Romance Review "Entwined With You" by Sylvia Day

Title:  Entwined With You (Crossfire #3)
Author:  Sylvia Day

Publisher:  Berkley 

Publication Date:  June 4, 2013
Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Format:  Kindle 687 KB  |  Paperback 368 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Paperback|  Kindle Edition

Author's Website:  http://www.sylviaday.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Sylvia Day

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn’t resist. I saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside–so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.

No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I’d been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.

Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession…

My Thoughts...

Honestly, with every book Gideon Cross just gets more sexy and I just love him more and more.  Ms. Day seems to set the bar higher with each installment of this series.  I am SO not one of those people who is upset that the story isn't over after this book.  I want so many more books about Gideon that she could just continue this series forever and I would be a happy camper!  I also read one review that was upset that it was a cliffhanger.  It's not a cliffhanger, in fact it almost could have been the final book in the series if not for the fact that some story lines were left open or started.  

So in my review of Reflected in You I mentioned that I hoped we saw more of Victor, Eva's dad.  Boy did we see more of him in this book!  He is such a sweet man and he really is a wonderful father.  It was devastating to him to learn what happened to Eva when she was younger, although I have to say that I am not totally on board with how he dealt with it.  Eva's mother is the same as ever, controlling and constantly sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong.  While it's clear that she has Eva's best interests at heart she has a really bad way of inserting herself into Eva's business and that causes problems for them once again.

Cary played a decent part in this book, but not as much as the last one.  There was a major step in his story line that we will see playing out in the next books.  He's still very much a part of Eva's life and looks to be for some time.  She did keep a lot of things from him throughout the course of this book.  He's upset with her and understandably so, but they will work through it, they always do.  I think that everyone needs a friend like Cary!

I liked Eva so much better in this book.  She still has some work to do, but she isn't running at the first sign of conflict anymore.  I think she finally realizes that Gideon loves only her and that he isn't going anywhere.  I think he pretty much proved how much he loves her in the last book.  They are still dealing with the ramifications of that and will be for some time.  They took their relationship to a whole new level in this book and I am so anxious to see how it progresses in the next 2 books.  I just hope we don't have to wait too long for the next book.

Ms. Day seems to take each book to the next level when it comes to her love scenes as well.  If you thought that that last book was sexy, it has nothing on this one.  There are some scenes in this book that will have you blushing, no doubt and one in particular that I sure didn't see coming.  There is a fair amount of profanity in this book like there was in the others, some is vulgar, but not used in a derogatory way.  If you don't like detailed love scenes then you probably want to take a pass on this series.

If you have enjoyed the last two books in this series then this one can't be passed up.  Gideon is still my all time favorite book boyfriend and the FIRST one that is going on my Book {boyfriend} Quilt!!

Paranormal Romance Review "Eve of Destruction" by Sylvia Day

Title:  Eve of Destruction (Marked #2)
Author:  Sylvia Day
Publisher:  TOR Books
Publication Date:  January 29, 2013 (originally published 6/1/09)
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Format:  Kindle 565 KB   | Paperback 432 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Paperback  |  Kindle Edition
Author's Website:  http://www.sylviaday.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Sylvia Day

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Class is in, but Evangeline Hollis is struggling to get through the requisite training to be a full-fledged Mark. When her class goes on a field trip to an abandoned military base, passing the course isn’t just a matter of pride…it’s a matter of life and death.

There’s a demon hidden among them, killing off Eve’s classmates one by one.

As the body count mounts, a ragtag team of cable TV ghost hunters unwittingly stumbles into the carnage. Now keeping the Mark system secret competes with the need to keep the “paranormal researchers” alive. With Cain on assignment and Abel on an investigation, Eve must fly solo on her hunt to stop a killer before he strikes again.

My Thoughts...

It's been a couple weeks since I finished this book, but I jotted down my thoughts when I finished it so for this review I am just going to hit those points I thought were most important at that time.

This story starts off pretty much right where the last one left off...or rather where the first book began.  Eve has been brought back basically from the dead and now she's in training.  She does seem to have an advantage over her fellow trainees, though.  One, she has already spent time in the field, so to speak and two, she has Cain, the ultimate Mark, as her mentor.  This leaves her open to jealousy amongst her peers and tends to make her stand out.

Gadara is up in the training rotation just as it's time for Eve to train, a coincidence that is not at all lost of either of the brothers.  The training group is headed to an old military base, while Cain is being sent to investigate a new breed of infernal that has been killing Marks.  This mark is like nothing they have seen before and it grows with each kill.  The new recruits are supposed to be in training, but it's clear very early on that there is more going on when people start to die.

While Eve and Cain are separated Abel steps in and gets closer to her through their bond as Mark and Handler.  The three of them from a triumvirate during a moment of passion.  This bonds them even further and I believe that this is something that was set in motion from the time that Cain fell in love with Eve all those years ago.  A higher power has been pushing these pieces into place for years.  Eve and Abel get much closer in this book and as much as I love Cain, I have to admit that I didn't hate it!

