him, her own latent powers activated by Arturo´s touch are coming to life and she has to come to terms with her own supernaturalness. When Adrian takes Cory to Greenshill, his and every other supernaturals home she meets Green a healing elf, their leader and also Adrian´s lover....
What a wonderful book and what a romantic and heartbreaking love story! I really loved the three main characters Cory, Adrian and Green and was drawn into their life and love. The secondary characters were also likeable and interesting especially Bracken, a blood elf and Cory´s bodyguard by day who has also a fierce temper and they clash more than once.
Cory´s change from a "tough goth chick" to someone who has to learn that´s more to the world that her eyes were able to see and her struggle with her newfound powers was believable and of course she makes mistakes on her way to restrain her untrained powers (what has interesting side effects sometimes). When someone of Green´s and Adrian´s past threatens to destroy the home they have built Cory unleashes her powers with dire consequences. I was totally captivated by this book and my emotions were on a rollercoaster between laughter and crying. I felt the love, redemption, hope, despair and guilt of the characters and because this book is written by different POV´s, Cory´s, Adrian´s and Green´s, you get insight in their thoughts and motivations and their past.
It´s a very romantic and sensual book but you shouldn´t read it if you are not comfortable with the thought of two men in love with each other and where relationsships aren´t necessarily monogamous. If that´s no hindrance for you give this book a try and immerse yourself in the world of the little goddess..
Website of the author: http://www.greenshill.com/
What a wonderful book and what a romantic and heartbreaking love story! I really loved the three main characters Cory, Adrian and Green and was drawn into their life and love. The secondary characters were also likeable and interesting especially Bracken, a blood elf and Cory´s bodyguard by day who has also a fierce temper and they clash more than once.
Cory´s change from a "tough goth chick" to someone who has to learn that´s more to the world that her eyes were able to see and her struggle with her newfound powers was believable and of course she makes mistakes on her way to restrain her untrained powers (what has interesting side effects sometimes). When someone of Green´s and Adrian´s past threatens to destroy the home they have built Cory unleashes her powers with dire consequences. I was totally captivated by this book and my emotions were on a rollercoaster between laughter and crying. I felt the love, redemption, hope, despair and guilt of the characters and because this book is written by different POV´s, Cory´s, Adrian´s and Green´s, you get insight in their thoughts and motivations and their past.
It´s a very romantic and sensual book but you shouldn´t read it if you are not comfortable with the thought of two men in love with each other and where relationsships aren´t necessarily monogamous. If that´s no hindrance for you give this book a try and immerse yourself in the world of the little goddess..
Website of the author: http://www.greenshill.com/
June 16, 2008
This book was AWFUL.
My first complaint -EVER HEARD OF AN EDITOR? GEESH! It was hard to follow when every other line there was a grammatical or punctuation error. Seriously annoying.
Other than that . . . the book just just SO bad. It started off great - you get to understand Cory and see her fall in love with Adrian. It's pure, innocent, awesome love. REAL. He marks her. They are meant for each other. And then in comes Green to ruin everything. Literally. What value is there in romantic love if it's not exclusive??? How in the world can she say she loves two people equally in the same way. She "lays with" both of them at the same time. Which was SICK and WRONG.
And then, I knew someone would die in the battle. But I thought it would be Green, because his love came second and supposedly wasn't as strong. But NO. The stupid, idiotic, love-ignorant author kills off ADRIAN.
This is the first book I've bought that I've ever discarded after reading it. And I most definitely won't be reading the other books in the series.
My first complaint -EVER HEARD OF AN EDITOR? GEESH! It was hard to follow when every other line there was a grammatical or punctuation error. Seriously annoying.
Other than that . . . the book just just SO bad. It started off great - you get to understand Cory and see her fall in love with Adrian. It's pure, innocent, awesome love. REAL. He marks her. They are meant for each other. And then in comes Green to ruin everything. Literally. What value is there in romantic love if it's not exclusive??? How in the world can she say she loves two people equally in the same way. She "lays with" both of them at the same time. Which was SICK and WRONG.
And then, I knew someone would die in the battle. But I thought it would be Green, because his love came second and supposedly wasn't as strong. But NO. The stupid, idiotic, love-ignorant author kills off ADRIAN.
This is the first book I've bought that I've ever discarded after reading it. And I most definitely won't be reading the other books in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2009
Such a wonderful book. The characters are wonderfully developed so that you become completely engrossed in the story and their lives. Amy Lane has created wonderful characters in Cory, Adrian and Green, and a wonderful supporting cast in Arturo and Bracken. There is a very sexual side to her main characters which I think she presents wonderfully. She writes it all in such a way that I think it would be hard for anyone to take an issue with the relationships amongst them as she makes it all quite beautiful. It's an emotional book that has left me anxious for the second in the series.
**As the books are self-published, the author doesn't have the resources available to her that would have helped her avoid some of the editing errors. They can be momentarily distracting as you occasionally have to reread sentences to understand what should have actually been printed. There aren't many instances of this, but they are there and they have resulted in some people writing the book off all together. However, they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
**As the books are self-published, the author doesn't have the resources available to her that would have helped her avoid some of the editing errors. They can be momentarily distracting as you occasionally have to reread sentences to understand what should have actually been printed. There aren't many instances of this, but they are there and they have resulted in some people writing the book off all together. However, they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
December 15, 2008
Fair warning: you have to be pretty open-minded to read this. If you’re not, that’s too bad, because you’re missing out on a great story. Cory meets, and falls in love with a vampire, Adrian, and an elf, Green, and there is a touching love triangle between the three. Although the development of these relationships is a big part of the story, it isn’t the only thing that happens. The preternatural community is being targeted by someone, killing them off in a gruesome manner. Cory, Adrian, and Green, with the help of the rest of the supernatural community under Green’s protection, set out to find out who’s behind the killings. What they turn up is something from Adrian’s past that all thought was long put to rest. That terror has one name, Sezan.
Amy Lane does such a wonderful job with this story. The emotions that each character feels are so real. I found myself rooting for Green to be part of the duo of Cory and Adrian; silently encouraging Cory to get past her hang ups over it, willing her to see that Adrian was perfectly fine with it. I kept getting frustrated each time Green was, well, thwarted would be a good word. I mourned the losses along with Green and his community. I was shocked and dumfounded at the end, even exclaiming out loud (which probably made my neighbors think I’m crazy) because, well, what happened at the end, I did not see coming. The story, the characters, the action, the emotions, all of it, are so excellently written, it is well worth the read.
Amy Lane does such a wonderful job with this story. The emotions that each character feels are so real. I found myself rooting for Green to be part of the duo of Cory and Adrian; silently encouraging Cory to get past her hang ups over it, willing her to see that Adrian was perfectly fine with it. I kept getting frustrated each time Green was, well, thwarted would be a good word. I mourned the losses along with Green and his community. I was shocked and dumfounded at the end, even exclaiming out loud (which probably made my neighbors think I’m crazy) because, well, what happened at the end, I did not see coming. The story, the characters, the action, the emotions, all of it, are so excellently written, it is well worth the read.
