Vampire Romance

Review of A Heart of Desire and Deceit by Elayna R. Gallea

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Synopsis:
How does one pick up the pieces of their life after it has been obliterated by the person they mistakingly trusted?

Ryker Waterborn’s heart is broken, and his wife is a killer. Their marriage is a sham, built on a foundation of murder, lies, and deceit. They’re broken. Destroyed. Yet, even after hearing her confession, Ryker cannot leave Brynleigh in the Pit.

In an act of foolish love, he makes a deal to set Brynleigh free. All she has to do is go back to her Maker and find evidence that Jelisette de la Point is a traitor.

That’s easier said than done, but Brynleigh is left with no choice. She can either accept the deal or rot behind bars. Worse than all that is her relationship with Ryker.

Once, she thought they’d get a happy ending. Now, an ocean divides them.

She broke the rules and fell in love, but is love powerful enough to save them?

This is the second half of Ryker and Brynleigh’s duet, and should be read after A Game of Love and Betrayal.

Review:
Oh my goodness. There were so many JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY moments in this book! I am very glad we got to see both Brynleigh and Ryker’s perspectives throughout this or it would have been completely maddening. While I expected a bit of resistance at the end, I hadn’t expected what actually happened, but it also seemed like a bit of a let down with how fast everything happened–almost as if things were too easy for Ryker and Brynleigh.

Personally, I really enjoyed Ryker and all of the “how you act reflects on me” moments, as that’s something I heard often growing up.

I quite liked the ending, though I am not certain I’d read this book duology again.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of A Game of Love and Betrayal By Elayna R. Gallea

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Synopsis:
He requires a wife. She needs to kill him. All’s fair in pursuit of love and revenge.

What’s a vampire to do when the fae who made her an orphan is searching for a wife?

Make him choose her and end his life on their wedding night, of course.

Brynleigh has been carefully planning this for years. Her plan is simple: date Ryker Waterborn, the Fae Representative’s son, make him fall in love with her, and kill him after they say, “I do.”

Unfortunately, it won’t be that easy. She won’t be the only one going after Ryker’s hand. Far from it. Two dozen men and women are competing in the Choosing, each searching for their perfect partner. The catch? It’s a blind selection process, and contestants won’t see each other until they have made their choice.

Nothing will stand between Brynleigh and her revenge, not even a competition for love.

A Game of Love and Betrayal is the first book in The Choosing Chronicles, a captivating enemies-to-lovers, new adult urban high fantasy romance.

Review:
I did truly like this book, but I’m not sure that the synopsis really explains it that well. Ryker is honestly looking for a wife and Brynleigh, well, she’s looking for something different entirely. It took me a bit to get into this book because it starts with Brynleigh in a very unique situation. From the very beginning, in the first chapter, we are told how hard it is for vampires to break away from their Maker, so it makes sense that Brynleigh does her best to appease hers. It becomes clear very early on that Brynleigh and Ryker are two very different people. The televised/blind aspect of this competition made it quite unique.

Both Brynleigh and Ryker both have trauma from their past that effects them more than one usually sees in a fae/vampire romance. If you’re looking for a morally grey female, this is it. As for this being enemies-to-lovers… somewhat from one side.

*This book ends on an ABSOLUTEY HORRIBLE cliffhanger, so be prepared to get book 2 immediately

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Beautiful Villain by Rebecca Kenney

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Synopsis:
Daisy is a recent college grad looking to get her feet back under her after a nasty breakup with her uber-controlling ex. When her cousin Nick convinces her to come to a lavish party being thrown by some mysterious new money showoff, she never expects to find the boy she loved and lost years ago…or to discover that Gatsby made his millions selling immortality to the highest bidder.

Daisy Finnegan is looking forward to the endless golden freedom of summer. No more college, no more pressure, no more worries. But when her cousin goes missing at an exclusive house party, Daisy is all too ready to confront the mysterious host…only to discover the wealthy recluse is Jay Gatsby, her childhood sweetheart—now sinfully hot and impossible to deny.

She could never resist him, and it isn’t long before she’s entangled in a web of wealth and lies and obsession, culminating in a shocking act of violence that shatters the summer haze and threatens to drown them all.

But it isn’t until Gatsby is shot through the heart—and survives—that Daisy discovers the truth of how he clawed his way up in the world: by selling the secret of immortality to the highest bidder. Now with her friends’ lives at stake, her own dizzying new powers still volatile, and an unimaginable threat closing in, Daisy will have to face an impossible choice: Side with the man who claimed her body and soul? Or with the monsters who would see him lost to her forever?

Review:
“He’s still a hopeless romantic, if that’s what you mean. An impossible idealist.” (page 97)

I could hardly put this book down! Filled with pop culture but not enough to draw you away from the story, this book constantly had action, well developed characters, and breathtaking love. This is a retelling of The Great Gatsby and it was better than I could have ever imagined. Both Gatsby and Daisy are given depth, but the story shifts to fit in with our modern times, with a sprinkle of supernatural. I absolutely adored how the Gatsby/Nick/Myrtle/Daisy/Tom connection worked and that while Nick doesn’t remain the narrator, he is given more depth, backstory and love than the original story had.

This story, while featuring all the original Gatsby characters, gives Daisy a bit more depth and deals with the issue of how it feels to not know what you want out of life, to feel adrift, and like all you’ve done is try to please your parents. I adore how Jay stays a hopeless romantic, but isn’t overly pressing/forceful in trying to get what he wants, and doesn’t give off the hopeless and basic character he appeared as in the original novel. Jay does love Daisy and while he may have moved there and done so much for her, he’s also built a life, a family, and deep scientific advances and research that keep him involved/working outside of just trying to impress/romance her.

If that isn’t enough to hook you, there’s also a dual supernatural element that makes this story pop in a way that regular fiction doesn’t. It’s a brilliant retelling, with spice, supernatural, well developed characters, and I highly recommend it both on it’s own, and for those of us who thought that Jay really should have gotten the girl.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