Eve is still in the dark about what Cain's long range plans are.  It's clear that while he is torn between his love for her and wanting to head his own firm, I honestly don't think he would choose her in the end if it came down to it.  When Gadara disappears, big changes are in store for Cain when heaven needs a new Archangel to take his place, but where does this leave Eve?

This story was a little more drawn out than the last one, but I didn't enjoy it any less.  I am such a fan of Ms. Day's writing that it could have been 600 pages and I still would have enjoyed it.  There was a lot more action in this one.  We did meet a few new characters in this book that will play a bigger part in the next book, not the least of which was Samael.

If you liked the first book then you are definitely going to want to pick this one up.  As with the first one, this continues with the somewhat biblical theme, make no mistake though, this is not a Bible story.  There are more steamy love scenes, etc... It's very much an adult read.

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

Paranormal Romance Review AND Giveaway "Eve of Darkness" by Sylvia Day

Title:  Eve of Darkness (Marked #1)
Author:  Sylvia Day
Publisher:  TOR Books
Publication Date:  January 8, 2013 (originally published 4/28/09)
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Format:  Kindle 500 KB   | Paperback 368 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Paperback  |  Kindle Edition
Author's Website:  http://www.sylviaday.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Sylvia Day

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Years ago, Evangeline Hollis spent a blistering night with a darkly seductive man she can’t forget. But that evening of addictive pleasure has become a disaster of biblical proportions: She’s been branded with the Mark of Cain.

Thrust into a world where sinners are marked and drafted to kill demons, Eve’s former one-night stand, Cain, is now her mentor—and his equally sexy
brother Abel is her new boss.

Now Eve has become the latest point of contention in the oldest case of sibling rivalry in history...

Cursed by God, hunted by demons, desired by Cain and Abel... All in a day's work.

My Thoughts...

Ms. Day had me at Cain and Abel and while this may not be something that appeals to everyone, I loved it.  The world that she has created for this series pulled me in and held on to me throughout this book and the next 2 in the series.

Here is the skinny on Eve being "Marked"...Cain (Alec Cain) met Eve (Evangeline) when she was just 18, he fell in love with her.  She was young and innocent and she was drawn to him immediately, I mean seriously, who wouldn't be?  He couldn't stay away from her, she didn't want him too, and he ended up being her first.  After that one night he disappeared and she doesn't see him again for 10 years.  What she doesn't know is that her one night with Cain is why she ends up being marked.  Abel (Reed Abel) is the one who gives her the mark.  Once he does, Cain enters the picture again and gives her his own mark which says that he's her mentor.  Throughout this book Eve is pulled between the 2 brothers.  They each have feelings for her and she is torn by the feelings that she has for Abel when she knows that she loves Cain.

In this world, the Marked are sinners who are given The Mark.  This makes them essentially immortal, they are stronger, faster, etc...  They kill Infernals, demons who have crossed some line or other.  They are working for God in an effort to redeem themselves so that when they die they don't end up in hell.  Some don't fulfill that duty before they die, but some do.  This world is run very much like a business, there are 7 Archangels who run the Firms around the world.  The Hierarchy is this... Archangel > Handler > Mentor > Marked.  So in Eve's world Gadara is the Archangel, Abel is her Handler (he tells her where to go and what to kill) and Cain is her Mentor.  Cain is the one teaching her what she needs to know to survive, at least for now.

This story actually starts out with the first chapter being a sort of cliffhanger ending, then it goes back and tells the story of how they actually got to that point.  There is a lot of action and really a lot going on in this book that is set up for the next 2 books.  I didn't feel a particular connection to Eve for some reason, but that didn't make me like the book any less and it wasn't because she was a poorly written character.  Quite the opposite, I think that Ms. Day does an excellent job with her character development.  I think my problem with Eve is that while she is written as an Asian woman I don't see her that way when I read her, but in the back of my mind I know she is.  I know that makes NO sense at all!!

So, overall, I really loved this story and I am nearly done with the series and I am not ready for it to be the end quite yet!  I want to make it clear that this book is an adult book and if you have read any of Ms. Day's other books you know that she writes some really steamy love scenes and this book is no exception.  While some characters in this series are biblically based, that's where the similarities end.  There is plenty of profanity and sex in this book so be forewarned, if that's something you don't care for.

Now for a little GIVEAWAY!!

I received this book and the rest in the series from TOR and they have graciously offered to send  print copies of Eve of Destruction to TWO of my readers!!  So, I am going to make it super easy for you to enter to win...Just leave me a comment on this post and on Monday 3/11 I will plug the entries into Random Number Generator and pick 2 winners.  You need to make sure that you put your email address in the comment so that I can get a hold of you.  Once I pick the winners and send out the e-mails, you have 24 hours to reply or I will draw another winner.

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

{ARC REVIEW} "Reflected in You" by Sylvia Day

Title:  Reflected in You (Crossfire #2)
Author:  Sylvia Day
Publisher:  Berkley 
Publication Date:  October 2, 2012
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Format:  Kindle 578 KB   | Paperback 432 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Paperback  |  Kindle Edition
Author's Website:  http://www.sylviaday.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Sylvia Day 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We'd never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity.