September 5, 2010
I usually don't like first person narratives because you don't get the detail that I love with world-building. The author makes Cory an intelligent but very down to earth character so she is properly scripted and eloquent in descibing her surroundings, experiences, and her interactions with the other characters in the story. I also thought it ingenious to use 3 POV's to tell the story. Doing so gave tremendous insight to each main characters feelings. And that allowed us to connect and understand the emotional significance between Cory, Green and Adrian.
Cory is observant and interesting and she draws you into her story. The writing is sometimes scattered but then you have many moments of poetic brilliance.
We observe Cory's transformation with the conversations she holds, the surprise encounters with her enemies and her increasing sexual awareness. She blooms from an average Jane into a woman who is revered. We observe sexual exploration that some readers may consider deviant, (Threesome, homosexuality,...). I felt it was necessary as each encounter deepened the emotional bonds between the main characters. The author successfully portrayed all sexual scenes in a way that was so beautiful and magical, that I absolutely understood the connection between Cory, Green and Adrian. I wanted a part of that connection, although I don't think I can boink up a room full of mystical plant life.
I felt this was a delightful story. Is is worth the $19 for the book. No. I will wait to read the series when I am able to get it on Kindle.
But I do hope the author gets a publisher as she is quite a talent.
Cory is observant and interesting and she draws you into her story. The writing is sometimes scattered but then you have many moments of poetic brilliance.
We observe Cory's transformation with the conversations she holds, the surprise encounters with her enemies and her increasing sexual awareness. She blooms from an average Jane into a woman who is revered. We observe sexual exploration that some readers may consider deviant, (Threesome, homosexuality,...). I felt it was necessary as each encounter deepened the emotional bonds between the main characters. The author successfully portrayed all sexual scenes in a way that was so beautiful and magical, that I absolutely understood the connection between Cory, Green and Adrian. I wanted a part of that connection, although I don't think I can boink up a room full of mystical plant life.
I felt this was a delightful story. Is is worth the $19 for the book. No. I will wait to read the series when I am able to get it on Kindle.
But I do hope the author gets a publisher as she is quite a talent.
January 17, 2008
This book introduces us to Cory, the imperfect, eminently likeable heroine of Amy Lane's Little Goddess series. She leads a mundane life working at a gas station and taking classes to better herself and get out of the little, nowheresville in which she lives...until one day, she's touched by an elf who awakens her powers and introduces her to a world simmering just below the surface of her life.
Cory falls in love with Adrian and becomes a part of Green's Hill, a world populated by sidhe, pixies, weres, and vampires, oh my. However, as she is learning what she is, some violent entity is killing weres and leaving them splattered all over town. Can Cory, Adrian, Green, Arturo and the rest save their friends?
This is a compelling and complete world with well-drawn, interesting characters. A good read.
Cory falls in love with Adrian and becomes a part of Green's Hill, a world populated by sidhe, pixies, weres, and vampires, oh my. However, as she is learning what she is, some violent entity is killing weres and leaving them splattered all over town. Can Cory, Adrian, Green, Arturo and the rest save their friends?
This is a compelling and complete world with well-drawn, interesting characters. A good read.
January 29, 2010
I have heard about this series from friends on an Amazon thread and ordered all 3 books of the Little Goddess Series by Amy Lane. Being an avid reader and not so new to PNR, I have felt some of the more well known authors and their stories were starting to blend together and looking a little the same.
This story starts out with an idea that made me sit back a minute and think of my own life. How one thing in one moment in time a touch a look can change EVERYTHING..
Also relatable is the heroine as not perfect, not so pretty, a little overweight, very shy and wanting more. She is hiding behind a facade of dyed hair, piercings and bad attitude..
Enter the ensemble Arturo who makes this life changing experience for Cory, Adrian her first love and lover, and Green amd all the others who will forever change Cory Kilpatrick while she struggles to better herself going to school by day and working night shift in a Chevron station in nowhere California.
Three cheers for Amy Lane and (5 stars) for this glorious look into Elves, Vampires, and Faieries and with Cory's finding herself changing from the shy angry punk teenager to the wonderful woman she can be.
Amy's writing with changes in POV by chapters gives you incite into all the main charaters which I find a great way to enjoy a story. I noticed that there was some mention here about the editing and errors in this book..Yes while there were some we can only hope that Miss Amy keeps up with her writing and some wonderful LARGE BOOK company will see her talent and publish her next book. I on the other hand will not worry about this as long as Amy keeps writing and I can enjoy her work...
This story starts out with an idea that made me sit back a minute and think of my own life. How one thing in one moment in time a touch a look can change EVERYTHING..
Also relatable is the heroine as not perfect, not so pretty, a little overweight, very shy and wanting more. She is hiding behind a facade of dyed hair, piercings and bad attitude..
Enter the ensemble Arturo who makes this life changing experience for Cory, Adrian her first love and lover, and Green amd all the others who will forever change Cory Kilpatrick while she struggles to better herself going to school by day and working night shift in a Chevron station in nowhere California.
Three cheers for Amy Lane and (5 stars) for this glorious look into Elves, Vampires, and Faieries and with Cory's finding herself changing from the shy angry punk teenager to the wonderful woman she can be.
Amy's writing with changes in POV by chapters gives you incite into all the main charaters which I find a great way to enjoy a story. I noticed that there was some mention here about the editing and errors in this book..Yes while there were some we can only hope that Miss Amy keeps up with her writing and some wonderful LARGE BOOK company will see her talent and publish her next book. I on the other hand will not worry about this as long as Amy keeps writing and I can enjoy her work...
May 3, 2010
What a fantastic book! I loved everything about it. Cory discovers a whole different world that's always been around her, falls in love twice, loses one of her loves and tries to live.
As an aside, I lived around that area for about 15 years and still live very close so as she is describing all these different locations, buildings, streets, I'm thinking, "I know that place, I've been on that street, I've shopped in that store." I loved her descriptions of the climate and landscape, almost poetic. Would totally recommend this book. This is my first time reading this author and I would absolutely recommend this book.
As an aside, I lived around that area for about 15 years and still live very close so as she is describing all these different locations, buildings, streets, I'm thinking, "I know that place, I've been on that street, I've shopped in that store." I loved her descriptions of the climate and landscape, almost poetic. Would totally recommend this book. This is my first time reading this author and I would absolutely recommend this book.
January 13, 2011
I loved this book. I do have to say it was hard to read at times. Yes there are some graphical errors but you have to forgive that since the author self publishes. The real reason is that they pull you in so much that when the characters feel, you feel. If they love, you love. If they hate you hate. And especially... if they hurt you ache with them. That makes them amazing and at times painful. If you like fairies, vampires, werewolves, and just supernatural reads in general...go pick up a copy!
SPOILER********************
I do want to warn the people out there who prefer not to read anything that delves into the threesome or men with men story lines. These books do contain some of these things so if this is not to your taste, please don't read these. I'm not a fan of them myself but the love between the characters is obvious and is not gratuitous. (At least not as much as in any other book with a heavy romance side~!)
