Book Review: My Forbidden Desire (The My Series) by Carolyn Jewel
Title: My Forbidden Desire. Author: Carolyn Jewel. Genre: Paranormal Romance. Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages. Publisher: Forever. Description: From News Bite. Alexandrine Marit is a witch in mortal danger. An evil mage craves the powerful, mysterious talisman that supplies her magic, and the only person who can keep her alive is a dark and dangerous fiend called Xia. With his fierce animosity toward witches, he's hardly the ideal bodyguard. Yet as days turn into nights, she can't deny the white-hot passion between them. Desire and Temptation... Xia hates witches. They enslave and mercilessly kill his kind. But he's been ordered to protect Alexandrine, who, to his surprise, has a spirit he admires and a body he longs to possess. With the mage and his henchmen closing in, Alexandrine and her protector must trust the passion that can unite them... or risk losing everything to the enemies who can destroy them both. My Review: Meh. I really don't have any big complaints or compliments for this book. I kind of wish I could just simply state my feelings in one sentence and be done. I even had trouble coming up with a couple lines for my Goodreads reviews (which I like to keep short and sweet). I'll try to say one thing I like and one I didn't.
Well, overall, the book was not really outstanding. I felt like I could be reading any mediocre book by any sub-par writer. I just wasn't blown away. What attracted me to the book (besides receiving free of charge, yay for free books) was the story. I can always appreciate a love story that starts with some intense dislike going on. However, I kind of like more stuggle when a character admits attarction to someone they thought they couldn't ever like, even a tiny bit. Xia immediately admits he thinks Alexandrine is hot and he wants some of that... oh!, but he hates her. Sure. I think I didn't like how quickly Xia got over his hatred a person he associated with the worst period of his life, someone he wanted to kill. What I really didn't love about the book was the progression between the two characters, I am pretty sure the two mains "fell in love" within three days. I like myself some unrealistic romance, but not that far out. I really can't wrap my head around it. I never really grew to like or care about the poor, poor and oh so sad main characters. Bad stuff happened to them and then we're supposed to feel sorry for them, or something. Rating: 2/5. I would recommend this book to PNR addicts. Or fans of the author. I would suggest getting this from the library (or used) if you really, really want to read this.
List of Reviews: S - Z
S
Sad Cypress (Hercule Poirot) by Agatha Christie
Servant: The Awakening (Servant, Book 1) by L.L. Foster
Shadow Blade (Shadowchasers, Book 1) by Seressia Glass
Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
Shortcut (Blade of the Immortal, Volume 16) by Hiroaki Samura
Spider-Touched (Ghostland World, Book 2) by Jory Strong
Spirit Seeker by Joan Lowery Nixon
Spy in the House, A (The Agency, Book 1) by Y.S. Lee
Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, The (Strangely Beautiful, Book 1) by Leanna Renee Hieber
Sweet Surrender by Maya Banks
T
Tainted (The Blood Lily Chronicles, Book 1) by Julie Kenner
Tension of Opposites, The by Kristina McBride
To Sin With A Scoundrel (Circle of Sin Trilogy, Book 1) by Cara Elliott
Touch of Evil (Thrall, Book 1) by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
U
Undateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Won't Be Dating or Having Sex by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard
V
Violet Eyes: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (Once Upon a Time Series) by Debbie Viguié
W
Wake (Dream Catcher, Book 1) by Lisa McMann
Woman Called Sage, A by Diann Mills
World Above, The: A Retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" (Once Upon A Time Series) by Cameron Dokey
X
Y
Z
List of Reviews: L - R
L
Lady of Persuasion, A (Goddess Trilogy, Book 3) by Tessa Dare
Lily (McDade Cycle, Book 1) by Cindy Bonner
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Living Hell by Catherine Jinks
Local Habitation, A (An October Daye Novel, Book 2) by Seanan McGuire
Love in a Bottle by Zoe Archer
Love You to Death by Shannon K. Butcher
M
Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, Book 4) by Ilona Andrews
Matter of Class, A by Mary Balogh
Mistress by Mistake by Maggie Robinson
Must Love Hellhounds (Anthology) by Charlaine Harris, et al
My Forbidden Desire (The My Series, Book 2) by Carolyn Jewel
N
Naked by Megan Hart
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Book 1) by Molly Harper
Night Life (Pharaohs Rising, Book 1) by Elizabeth Guest
O
One Reckless Summer (Destiny, Book 1) by Toni Blake
P
Power of Two, The (2176, Book 4) by Patti O'Shea
Prince of Magic (Children of the Sun, Book 1) by Linda Winstead Jones
Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
Q
R
Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF by April Winchell
List of Reviews: F - K
F
