Dark Skye by Kresley Cole (thoughts)

I'm going to start my review on this book with my final thoughts:  I absolutely don't read enough paranormal romance!  And this book made me wonder why as I just gobbled it up!  This book was one of those perfect reads where you read it at exactly the right time.  I had been in the mood for a good romance (but haven't read that many this year so far) and liked the sound of this one.  Two families that hate each other with an intense history of violence?  A hero and heroine who once shared a secret relationship when they were younger but now cannot stand one another?  Yes please!  I knew that this was going to be my kind of romance and it certainly was!

In this book, Melanthe and Thronos had a secret friendship when they were very young.  A violent past though tore their relationship apart and caused them both to hate the other in every way possible.  The fact that Thronos knows that Melanthe is his fated mate means that he cannot leave her alone even if he hates her for all that she has done to him.  Melanthe's childhood experiences have caused her to despise all Vrekeners but especially her ex-childhood friend Thronos.  When they are thrown together and forced to survive in different worlds, they will begin to rediscover some of their past history finding that everything that they both believed in might not be the truth.  Will love find a way to reunite them??? 

Okay so I've got to admit that I was easily rooting for these two from the very beginning of this book.  I am such a sucker for a romance where the hero/heroine hate each other.  I love the slow build up to where that hate turns to passion.  I especially like when they resist each other for some time....it comes across more believable then when one just rolls over and falls madly in love for no reason.  Give me a book like this anytime and I will be hooked!  I thought the author did a really great job of setting all of these different obstacles between them especially with their shared history.  I also appreciated that their relationship slowly began to build and simmer.  It made it that much more steamier when it finally happened in my opinion :)  And this was definitely one of those books that I couldn't set down.  I found myself skimming at times just so that I could see what was going to happen next.  Then I would go back and reread just to make sure that I hadn't missed anything.  This is my first book by this author which means that I started yet again in the middle of a long standing series.  It didn't matter in the slightest.  I really appreciated that this book felt like a stand-alone novel even though now I know I have lots of good books to look forward to!  My only complaint with this book is in regards to the ending.  I feel like it wrapped up a little too fast and left more open than I would have liked.  Does this mean that we will have another book featuring Thronos and Lanthe?  I don't know but I do know that I would really like it if we did.  Overall though, even though I was left wanting more it didn't really detract from my reading experience all that much. 

This book has me eager to start at the beginning of this fourteen plus book series!  If they are all this good then I will certainly be in for a treat.  I really loved this book!  The connection between Thronos and Lanthe was something that I couldn't get enough of.  The best thing about finally trying this author's books though is just knowing that I have so many more to look forward to.  I can't wait!  And like I said before, I'm eager to try some new paranormal romance series out just to see what else I have been missing.  What other paranormal romance series are out there that you can't get enough of??  Please share as I need more books like this in my life!  Highly recommended but especially to romance fans and fans of the paranormal. 

Bottom Line:  A slow building romance led up to a GREAT read for me!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Thoughts are my own!

The Last Winter of Dani Lancing by P.D. Viner (thoughts)

If this novel couldn't be described as haunting then I don't know what else could. I am almost having a hard time putting into words my reading experience with this book.  This is yet another story where from very early on I knew that things were not going to end well (I've read a few books like this lately).  It didn't matter to me.  I was completely drawn into the book as the author portrays how Dani's murder affected the lives of those she loved and those who loved her.  This book is haunting, disturbing, and ultimately one of those gut wrenching experiences while reading that leaves you thinking about it for days afterwards.

In The Last Winter of Dani Lancing we get a glimpse into the lives of Jim and Patty Lancing.  Their only daughter Dani was murdered, and even after almost twenty years her death still plays a huge role in their every day lives.  They both dealt with the death of their daughter differently and it is because of this that they are drawn yet once again into the search for her killer.  Will they finally find the closure and answers that have eluded them after all this time?

This book was a book that kept me reading even when I didn't want to.  It was both engrossing and page turning even though it had some of the most unlikeable main characters that I have ever come across. I think that it is a mark of a good author when they can keep a reader's attention and allow them to connect to a story even though they don't care for the characters.  And that is exactly what this author did!  I may not have liked Patty or really understood Tom (Tom being Dani's old boyfriend) but I wanted to know their story.  I didn't even like Dani's character at times but I wanted to know what had happened to her and why.  I loved that the author painted such a clear picture of how Dani's death ruined the lives of those around her.  I found it entirely too easy to put myself in Dani's parent's shoes if you know what I mean.  It gave the book such an eerie atmosphere and really made it clear that everything couldn't possibly end well.  It didn't stop me from reading though and on the contrary made me want to read the book even more.  I needed to know how everything was going to end even though it felt like a train wreck waiting to happen.  There were lots of aspects of this book that surprised me but overall it was the ending that took my breath away.  This author sure knows how to pack a punch!

Overall, I found this to be a really solid thriller and debut from this new author.  I found it quite intriguing the way the author left the book open towards the end in a way that might mean more books.  I would definitely read more if this was the beginning part of a series (fingers crossed).  I would read more by this author even if this book isn't part of a series because it was such a surprisingly good read.  I'm eager to see what Viner will come up with next!  I noticed that this book was being compared to some of the other big name thrillers that have come out recently.  Do yourself a favor and just ignore the comparisons.  This one stands perfectly fine on its' own two feet in my opinion, and none of the books it was compared to really do it justice.  I would highly recommend this book but be warned that it was not always an easy read. 

Bottom Line:  A thriller that let the tension build until the very last page!

Disclosure:  I was sent a copy of this book for review thanks to the publisher.  Thoughts are my own!