SPOILER********************
I do want to warn the people out there who prefer not to read anything that delves into the threesome or men with men story lines. These books do contain some of these things so if this is not to your taste, please don't read these. I'm not a fan of them myself but the love between the characters is obvious and is not gratuitous. (At least not as much as in any other book with a heavy romance side~!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2010
I have no words to describe the sensual beauty of this novel. I fell head over heels in love with Adrian . . . and Green, and Bracken and . . . This is the most errotic and emotional story I've ever read. But the sex scenes arn't rounchy, they're heartfelt and lovely and very, very hot. The prose is written so fluidly that it feels like poetry. I recomend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, paranormal, sci-fi, well, to anyone and everyone. Amy Lane deserves to be picked up by a top-name publisher. They're fools for not noticing a talent such as hers.
freebie-to-read
June 6, 2017
November 1, 2018
Not your typical Amy Lane book.
Cory's coming of age and power. She's unknowingly immersed in a paranormal world she had no idea existed around her. She falls in love with vampire Adrian and Green is there too with his special gifts.
The story in itself is very rich in characters but I wanted more "smexy". It also dragged a little in the middle. The conclusion was heart-wrenching...I'll for sure keep reading.
Cory's coming of age and power. She's unknowingly immersed in a paranormal world she had no idea existed around her. She falls in love with vampire Adrian and Green is there too with his special gifts.
The story in itself is very rich in characters but I wanted more "smexy". It also dragged a little in the middle. The conclusion was heart-wrenching...I'll for sure keep reading.
February 1, 2017
After reading hundreds of books it often becomes really hard for most reviewers to narrow their favorite authors down to one. For me it never was. One of the first books I’ve ever read was by Amy Lane and it was so brilliant, it made me join this amazing community. It changed my life and I’ve never looked back. Her books not only made me addicted to M/M Romance and audiobooks, she has also encouraged me to check out other genres outside my comfort zone like Steampunk, by pretty much writing in every genre I can think of. After loving so many of Amy’s books, I just HAD to check out the one series that started it all, when it was re-released by DSPP.
In some respects, the initial set up of this series might remind you of the Sookie Stackhouse books or the well-known TV show True Blood that was based on the books. A woman with low self esteem works in a low-paying night job and meets a vampire, who introduces her to a new intriguing, complex and dangerous world. As someone who loved those books and the TV show -mostly-, I had a very easy time getting drawn into the story.
Supernatural beings are dying in sudden and gruesome ways and Cory gets drawn into everything, when she meets the vampire Adrian. He awakens something deep inside of her and she starts to see the true appearances of the people surrounding her. Even as her whole world changes, she doesn’t crumble like so many of us would. She shows incredible strength and can’t hide her light anymore. She always tried to hide, because she thought she was not worth being noticed, but she is beautiful, fierce, powerful and has a great heart.
As she and Adrian get closer, she is introduced to Green and his hill. For me this was the big difference to the Sookie Stackhouse books or similar stories. Green’s Hill represents everything that is good and hopeful. Two broken and abused men from very different worlds find friends in each other, safe each other and create a unique alliance of love, trust and respect. Something that in the eyes of many should not work, has made two outsiders into very powerful leaders, who only want to be left in peace and live their lives.
Green’s Hill is a magical place; a sanctuary for supernatural beings who are treated with love and respect regardless of how important and powerful they are. Green is a sidhe and high elf, Adrian is the leader of the vampires and they have a symbiotic relationship with the were animal community. They all find peace in this home Green has created for them, but that peace has been interrupted when some of them started to die in horrible ways outside the hills.
Cory learns that sexuality is very fluid for supernatural beings and that her lover Adrian has had sex with men. Green’s gift is to heal with sex and he keeps his people together by sharing himself to protect and comfort them. It is a new and weird world for Cory, a world with very different rules. However, she is very open-minded and has a big heart. Before she knows it, she has fallen for both men.
Cory is able to bring Green and Adrian back together, binding them to her and each other. The love and lovemaking between them is truly beautiful and literally magical. I haven’t read that many M/M/F books, but the love scenes are beautifully written and even as a gay man, I find them very hot. Especially how the two men with their long history are drawn to each other, but Cory discovering the little goddess inside of her and discovering herself is also a thing of beauty.
The book is written in a very poetic and descriptive way and being the first book by this author, there is a certain freedom and innocence to it. Anything can happen and as reader your heart WILL be broken and you will be shocked and speechless, but even with all the pain, there is also so much love and beauty that it is worth enclosing these characters in your heart.
I don’t want to give too much away, but this book ends in a very dramatic and game changing way that will either forever bind you to the characters and make you buy the next book immediately, or forever turn you away from the books with a broken heart.The ending was very painful to me, but at the same time I loved reading a book that dared to surprise me and break conventions. The way the author deals with the repercussions of the events in book one in the rest of the series is really wonderful as well.
Rating: 9/10 Pots of Gold (90% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars
Find this and other reviews on Rainbow Gold Reviews
http://www.rainbowgoldreviews.wordpre...
In some respects, the initial set up of this series might remind you of the Sookie Stackhouse books or the well-known TV show True Blood that was based on the books. A woman with low self esteem works in a low-paying night job and meets a vampire, who introduces her to a new intriguing, complex and dangerous world. As someone who loved those books and the TV show -mostly-, I had a very easy time getting drawn into the story.
Supernatural beings are dying in sudden and gruesome ways and Cory gets drawn into everything, when she meets the vampire Adrian. He awakens something deep inside of her and she starts to see the true appearances of the people surrounding her. Even as her whole world changes, she doesn’t crumble like so many of us would. She shows incredible strength and can’t hide her light anymore. She always tried to hide, because she thought she was not worth being noticed, but she is beautiful, fierce, powerful and has a great heart.
As she and Adrian get closer, she is introduced to Green and his hill. For me this was the big difference to the Sookie Stackhouse books or similar stories. Green’s Hill represents everything that is good and hopeful. Two broken and abused men from very different worlds find friends in each other, safe each other and create a unique alliance of love, trust and respect. Something that in the eyes of many should not work, has made two outsiders into very powerful leaders, who only want to be left in peace and live their lives.
Green’s Hill is a magical place; a sanctuary for supernatural beings who are treated with love and respect regardless of how important and powerful they are. Green is a sidhe and high elf, Adrian is the leader of the vampires and they have a symbiotic relationship with the were animal community. They all find peace in this home Green has created for them, but that peace has been interrupted when some of them started to die in horrible ways outside the hills.
Cory learns that sexuality is very fluid for supernatural beings and that her lover Adrian has had sex with men. Green’s gift is to heal with sex and he keeps his people together by sharing himself to protect and comfort them. It is a new and weird world for Cory, a world with very different rules. However, she is very open-minded and has a big heart. Before she knows it, she has fallen for both men.
Cory is able to bring Green and Adrian back together, binding them to her and each other. The love and lovemaking between them is truly beautiful and literally magical. I haven’t read that many M/M/F books, but the love scenes are beautifully written and even as a gay man, I find them very hot. Especially how the two men with their long history are drawn to each other, but Cory discovering the little goddess inside of her and discovering herself is also a thing of beauty.
The book is written in a very poetic and descriptive way and being the first book by this author, there is a certain freedom and innocence to it. Anything can happen and as reader your heart WILL be broken and you will be shocked and speechless, but even with all the pain, there is also so much love and beauty that it is worth enclosing these characters in your heart.
I don’t want to give too much away, but this book ends in a very dramatic and game changing way that will either forever bind you to the characters and make you buy the next book immediately, or forever turn you away from the books with a broken heart.The ending was very painful to me, but at the same time I loved reading a book that dared to surprise me and break conventions. The way the author deals with the repercussions of the events in book one in the rest of the series is really wonderful as well.
