[ARC REVIEW] Immortal Flame by Jillian David (@JillianDavid13 , @Crimson_Romance)

Title:  Immortal Flame

Author:  Jillian David

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Year Published: 2015

Number of Pages:  136 pages

Date Read: 4/7/2018

Series: Hell to Pay #1

Publisher:  Crimson Romance

Source:  eARC (Reading Alley)

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Gory Violence and Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

I would like to thank Reading Alley and Crimson Romance for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a bit of a confession to make:  I actually had this pretty little ARC on my shelf since 2016 and I still had not read it…until now!  After I finished reading “Immortal Flame” by Jillian David, I was seriously whacking myself in the head for not reading this ARC much sooner!  “Immortal Flame” was a truly fantastic paranormal romance read that made me want to read more from this series!

Peter Blackstone is an unusual person because even though he served as a veteran in World War II, he still looks extremely young for being a vet from World War II.  That is because in 1945, when Peter’s wife Claire was dying of a deadly sickness, Peter traded his soul to the devil, Jerahmeel in order to save Claire’s life.  But, in trading his soul, Peter is now a hired killer for the devil and he must go out and kill every bad person in the world so that way Jerahmeel would be able to feed on the souls of the people killed in order to survive.  At the same time, a young doctor named Allison La Croix seems to possess the ability to be able to see people’s deaths when she touches a person, which causes her so much turmoil since she wanted to live a normal life for once.  One day however, Peter ends up getting into a car accident and when he is taken to the hospital to tend to his wounds, Allison stumbles upon him and when she touched Peter, she starts seeing images of death that overwhelms her to near insanity.  It was then that Peter discovered about Allison’s powers and he tries to help Allison control her powers so she will not see people’s deaths too often every time she touches someone.  Unfortunately, Jerahmeel starts seeing that Peter and Allison are developing a close relationship with each other and he decides to send out one of his minions to kill Allison so Peter will never back out of his contract.  Now, Peter and Allsion will have to avoid Jerahmeel’s minion in order to not only survive but to save their love for each other in the process!

Wow!  I was quite impressed with this book! Jillian David’s writing was quite entertaining and sexy as heck as I found myself reading through this book rather quickly due to waiting with anticipation at how Allison and Peter’s love will survive Jerahmeel’s attempts to separate them!  I loved the way that Jillian David created this creative world as I was intrigued by the fact that the devil is apart of this world and it brings a sense of danger to this world as the characters have to watch their backs whenever the devil gets HUNGRY. I also loved the way that Jillian David wrote both Allison and Peter as I find their relationship to be quite realistic and at times tragic due to the state of their situations.  I actually felt bad for both Allison and Peter as they both wanted to live normal lives, but their powers make things difficult for them and I was wishing throughout the whole story that they both get their happily ever after.  I really loved Peter’s character as he is shown to be quite courageous, caring, strong and SEXY and I loved the fact that he is willing to put his life on the line if it means protecting Allison at all costs.  I also loved Allison herself as despite her fearing her powers, she is shown to be just as caring as Peter as she also tries to protect her loved ones from her powers and from any evil force that might befall her.  And the sex scenes are full of PURE SIZZLE that I was fanning myself every time a sex scene comes up between Allison and Peter!

For anyone who does not like gory violence or sex scenes, there are some explicit sex scenes that readers can skim over if they do not like reading sex scenes.  Also, the gory violence in this novel are a bit graphic and even disturbing as I found myself cringing a bit at how gruesome the violence towards certain characters were.  Also, and this is a bit of a small nitpick, but I wished that Allison would have done more in this novel than just worry about her future and fearing her powers as I wanted to see her actually fight against the bad guys using her powers.  Oh well, maybe we will see some of that in the later novels!

Overall, “Immortal Flame” is TRULY one paranormal romance that every paranormal romance fan should definitely check out! And, after I found out that this was apart of a series, I was SQUEALING with delight when I found out that there was a second book in the series that features Dante, which I got to pick up as soon as possible!!!

 You might also like:

• Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

• Shadow Game by Christine Feehan
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

[BOOK REVIEW] The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

Title:  The Deal of a Lifetime

Author:  Fredrik Backman

Genre: Fantasy / Short Story

Year Published: 2017

Number of Pages: 65 pages

Date Read: 12/9/2017

Publisher: Atria Books   

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 15+ (Themes of Death and Parental Abandonment)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

“The only thing of value on Earth is time. One second will always be a second, there’s no negotiating with that.”

Now, I have been hearing so many good things about Fredrik Backman’s works for a while, especially “A Man Called Ove” and “Bear Town.” Even though I haven’t read either book yet (do not worry, that day will come), I still managed to stumble upon one of his books called “The Deal of a Lifetime” and man, was I totally blown away by this book!

