Ani's Personal Essential Bookshelf | The Romance List

So in an attempt to help get our Crowdsourced list at BookLikes up to 1001 books, as well as with a call for some romance novels, I'm throwing a few more books onto the list.  But much like Jennifer's Books, these probably wouldn't be considered classics of the genre, just some personal favorites.

Surprisingly, I only really listed three romance genre novels in my initial 25 Essential Reads list.  So I'm here to make up for it!  Romantic suspense is my usual go-to genre, so most of these book lean more towards contemporary romantic suspense works.

Of course, after I finished making this new list, I realized that I might have gotten a little out of control, so hopefully there's still space for others to add books they'd like to add.  I've already tried whittling this list down... and I was also still going to make a list for the young adult books I read before I became more obsessed with romance novels.

Auto-Buy Authors

First up are some favorites from my auto-buy authors.  I never had any auto-buy authors until I realized that I was reading these authors and buying their books as they were being published.  Unfortunately, a few of these authors have not published in a few years, which makes me kind of sad.  I have loved and read all of their books available, but if I were to list all of them, we might break 1001 books and keep going forever, so I'm just listing my particular favorites from these authors.

Unlawful Contact || Seduction Game || Dead By Midnight || Chasing Fire
by Pamela Clare

I had already listed Pamela Clare in my first post (see link above), but I listed the book that was the first racy romance novel I'd ever read.  I enjoy all of her books in both her I-Team series, as well as her Colorado High Country series.  I've also listed Dead By Midnight, which was supposed to be a novella, but in truth, is long enough to be a novel of its own.  The above are my favorite of her books.

Something About You || Love Irresistibly
by Julie James

Julie James was my second established auto-buy author.  I've loved all of her books for the witty banter between the characters, as well as the fairly angst-free, mature way in which most of her characters handle their relationships.  The above two are my favorites, both of the FBI/U.S. Attorney series.

Over the Line || Whisper No Lies || Killing Time
by Cindy Gerard

I started reading Cindy Gerard via the library, but ultimately ended up buying all of her books--at least all of her contemporary romantic suspense books.  Some of her older category romance novels I haven't gotten to yet.  I decided to list my favorite book from the three series I've read: Bodyguards, Black Ops, Inc., and One-Eyed Jacks.

Snapped || Shadow Fall || Deep Dark
by Laura Griffin

To tell the truth, I didn't really care for the first books I read by Laura Griffin, and thought they were pretty mediocre.  But somewhere around the fourth Tracers book, Snapped, I realized that I was really looking forward to the next book, and the next, and then the next.  Now I buy each new installment as they are released.

Steele Street series

by Tara Janzen

We don't have to list every book in this series (there are 11 total), but I had to list all of them because I loved all of them and couldn't choose a favorite.  Tara Janzen hasn't written other books, but if she were to do so, I'd totally head straight out to purchase them.  This series isn't the best written, and neither do any of the story lines really make much sense.  But the books were all absurdly fun to read and I ended up loving them in spite of all the chaos.

Other Favorite Authors / Series

Simply Irresistible || The Sweetest Thing || Head Over Heels

by Jill Shalvis

Jill Shalvis isn't an auto-buy author, but she is an author I keep on my radar.  Her Lucky Harbor series is, thus far my favorite of all of her books, though the formulas are always the same.  The above three books are the first three books in the series, and to date, my most favorite of her books.

Waking Nightmare || Waking the Dead || Deadly Dreams

by Kylie Brant

The Mindhunters series by Kylie Brant is one of my favorites, and the above are the three books I liked the most in the whole series.  The rest of the books are enjoyable, even if rather mediocre.

The Brothers Sinister series

by Courtney Milan

I loved every book in this series and even the novellas.  I couldn't pick just one, so we need not list all of them if we're running out of spots.  My favorites, however, were The Duchess War and The Suffragette Scandal, if we're trying to narrow things down.  The Heiress Effect came a close second, and The Countess Conspiracy brings up the rear.

The Pingkang Li Mysteries series

by Jeannie Lin

These are my favorite of Jeannie Lin's books thus far (I've not read all of them yet), but I loved the non-standard characters in this series--both heroines having been sold into servitude in a brothel or as courtesan.  And then there were the mysteries embedded, and the sweet romances included, and the lovely writing.