Rating: 9/10 Pots of Gold (90% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars
Find this and other reviews on Rainbow Gold Reviews
http://www.rainbowgoldreviews.wordpre...
August 31, 2020
This is going to be a difficult review for me to write and that's why I've waited until I have read it twice before even making the effort. It will be hard for me to describe the beauty and the love that is found here with Cory, Adrian, Green and the rest of the Hill. But, before I do that, I need to express how amazing I think Amy Lane's writing is in Vulnerable. The writing is lyrical, evocative and descriptive in a way that makes you feel the beauty and the wonder of this new world that the author has created. The author has created something wondrous and childlike in its beauty and simplicity.
Corinne Carol-Anne Kirkpatrick (Cory) is a fascinating character. Cory, to a certain degree, can be any one of us at that stage of our life. Young, plain, a little overweight, wanting so desperately to escape her very small world and easy to reject others before they can reject her. She's lovable in the same way that a feisty, feral kitten is; you want to snuggle her but you're pretty sure that you'll either get a lap full of purring sweetness or she will scratch and tear you up. She's a very strong and beautiful person with no inkling of her own self worth. Very sad in many ways. "This child was injured, hurt in her still beating, human heart and Green's whole being screamed to comfort her."
Adrian is a hundred and fifty year old vampire from Britain. So, not only is he gorgeous, but he also has the fantastic accent and ways of putting words together! Adrian is a sad soul, literally. Green meets Adrian on a sailing ship to America where Green is moving to make a new life for himself. Adrian is the captains "boy", a slave, chained to the wall and used in all manner of depravity to the young man. Green sets him free, figuratively and literally, and then it's just the two of them for a long time. "Adrian had been a child without a childhood when Green found him."
Green. Wow. What is there to say? A sidhe and a high elf, Green heals physically and emotionally via sex. He protects and cares for all the people at the Hill, all his people. Green is almost two thousand years old. He's seen much in his time. He's the emotional soul of the Hill.
Cory is introduced into this world by an elf who has no idea the power she carries within herself. Hell, Cory doesn't know she has any power. But she comes to stay at Green's Hill because were-animals are exploding and disappearing and the only link is to someone in Green and Adrian's past. In their quest to find the answers Cory is put on the hot seat.
But so much more is going on than just that. There are metaphysical changes happening with Cory's power that links her with not just Adrian but Green also. Adrian already loves her. He's given her two vampire marks and made her Queen of his kiss. Green is falling in love with her. The power these three wield together is phenomenal, scary and beautiful. Watching Cory try to reconcile her human proprieties with how she is truly feeling is such a learning experience. "I still don't know if that means there's something wrong with me, or if I just subscribe to the bone deep conviction that love defies definition."
There is more that I could say regarding the plot and the storyline but that would reveal spoilers and I don't want to do that. Suffice to say that the story is imaginative like a fairy tale, intriguing like a mystery, sensual like erotica and the writing will stun you. It is laughter, fear, sorrow, joy, hope, anger, sex, grief, rage and love. Oh so much love. Kudos to you, Amy Lane, for a truly brilliant story.
Corinne Carol-Anne Kirkpatrick (Cory) is a fascinating character. Cory, to a certain degree, can be any one of us at that stage of our life. Young, plain, a little overweight, wanting so desperately to escape her very small world and easy to reject others before they can reject her. She's lovable in the same way that a feisty, feral kitten is; you want to snuggle her but you're pretty sure that you'll either get a lap full of purring sweetness or she will scratch and tear you up. She's a very strong and beautiful person with no inkling of her own self worth. Very sad in many ways. "This child was injured, hurt in her still beating, human heart and Green's whole being screamed to comfort her."
Adrian is a hundred and fifty year old vampire from Britain. So, not only is he gorgeous, but he also has the fantastic accent and ways of putting words together! Adrian is a sad soul, literally. Green meets Adrian on a sailing ship to America where Green is moving to make a new life for himself. Adrian is the captains "boy", a slave, chained to the wall and used in all manner of depravity to the young man. Green sets him free, figuratively and literally, and then it's just the two of them for a long time. "Adrian had been a child without a childhood when Green found him."
Green. Wow. What is there to say? A sidhe and a high elf, Green heals physically and emotionally via sex. He protects and cares for all the people at the Hill, all his people. Green is almost two thousand years old. He's seen much in his time. He's the emotional soul of the Hill.
Cory is introduced into this world by an elf who has no idea the power she carries within herself. Hell, Cory doesn't know she has any power. But she comes to stay at Green's Hill because were-animals are exploding and disappearing and the only link is to someone in Green and Adrian's past. In their quest to find the answers Cory is put on the hot seat.
But so much more is going on than just that. There are metaphysical changes happening with Cory's power that links her with not just Adrian but Green also. Adrian already loves her. He's given her two vampire marks and made her Queen of his kiss. Green is falling in love with her. The power these three wield together is phenomenal, scary and beautiful. Watching Cory try to reconcile her human proprieties with how she is truly feeling is such a learning experience. "I still don't know if that means there's something wrong with me, or if I just subscribe to the bone deep conviction that love defies definition."
There is more that I could say regarding the plot and the storyline but that would reveal spoilers and I don't want to do that. Suffice to say that the story is imaginative like a fairy tale, intriguing like a mystery, sensual like erotica and the writing will stun you. It is laughter, fear, sorrow, joy, hope, anger, sex, grief, rage and love. Oh so much love. Kudos to you, Amy Lane, for a truly brilliant story.
December 23, 2011
As a general rule I don't review books I have not finished, but I sense the fault was not entirely mine. Ok, so I was time constrained reading this because it was a Kindle lend and I had borrowed too many books for someone with ADD to read in two weeks. but I started this one 4 days before I had to return it and that's my average time frame for reading a book (as long as I'm interested enough). I read the first 25% in one seating, could not put it down. I thought, hey, I may even finish this before the four days, this is pretty good. ...And then the whole thing collapses on itself like badly played Jenga.
The premise is nothing special. Girl has mediocre life. Girl discovers preternatural things around her. Girl falls for the vampire. You know, pretty much every young adult book released in the past two years. Even if this isn't YA you catch my drift. It's also in first person which I prefer. So after a few pages of Cory (that's the girl) discovering things and becoming a blood donor. The whole thing switches to first person from the vampire's pov (Adrian). "Oh", I thought. "Well that is new." It was a little odd (says the person who has never read a book with switching povs before. Wait. I take that back. If I remember correctly 'The Silver Kiss' by Annette Curtis Klause had switching povs), but I quickly got used to it, even liked it. And then it switches to a third character (Green). But this one is in third person. And this is where the book starts to collapse.
I can't exactly tell you what went wrong or where, but I rapidly stopped caring about what was going on. It was probably when Cory started demonstrating powers and even if I like the plain girl gets the hot guy thing. This just rubbed me too much on the side of ugh followed by Mary Sue. So I just went ahead and skipped 60 pages or so to 95% just in the perfect spot to see someone dying. I did not like that at all. And it is also why this gets 2 stars even when I couldn't finish. Because without reading the whole thing I read enough to get teary eyed when
Even if I am not following this series. I will give Lane's book another try. I loved some of the wording she used every so often. But for the love of god, go back and edit this. It is a hot mess on the Kindle. Badly formatted with random numbers at the end of sentences and very obvious spelling and grammatical errors that is just careless and people should have more respect for what they create.
