Official Upcoming Release Schedule!

Due to changes in how my publisher assigns dates, I won't have release dates until I finish the book. I'm currently working on:

Taking the Realm which is book 3 of Sha and Connor's trilogy (previously titled Shaking the Balance)

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Review of Mark of the Sylph

Hello lovelies! I have joined the ranks of the reviewers on NetGalley.com and have had the pleasure of being approved to review a few books already :) Yes, I know what you're thinking. "But Lindsay Avalon, don't you already interview authors, review indie books, write your own, and work a full time job?! What the hell are you thinking?!" Well, the answer is simple: I'm a masochist who enjoys piling on the work lmao.

Anyway, I digress. You're more interested in the review aren't you? I started reading Mark of the Sylph by Rosalie Lario, an author I'd never heard of before but I liked the cover. Yes, I asked to review the book purely on the cover but when you look at it, you'll understand. After looking on Goodreads, this must be a re-release of the book because it looks like the original edition published back in 2011 with a totally different cover. All I can say is, they did a fantabulous job with the redesign because the new cover is so much more striking. Ready for the good part?

Review of Mark of the Sylph by Rosalie Lario

About the book:
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Expected Publication Date: March 26, 2013
My source for the book: NetGalley.com
Genre: Paranormal romance
Description:

Half-demon Taeg is desperate to free his pregnant sister-in-law, who is spellbound to an indestructible book that will create an army of the undead. He is convinced that an ancient sword can destroy the book and the spell forever, but this relic has been hidden for a millennia by a powerful glamour. The clock begins to run out on his search when an old rival goes after the book and Taeg’s family in his quest for revenge.

Librarian Maya Flores has a secret: she’s immune to magic and is well aware of the supernatural beings prowling the streets of New York City. Haunted by a brutal demon attack that took her family, she is on a one-woman mission to destroy the evil demons who did it—and any others who get in her way.

Maya is Taeg’s best hope for uncovering the sword.

Unfortunately, she wants nothing more than to kill him. As he fights for her trust and to save his family, she is forced to face the truth that not all demons are evil. And the worst part? She might be falling in love with one, too.


WHAT I LIKED:

Let me start by saying this is book to of the Demons of Infernum series. I didn't realize this was part of the series because I was drawn in my the cover. I mean really, look at that cover. Talk about yummy. The blurb seemed interesting and nowhere did NetGalley say it was part of a series so I just dove right in.

I'll give the author a lot of credit here. Without having read the first book I had no trouble following the plot. There were references to events in the first book that left me itching to go buy that book, but I didn't feel the need to stop reading because I'd gotten lost. In my opinion, the mark of a good series is to be able to pick up any book and be able to follow at least 80% of the plot without having read the previous books.

I thought the ideas were fresh and interesting with the idea that demons aren't hellspawn but rather beings from another dimension. The interactions between the brothers was awesome and I adored each of their personalities as well as the fact they each had distinctly different abilities. As for our hero, Taeg? Holy hell was he hot. I went into this book expecting a damn sexy hero after such a sexy cover and I wasn't disappointed at all. Loved his character, his wit, the right blend of alpha male without being over bearing. This book had plenty of action and the sexual tension was sizzling. I made the mistake of starting this before bed and didn't fall asleep for hours because I couldn't flip the pages fast enough.

By the end I was left dying to go back and read book 1 as well as dying for the next brother in the series.


WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

I hate to say it but I didn't like Maya very much at first. She starts the book loathing all demons and there's a damn good reason for that. Demons were responsible for a very traumatic experience and going through that, I'd hate demons too. My issue was how bitchy she was. She keeps trying to kill Taeg, alternating between begging to be let go and subsequently attacking him when he frees her. Sure their relationship started off a bit rocky when he kidnaps her, but it grew tiresome fast. Taeg ties her to the bed so he can try to explain himself without losing his head in the process. Maya calls him all sorts of names. Maya then calms down and promises to hear him out if he'll untie her. Taeg unties her. Maya proceeds to try to kill him. Taeg restrains her for his own protection. Maya gets all offended and pissed off.

I'm not saying she should've immediately trusted Taeg but her behavior really started to grate on my nerves. I'll be honest and say I skimmed parts of the beginning because I really couldn't understand how Taeg was so attracted to her when she was going after him.

Luckily Maya finally comes around, joins forces with Taeg, and becomes far less annoying. She's by no means my favorite heroine ever, but I grew to like her by the end.


OVERALL VERDICT: 4/5 Blue Duckies!



Like I said before, I really didn't like Maya at first. In fact, I wanted to reach through the Kindle and shake some sense into her or at the very least gag her. What saved this book and kept me reading was the interesting premise, fast pace, and Taeg. I loved Taeg. Didn't understand the initial attraction to Maya but hey, nobody's perfect right? Taeg was a damn sexy character with wit and charm and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next with him.

I also loved the fact that I started reading this book without realizing it was the second in a series and I had no trouble following along. I'd recommend reading the series in order just because that way you get a more rich experience and understanding of the characters, but you should do fine if you start on this one.

If you're looking for snappy dialog, action filled paranormal romance, and a very sexy hero, definitely give this one a read!

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