Other Favorite Novels

And One Last Thing by Molly Harper -- Fun, humorous, breezy, with a layer of self-revelations that made me absolutely happy to read it.

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West -- This book reminded me of You've Got Mail, the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie about two strangers meeting online and falling in love.  Except in this book, two students share a desk in two different hours/classes and leave each other notes.  Along with Kasie West's patent dry sarcasm and wit, this book was lots of fun.

The Search by Nora Roberts -- This was the first Nora Roberts book that I ended up liking.  I'd read others, but this was the first romantic suspense I read of hers, the first of Nora Roberts that got me liking Nora Roberts.  There were also puppers involved in this book, which made things all the more fun.  And I loved the Search and Rescue aspect of the book, even if I felt like the hero was kind of pushy.

The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart -- This was my first Mary Stewart romantic suspense, and between the descriptions of the locale, the atmosphere, and the characters, I ended up loving it!

Mr. Ridley by Delilah Marvelle -- As Whiskey had put it in her descriptions, this book is a bit off the beaten path.  The hero and heroine are rather different than what I'd been used to seeing in historical romance.  There could have been more emphasis on Jemdanee's botanical skills, and the murder mystery, but that didn't deter my enjoyment.

Seduction by Amanda Quick -- I found that Seduction is, thus far, the Amanda Quick book I've read with the most insight and depth.  There's a lot of talk about the inequalities between men and women, and our heroine is so lovely and wonderful that I love her a lot... even if I didn't absolutely love the hero.

Brief Thoughts: Mistress of Mellyn

Mistress of Mellyn

by Victoria Holt

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.5 Stars

Mount Mellyn stood as proud and magnificent as she had envisioned...  But what bout its master--Connan TreMellyn?  Was Martha Leigh's new employer as romantic as his name sounded?  As she approached the sprawling mansion towering above the cliffs of Cornwall, an odd chill of apprehension overcame her.

TreMellyn's young daugher, Alvean, proved as spoiled and difficult as the three governesses before Martha had discovered.  But it was the girl's father whose cool, arrogant demeanor unleashed unfamiliar sensations and turmoil--even as whispers of past tragedy and present danger begin to insinuate themselves into Martha's life.

Powerless against her growing desire for the enigmatic Connan, she is drawn deeper into family secrets--as passion overpowers reason, sending her head and heart spinning.  But though evil lurks in the shadows, so does love--and the freedom to find a golden promise forever...

I'm wavering on my rating of this book, because I obviously ended up entirely engrossed in it after the first couple chapters, managing to finish the whole thing within hours of starting it.  The writing is beautiful, the setting is atmospheric, and I can absolutely see why this is a book that many Gothic romance readers would love.

There were elements that really bugged me, mainly the romance itself--I found it a bit too instant and was unable to pinpoint the moment that our main couple fall in love with each other.  It seemed almost too dictated; like the author had decided that these two would be lovers by the end, no matter that there was barely any time for them to have bonded or created any sparks.

But everything else about this book I really, really enjoyed and loved.  The heroine was fantastic--in fact I really liked all of the characters, even if I disliked the few male characters present.  The mystery was kind of predictable, and I had already had it figured out at some point, although a few red herrings DID get thrown in there that might have had me second guessing myself.

Nonetheless, this was a very enjoyable novel to pass the time with.

Packaged Thoughts Christmas 2016: All the Books I Didn't Review

There will always be those books that I absolutely would love to express an opinion on, but for one reason or another, it never actually happens.  In which case, I introduce my new feature, the "Packaged Thoughts" bundle reviews, wherein I will talk about a few random books I wanted to talk about, but just didn't really know what to say about in an actual review.

My first Packaged Thoughts was published on Christmas of 2015 and included a good number of books I never got around to reviewing, but not all of them.  So this year, I wanted to give a mid-year Packaged Thoughts a try and see how I like it as well:  Packaged Thoughts: All the Books I Will Probably Not Review.  This was published in June.

And now, here is the Christmas 2016 Packaged Thoughts!