The premise is nothing special. Girl has mediocre life. Girl discovers preternatural things around her. Girl falls for the vampire. You know, pretty much every young adult book released in the past two years. Even if this isn't YA you catch my drift. It's also in first person which I prefer. So after a few pages of Cory (that's the girl) discovering things and becoming a blood donor. The whole thing switches to first person from the vampire's pov (Adrian). "Oh", I thought. "Well that is new." It was a little odd (says the person who has never read a book with switching povs before. Wait. I take that back. If I remember correctly 'The Silver Kiss' by Annette Curtis Klause had switching povs), but I quickly got used to it, even liked it. And then it switches to a third character (Green). But this one is in third person. And this is where the book starts to collapse.
I can't exactly tell you what went wrong or where, but I rapidly stopped caring about what was going on. It was probably when Cory started demonstrating powers and even if I like the plain girl gets the hot guy thing. This just rubbed me too much on the side of ugh followed by Mary Sue. So I just went ahead and skipped 60 pages or so to 95% just in the perfect spot to see someone dying. I did not like that at all. And it is also why this gets 2 stars even when I couldn't finish. Because without reading the whole thing I read enough to get teary eyed when
Even if I am not following this series. I will give Lane's book another try. I loved some of the wording she used every so often. But for the love of god, go back and edit this. It is a hot mess on the Kindle. Badly formatted with random numbers at the end of sentences and very obvious spelling and grammatical errors that is just careless and people should have more respect for what they create.
December 11, 2012
I liked it, then I didn't like it, then I loved it, then I hated it. Do not be fooled by the numerous raving reviews you'll find for this book, particular on Amazon. It's lauded as something original, clever, boundary-pushing. The worst part is, it could have been. Could have. But it's not.
I can understand why people want to like this book. There is something there, a wonderful idea for a story that might have been great if treated right; unfortunately, it was completely mangled by horrifically poor editing and a completely unlikable protagonist. I can overlook a few typos, especially considering this is a self-published book. But come page after page of glaring mistakes, bad composition, and juvenile characterization, I was practically offended that anyone would put this forth as a "finished" product. It's a very rough, unpolished work that should never have been published in its current state. Yes, there are good qualities, but these good points of the book -- even the truly excellent ones -- are completely overshadowed.
I can understand why people want to like this book. There is something there, a wonderful idea for a story that might have been great if treated right; unfortunately, it was completely mangled by horrifically poor editing and a completely unlikable protagonist. I can overlook a few typos, especially considering this is a self-published book. But come page after page of glaring mistakes, bad composition, and juvenile characterization, I was practically offended that anyone would put this forth as a "finished" product. It's a very rough, unpolished work that should never have been published in its current state. Yes, there are good qualities, but these good points of the book -- even the truly excellent ones -- are completely overshadowed.
June 22, 2011
I actually stumbled across this in one of the strangest of places- a used bookstore that I haven't visited much since I got my Kindle. So thank you Amy Lane for getting me back to the neighborhood bookstore, but also for your wonderful addition to the Indie canon. This is an excellent read. This reminds me a lot of Laurel K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series. This is a seriously excellent piece of urban fantasy- vampires and fey in the Sierra foothills. The characters are good, the romance is four flames at least but completely believable, and the plot is really imaginative. I think they're out of print, and they were published through iUniverse originally, so I don't know where I'm going to find the other three in the series, but I am sure going to try. Very very worth it for fans of hot paranormal romance and urban fantasy.
February 26, 2010
The first book in The Little Goddess series sets the things for all the fun that is to come. If you love Buffy and Angel and Laurel K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris and like your supernatural creatures hot and sexy, then this one, this series, is for you. Along with Anita blake, Sookie Stackhouse, you have Cory, Amy Lane's strong, vulnerable, heroine.
August 27, 2008
Quite a different universe than that of Twilight, but it has all the vampire action a girl could want, plus a lot of erotica. Not for teens!
Self-published, so the books are pricey, but I enjoyed it. Ordered the following two books of the series.
Self-published, so the books are pricey, but I enjoyed it. Ordered the following two books of the series.
September 22, 2008
Ugh! I hear that the rest of the books in the series get better but I can't bring myself to commit the time to it. Teenage writing and immature "kinky" sex just isn't what I want to read.
April 21, 2009
Couldn't even finish this one. It was like reading really bad fan fiction.
do-not-read
January 14, 2012Look in comments.
May 14, 2011
Cory had a plan to get out of the California Foothills. She was going to study hard, escape her parent’s double-wide and hitch a ride on a University scholarship. In the mean time, she works the graveyard shift at a gas station.
The graveyard shift is pretty monotonous and soul-sucking. So it suits Cory’s Goth-bitch persona pretty damn well. But in between crunching out English essays and barely tolerating her customers, Cory stumbles across a whole new world as it tramples through her gas station . . . because the late-night shift brings strange folk through Cory’s door. A cache of weird and wonderful people – impossibly beautiful and sensual with sharpened teeth and pointed ears.
It’s all in the back of Cory’s mind, until one of her customers opens her sight to the real world. Suddenly Cory can see them. Sidhe – they are the stuff of myth and legend, Shakespearian sonnet and paranormal erotica. Goblins, elves, vampires, shifters, red-caps . . . they all pass by Cory’s counter, buying Malboro’s and Dr. Pepper on a nightly basis.
And then he walks through her door. Adrian. Impossibly beautiful and lethal – a predator in heart-throb’s clothes. Adrian is a vampire, and he wants Cory. For months and months Adrian courts her, drawn to her sarcasm, brutality, honesty and potential greatness.
Cory resists. Adrian is one-hundred and fifty years old and beautiful to boot. What would he want with Cory – who is nineteen, plump and unhappy? But want her he does . . . until Cory simply can’t resist.
Adrian brings Cory back to his faerie hill home. Adrian built the hill with his mentor, brother, lover and soul-mate, Green. Green is a high-Sidhe and he is the one who discovered and saved Adrian from a terrible human life. Green is the centre of the universe for Adrian and all of the Sidhe who live in the hill. But when Adrian brings Cory home, it changes everything . . .
Adrian loves Cory. Green wants her. Adrian and Green want each other, and Cory is only just starting to realize her own sensuality. But a dark presence looms, threatening to destroy Adrian, the hill and all that Green holds dear.
‘Vulnerable’ is the first book in Amy Lane’s ‘Little Goddess’ paranormal romance series.
I initially thought that ‘Little Goddess’ would be a young adult series – because of the somewhat tame front covers, nineteen-year-old protagonist and a blurb that failed to hint at the lustful couplings within. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that ‘Vulnerable’ is a cross between Sunny’s ‘Monere: Children of the Moon’ and Laurell K Hamilton’s ‘Merry Gentry’ series. This book is like a modern Midsummer Night’s Dream; with a frenetic plot and fiery romance.
The story is told from alternating points of view, swinging between Cory, Adrian and Green as their romance intertwines, the stakes are raised and danger looms.