The story starts out with a father telling his son the story about how he met a little girl in the hospital, who has cancer and about how he had actually taken a life away from someone.  Well, that is not the full story: it turns out that the father had a dark past where he abandoned his wife and son for a life of fame and fortune many years ago.  But, when the father ended up in the hospital and he find out that the little girl who was in the hospital because of her cancer, might not live long enough to experience life, the father decides that he must do something to ensure that the little girl survives, even if it means sacrificing his own life!

Wow!  This book is simply amazing for one short novella!  Fredrik Backman has done an excellent job at writing this story as I was seriously hoping that the father in the story would find some way to help out the little girl who has cancer, while trying to appreciate the importance of life and family.  I loved the fact that Fredrik Backman focused on developing the father character in the book as it shows that the father went from thoughtlessly abandoning his family to pursue a life of fame and fortune to trying to sacrifice his own happiness to ensure that the little girl survives and it made me really connect to his character throughout the story. Despite the fact that this novel is extremely short (only sixty-five pages long) Fredrik Backman did a great job at writing out a full story about a father’s journey to becoming a more selfless person and it felt like the story really fleshed out the father’s character.

The only problem I had with this book is that the narrative tends to get a bit confusing at times, especially with the fact that the father is telling the story, but he is also telling the story to his son.  Because of this, the story tends jump from the father’s point of view to the son’s point of view at the drop of a hat and it could confuse some readers about what is really happening in the story.

Overall, “The Deal of a Lifetime” is a truly fantastic story about redemption and learning about the importance of family and happiness that fans of Fredrik Backman’s works will enjoy!

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• Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

• A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

• Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

[BOOK REVIEW] The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock by Bill Peet

Title:  The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock

Author:  Bill Peet

Genre:  Animals / Bullying / Children's / Individuality

Year Published: 1973

Year Read:  2009

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Company

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 6+  (Bullying)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock” is a children’s book about self-confidence from the popular children’s author, Bill Peet.  This book details Prewitt’s, a peacock, dilemma when his tail, at first was scrawny, becomes a horrifying looking tail over a matter of days!  This children’s book is truly a unique treat to read as you would never imagine a tail forming into a scary face over time and that will definitely catch any child’s attention. 

Bill Peet does an excellent job with both the illustrations and the writing for the story.  Bill Peet’s illustrations are vibrant and beautiful as he effectively draws the trees in the jungle in a scraggly way.  The image that is the highlight in this book is the image of Prewitt’s tail.  Prewitt’s tail is certainly a sight to see as Bill Peet draws Prewitt’s tail with two angry looking blue eyes and a frightening looking jagged mouth with sharp looking greenish teeth.  Also, I thought that the clutching feathery claws added an even spookier effect as they really look like they are going to grab you real quick.  Bill Peet’s writing is excellent as he tells the story of a peacock named Prewitt who at first lost confidence in himself because of his tail, but then gains it back when he realizes that his scary looking tail makes him unique from the other peacocks.  I also loved the way that Prewitt defended his tail against the other peacocks stating that he would rather have a tai that is scary-looking than to have no tail. 

Parents should know that the way that the other peacocks mistreated Prewitt because of his tail might concern young children.  Even after Prewitt’s tail had grown, the other peacocks still mistreated Prewitt because his tail was different from the others.  But, the story does have a happy ending as the other peacocks learn to accept Prewitt’s “special” tail after it saves their lives.  Parents should discuss to their children about the importance of individuality as Prewitt expresses his individuality by standing up for his tail. 

“The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock” is probably one of Bill Peet’s most lovable books as it expresses the value of individuality.  I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since this book would be a tad bit too long for smaller children to get through.

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• Fly Homer Fly by Bill Peet

• Pamela Camel by Bill Peet

• Kermit the Hermit by Bill Peet

[BOOK REVIEW] Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Title:  Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

Author:  Sarah MacLean

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2010

Number of Pages: 397 pages

Date Read: 12/15/2010

Series: Love By Numbers #1

Publisher: Avon 

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

After reading so many romance novels with a generous and kind hero, I have finally stumbled upon a romance novel where we have here a “bad boy” hero. “Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake” is an amazing tale by Sarah MacLean about romance, drama, betrayal and lots of love making scenes that will have romance fans flipping over with excitement!

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell (Callie for short) has always wanted more out of her life since her life as a spinster to make a list of nine rules to break to make her life more interesting. While completing her list, Callie meets notorious and handsome rake Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston (Gabriel or Ralston for short) who she seems to have feelings for since ten years ago. Now Callie’s notorious list will either break her and Gabriel apart or bring them together.

