Flora Reviews... The Fallen Chronicles: Dark Angel by Amanda Jones

Flora Reviews...

The Fallen Chronicles: Dark Angel

by Amanda Jones

Read: 9^th – 15^th April 2017

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

 So, before we go any further I just want to tell you that I was lucky enough to be given a digital version of this book for free after making a request to the author via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. 

Thank you, Ms Jones!

...So what’s this book about?

This is basically a paranormal romance novel (approx 298 pages) which feels to me very much like an occult thriller; it features many paranormal characters including, of course, angels, demons and humans.  Dark Angel is the first book in Ms Jones’ new series The Fallen Chronicles. The series will follow the seven angels who were cast out of heaven for rising up against The Deity and causing a war; Asmodeus, Azazel, Baliel, Bataryal, Lucifer, Samael and Yetarel – now known as The Princes of Hell.

This book focuses on Lucifer Morningstar; when a human sells his soul to the devil, Lucifer is the one tasked with bringing that soul to Satan in Sheol (Hell). As my regular followers will know, I don’t post spoilers or reveal any plot twists in my book reviews so here’s what the official blurb has to say:

Katia may be a celebrated musician, but she'd always felt a little like an outsider looking in. Who knew that being abducted by a handsome stranger would set her on a crash course with her destiny...

Luc has spent an eternity keeping everyone and everything at a distance as an unstoppable darkness consumes his soul. Will his beautiful captive be his salvation, or will they both be consumed by the ultimate evil...

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I found this book very easy to read and liked Ms Jones’ writing style; the way she created a very unique interpretation of what Hell is and how she spun her tale. I like the fact that she brought humanity to Lucifer and his fallen angel brothers. My regular followers will know how I crave characters who are a complex amalgam of good and bad, dark and light; I feel it makes them all the more believable.  

I liked the fact that although the romance part of the story develops early, we don’t actually see Luc and Katia take their relationship to that physical level until later in the story. The sex scenes were not graphic or OTT but they still managed to convey the feelings of the characters while getting my temperature rising.

As well as our two main characters, Luc and Katia, we have a few important secondary characters too; I liked the way that Ms Jones wrote sections of every chapter from different character’s point of view without making the experience confusing.

Now, I must confess, there were scenes in this book that made me actually laugh out loud like a lunatic, being the soppy soul that I am it also made me shed a tear once or twice too but rest assured dear follower, the smiles did outweigh the tears.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

No, I didn’t dislike anything about the story or how it was told. No cliffhanger, so I’m a happy bunny.

I read some reviews that spoke of a few editing and grammar issues but nothing really jumped out enough for me to mention in the copy that I read. I remember a couple of times feeling a bit lost when a scene was being described but again not enough to mention specifically. I just wish that the cover was a real model rather than a drawn one.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really enjoyed this book; it was a wild adventure that kept me reading from start to finish – I was hooked! I look forward to reading Broken Angel, book 2 in this series (we get a chapter 1 at the end of this book) and hope that eventually each of The Princes of Hell get their own book.

I recommend this to anyone who wants read a heart-warming romance with a thrilling story to boot that will keep them turning the pages from start to finish.

So, has my review of THE FALLEN CHRONICLES: DARK ANGEL sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See THE FALLEN CHRONICLES: DARK ANGEL on Goodreads.com

Buy THE FALLEN CHRONICLES: DARK ANGEL on Amazon.com or through Amazon.co.uk

Visit AMANDA JONES own little corner of the web

Flora Reviews... Valen (Guardians of Hades #2) by Felicity Heaton

Valen (Guardians of Hades #2) by Felicity Heaton

Read: 6^th – 11^th March 2017

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is the second book in Felicity Heaton’s new paranormal romance series - Guardians Of Hades. This new series is about the sons of Hades, the Greek God of the Underworld, and his Goddess wife, Persephone; Ares, Valen, Daimon, Esher, Keras, Calisto and Marek. Each son has been charged with guarding one of the seven gates to the Underworld - which are located here on Earth - from the daemons who want to use them.

