Passion by Lauren Kate

PASSION was one of my many "much anticipated releases" for 2011 and it was well worth all the chaos :) A very big congratulations to Lauren Kate for PASSION.

I have found that each book in the FALLEN series even more captivating than the last. I have to admit that so far PASSION is my favourite. With this book we actually get to see the love that Luce and all her past lives have for Daniel. Up until Torment it was always Daniel expressing how much he has loved Luce across time but it was different looking in from her side. She questions a lot of it and wonders if its just been the love for Luce that has kept him going or does he really love her for her. I hope that makes sense to you guys, it made sense in my head.

For me I found the book to be very touching and it explained a lot to me that I didn't completely understand. We have always experienced Luce's deaths through Daniel's eyes but this time around its from both of them. We see the effect it has on Daniel and we also knew the effect it has had on him, but Luce takes it totally differently than him. The emotions that she has running through her are so pure and honest that i spent the majority of the book with a box of tissues.

The main purpose of Luce's travels through time is to find an end to the curse or create another loophole, but that is not the only part of her journey. She meets up with a shady character whom has another agenda that is still hidden to both the reader and Luce but slowly we seem to sense that he is not who he says he is. It was a bit sad when that came into light in for me, I actually did like him. It was sneaky of Lauren to place him like that but very well played out.

PASSION is pretty fresh in my head at the moment and I'm trying not to spoil anything. I think I better make this blog very short and sweet so as not to ruin the book for anyone that hasn't yet read it.

Some of Daniel's history has also been added into the storyline and I found that helpful as we can learn form his mistakes and see how he has grieved for Luce over time but that never seems to ruin his resolve that he will see her again.

I think something clicked in my head when I was reading the very beginning of Daniel's life and I wonder if anyone else has picked it up. I'm only hoping that Lauren answer's that one thing in RAPTURE or I will be left trying to figure it out.

I love how Lauren had an amazing climax at the end of PASSION that left me begging for more pages. I couldn't believe that it ended just like that. I can tell you that it was a well thought out ending with just the right amount of suspense, romance, longing and friendship.

I cannot wait for RAPTURE to be released :)

Happy Reading :)

Gillian

xxx

Exclusivebooks.com Passion by Lauren Kate

Exile by Rebecca Lim

I have been waiting for EXILE for months and when my local bookstore popped my an email informing me that they had a problem locating the book from their supplier but would find a way to get my copy to me as soon as possible I hit panic mode, finally on Thursday almost a month of waiting I got the call and raced home to read it.
It did not disappoint :)

From the first page I was hooked, we see how the process of Mercy's host is chosen and what it feels like for her when she gets that slight glimpse of other souls like herself , the feeling of being sucked into a new body and trying to gather as much information from the first moment so she can carry on the pretense of that person's life without causing a warning light or missing something that could help her in the long run.

I found EXILE to be a tad bit sadder than MERCY, we see how Mercy is thrown into the life of Lela Neills whose mother is very sick and counts on her daughter's presence. We see how she battles with the responsibility of her host and how she tries to help her "mother" through her illness. Later in the storyline we see how Mercy has discovered more about who she is and tries her best to save Karen Niells but realizes that it isn't possible and that the course that her "mother" is on is her destiny. That part for me was heartbreaking and I cried for a good 10 minutes unable to see what was happening on the pages before me.

Luc is still trying to get Mercy to find him as he still cannot locate her but he has seen the way Ryan Delay looks at her and he will be the key for them. From MERCY I haven't been able to trust Luc and the events that have taken place in EXILE cement that fact for me even more. We see some of the things that the Eight went through and how Luc is a pretty bad influence on Mercy.
I'm just not too sure I trust Luc, there is an evil in him that slips out at times and I frightens her. I'm curious if Mercy will figure out that Luc isn't what he says he is. I have my fingers crossed for that.

Luc came in handy for one thing though at the end of the book I think that might have been a bad choice on both Mercy and Luc's part. He helped her to remember Ryan Delay. We see how much he loves HER but what will it cost them in the end?