Once again, if you've read my reviews and posts before, you know I'm prone to rambling on and on--opinion material for these books could potentially be enough for a review of their own.  But I'm not going to dwell on that.

by Nora Roberts

The Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy

#1) Dark Witch | Rating:  3.0 Stars

#2) Shadow Spell | Rating:  2.5 Stars

#3) Blood Magick | Rating:  2.5 Stars

I already wrote a pretty conclusive review for the first book in this trilogy--Dark Witch was enjoyable, entertaining, and the characters were great.  And so were the following two books of this trilogy: witches, magic, spells, evil, thousands of years of battle... etc...

Really, this entire trilogy was a big, long, drawn-out story that could have been told in one book, though.  The last installment was just kind of 'meh' in my opinion, but it was better than the second book, if only because it detailed some new developments, and was the conclusion.  The first book was the best of the three books, because it was the first time I read this story.  The second book was a bridge for the sake of having another couple, because it was essentially the same story as the first.

All the characters were all too perfect, the dialogue was a bit awkward, and everything was way too predictable, and not even interestingly predictable either.

For my first foray into Nora Roberts, I can't say that The Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy gave me much to go by.  Fortunately, the characters are exceptionally good people and not entirely flat or boring in their make-up... even if they are pretty perfect to the point that you kind of want to cringe.

by Jill Shalvis (audio book narrated by Karen White)

Animal Magnetism

#1) Animal Magnetism | Rating:  4.0 Stars

#2) Animal Attraction | Rating:  3.5 Stars

There are certain, specific authors who are really good at rehashing the same darn story line over and over again, yet at the same time manages to continue roping me into every one of their books.  Jill Shalvis is one of those authors.  Because while I complain whenever I read books that are essentially the same story as a previous book, I'm very forgiving when it comes to Jill Shalvis, for reasons I may never understand.

All I know is that I've enjoyed many books written by Shalvis and will probably continue to do so.  At the very least, they are entertaining with easy to like characters, as well as fun and witty when they need to be.

The first two books of Animal Magnetism are probably stories that Shalvis has written before: a contemporary romance wherein either one or both parties of the romantic couple have their commitment issues, but learn to overcome them thanks to each other, but not before there's a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunications involved.  Then, pick a new setting and you've got a Jill Shalvis piece.

At least the characters are usually witty and fun, the sex scenes steamy, the romances pretty sweet... and in this case, the animals are an extra 100+ points worth of added bonus.  I mean, there's a dog named Twinkles who likes to sit on peoples' feet (my dog totally does that all the time!), and a kitten named Beans who is just a ball of adorable, judgmental fur.  Ducks, piglets, and horses are involved as well.  Even if the human characters don't stand out, the non-human characters totally do!


***

Obviously this isn't much of a 'Packaged Review' considering it only involves two different series, totaling five books.  And one of those books, I DID indeed review.

For the most part, I actually did quite well reviewing the majority of my books read this year, especially during the COYER Summer Vacation (as only reviewed books counted towards that reading challenge) and Halloween Bingo (because I wanted to share my opinions of all books I read during that time).  There might have been one or two other books I didn't review... but I have plans for those.

Still, this post still resembles a small group of books I didn't review, especially for reasons pertaining to that I had no idea what I really wanted to say.

So, Merry Christmas everyone!  Enjoy a good day and thanks for reading!

Romance Bingo 2017 | Ani's Tentative Listing

Romance Bingo 2017

hosted by Obsidian Blue and Moonlight Reader

My Romance Bingo 2017 Summary Page

Goodreads Discussion Threads/Folder

Booklikes Discussion Thread

Official Rules and FAQ Post

I will definitely be participating in this Romance Bingo, as my reading diet consists of mainly romance novels anyway, I'm sure getting a BINGO won't be hard to do.  Getting a BLACKOUT might be harder since there are some categories here I don't normally touch, such as 'New Adult' or even 'Urban Fantasy.'  But we shall see how this turns out.


In the meantime, here are my plans for this Bingo Card:

Insta-love:  Undecided
-- This category is par for most Category Romances anyway.  The first one I find that doesn't really fit any of the other squares will be used here.  Although Obsidian Blue will be reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer for giggles... that sounds like it might be an amusing time.  XD


Too Stupid to Live:  Undecided
-- This category is pretty standard for a lot of Romantic Suspense, so I shouldn't have a problem finding one.  I may have a Tami Hoag book that's perfect for this one; I haven't read many of her books, but the ones I have read all involve a TSTL heroine, which is probably why I don't really read Tami Hoag anymore...