For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
Forgive My Fins (Fins, Book 1) by Tera Lynn Childs
G
Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1) by Rachel Caine
Graceling (The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy, Book 1) by Kristen Cashore
Grave Sight (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 1) by Charlaine Harris
Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlaine Harris
H
Happy Hour at Casa Dracula (Casa Dracula, Book 1) by Marta Acosta
Haunted (Harrison Investigation) by Heather Graham
Highland Fire by Hannah Howell
Hint of Wicked, A by Jennifer Haymore
His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors, Book 1) by Juliana Stone
Historical Tweets: The Completely Unabridged and Ridiculously Brief History of the World by Alan Beard & Alec McNayr
Hunted by the Others (H&W Investigations, Book 1) by Jess Haines
Hush Hush (Hush, Hush Book 1) Becca Fitzpatrick
I
Ice Cold Grave, An (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3) by Charlaine Harris
If Angels Burn (Darkyn, Book 1) by Lynn Viehl
In the Darkest Night (Light Warriors, Book 4) by Patti O'Shea
In Over Her Head (Tritone Trilogy, Book 1) by Judi Fennell
In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady by Gayle Callen
Insatiable (Meena Harper, Book 1) by Meg Cabot
Iron King, The (Iron Fey, Book 1) by Julie Kagawa
J
K
Kiss of Midnight (Midnight Breed, Book 1) by Lara Adrian
Kiss in Time, A by Alex Flinn
List of Reviews: A - E
I decided it was a good idea to actually have a nice directory for easy location of all my reviews. The list can be found below the blog title (just look up!). The list is not complete, as of yet, but I believe with my super powers of procrastination and a side-kick Mister OCD Man (redundant?) I will get the job done quickly. And confusion will be brought to its knobby knees. Hi-yah! This is a list of all the books I have reviewed, sorted alphabetically by title. (Will be updated periodically). Note: If a title starts with an "A(n)" or a "The" then look for the next word in the title to locate the review.
#
13 to Life (13 to Life, Book 1) by Shannon Delany
A
After Midnight (The Cabot Sisters, Book 1) by Teresa Medeiros
Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator by Janni Nell
Atlantis Awakening (Warriors of Poseidon, Book 2) by Alyssa Day
B
Beast by Donna Jo Napoli
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Biting the Bullet (Jaz Parks, Book 3) by Jennifer Rardin
Black is for Beginnings (Blue Is For Nightmares, Book 5) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Bloody Good (Brytewood, Book 1) by Georgia Evans
C
Compromised by Kate Noble
Corinna, A-Maying the Apocalypse by Darcie Dennigan
D
Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount, The (Desperate Debutantes, Book 3) by Julia London
Dark and Disorderly (Lillie St. Claire, Book 1) by Bernita Harris
Dark Legacy (Legacy Series, Book 1) by Anna DeStefano
Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong
Dating Outside Your DNA (Planet Nerak, Book 4) by Karen Kelly
Delicious by Sherry Thomas
Descent into Dust (Emma Andrews, Book 1) by Jacqueline Lepore 3) by Tessa Dare
Disappearing Nightly (Esther Diamond, Book 1) by Laura Resnick
Duchess By Night (Desperate Duchesses, Book 3) by Eloisa James
E
Embers (Anya Kalinczyk, Book 1) by Laura Bickle
Fading Before my Eyes
"Oh look at that out there in the bush" she said excitedly. Even though I'm driving, I quickly look at what she's pointing out to me, swiftly bringing my attention back to the dark road ahead, illuminated only by the headlights of her little car. Out there, a fair distance from us, in the dark bush she had spotted what looked to be a large brightly lit cross, presumably attached to a church. "Lovely" I replied, giving it no more thought as I concentrated intently on the bumpy and winding country road ahead, ready to dodge the inevitable potholes that are all too frequently found in these parts. Mother, testing out a possible thank you gift for understanding and supportive fabulous other half. We were approaching a steep climb that winds it's way up a long incline, at the top of which the flattened road would lead us past The Cradle of Humankind. Time to change down a gear, the little engine, of the tiny red Italian car that could, buzzed furiously. "The cross is the symbol of Christianity" she stated over the engine noise. It sounded like she was making a statement of fact, but I had the feeling it was more a question. "Yes" I answered. Also sort of a question. "So then what's the symbol for the Jewish religion? Do they have one?" she asked this in a really matter of fact way, a quick glance showed the earnest expression on her face. Did she really ask this question? A feeling of numbness crept over me, then an empty pain in my stomach. Concentrate on the road, digest the question, compose an answer. "You used to wear one around your neck" I offered in the hope it might help. It didn't. "Did I?" Her question coming softly, only just audible over the engine buzz. Another quick glance told me she was sporting that now all too familiar confused expression.