Cory was a wonderful and very human protagonist. She’s a teenage girl with a chip on her shoulder and a dream in her heart; a self-conscious Goth who feels the need to act tough in order to get by. Cory is hyperaware of being mediocre – plain instead of pretty, somewhat smart and all together too average. She reminded me a little of Juno, for her quick wit and sharp tongue, her self-deprecation and unrelenting humour. So she’s a little amazed when the Nor-Cal fae take an interest in her. It starts with an elf called Arturo giving her ‘the sight’, and suddenly Adrian is walking into her life and determined to have her heart. Cory is doubly surprised when she meets Adrian’s first true love, the high Sidhe Green – because pretty soon it becomes apparent that Green wants and loves her too.
I'd see him again, but suddenly I missed him when he left. It was like being the last two people at a party – lonely and companionable at once.
I looked at Adrian’s eyes, beautiful, mesmerizing. Not human. I didn’t feel lonely at all. “You’ll take me places?” I asked. His answer was important, even though my decision was already made.
“You can’t imagine where we’ll go.” He said, sincerely. He no longer looked vulnerable. He looked assured. He looked happy. He smiled, and doubt and sense and worry all fell away. “You’ll enjoy the trip.” He murmured, lowering his head.
I really loved Green and Adrian’s romance. Adrian had a shockingly awful childhood, until Green saved him – and they’ve been lovers and best friends ever since. Together, Adrian and Cory built a faerie hill sanctuary where every piskie, elf, gnome and vampire could seek refuge in the foothills. Though Adrian is besotted with Cory, he still knows deep down that he won’t ever truly give himself to anyone who can’t also accept Green into their relationship. So Adrian is relieved and amazed when Green’s lust for Cory matches his own.
Green is a high Sidhe with a magic touch, literally. He heals emotional and physical wounds through love and sex. So he’s always helping people through intimacy and affection, but it has been a while since he was last truly in love – until Adrian brings Cory to the hill.
The romance in this book is pretty wonderful. Adrian and Cory have enough sensual chemistry together, but add Green into the mix and things really heat up. First it’s a longing kind of love – and then it evolves into a strong and steadfast triangular relationship that also helps Cory to experience her personal powers.
‘Vulnerable’ is first a foremost a romance, but there’s also a lot of great magic and myth in the story too. Lane writes a frenetic winsomeness that’s initially hard to follow, but merges into a wonderful and distinctive voice. She writes an outlandish and extravagant storyline with plenty of fae explanation and new twists to old legends.
I was all ready to give this book 5/5 stars and happily delve into the next three books of the series . . . until the ending crept up on me. I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending was a total kick in the pants. Really, I felt blindsided and a little short-changed by the explosive finale. I thought I knew what the ‘Little Goddess’ series would be exploring, and I was excited to read a series that promised such love in the first book. But with the ending I did wonder if Amy Lane was a little too trigger-happy. I suddenly found myself a little reluctant and unexcited to breach the second book because of the game-changing end of ‘Vulnerable’.
‘Vulnerable’ is the first book in a sensuous and extravagant paranormal romance series. Amy Lane has written fae and myth with her own unique twist and offered up a deeply satisfying and sexy romance. I am disheartened by the surprise ending because it changed the entire outlook of the series for me, but I will soldier on and try the second book.
The graveyard shift is pretty monotonous and soul-sucking. So it suits Cory’s Goth-bitch persona pretty damn well. But in between crunching out English essays and barely tolerating her customers, Cory stumbles across a whole new world as it tramples through her gas station . . . because the late-night shift brings strange folk through Cory’s door. A cache of weird and wonderful people – impossibly beautiful and sensual with sharpened teeth and pointed ears.
It’s all in the back of Cory’s mind, until one of her customers opens her sight to the real world. Suddenly Cory can see them. Sidhe – they are the stuff of myth and legend, Shakespearian sonnet and paranormal erotica. Goblins, elves, vampires, shifters, red-caps . . . they all pass by Cory’s counter, buying Malboro’s and Dr. Pepper on a nightly basis.
And then he walks through her door. Adrian. Impossibly beautiful and lethal – a predator in heart-throb’s clothes. Adrian is a vampire, and he wants Cory. For months and months Adrian courts her, drawn to her sarcasm, brutality, honesty and potential greatness.
Cory resists. Adrian is one-hundred and fifty years old and beautiful to boot. What would he want with Cory – who is nineteen, plump and unhappy? But want her he does . . . until Cory simply can’t resist.
Adrian brings Cory back to his faerie hill home. Adrian built the hill with his mentor, brother, lover and soul-mate, Green. Green is a high-Sidhe and he is the one who discovered and saved Adrian from a terrible human life. Green is the centre of the universe for Adrian and all of the Sidhe who live in the hill. But when Adrian brings Cory home, it changes everything . . .
Adrian loves Cory. Green wants her. Adrian and Green want each other, and Cory is only just starting to realize her own sensuality. But a dark presence looms, threatening to destroy Adrian, the hill and all that Green holds dear.
‘Vulnerable’ is the first book in Amy Lane’s ‘Little Goddess’ paranormal romance series.
I initially thought that ‘Little Goddess’ would be a young adult series – because of the somewhat tame front covers, nineteen-year-old protagonist and a blurb that failed to hint at the lustful couplings within. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that ‘Vulnerable’ is a cross between Sunny’s ‘Monere: Children of the Moon’ and Laurell K Hamilton’s ‘Merry Gentry’ series. This book is like a modern Midsummer Night’s Dream; with a frenetic plot and fiery romance.
The story is told from alternating points of view, swinging between Cory, Adrian and Green as their romance intertwines, the stakes are raised and danger looms.
Cory was a wonderful and very human protagonist. She’s a teenage girl with a chip on her shoulder and a dream in her heart; a self-conscious Goth who feels the need to act tough in order to get by. Cory is hyperaware of being mediocre – plain instead of pretty, somewhat smart and all together too average. She reminded me a little of Juno, for her quick wit and sharp tongue, her self-deprecation and unrelenting humour. So she’s a little amazed when the Nor-Cal fae take an interest in her. It starts with an elf called Arturo giving her ‘the sight’, and suddenly Adrian is walking into her life and determined to have her heart. Cory is doubly surprised when she meets Adrian’s first true love, the high Sidhe Green – because pretty soon it becomes apparent that Green wants and loves her too.
I'd see him again, but suddenly I missed him when he left. It was like being the last two people at a party – lonely and companionable at once.
I looked at Adrian’s eyes, beautiful, mesmerizing. Not human. I didn’t feel lonely at all. “You’ll take me places?” I asked. His answer was important, even though my decision was already made.
“You can’t imagine where we’ll go.” He said, sincerely. He no longer looked vulnerable. He looked assured. He looked happy. He smiled, and doubt and sense and worry all fell away. “You’ll enjoy the trip.” He murmured, lowering his head.
I really loved Green and Adrian’s romance. Adrian had a shockingly awful childhood, until Green saved him – and they’ve been lovers and best friends ever since. Together, Adrian and Cory built a faerie hill sanctuary where every piskie, elf, gnome and vampire could seek refuge in the foothills. Though Adrian is besotted with Cory, he still knows deep down that he won’t ever truly give himself to anyone who can’t also accept Green into their relationship. So Adrian is relieved and amazed when Green’s lust for Cory matches his own.