"Headless" Woman:  Sweet Bea by Sarah Hegger
-- This book is one I'm also planning on including in my 2017 Reading Assignment Challenge, so it will count for both.


Love is Murder:  Undecided
-- I suspect that this will be the perfect square for my beloved Romantic Suspense books, no matter what I choose to read.

Possibilities:  Almost Dead by Lisa Jackson; Just Past Midnight by Amanda Stevens; At Close Range by Laura Griffin; Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell


New Adult:  Undecided
-- I don't really read New Adult, but I DO know of one or two I've read that I liked.  This might be a reread category.  Although recent revelations have made me aware that Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was the original New Adult novel.  I may have to jump on that one.

Possibilities:  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Wallbanger by Alice Clayton; Nuts by Alice Clayton; Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn; Overruled by Emma Chase


Young Adult:  Undecided
-- Kasie West's next book will be published on January 31, and I'm an avid reader of Kasie West.  I've never truly been able to really like YA Romances, so if I can't get my hands on By Your Side before the end of the Bingo duration, I may just reread an old Kasie West favorite.

Possibilities:  By Your Side by Kasie West; The Distance Between Us by Kasie West


Regency Romance:  A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
-- Ever since reading a review about a book by Tessa Dare, I've been interested.  I plan on using this book for this category as well as completing the rest of the Spindle Cove series and seeing where else the rest of the books can be inserted.


Eyeshadow and Heaving Bosom:  Undecided
-- I have a few ideas for this one.  One of the books being a Tessa Dare book, also probably from the Spindle Cove series.  But I haven't decided yet.

Possibilities:  Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare; Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas


Virgin & Best First Time:  Undecided
-- See 'Insta-love.'  Because this category is also fairly par for most Category Romances, especially the old school romances from Harlequin where every heroine is innocent and virginal.  Historical Romances will be an excellent place to find one of these!


Gothic Romance:  The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart
-- This book is also another I have chosen for my 2017 Reading Assignment Challenge.


Blown Away:  Undecided
-- This category will also take some looking into.


Man in a Kilt:  When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
-- This is actually still a very tentative choice, because I don't know if I will be able to get to it.  This is the third book in Dare's Castles Ever After series.  Depending on the rest of my Bingo choices, I may or may not read this book for this square.  I'd really like to, of course.


Love (Free Space):  Undecided


Rogue:  Undecided
-- Mainly a Historical, I suppose.


Historical Romance:  Undecided
-- This category is wide open.  I've already got several listed that I want to read, and it's probably another square for Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove... or something by Sherry Thomas or Amanda Quick.


Secret Billionaire:  Undecided
-- I might have a few freebies on my Kindle that would fit this one.


Twins:  The Substitute Sister by Lisa Childs
-- This book is also categorized as Gothic.  But according to the summary, this book involves a set of twin sisters, though one of the sisters is dead at the beginning of the book?  If it doesn't work, I'm sure I'll be able to find something else.


Fairy Tale Retelling:  Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
-- Yes, this is a long book, but I love Juliet Marillier and she DOES infuse a good amount of romance into her fantasy novels.  Daughter of the Forest is a book loosely based on The Six Swans.  Many reviews have mentioned that Daughter of the Forest is at the same time heartbreaking, and dark and passionate, and not for the weak of heart, despite the Happily Ever After that comes with it in the end.


Wedding Bells:  Don't Tell the Wedding Planner by Aimee Carson
-- I own this book and have been wanting to read it for a long time.  I assume that the main character being an events planner/wedding planner is an okay use of this square?

Unfortunately, now that this book has become Book #2 in a series, I may have to reconsider.  I really, really don't like when that happens, and you think you're reading Book #1, or a stand alone novel, when the author or publisher suddenly decides to insert it into a series, NOT as Book #1...  >.<  I know... it's a Harlequin thing and I can read this book as a stand alone... but it still bugs me.


Second Chances:  Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis
-- Jill Shalvis books will definitely make it into this Bingo game.  And the title says it all, no?


Key To My Heart:  Undecided
-- This category will take some looking into... or just whatever I happen to end up fitting this square.


Pirates Argh:  Undecided
-- I need recommendations for this one.  I really do.

Possibilities:  What a Pirate Desires by Michelle Beattie; To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker


Guy/Girl Next Door:  Undecided
-- When I mentioned that Jill Shalvis will be inserted into this Bingo game, I wasn't kidding.  Pretty much any Jill Shalvis contemporary will fit this square, I think.