As the title suggests, this book features Valen who is the guardian of the Rome gate. It is a full length novel of 119,000 words and is set in our world, at this time.  I think that you have to have read the previous book (Ares) to fully enjoy this one, as many of the characters were introduced in the first book and the background story arc is continuing through this book too.

Now as my regular followers will know, I never post any spoilers or reveal plot twists in my reviews, so this is what the official blurb says about the plot:

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Lightning, Valen was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.

Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Cursed by Zeus to never know love again, Valen has brought up barriers around his heart to protect it, but with each new barrier he creates, the dark hold his power has over him grows, becoming all he needs.

Until the night he finally crosses paths with the assassin who has been watching him from the shadows, a bewitching mortal possessing the name of an angel and the skills of a devil—a woman who awakens his passionate heart and stirs dangerous desires.

Eva has built a fearsome reputation for herself in Italy’s underworld, but her latest job in her beloved city of Rome has left her feeling that she has stepped into a dangerous world and this mission might end in her death—either at the hands of her mysteriously seductive client or by the blade of the wickedly alluring warrior who is her target.

As the threat from the daemons escalates and more than just the Rome gate becomes their target, will Valen be strong enough to face the fears in his heart and the ghosts of his past to claim everything he desires or will they lure him deeper under their spell and into the darkness?

As with most of Ms Heaton’s work, this book contains material of a sexual nature and some graphic violence and as such is only suitable for adults.

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I am already a big fan of Ms Heaton’s other series and love her writing style! Her world building is amazing; it is her mix of fantasy and reality that captures my attention right from the start. Her characters are never black or white, good or evil but a complex mix of positive and negative traits and emotions which they either have to embrace or overcome; Valen and Eva are no exception.

I have already mentioned in previous reviews how I love the way Ms Heaton makes the most explicit sexual scenes very romantic – I think she’s a very talented writer because, for me, a story is only really erotic if I’m emotionally connected to the characters involved, Ms Heaton gives her characters such depth that they do become real, but it’s not just her main characters, I find all of her characters complex, multifaceted and completely believable due to their very real human virtues and foibles even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings; this includes our main protagonist here, Benares.  We were introduced to all the Hades sons in the previous book as well as Hades and Persephone themselves and learned a bit about them all; this book allowed us a closer look at some of the brothers’ characters. I am looking forward to getting to know them all throughout this series.

This story made me giggle, growl in frustration and shed a tear or two. Of course, I got caught up with the passion (who wouldn’t *blush*) but the tender insights into both Valen’s and Eva’s doubts, their feelings of “relationship unworthiness”  and the growth of their trust in each other’s love was heart-warming to read.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Absolutely nothing! (Hence the 5 star review) ;-)

This is the second book in a new series, and as such, you must expect a cliffhanger or two in the general story arc that the series will take. However, for those of you like me who HATE huge cliff-hangers, rest assured, Ms Heaton doesn’t leave us hanging. Yes, there are main story arc questions that are left unanswered but the paranormal romance aspect between our two main characters is happily concluded in Ms Heaton’s signature style.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really loved this paranormal romance tale. I read the Greek myths when I was younger and love that the thesis for this series has come from them (with Ms Heaton’s usual twist, of course). VALEN was a great read that engaged me from the start; making me smile, cry and feel all hot and bothered with well written erotic thrills, kick arse fight scenes and tons of romantic gestures.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading stories about the battle between one’s duty and heart, inner strength, the lengths we go for our siblings or those we love, and of course, it’s a must for those of us who adore tales about soul saving love. 

So, has my review of VALEN (Guardians of Hades #2) sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See VALEN (Guardians of Hades #2) on Goodreads.com

Buy VALEN (Guardians of Hades #2) in paperback or for your Kindle on Amazon.co.uk or through Amazon.com

(Of course, Valen is also available to download in e-book format from other online sites including: iBookstore, nook, KOBO, Google Play and All Romance eBooks.)

Visit FELICITY HEATON ‘s own little corner of the web.