Oh my goodness! Oh my gosh! I have never read a romance novel quite like this before! Sarah MacLean has certainly done an awesome job at writing this wonderful tale of love and betrayal! Now, I will talk about what I loved about the characters and the story. Sarah MacLean has probably created the most controversial yet most memorable characters in romance novels history! Callie is such a headstrong and passionate character, that I just loved her from the beginning! I loved the way that Callie was willing try something different in her life; even if it meant that she has to break the rules of the society she lives in to be a more daring person. Another character that really grew on me was Gabriel St. John and I will admit that when I first read about him, I was so annoyed by his rude and arrogant behavior towards Callie, but once I found out about how his mother had abandoned his family when he was small which caused him to distrust the power of love, I actually felt sympathy for him and when he stood up for Callie, watch out because Ralston truly shows his “bad” side when it comes to Callie! I also loved the fact that Gabriel is a true “bad boy” hero of the story as he has one rude and arrogant attitude, but he truly does have a heart of gold when it comes to protecting Callie. Now onto the juicy parts of this story! There are plenty of love-making scenes in this book from the very beginning to the very end and each love scene in this book will make you literally sweat and tingle all over as the scenes really go into great detail.

This book is basically filed to the brim with sex scenes, so anyone who is uncomfortable with reading about sex scenes might find it a bit difficult to read through this book.

Overall, “Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake” is definitely one of the most irresistible and unique romance novels ever written and any romance fans looking for pure love scenes and “bad boy” heroes will definitely get a kick out of this book!

* 2010 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance
* 2010 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Award) for Seal of Excellence
* 2011 RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Nominee for Best Regency Historical

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• Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean

• The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

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[BOOK REVIEW] Batman: Long Shadows by Judd Winick

Title:  Batman:  Long Shadows

Author:  Judd Winick

Artist: Mark Bagley

Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure / Thriller


Year Published: 2009


Year Read: 2015


Series:  Batman


Publisher: DC Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 15+ (Gory Violence and Some Language)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

Introduction:

Now to be honest, I have never read DC Comics’ major event “Final Crisis,” so I am not familiar with Batman (or Bruce Wayne in this case) being dead during this event and this comic book “Batman: Long Shadows” takes place after the events of “Final Crisis.”  However, despite not reading “Final Crisis,” I still thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel (although being a huge Dick Grayson fan also helps)!

What is this story about?

After the events of “Final Crisis,” Batman (Bruce Wayne) is pronounced dead, but in order to prevent the world from knowing that the real Batman is dead, Bruce Wayne’s protégé Dick Grayson decides to take up the mantle himself.  Unfortunately, Batman’s old nemesis Two-Face notices that Batman is not himself and he sets out to murder the new Batman!

What I loved about this story:

Judd Winick’s writing: Wow! Can I say that I was truly impressed with Judd Winick’s writing of this short story that takes place after “Final Crisis?”  Now as it is known by now, I am a huge Dick Grayson fan and the fact that I am reading another “Batman” comic that stars Dick Grayson taking the mantle from Bruce Wayne  (the first comic I read that had Dick Grayson as Batman was “Batman: The Black Mirror”) is just so exciting to me!  I loved the way that Judd Winick wrote this story as we actually get to see how Batman’s immediate family (his butler Alfred, Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson) react to Bruce Wayne’s death and how they are trying to cope with the legacy that he left behind as Batman.  It was pretty interesting to see how Dick Grayson tries to upheld Bruce Wayne’s legacy as Batman while doing things his own way and I loved how the other characters often commented on how Dick Grayson was a lot more friendlier as Batman than Bruce Wayne was and it was a nice change for the characters, especially for Alfred.  I really enjoyed the relationship that Dick shares with Damian Wayne and Alfred as he treats Alfred like a father figure and he tries to get through the hard headed Damian Wayne.  Judd Winick’s portrayal of Dick Grayson was fantastic as Dick continues to crack jokes throughout the story while showing great concern and compassion for his mentor Bruce Wayne and that just made me love Dick Grayson even more!

Mark Bagley’s artwork:  Mark Bagley’s artwork is truly fantastic, especially during the battle sequences!  I loved the way that Mark Bagley made all the explosions look extremely realistic and effective as I really felt the chaotic mood of the battle scenes that Dick Grayson gets involved in.  I also loved the way that Mark Bagley drew the expressions on the characters’ faces as they look expressive and I actually felt the same emotions that the characters felt through certain situations, like the sadness that Batman’s immediate family felt when Bruce Wayne died.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I took off half a point from the rating was because the beginning tended to drag on for a while before the story got exciting and I will admit I was a bit bored with the beginning until I got into the actual story as it went on.  Also, for anyone who does not like gory violence and language, this comic does have a fair share of violence and language.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Batman: Long Shadows” is an excellent graphic novel for fans who want to see Dick Grayson take up the Batman cowl and own it like no one else!