We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession...

Diving in...

I didn't think it was possible for me to love Gideon Cross any more than I already did, but by the time I got to the end of this book I discovered how wrong I was!  I have a top 10 list of Book Boyfriends and let me tell you that Mr. Cross is in the top of that list.  I am a sucker for a tortured hero and Gideon has that in spades.  

This book literally picks up right where the first one left off.  I complained in my review of Bared to You about how Eva runs at the first sign of any conflict.  She is still doing that, but to be fair no time has really passed for her and throughout the course of this story she does grow up some, but she still has that tendency to jump to conclusions.  In her defense, though, Gideon does make it awfully hard for her.  They are still learning to trust each other and while I do believe that deep inside they do, it's really hard for them to show it.  

I liked that we got to meet a couple new characters in this book.  I loved Eva's dad, I really hope that we get to see more of him in the next book.  I was also really happy to see that Eva is realizing how important it is to have other friends.  She loves Gideon and he is everything to her, but she is also starting to realize the need to have other people that she can count on. 

I liked Cary in the first book, but I loved him in this one. This book was really rough on him, but he came through like the champ that he is.   He still has some stuff to work through, but it's clear that he's a good person and he really loves Eva and I think he's really good for her.  He is the one who makes her think through all the stuff that's going on with Gideon.  He wants what is best for her so he'll always be there for her when she needs him.

Gideon was the one who really grew the most in this book.  He is still secretive and he is constantly hiding things from Eva.  He wants her to trust him, but at the same time he is making it impossible for her do so.  He makes a tremendous breakthrough and when he does it's a beautiful thing to see (or read).  I don't think either of them are all the way there, but I think they are so incredibly close that it's going to make the wait for the next book almost unbearable!

There is no denying that there are some incredibly sexy love scenes in this one.  If you thought the first book was hot, you have NO idea!  Sylvia takes it to the next level with this one, it's going to be hard to top, but I have no doubt in my mind that she will blow us away with book three.

There is still a fair amount of profanity in this book, some is vulgar, but not written in a degrading or derogatory way.  At least not in my opinion.  There are also a lot of very descriptive and very sexy love scenes so if you don't like those then you may want to steer clear of this series.

If you read the first book, you can't pass on this one.  This series is going on my read and re-read list for sure!

*I received an ARC galley of this book for reviewing purposes courtesy of NetGalley.

{Review} "A Hunger so Wild" by Sylvia Day

Title:  A Hunger So Wild (Renegade Angels #2)
Author:  Sylvia Day
Publisher:  Signet
Publication Date:  July 3, 2012
Genre:  Paranormal Romance / Angels, Vampires, Lycans
Format:  Kindle 457 KB  |  Paperback 368 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback
Author's Website:   http://www.sylviaday.com/ 
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Sylvia Day

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sylvia Day draws us back into the shadows of a seductive underworld where lycans, vampires and angels vie for supremacy...

Elijah Reynolds is the most dominant of lycans, a rare Alpha whose skill on the hunt is surpassed only by his primal sexuality. When the lycans revolt due to the iron fist of angelic rule, he steps into command, becoming both enemy and coveted ally in the conflict between vampires and angels.

Vashti is the second most powerful vampire in the world, a lethal beauty with a path of devastation in her wake. Tasked with proposing an alliance between vampires and the lycans who killed her mate, Vash approaches Elijah, whose need to avenge a friend demands Vash's death even as his passion demands her surrender.

Soon, their enmity erodes beneath an all-consuming desire. Elijah has never encountered a woman whose warrior spirit and fierce sexual appetite rivals his own, while Vash is faced with the one man strong enough to be her equal. But as war looms, each must decide where their loyalty lies--with their own kind or with the enemy lover they can no longer live without. 

Diving In...

{Review} "A Touch of Crimson" by Sylvia Day

Title:  A Touch of Crimson (Renegade Angels #1)
Author:  Sylvia Day
Publisher:  Signet
Publication Date:  October 4, 2011
Genre:  Paranormal Romance / Angels, Vampires, Lycans
Format:  Kindle 430 KB  |  Paperback 368 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback
Author's Website:   http://www.sylviaday.com/ 
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Sylvia Day

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Adrian Mitchell is a powerful angel leading an elite Special Ops unit of Seraphim.  His task is to punish the Fallen-angels who have become vampires-and command a restless pack of indentured lycans.  But Adrian has suffered his own punishment for becoming involved with mortals- losing the woman he loves again and again. Now, after nearly two hundred years, he has found her-Shadoe-her soul once more inhabiting a new body, with no memory of him. And this time, he won't let her go. 

Diving In...

{Review} "Bared to You" by Sylvia Day

Title:  Bared to You (Crossfire #1)
Author:  Sylvia Day
Publisher:  Berkley 
Publication Date:  May 24, 2012
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Format:  Kindle, 656 KB

Buy this book on Amazon:  Paperback  Kindle Edition
Author's Website:  http://www.sylviaday.com/


Synopsis from Goodreads    

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness—beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily...

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private wounds... and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart...

Diving in...