Tag: Romance

Vicious Kings by Eva Ashwood

Fiction

I can’t remember where I first heard about this book, but I was curious about the author and the story so I decided to buy it off of Amazon. 

If you want to read, but you want something easy that doesn’t require a lot of thinking, this is just the book for that. It is a one day read, I got through it in a few hours. If you don’t mind a not so great plot and some contradictions, if you are literally only interested in reading in order to get to the spice, then your itch will be scratched because there are certainly more than enough spicy scenes. It is flawed and I found myself frustrated because of the flaws, but it is not the worst piece I have ever read. It is a good book for a beginner who wants to start their journey into this genre but an experienced reader may find themselves disappointed in this reverse harem tale. I am going to read the next two books in the trilogy to see if the writing gets any better, and I will be sure to let you know what I think.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Fiction

If the Netflix trailer for the film had not piqued my interest so greatly, would I have ever read this book? Probably not. Am I glad that I read this book? Yes, I think so. Banned books have always intrigued me simply because at a point in time they were labeled either too vulgar or too revolutionary to be read by the general public, and so the persons in power, who didn’t want the masses to read such perverted literature or get radical ideas, decided that they must be banned. As I was reading the afterword, I learned that this book is still banned in China, and by that I am going to guess that it is still banned in a few other countries as well. I can see why, at the time, this book was banned in both the United Stated and the United Kingdom. It would have upset the ideal of the nuclear family and traditional male and female roles. 

I usually don’t enjoy the classics, but if more of the classics were written like this then I would. I enjoyed reading in the language of the time, even if it is hard to believe that people at the time actually spoke like that, and it was made even more enjoyable by the filthy and sometimes crude language of the gamekeeper, Mr. Mellors, as he speaks intimately to his lover, Lady Constance Chatterly. Although I have not seen the film yet, I expect that they will modernize the dialogue to make it easier for the audience to understand as well as make it more enjoyable for todays ears. I do hope that they keep some of the more raunchy lines, because they really do make the story. If you want to get into the classics, I would highly recommend this as a starting point. It’s somewhere between Pride and Prejudice and a Bertice Small historical romance, a blend of which I really enjoyed.

Into the Flame by Christina Dodd

Fiction

I was supposed to have finished a book on sociology for this week’s review, but it is taking me longer to read than I originally thought (I’ll explain more next week). So instead this week I have finished reading the fourth book in the Darkness Chosen series, Into the Flame. 

So I made a few predictions about some plot points in the book and I was wrong about the Wilder daughter, sort of. Although she does not initially find the fourth icon she does end up bringing it back to the family. The fourth son is technically the one who finds it, but like all the other Varinski men he cannot touch it. He manages to remove it from its hiding place by wrapping it up, and after he has hidden it Firebird finds it and brings it to the family home. I also had this idea that the fourth son was possibly an illegitimate son of Konstantine’s from before he ran away with Zorana, but I was wrong about that too. 

The series ends nicely, it’s a happy ending with a massacre preceding it. Overall, it’s a decent series, not nearly one of the best ones that I’ve ever read, but I might be willing to read at least the second and third books again. If you’re looking for an easy read, something to take for a day by the pool, you can choose any one of these books, you can finish one in a day.

Into the Shadow by Christina Dodd

Fiction

I was able to read the third book in the Darkness Chosen series over this past week and it was just as good as the previous book, Touch of Darkness. The plot is kind of similar to the last book, as we follow the story of the third brother, Adrik, and his love interest, Karen, who are far from their homes and the rest of the Wilder family who are back in the states. Now that I have enjoyed two out of the three books in this series, I am optimistic that I will enjoy the fourth, which I already have ready to go in my to read pile on my dresser. I have a feeling that I know who the fourth son is, the prophecy is so far coming true as it was told, and while I originally thought that maybe the Wilder daughter would step in and find the fourth icon, I don’t think it’s going to turn out that way. There is another man that I can’t wait to be introduced to. 

I am currently reading a very interesting book on a topic in sociology, but if I manage to finish it early, I think the fourth and final book in this series could be my bonus Friday blog next week. 

Touch of Darkness by Christina Dodd

Fiction

I like this book a lot more than the first book in the Darkness Chosen series, there is more action, a better story, and it is much more spicy. We follow the second eldest Wilder brother, Rurik, the ex military pilot and current archaeologist, as he searches for one of the four icons that his family is desperately trying to find. Unlike how the icon was discovered in Scent of Darkness, finding the second piece requires research, deciphering ancient pictures and symbols, and actual digging. I found this much more exciting than having the icon just falling into the lap of the prophesied chosen one. I love the female love interest in this story as well, Tasya, she is the complete opposite of Ann and I absolutely admire her strength and independence. The entire book gives the feeling of reading a well written movie script, and, in fact, I would love to see this made into a film, I think it would be amazing. 

I have a feeling that out of all the books in this series this one might end up being my favorite. I could be wrong, maybe I just liked this one so much because it makes the first one seem bland in comparison. The ending conveniently sets you up for the next book in the series, which is on order, so I’ll be posting a review of it very soon.