We meet another member of the Eight and I found it amazing how Rebecca integrated him into the storyline. When I realized whom he was I was at a loss for words. We get a sense that this character has to be hiding something and it becomes even more evident when there is a sudden change in the storyline. I'm not going to giveaway anything else on this matter.

I don't want to give anything more away and I know if I continue there will be no point in reading EXILE all I will say is get a box of tissues handy for the end of the book, its a pretty sad ending and my heart broke for both Mercy and Ryan.

Counting down the days until MUSE is released....

Happy Reading :)

Gillian
xxx

Exclusivebooks.com Exile by Rebecca Lim

My Soul To Steal by Rachel Vincent

 

My sister hid MY SOUL TO STEAL the moment it was delivered to the house and I had to be very patient while she read it and then passed the book along to me. All she would say is that it was the best in the series and if I didn't watch it she would ruin it for me-I behaved so I could enjoy MY SOUL TO STEAL without any spoilers and I'm going to do my best not to spoil it for anyone else.

From the moment I read the first page I couldn't put it down, reading MSTS became a constant need to see what was happening in the life of Kaylee and Nash while secretly hoping that they would be able to get past what happened at the end of MY SOUL TO KEEP.

I knew from reading the blurb at the back of the book that I was heading for one surprise straight after another but when Sabine entered the picture my hair stood on end-not only because Kaylee didn't get along with her but because she seemed off to me, like she had something else on her agenda which confessed to but still couldn't shake the feeling.

I love how Rachel shows us that its hard for Kaylee to trust Nash again after what he had allowed to happen and what he himself had done to her but it didn't stop her from questioning her love for him. Kaylee points something else out to us that trust for her seems to an evasive term because everyone that said they loved her have pretty much lied to her so in the end whom can she trust? Is trust actually possible from the people she loves? Its a valid question and its brought up again at the end of the book so it will be pretty interesting to see how it pans out in IF I DIE.

We also get tiny snippets of what Nash is going through with his recovery ad how easy it would be for him to go back onto Demon's Breath because its easy for him in a way to gain access to the Netherworld. We also see how this once popular guy has become a recluse and how he is struggling to deal with the loss of both Doug and Scott which also adds to his sudden loner appearance.

Sabine is a very interesting character whom has her own baggage along with an agenda that seems to work in some ways but in others not so much. She's very strong and that I think comes from her background. She has a history with Nash and it's very different to Kaylee and Nash's. Tod points out how they are two halves of  a whole (at that point I wanted to strangle him), both are screwed up but they good for each other. I saw that but the connection was different than before.

Sabine made a pretty valid point in one of Kaylee and her cat fights: "He sold all his memories of you but not one of mine" now that does make me think could she be on a valid point or maybe as my sister pointed out Avari only wants Kaylee not Sabine.

If I go any deeper I will ruin MY SOUL TO STEAL for you guys and I can't do that, so I'm going to sign off here and let you guys enjoy the book without any further spoils.

Happy Reading :)

Gillian

xxx

Exclusivebooks.com My Soul To Steal by Rachel Vincent

Dark Heart Forever by Lee Monroe

DARK HEART RISING has been on my reading list for months and after getting through my list I finally reached DHF and it was well worth it.
My only compliant was that the start of the DHF was a tad bit slow but it picked up from about Chapter 3.

Jane has gone through her fair share of heart attack and we see that when she meets Evan. She comes across as lonely and she has some trust issues except for those close to her like her immediate family. Jane is described as a very stunning girl but does not see herself as those around her do.

When we meet Evan he seems to be the all round boy next door with a slight mystery about him, but from the start he seemed a tad bit off for me. He has a lot of baggage and has a hidden agenda for the things he does and says.

Luca on the other hand is very sensitive and the way Lee describes his moss green eyes leaves me begging for more. Luca has his own issues to work through but is able to do so before things take a turn for the worst. He makes a dramatic change in my opinion and is able to be the man that his sister Dayla and Jane see in him.

The twist at the end of the story makes it hard to put down and leaves you begging more.

Happy Reading :)

Gillian
xxx

amazon.com Dark Heart Forever by Lee Monroe