Possibilities:  Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis; Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis; Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis; Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins


Interracial Couple:  Undecided
-- This category might take some looking into.


Urban Fantasy Romance:  Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
-- Another 2017 Reading Assignment Challenge book.  And also a book I've been interested in reading for some time now.


And there we have it!  Romance Bingo 2017!  Almost ready to roll, but I'll play it by ear... or by read... whatever.

Review: Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark

by Charlain Harris
Book 1 of Sookie Stackhouse

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  2.0 Stars

This series is also known as The Southern Vampire Mysteries.

This review has been edited.  Original review was posted in 2012.   See Goodreads link at end of post.

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana.  She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much.  Not because she's not pretty.  She is.  It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability."  She can read minds.  And that doesn't make her too dateable.  And then along comes Bill.  He's tall, dark, handsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking.  He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life...

But Bill has a disability of his own:  He's a vampire with a bad reputation.  He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of--big surprise--murder.  And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next...

I was first introduced to the Sookie Stackhouse series by a few friends who thought I'd be interested because I'd expressed interest in fantasy novels.  I suppose I never really made clear that the fantasy novels I meant were more along the lines of adventure and high fantasy, and not so much the Urban Fantasy, paranormal sub-genres of fantasy.  And yet still, I found myself wondering, after being disappointed with several other popularly trending books/series, if I'm capable of liking any mainstream bestsellers that everyone else seems to adore.

Of course, I have to admit that Dead Until Dark really did start out with a good concept and a good set-up.  The world of Sookie Stackhouse is a little bit hard to buy into, but I got through that initial suspension of disbelief thanks to the pacing of the story's development.  It's an interesting world with a lot of potential.

Sookie Stackhouse introduces herself as a telepath, calling her talent a disability, and then proceeds to walk us quickly into this alternate universe where vampires have announced their existence to the world.  We get to see a lot of true-to-form prejudices and realistic reactions of the people to a type of being way different from humans.  Obviously vampires aren't human even if maybe they used to be.  And obviously it's a bit hard to live in harmony with creatures that drink your blood and could possibly drain your life away.  Just sayin'.

And so the world of this series is set up rather well... it's not the best concept, but I can live with it.

And then when the murder mysteries began, I was intrigued.  Very intrigued.  Because I like mysteries.

However, we quickly take a backseat with the murder mystery in favor of Sookie and her romance with Bill Compton, the vampire.

A vampire.  Named Bill.  Bill Compton... the vampire.  I admit, I needed a bit of time to process that.  But being as how vampires are technically undead human beings that got transformed somehow, I hedged that I was being a bit harsh about the vampire's given name.  After all, not ALL vampires have to be named Dracula or something Gothically romantic like that, right?

Anyway...

While I appreciate the realistic presentation of human nature in dealing with Sookie's relationship with Bill, I really think I could have used a little less of their romance and a little more of Sookie helping to solve the murder mysteries.  She has this psychic talent for a reason, but most of the time I felt like we kept forgetting that Sookie can read minds and that someone was just killed in what seemed to be vampire fashion--blood drained, small puncture wounds.

After the third or forth bedroom scene--that actually felt kind of forced, really--I started to get a little bored with the Sookie Stackhouse life.  Was her entire being really based around the romance she had with Bill the vampire?  It sure seemed like that was all she cared about.  I mean, I'm glad that Sookie is a tough cookie and can stand up for herself when it matters.  I'm glad that she's not your typical heroine.  But she still managed to let herself be pushed around by the man--or vampire--she declares that she has fallen in love with.

Of course, it also doesn't help her own personality that she's also quite wishy-washy with that hot-cold personality.  It irked me a little that she seemed to get angry or jealous at Bill for a LOT of trivial things.  And it also irked me a lot that she constantly referred to herself as stupid and uneducated, but then she turns around and condemns other people for indirectly implying that she's stupid and uneducated.  Her mind frame had a lot of contradicting ideals which made me not quite care for Sookie as a person.  Finally, her romance with Bill really doesn't have that feel of love to it more than it actually feels like lust; she becomes quite attracted to a lot of the other good-looking men in the story, and even has thoughts about sleeping with them as well, even after claiming how much she's in love with Bill.