Flora Reviews... Ares (Guardians of Hades #1) by Felicity Heaton

Flora Reviews...

Ares (Guardians of Hades #1) 

by Felicity Heaton

 

Read: 24^th – 26^th November 2016

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is the first book in Felicity Heaton’s new paranormal romance series - Guardians Of Hades. This new series is about the sons of Hades, the Greek God of the Underworld, and his Goddess wife, Persephone; Ares, Daimon, Esher, Valen, Keras, Calisto and Marek. Each son has been charged with guarding one of the seven gates to the Underworld - which are located here on Earth - from the daemons who want to use them. 
As the title suggests, this book features Ares who is the guardian of the New York gate. It is a full length novel of 115,000 words and is set in our world, at this time.   

Now as my regular followers will know, I never post any spoilers or reveal plot twists in my reviews, so this is what the official blurb says:

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Fire, Ares was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.

Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Caged by the manifestation of his power, held apart from those he loves by his own fire and starved of physical contact, Ares lives a cold existence driven by duty and the desire to return to his world.

Until his world collides with a daemon who steals his power and a mortal female who shatters the ice around his heart and awakens the true fire within him—a soul-stirring passion both dangerous and seductive.

Megan has wandered far from her home, driven from everyone she loves by the devastating realisation that she is different to them all. Unsure who to trust in the world, she keeps to herself, until a fateful stormy night brings a temptingly handsome warrior crashing into her life and into her heart—a warrior who seems to hold powers more frightening and marvellous than her own.

When the New York gate comes under threat, and Ares is put to the test, will he choose his duty and regain the power he needs in order to save his world or will he choose the desires of his heart and sacrifice his fire so he can be with the woman becoming his whole world?

As with most of Ms Heaton’s work, this book contains material of a sexual nature and some graphic violence and as such is only suitable for adults.

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC in digital form for free from the author in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you Ms Heaton.

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I am already a big fan of Ms Heaton’s other series and love her writing style! Her world building is amazing; it is her mix of fantasy and reality that captures my attention right from the start. Her characters are never black or white, good or evil but a complex mix of positive and negative traits and emotions which they either have to embrace or overcome; Ares and Megan are no exception.

I have already mentioned in previous reviews how I love the way Ms Heaton makes the most explicit sexual scenes very romantic – I think she’s a very talented writer because, for me, a story is only really erotic if I’m emotionally connected to the characters involved, Ms Heaton gives her characters such depth that they do become real, but it’s not just her main characters, I find all of her characters complex, multifaceted and completely believable due to their very real human virtues and foibles even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings.  We have been introduced to all the Hades sons in this book as well as Hades and Persephone themselves and learned a bit about them all; I am looking forward to getting to know them all throughout this series.

This story made me giggle, gasp in shock and shed a tear or two. Of course, I got caught up with the passion (who wouldn’t *blush*) but the tender insights into both Ares’ and Megan’s doubts, their feelings of “relationship unworthiness”  and the growth of their trust in each other’s love was heart-warming to read.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Absolutely nothing! (Hence the 5 star review) ;-)

This is the first book in a new series, and as such, you must expect a cliffhanger or two. However, for those of you like me who HATE huge cliff-hangers, rest assured, Ms Heaton doesn’t leave us hanging. Yes, there are main story arc questions that are left unanswered but the paranormal romance aspect between our two main characters is happily concluded in Ms Heaton’s signature style.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really loved this paranormal romance tale. It was a great read that made me smile, cry and feel all warm & fuzzy inside with well written erotic thrills, heart pumping fight scenes and tons of romantic gestures. 
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading stories about the battle between one’s duty and heart, inner strength, the lengths we go for our siblings or those we love, and of course, it's a must for those of us who adore tales about soul saving love. 

So, has my review of ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) on Goodreads.com

Buy ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) in paperback or for your Kindle on Amazon.co.uk or through Amazon.com

(Of course, Ares is also available to download in e-book format from other online sites including: iBookstore, nook, KOBO, Google Play and All Romance eBooks.)

Visit FELICITY HEATON ‘s own little corner of the web