Green is a high Sidhe with a magic touch, literally. He heals emotional and physical wounds through love and sex. So he’s always helping people through intimacy and affection, but it has been a while since he was last truly in love – until Adrian brings Cory to the hill.
The romance in this book is pretty wonderful. Adrian and Cory have enough sensual chemistry together, but add Green into the mix and things really heat up. First it’s a longing kind of love – and then it evolves into a strong and steadfast triangular relationship that also helps Cory to experience her personal powers.
‘Vulnerable’ is first a foremost a romance, but there’s also a lot of great magic and myth in the story too. Lane writes a frenetic winsomeness that’s initially hard to follow, but merges into a wonderful and distinctive voice. She writes an outlandish and extravagant storyline with plenty of fae explanation and new twists to old legends.
I was all ready to give this book 5/5 stars and happily delve into the next three books of the series . . . until the ending crept up on me. I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending was a total kick in the pants. Really, I felt blindsided and a little short-changed by the explosive finale. I thought I knew what the ‘Little Goddess’ series would be exploring, and I was excited to read a series that promised such love in the first book. But with the ending I did wonder if Amy Lane was a little too trigger-happy. I suddenly found myself a little reluctant and unexcited to breach the second book because of the game-changing end of ‘Vulnerable’.
‘Vulnerable’ is the first book in a sensuous and extravagant paranormal romance series. Amy Lane has written fae and myth with her own unique twist and offered up a deeply satisfying and sexy romance. I am disheartened by the surprise ending because it changed the entire outlook of the series for me, but I will soldier on and try the second book.
November 5, 2017
I början var boken lite rörig. Plötsligt hade det gått tre månader, hur gick det till?! Men jag tycker ändå att den blev bättre ju mer man läste. Och det händer en hel del. Dessutom finns det ett antal delar till, och jag kommer att fortsätta läsa resten med tror jag, eller åtminstone del två...
July 23, 2009
Cory works the graveyard shift in a little gas station to pay for college. Her one goal is to get her degree and get out of the black hole that is the boring hick town she grew up in. She doesn't want to end up like others who live there, aimless and without purpose; going through days without knowing what's out there.
But everything changes one night when she sees something strange in someone. Next thing she knows, a world of magic and fantastical creatures is all around her, where nothing is what it seems and every word could bring disaster. She founds out she's more than just a broke college students and Adrian, a beautiful boy, is her doorway into this world.
I literally could not put Vulnerable down. It was one of those rare books that I have to read between red lights and while at the grocery counter. From the first page, I could completely relate to Cory. She wants more from life than living in a boring town with the same old job, seeing the same old people day in, day out. She's got a mouth on her, razor-sharp wit and is the picture-perfect image of a tough goth chick.
Adrian might look like a really gorgeous nineteen-year-old, but he's actually a hundred and fifty years old and when he meets Cory, it's indescribable to him. From the beginning he can see past the black lipstick and dozen or so of earrings. He's always had that bad boy image going for him, being a totally playboy with girls but Cory sees past that and that adds to his attraction to her.
I think that character development can make or break a book and in this case, it completes makes it. Every single character is so well-developed, so strong yet vulnerable that it's hard not to fall in love with each one. The story is written in Cory's, Adrian's and Green's points of views and while I thought that would only confuse the reader, it makes things clearer. The plot and everything else just flows well and makes Vulnerable a very enjoyable book to read.
Mrs. Lane is a self-published author and admittedly, there's a number of editing errors in the book. However, as I read more of these wonderful characters and great plot, these mistakes don't matter at all. Vulnerable is a unmistakable story about love and how you can find it in the most surprising and unconventional places and I, for one, cannot wait to read more of Mrs. Lane's Little Goddess series.
But everything changes one night when she sees something strange in someone. Next thing she knows, a world of magic and fantastical creatures is all around her, where nothing is what it seems and every word could bring disaster. She founds out she's more than just a broke college students and Adrian, a beautiful boy, is her doorway into this world.
I literally could not put Vulnerable down. It was one of those rare books that I have to read between red lights and while at the grocery counter. From the first page, I could completely relate to Cory. She wants more from life than living in a boring town with the same old job, seeing the same old people day in, day out. She's got a mouth on her, razor-sharp wit and is the picture-perfect image of a tough goth chick.
Adrian might look like a really gorgeous nineteen-year-old, but he's actually a hundred and fifty years old and when he meets Cory, it's indescribable to him. From the beginning he can see past the black lipstick and dozen or so of earrings. He's always had that bad boy image going for him, being a totally playboy with girls but Cory sees past that and that adds to his attraction to her.
I think that character development can make or break a book and in this case, it completes makes it. Every single character is so well-developed, so strong yet vulnerable that it's hard not to fall in love with each one. The story is written in Cory's, Adrian's and Green's points of views and while I thought that would only confuse the reader, it makes things clearer. The plot and everything else just flows well and makes Vulnerable a very enjoyable book to read.
Mrs. Lane is a self-published author and admittedly, there's a number of editing errors in the book. However, as I read more of these wonderful characters and great plot, these mistakes don't matter at all. Vulnerable is a unmistakable story about love and how you can find it in the most surprising and unconventional places and I, for one, cannot wait to read more of Mrs. Lane's Little Goddess series.
May 5, 2021
Interesting World Building
I first read this book in 2017 and when looking for recommendations for someone found it again and decided to have a re-read as I’d completely forgotten the plot. It felt like a first read, which is always fun because you know you are going to like it but you can’t remember why.
Cory lives in a small town in the middle of Northern California. It’s very rural and traditional and as she comes from a lower middle income household everything thinks that she’s crazy trying to get her degree and trying to escape. She’s weeks away from getting her Associates Degree when the world shifts in an unexpected way. She starts to see the preternatural creatures that inhabit her world, especially those that shop at the gas station she works at night.
Starting to see beings of myth and legend changes her life in ways she could never imagine, when she’s introduced to vampires, elves and shifters and becomes part of their community after they discover she has some power they and she don’t understand.
The book is very slow to start, but it echoes the life that Cory leads up until she meets Arturo. Every day is the same as she grinds through work and college, trying to make it work financially and still get the grades she needs to transfer to a full degree program, that she can’t get locally. Once Cory starts to really see Arturo, she begins to see the others that visit the gas station and things start to gradually speed up until they hit full tilt towards the end.
This is an open ménage book, where sex is for healing and friendship as well as for passion and love. All the support characters are engaging and I wanted to read about them as much as the main characters.
I will warn you that this book does not have a happy ending. You will need tissues, but know that the series does continue and I have faith that Cory will eventually get her HEA.
I first read this book in 2017 and when looking for recommendations for someone found it again and decided to have a re-read as I’d completely forgotten the plot. It felt like a first read, which is always fun because you know you are going to like it but you can’t remember why.
Cory lives in a small town in the middle of Northern California. It’s very rural and traditional and as she comes from a lower middle income household everything thinks that she’s crazy trying to get her degree and trying to escape. She’s weeks away from getting her Associates Degree when the world shifts in an unexpected way. She starts to see the preternatural creatures that inhabit her world, especially those that shop at the gas station she works at night.