Call me old-fashioned, but I hardly think it's appropriate for anyone to have thoughts about sleeping with someone else if you're with someone already whom you claim to be devotedly in love with.  Then again, maybe I've misinterpreted some things in there, because a lot of the story seemed like filler that I read through and didn't quite commit to memory or anything.

Overall, I thought the book was fine, but not really as great as most have given it praise for.  I mean, really, slap one of those Harlequin for romance novel covers on this one and it wouldn't really make much of a difference.  It just so happens that this one is based in a paranormal alternate universe with an insignificant murder mystery to keep us curious.

It's no more unique than all the other romance novels out there.  It just happens to be kind of riding the vampire-human romance boom that suddenly got catapulted into the world.

Will I read the next book?  Maybe.  I might pick it up just to see if it handles the murder mystery a little bit better.  For one, the other name that this series goes by is the Southern Vampire Mysteries, and thus, I expected more mystery... at least more than I was given.  So it wasn't exactly my favorite book, or even one that I would care to come back and read.

Then again, it wasn't like it was altogether terrible, so it has its positives.

---

This review was originally posted at Goodreads in March 2012.

---

Quick Thoughts: Dark Witch

Dark Witch

by Nora Roberts
Book 1 of The Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.0 Stars

With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance.  From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends.

Ireland.

County Mayo, to be exact.  Where her ancestors’ blood and magic have flowed through generations—and where her destiny awaits.

Iona arrives in Ireland with nothing but her Nan’s directions, an unfailingly optimistic attitude, and an innate talent with horses.  Not far from the luxurious castle where she is spending a week, she finds her cousins, Branna and Connor O’Dwyer.  And since family is family, they invite her into their home and their lives.

When Iona lands a job at the local stables, she meets the owner, Boyle McGrath.  Cowboy, pirate, wild tribal horseman, he’s three of her biggest fantasy weaknesses all in one big, bold package.

Iona realizes that here she can make a home for herself—and live her life as she wants, even if that means falling head over heels for Boyle.  But nothing is as it seems. An ancient evil has wound its way around Iona’s family tree and must be defeated.  Family and friends will fight with each other and for each other to keep the promise of hope—and love—alive...

I guess the thing that stood out to me the most was Iona's verbal diarrhea.  The moment she starts interacting with her long-unknown family, cousins Branna and Connor, she becomes a basket case of nerves and rambles until she stops making sense.  Then she apologizes for rambling and rambles some more.  Each new person she meets creates a new nervousness in her and she commences spewing whatever thoughts come to her mind.

Normally, this would be a very annoying trait--as I prefer a peaceful quietness, myself, much like Branna.  But for some reason, I found it kind of sweetly endearing from Iona.  And I don't know if it's just because of what she says, or how she says things... or just that it's a different type of personality than just being the clumsy, klutzy, sunshine girl-next-door.

Anyway...

Dark Witch is enjoyable.  I was certainly hooked.  The premise of this entire trilogy reads like a high fantasy at times, which was something I'd been kind of looking forward to.  But being that it's a contemporary setting, the language, the dialogue, and the sometimes overuse of flowery descriptors for just about everything made it a little hard to take the dangers of the O'Dwyer cousins' conflict seriously.  It was jarring, to say the least, and at times the narration felt rushed.

The characters are great, although they are also flawless in spite of their flaws... if that makes any sense.  Let's just say that, sometimes you come across a set of people who are so good and so noble that it kind of hurts your teeth.  It's not a bad thing, really.  But it also makes the presence of these people feel way too deliberate in each scene--it's as if the author wants you you know for sure that these people are all extremely special and significant, and even adds a bit more purple-y prose into their biographies for good measure.

Anyway, the story was good, but predictable.  And again, the premise is a great one.  All-in-all, Dark Witch is a great start to a trilogy.

If I had one big complaint--among others--it would be the unnecessary addition of the romantic angst.  I'm not entirely sure I understand what happened to make Boyle melt down about his relationship with Iona aside from the obligatory "Main hero with commitment issues" trope.  But it happened, it felt out of place, and Iona dealt with it nicely, I thought.


***

2016 Reading Challenges:
• Goodreads Reading Challenge
• BookLikes Reading Challenge
• Bookish Resolutions Challenge
• 2016 Halloween Bingo