Madeline Pryce

I just finished reading Dark Innocence (Dark #1.5) by Madeline Pryce and I have conflicted feelings. I’m not sure if its because so many years have passed since I read book 1 Dark Cravings (Dark #1)by Madeline Pryce ( May 2012), or because I've read so many great PNR stories since I first discovered this series.

I didn't like Hannah’s character, I understand she’s had some tough times, and issues like that just don’t disappear, but the way she dealt with her issues with self medication, random sex hookups, and alcohol made it hard for me to respect her and want to support her efforts. I liked Dante, and really wanted to know more about him being a lion shifter, I had wished he had a more vital role in the story other then stud, sex god.

I even question what the actual plot of the book was. Was it Hannah’s efforts to hookup and be Dante’s girlfriend / significant other, or was it her efforts to fight off the mysterious “restricted” person, or was it about Hannah coming to terms with her issues and doing something positive to move forward and grow as a person?

The writing was choppy, I felt info was left out only to be referenced later, the connection between Hannah and Dante was more sexual than anything else (although there were a few good conversations between the two that actually shared info that helped the story along). The appearance of the mysterious “restricted” was quick, shared little info as to why he wanted Hannah yes he thought her genetic background was important, and he wanted his queen, no back story on him and his small group of vamps. And then he was dispatched just as quickly and with little fanfare.

Overall the sex scenes seemed mechanical, lacked passion, desire, and a believable connection between Hannah and Dante in my opinion (I almost felt like Hannah in the opening sex scene with the frat boy, staring at the ceiling, hearing the headboard go thump, thump, thump) The time span of the story was just a few days and I felt like this was just a story about a successful hook-up. I didn't get the feeling that the overall books story line made any progress, or where it was going.

Not even the supporting cast, of Ella, Micah and Elijah could save the story for me. Sometimes I just have to admit not all books are for me, and that the book might be fantastic and I just didn't see it

This book was provided by NetGalley on behalf of Smith Publicity -- Ellora’s Cave Publishing Inc. Romantica, for an honest review.

For me this was a two star read

… (mais)

I read this book when it was Blood Lust Rising. I have reread the new and improved Dark Cravings and I must tell you, I could not put it down. That is, until the battery in my Kindle died.

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Hot cover and very appropriate title.

Dark Cravings is Ella’s story. The detail and depth of Madeline Pryce’s descriptions is amazing. It is easy to visualize the battles, Ella and Micah’s attraction to each other, the characters that surround them and the world they inhabit.

Ella Gray – I am neither human nor vampire, the thing I was raised to kill. Some consider me a demon, an undesirable, an abomination. I am a hunter and I love every minute of it. I work for the Shadow Agency My mission is to protect humans from rogue vampires and keep our existence a secret.

The vampire world has its own set of rules and regulations with appropriate penalties for those that run afoul of the Shadow Agency.

Micah is the son of the agency’s leader. Ella and Micah had an attraction they fought, but could never put aside. I thought they were already fated to be together before the succubus came into their lives.

By her and Micah being together, Ella had changed. They had changed. The gates of Hell were opened, spawning demons, and the earth protested with hurricanes and tornadoes. Who knew what else would be affected by their lust and desire.

Their journey through their destinies are treacherous. Betrayal follows them everywhere they go. The gruesome, graphic horror is peppered with humor and laughter.

Madelyne describes Ella getting dressed to go to the club and I couldn’t help but laugh at her thoughts about the choice of clothing Hannah, her sister, had chosen for her.

Either the top was too small or my tits had gone from a B cup to a C. Jesus, if I bent over, my nipples might pop out.

I was so involved with the story, the hours passed as if they were minutes. I felt a huge letdown when I reached the last page, wanting the story to continue. And it will. So, you will want to follow Madeline Pryce to see what she has in store for Ella, Micah and the cast of characters you will either love or hate in Dark Cravings.

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QUOTES

“The Vampire Queen and yes…the Demon Son. Destruction and Mayhem.”

“God, you’re a bitch. The way he said it, I heard goddess.”

“I crossed my arms under my breasts, which is a mistake, because they almost fell out.”

“When the hell did you get so possessive? Why don’t you just pee on me and get it over with.”

“Nothing says heartless like matching coffee mugs that read, ‘Stand back. I’ve got fleas and ‘Demons do it better’.”… (mais)

I had a bit of a déjà vu moment when I started reading ILLICIT, the opening bar scene reminded me a lot of another of Madeline's books, WICKED MAGIC, and I had to stop reading for a second to make sure I hadn't already read it. The similarities end there though and I quickly started to enjoy the mystery and danger of the storyline. There were a lot of neat twists thrown in and I enjoyed the characters for the most part.

I am sad to say that I had a big issue with ILLICIT when it came to Peter's character. He could be extremely rude and way rougher than I expected. His treatment of Eva in some scenes was a bit hard to get through. That just isn't my type of love handling. The warning in the blurb is something you should really take to heart before you start reading ILLICIT because I can see some having an even tougher time with a few scenes than I did. Besides those issues I did like Peter when he wasn't being a royal arse. I liked Eva, I thought she had a few moments where she should have kicked Peter to the curb, but for the most part she did a good job of sticking up for herself. The romance between the two was super spicy as you can imagine from a erotic paranormal romance and there are a lot of sex scenes.

The storyline was my favorite part of the story. Madeline is a great storyteller and did a good job of making the story more than just the sex the characters were engaging in. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of the pack included in the story, but I enjoyed the parts where they were present.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)

WICKED MAGIC was a pretty quick, no-nonsense read with a fast pace and fun characters.

You can't help but take an instant liking to Samantha. She can take care of herself when needed and has a great attitude. She knows that Trent is the key to unlocking her magic. She threw herself at him years ago but things didn't turn out how she wanted them to. Trent is the sexy werewolf sheriff that Samantha wants, but he's playing hard to get. He's your typical alpha male type and he secretly wants her as well, but refuses to pursue her. The story gets started right away and we know they will end up together by the end but the getting there is all about the drama.

With any novella length book the characters will make or break it and WICKED MAGIC has a great cast. There were a few parts where I was easily able to predict what would happen next but the action and hot scenes make up for that.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)