Starting to see beings of myth and legend changes her life in ways she could never imagine, when she’s introduced to vampires, elves and shifters and becomes part of their community after they discover she has some power they and she don’t understand.
The book is very slow to start, but it echoes the life that Cory leads up until she meets Arturo. Every day is the same as she grinds through work and college, trying to make it work financially and still get the grades she needs to transfer to a full degree program, that she can’t get locally. Once Cory starts to really see Arturo, she begins to see the others that visit the gas station and things start to gradually speed up until they hit full tilt towards the end.
This is an open ménage book, where sex is for healing and friendship as well as for passion and love. All the support characters are engaging and I wanted to read about them as much as the main characters.
I will warn you that this book does not have a happy ending. You will need tissues, but know that the series does continue and I have faith that Cory will eventually get her HEA.
July 22, 2013
I read this book a few years ago now and it was so horrible it stands out in my mind even now. I can't impress enough how bad the grammar and writing was. IT WAS TERRIBLE. I hope she has fixed some of it by now but I doubt she even realizes there are problems to fix given just how bad it was.
This book was unfortunately the first independently published (IP) author I had ever read and it put me off reading another for AGES. It gave me a bad impression of the quality of IP authors and I'm glad I eventually read a few more and realized that not all IP authors had such a lack of respect for their reader's intelligence. I would have missed out on some great stories.
The thing was, that creatively, the book was quite good. If written well it could have been really interesting. I think that just highlighted the poor writing.
I was and still am, shocked by the amount of people who actually liked this book (this was why I picked it up to start with). I can't understand how those people could get past the long, confusing and tedious descriptions and lack of any well formed paragraphs. I can only conclude it was because of the, previously mentioned, good creativity. I can't say characters or plot-line because it all could have been improved in my opinion.
That being said I should mention that I didn't make it past half-way. I really tried. I was still in the reading habit of finishing every book I start a few years ago, so that tells you how much I tried. In fact it was this book that made me see that some books just don't deserve my time and effort if I'm not enjoying them, even if they seem to have potential.
This book was unfortunately the first independently published (IP) author I had ever read and it put me off reading another for AGES. It gave me a bad impression of the quality of IP authors and I'm glad I eventually read a few more and realized that not all IP authors had such a lack of respect for their reader's intelligence. I would have missed out on some great stories.
The thing was, that creatively, the book was quite good. If written well it could have been really interesting. I think that just highlighted the poor writing.
I was and still am, shocked by the amount of people who actually liked this book (this was why I picked it up to start with). I can't understand how those people could get past the long, confusing and tedious descriptions and lack of any well formed paragraphs. I can only conclude it was because of the, previously mentioned, good creativity. I can't say characters or plot-line because it all could have been improved in my opinion.
That being said I should mention that I didn't make it past half-way. I really tried. I was still in the reading habit of finishing every book I start a few years ago, so that tells you how much I tried. In fact it was this book that made me see that some books just don't deserve my time and effort if I'm not enjoying them, even if they seem to have potential.
November 5, 2011
Violent words, swearing and cursing, explicit sex, homosexual and highly-erotic. If you're not open-minded enough, maybe you'll find it disturbing
Cory Kirkpatrick bekerja di pom bensin di shift malam, menjadi cewek gothic, dan agak frustrasi karena hidupnya membosankan. Kehidupannya datar-datar aja. Sampai suatu ketika, Arturo, seorang sidhe, membuat Cory melihat hal-hal menakjubkan diluar kehidupan membosankannya. Berkat Arturo-lah, Cory bertemu Adrian, seorang kepala klan vampir yang bernaung di Green's Hill, sekaligus kekasih Green. Cory dan Adrian akhirnya pacaran. Tapi ada yang mengancam keselamatan Adrian, dan Cory serta Green harus membantu Adrian menyingkirkan musuh mereka.
Ini buku pertama yang salah satu tokoh utamanya mati yang kubaca--Overbite nggak diitung. Yang agak membuatku takjub adalah adegan-adegan seksnya--bikin aku berdecak-decak--dan juga cerita cinta yang nggak biasa, karena Cory juga mencintai Green seperti dia mencintai Adrian, dan mampu-mampu aja berada di ranjang mereka berdua. Asli, aku kaget banget ngeliat orientasi kisah cinta mereka. Rasanya kayak, oh, whoa, nggak biasa banget. Lumayan nyegerin buat selingan, tapi dibutuhkan pikiran yang liberal dan terbuka supaya nggak ngerasa jijik, karena beberapa orang cenderung ekstrem dalam homoseksual. Dibilang homo juga nggak--biseksual mungkin. Keren abis pokoknya
Cory Kirkpatrick bekerja di pom bensin di shift malam, menjadi cewek gothic, dan agak frustrasi karena hidupnya membosankan. Kehidupannya datar-datar aja. Sampai suatu ketika, Arturo, seorang sidhe, membuat Cory melihat hal-hal menakjubkan diluar kehidupan membosankannya. Berkat Arturo-lah, Cory bertemu Adrian, seorang kepala klan vampir yang bernaung di Green's Hill, sekaligus kekasih Green. Cory dan Adrian akhirnya pacaran. Tapi ada yang mengancam keselamatan Adrian, dan Cory serta Green harus membantu Adrian menyingkirkan musuh mereka.
Ini buku pertama yang salah satu tokoh utamanya mati yang kubaca--Overbite nggak diitung. Yang agak membuatku takjub adalah adegan-adegan seksnya--bikin aku berdecak-decak--dan juga cerita cinta yang nggak biasa, karena Cory juga mencintai Green seperti dia mencintai Adrian, dan mampu-mampu aja berada di ranjang mereka berdua. Asli, aku kaget banget ngeliat orientasi kisah cinta mereka. Rasanya kayak, oh, whoa, nggak biasa banget. Lumayan nyegerin buat selingan, tapi dibutuhkan pikiran yang liberal dan terbuka supaya nggak ngerasa jijik, karena beberapa orang cenderung ekstrem dalam homoseksual. Dibilang homo juga nggak--biseksual mungkin. Keren abis pokoknya
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2010
I think the first half of this book was poorly written. I had a hard time following a lot of the story because the sentences were not written well and it made it very confusing. I feel it would really benefit the book and the author to rewrite the first half of the book.
That being said, I loved the last half of the book. It was really captivating and the characters really started to grow on me. Like some of the other reviewers, I did think some of the characters fell flat, especially Adrian. Cory and Green did start to develop more in the last half.
I will definitely read the next book in the series, but I haven't decided if I will recommend the book to friends. I had such a hard time getting through the first half of the book that I'm hesitant to encourage friends to do the same. I'm glad a stuck through it and finished it, but the first half of the book gets 1-2 stars and the last half of the book gets 4 stars.
That being said, I loved the last half of the book. It was really captivating and the characters really started to grow on me. Like some of the other reviewers, I did think some of the characters fell flat, especially Adrian. Cory and Green did start to develop more in the last half.
I will definitely read the next book in the series, but I haven't decided if I will recommend the book to friends. I had such a hard time getting through the first half of the book that I'm hesitant to encourage friends to do the same. I'm glad a stuck through it and finished it, but the first half of the book gets 1-2 stars and the last half of the book gets 4 stars.
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