Reading from September 1-15
LORA
LEIGH
Megan’s
Mark
Harmony’s
Way
Dawn’s
Awakening
Tanner’s
Scheme
Mercury’s
War
Coyotes
Mate
Bengal’s
Heart
CHRISTINE
FEEHAN
Dark
Predator
And I have just a bit to say about these books… (especially
since I promised some mention of how I liked Dark Predator after I read it!)
First –
after discovering last week that the latest Carpathian novel was released, I
read a couple reviews from advance readers and readers who picked it up as soon
as it hit the shelves. I was somewhat
surprised by what I found. One of
the reviewers actually said that she was disappointed with Dark Predator on the whole and went on
to say that after waiting for so long to see/hear Zacarias De La Cruz’s story,
she felt that what we got was flat and lacking.
It has been commented on in the past couple of years that the last
several books that have come out in this series just weren’t as good as the
earlier ones. To a certain point I can
agree.
The first five, six, or even eight books in the series did a
lot of setting up the plot line for the future.
Then we had a few books that were transitioning, and introduced other,
new races besides the Carpathians and revealed the overall ‘evils’ that the
Carpathians faced. The last couple of
books while different and evolving, are just that – different. If the stories were all the same, with the
same situations, the same problems and dilemmas, and the same resolutions, we
wouldn’t keep reading them, especially when you’re considering a series that
includes 22 books, so far. So yes, if
you’re judging the “worth” of the book based solely on a template of the
earlier books, I can agree that it’s not quite as good in that sense.
BUT!!!!!!!!
But, ChristineFeehan’s Dark series is as much
about immersing the readers into the paranormal world of the Carpathians, as it
is about showing the ‘human’ side of the Carpathian’s themselves, or their
ability to develop a more human-friendly nature. Does that mean that the latest books – Dark Predator, Peril, Slayer, Curse,
Possession – aren’t as good as those that we initially fell in love
with? NO! I loved Mikhail’s story, and Jacques,
Gregori’s, Lucian’s, Gabriel’s, Falcon’s and Byron’s. I love them, but I’m just as fascinated by
Zacarias, Dominic, Ivory and Razvan, Nikolai, Vikirnoff, and the other De La
Cruz brothers. From the very first
Christine’s Dark novels have been trying
to teach us (and them) that change, while disconcerting, confusing and
difficult, is necessary. Did readers
really think that the message wasn’t about more than just the situations the
Carpathians came to be in? Or was it
just me that saw the possibility?
So yeah, I liked Dark
Predator. Did I find fault with it, or have complaint’s, sure. I would have like to see more interaction
with other Carpathians – nearly the entire book has only Zacarias and
Marguarita. Would I have liked to see
more vampire/Carpathian battles? Yes, because frankly they are always
interesting. The way that Predator was written, works for this
story. And really, that’s what matters.
LoraLeigh is an author of books that I’ve always seen on the
shelves. Just due to the typical
alphabetical product placement that most bookstores employ, I would see her
titles every time I was scanning the shelves for some of my (other) favorite
authors (for example: Johanna Lindsay, Angela or Deidre Knight, Sherrilyn
Kenyon, Linda Leal Miller and K.M. Moning!)
But for years, literally, I didn’t pick up any of her books.
I have
this weird thing where if I’m starting a series that already has several books
published, even if they don’t have to
be read in a particular order, I have to read them in the
right order. Or as close to the right
order as possible. For a while I would
look at Lora’s books and think about getting them, but the first few from the
series were just never available. Then last spring (this would have been Spring
2010) I finally picked up Megan’s Mark and Dawn’s Awakening when they showed up
on the shelf, and forced myself to order Harmony’s Way. And I
haven’t regretted the decision once.
All of Lora’s books lean more into the realm of erotica than
(nearly) all of the other novels that I have.
While my husband (and men/women all around the world) may joke that all
romance novels are porn, or pornish (pornesque?), the extent to which her books
are more explicit than I was used to, was almost something of a shock to
me. (Not a real shock, I am a happily
married woman with three kids, and a semi-adventurous spirit, after all!) But I’ve been known to skip over the intimate
parts of novels on repeat readings because it’s not the sex that I read them
for, it’s the HEA- happily-ever-after.
So the explicit sexual scenes, which Lora frequently puts in
her books, were different for me. I’m
not saying that those scenes made the books better or worse, or that all
romance novels should have more explicit scenes, but for Lora Leigh and her
Breed novels (and actually the Nauti, Elite Ops and the Bound Hearts series as
well – which are three more of her series which I have found these types of
scenes in.) these more explicit and frankly erotic scenes fit. They fit with the stories, the men and women
the stories are about, and Lora manages to write them with just the right
touch! (pun intended!)
But take this as a warning if you aren’t a reader who can
enjoy these types of scenes – none of the Lora Leigh books that I have read to
date, is anything but unapologetically sexual, from the tone she sets right
off, to the personalities of her characters.
If you don’t like, or can’t handle, reading the nitty gritty of sexual
interactions, don’t read these books.
They are awesome books, the stories and the characters that she
portrays, whether were talking about her Breeds, the Nauti boys, or the members
of her Elite Ops and Navy Seals series, are all amazing, rich and well worth
the read. Just beware.
That’s everything I have to say… And I guess it was more than
just a little bit. Oopps. See you next time everyone!
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