2015/05/17

Night Pleasures (Dark Hunter #1)

Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter #2)Night Pleasures Summary:
Dear Reader,

Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be immortal? To journey through the night stalking the evil that preys on humans? To have unlimited wealth, unlimited power? That is my existence, and it is dark and dangerous. I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minutes of it.

Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: a conservative woman in a button-down shirt. Or in Amanda's case, one buttoned all the way up to her chin. She's smart, sexy, witty, and wants nothing to do with the paranormal--in other words, me.

My attraction to Amanda Devereaux goes against everything I stand for. Not to mention the last time I fell in love it cost me not only my human life, but also my very soul. Yet every time I look at her, I find myself wanting to try again. Wanting to believe that love and loyalty do exist.

Even more disturbing, I find myself wondering if there's any way a woman like Amanda can love a man whose battle scars run deep, and whose heart was damaged by a betrayal so savage that he's not sure it will ever beat again.

Kyrian of Thrace

Night Pleasures Review:
I was waiting to read this book for so long, but it's an adult so I didn't want to read it. This books was much better than I thought it would be. I loved how the author turned the normal vampire into such a complex network of beings, mixing it with were-animals and gods from a variety of cultures, it was simply mind-blowing.

This series is after or before the Chronicles of Nick. Since there are a variety of timelines I'm not sure if this is before or after. Nick is 28 and it was funny to see how he was now. Kyrian hasn't changed much but it was nice to get into his head a lot more. We also get to see Amanda, who in Chronicles of Nick was a student where Nick was going as well. That I thought was nice but weird at the same time because she still is pretty young and only a little older than Nick. Ash is in this book as well, and we see a bit of how he runs the Dark-hunters, but it was odd seeing him with Artemis.

Kyrian's past was heartbreaking and you learn why he doesn't like love. In this book you see a much more vulnerable side to him that I liked in him as well, and his relationships with other around him. He is actually pretty close to Talon who was also in Chronicles of Nick. I was happy when him and Julian were finally reunited and we got to see what happened with Julian and Grace's family and Amanda's relationship with them as well. There were a lot more action than in the Chronicles of Nick, and through the whole book, I was waiting for Kyrian to die, since he is always so close to it. This book was really amazing and I was hoping it would be longer.

Mary Hades (Mary Hades #1)

Mary Hades (Mary Hades #1)
Mary Hades Summary:
Not many seventeen year old girls have a best friend who’s a ghost, but then Mary Hades isn’t your average teenager. Scarred physically and mentally from a fire, her parents decide a holiday to an idyllic village in North Yorkshire will help her recover. Nestled in the middle of five moors, Mary expects to have a boring week stuck in a caravan with her parents. Little does she know, evil lurks in the campsite… Seth Lockwood—a local fairground worker with a dark secret—might be the key to uncovering the murky history that has blighted Nettleby. But Mary is drawn to him in a way that has her questioning her judgement. Helped by her dead best friend and a quirky gay Goth couple, Mary must stop the unusual deaths occurring in Nettleby. But can she prevent her heart from being broken?

Mary Hades Review:
I did not read My Daylight Monsters before reading Mary Hades, so I was a little lost, because the characters were built up before this book. But you don't have to read the novella, because the book is quite self explanatory.

I am an avid horror movie fan, but sadly movie's aren't scary anymore, and it seems neither are books. I still love horror books but the scare factor isn't there anymore. I was going into this book thinking it wouldn't be something special. It seemed a very basic ghost story, that was just trying to be a thriller. What I felt after reading was the opposite. I loved reading the book and within a few hours had finished the book. The characters were relatable, the story was intriguing and the whole book was very interesting. Actually, I did get freaked out at one point, which was the Ferris Wheel scene. Being afraid of heights, that just freaked me out trying to imagine it.

The ghosts were a little different than I expected. It focuses on the idea that souls don't just get extinguished, they stay on the human plane after death. But unlike others they can play a significant role in the lives of living, forcing them to kill themselves. And from this the ghosts can become even more powerful. With the main protagonist being able to see these ghost and save them, she is considered a freak. Following the normal idea of going into a mental asylum, this was one of the reasons I thought it would be the average book, but the author made Mary very captivating and owned the plot. I was also happy that romance didn't play a heavy role in the book. It was mostly mystery and I commend her for not only making the mystery interesting but also, not flat out predictable. Furthermore, the mystery helped to notch up the creepiness factor and making the book a lot more darker. The book was filled with action, but I was a little disappointed in the end because it was going to for a very climactic conclusion but it never reached that peak.

I did like the characters. Mary was a good main character. She had a very abnormal and hard life, but she is strong willed and a great friend. Death follows her everywhere, but she holds her head high and fights for what she believes. She was a little annoying at times by being a bit selfish and arrogant, but you come to expect that everyone has flaws. Lacey was a funny character at ties, and a good balance/best friend to Mary. An example, “Well, that was marginally better than our last hospital stay,” Lacey says. “Mainly because last time, I died.” She is more of a serious thinker than Mary in a tough situation, while still joking around at the right times. I was glad that the there were two female main protagonists and they weren't focused on a love story. Seth was an interesting character that provided Mary with a little happiness. I'm a little sad that they might not work out.

Overall, the book was fairly good, much better than I was expecting to. I hope to read the next book as well.

Thanks you Netgalley for letting me read this novel for an Honest Review!