"Yes, Dad bought it for you when we were in Israel, remember?" She had worn it for almost 30 years until an armed robbery in her home a few years back. It, along with much else, liberated from her possession by four politely spoken men in nice shoes. She only heard their voices and seen their shoes as she lay on the floor, tied up and bleeding from where she'd been hit on the head in the surprise attack. Later she confessed her only thought was hoping that they wouldn't harm her little dogs. They didn't. "Mmm, but what's it called?" she was unconvinced, frustration creeping into her voice. "It's a Star of David, a Magen David." I explained, giving her the Hebrew name too. She used to know this. Well, you would having been married to a Jewish man for almost 50 years! On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Dad's passing I was witnessing her slowly losing all that remained of him, her memories, and while I could still hold her, engage with her, I was still losing her, piece by piece. "Oh" was all she said as she turned away from me to look out the window into the black nothingness of the night, no doubt wearing that look of confusion. What was she thinking? Was she wondering how she could have forgotten such a thing? Was she reminded that her memory was failing? Perhaps she was just looking into the night. My face surely told of my sadness. I've known for a while now that her memory is failing. It's why I'm here, 6000 miles from where I now call home. Everyday of the past 3 weeks I've borne witness to her fading right in front of me. No matter how hard I work at sorting out her stuff, her home, her life, so that she can move back with me, she's still slipping away.
Mother with "The little red Italian car that could". "You look great for your age!" I hear people tell her. She does look good for an almost octogenarian, but it's scant compensation when you haven't the faintest idea who is paying you the compliment. When I visited last October, despite her protestations that she didn't want to move, I knew it was time. Actually, a little past due. This was never going to be easy, but time has taken it's toll on her memory and on her finances and it's only the lack of money that has forced her to agree to the move. She has accepted that she can no longer afford to run her own home and maintain her lifestyle. Dad provided well for the retirement that he would not get to enjoy, but Mother's fixation with giving money to my wayward sister, her brood of 4 children, numerous husbands and hair brained schemes has meant she has little left other than the sale price of the house that I've just worked my butt off to rescue from the Miss Haversham state it was in, managing to achieve a most agreeable price in the current economic times. With careful management and a little subsidising here and there, Mother's streamlined living expenses will be met. Sister dear will have to fend for herself. For my regular blogpals who have missed my entries, this post topic has been a logjam, one that I wasn't ready to write and I just couldn't write anything until I wrote this. Interestingly and coincidentally, my last post was actually on what would have been Dad's Birthday and this one on the 10th anniversary of his death. I so appreciate the concern and well wishes from my wonderful blogpals, a big loving thank you to you all. I am well and coping just fine with the challenges and have made huge progress and will be returning to the UK in a few weeks and hope to resume normal service.
"Yes, Dad bought it for you when we were in Israel, remember?" She had worn it for almost 30 years until an armed robbery in her home a few years back. It, along with much else, liberated from her possession by four politely spoken men in nice shoes. She only heard their voices and seen their shoes as she lay on the floor, tied up and bleeding from where she'd been hit on the head in the surprise attack. Later she confessed her only thought was hoping that they wouldn't harm her little dogs. They didn't. "Mmm, but what's it called?" she was unconvinced, frustration creeping into her voice. "It's a Star of David, a Magen David." I explained, giving her the Hebrew name too. She used to know this. Well, you would having been married to a Jewish man for almost 50 years! On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Dad's passing I was witnessing her slowly losing all that remained of him, her memories, and while I could still hold her, engage with her, I was still losing her, piece by piece. "Oh" was all she said as she turned away from me to look out the window into the black nothingness of the night, no doubt wearing that look of confusion. What was she thinking? Was she wondering how she could have forgotten such a thing? Was she reminded that her memory was failing? Perhaps she was just looking into the night. My face surely told of my sadness. I've known for a while now that her memory is failing. It's why I'm here, 6000 miles from where I now call home. Everyday of the past 3 weeks I've borne witness to her fading right in front of me. No matter how hard I work at sorting out her stuff, her home, her life, so that she can move back with me, she's still slipping away.
Mother with "The little red Italian car that could". "You look great for your age!" I hear people tell her. She does look good for an almost octogenarian, but it's scant compensation when you haven't the faintest idea who is paying you the compliment. When I visited last October, despite her protestations that she didn't want to move, I knew it was time. Actually, a little past due. This was never going to be easy, but time has taken it's toll on her memory and on her finances and it's only the lack of money that has forced her to agree to the move. She has accepted that she can no longer afford to run her own home and maintain her lifestyle. Dad provided well for the retirement that he would not get to enjoy, but Mother's fixation with giving money to my wayward sister, her brood of 4 children, numerous husbands and hair brained schemes has meant she has little left other than the sale price of the house that I've just worked my butt off to rescue from the Miss Haversham state it was in, managing to achieve a most agreeable price in the current economic times. With careful management and a little subsidising here and there, Mother's streamlined living expenses will be met. Sister dear will have to fend for herself. For my regular blogpals who have missed my entries, this post topic has been a logjam, one that I wasn't ready to write and I just couldn't write anything until I wrote this. Interestingly and coincidentally, my last post was actually on what would have been Dad's Birthday and this one on the 10th anniversary of his death. I so appreciate the concern and well wishes from my wonderful blogpals, a big loving thank you to you all. I am well and coping just fine with the challenges and have made huge progress and will be returning to the UK in a few weeks and hope to resume normal service.
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