This book lingered on my Kindle for months before I decided to read it. I don't know why, but I didn't really expect to like it much. I was so wrong.This YA love story has a hero and heroine who have serious Issues. The capital I kind. Echo's brother died at war, her father married her former babysitter, and she has scars on her arms from a violent incident with her mother that she cannot remember. Noah, meanwhile, is struggling to get his life together after his parents died in a fire, leaving he and his brothers in separate (and not always friendly) foster home. Ultimately, Noah wants to gain custody of his two brothers after he graduates, and to do that he has to prove that their current foster home is unfit.
Echo ends up getting a job tutoring Noah. There is, of course, a mutual attraction between them. They are also united by a desire to see the file that their school's psychologist has on each of them--Echo so that she can find out what really happened to her, and Noah so that he can find his brothers.
The chemistry between Echo and Noah is sweet, intense, and at times painful. At first, it seems like an opposites attract type of story. In reality, though, they aren't so opposite. Noah was once a very nice kid, before his family was torn apart, and even now that he's experienced the darker side, he still has a lot of honor. Echo has spent a significant amount of time as a social outcast. They both want to regain some kind of normal in their lives. The difference is, Echo thinks that normal means social popularity, and part of her development is figuring out what real friends are. The relationship development felt natural, and I totally believed that these two people could make a real and lasting connection. Noah is surprisingly gentle with Echo, and fully accepting of her in a way that no one else is.
The character development for both Noah and Echo is absolutely heartbreaking. From the start, I was deeply worried for Noah and his brothers, and unsettled about the fact that he wanted to become their guardian. Echo's grief over her brother and he fight for mental health is as frighteningly honest as I've ever seen in a YA novel.
The secondary characters are fantastic. Beth and Isiah, Noah's best friends, are darkly intriguing and just begging for their own books.
Overall, this is seriously such a great book. It's well written and extremely emotional. Easily the best reading experience I've had in a long time. 5 stars.
: This book is about Cameron, the daredevil brother who has spent years traveling Europe and entering various races involving anything that will go fast. Moving back home and caring for a frightened kid is not what he wants to be doing, but he goes willingly and tries his best in honor of his adopted father's memory. The love interest, Anna, is Seth's social worker. Under her professional veneer she's feisty and hot tempered, but has a good heart. She's a great match for Cam. I loved them as a couple. I love the interactions between the brothers and the family atmosphere it creates. All around, a wonderful book. 5 stars.
: This book is about Ethan, the quiet, more down-to-earth brother who has remained a fisherman at home all his life. The love interest is Grace, a single mom who has been working for the brothers as a housekeeper. I found Ethan's story to be the most emotional of the three brothers. He has a really dark past and a lot of issues to work through. But I liked that he was less of an alpha-male and more a sweet, gentle fellow. I loved his journey to finding peace. 4.5 stars.
: This book is about Philip, the most slick and sophisticated of the brothers. The love interest is Sybill, who presents herself as a psychologist interested in researching Seth's case. Naturally, the brothers are pretty wary of her. This was always my least favorite of the books, because the heroine is a bit cold at first and Phil is not a terribly easy character to relate to. But it does finish up the original trilogy with many heart-warming moments. 4 stars.
: This was written as an addition to the original series. It focuses on Seth, all grown up and moving back to his home town after spending years in Europe as a traveling artist. The love interest is Dru, a woman from a wealthy family who decided to break away from her previously upscale life to run a small town flower shop. Not only was this book a wonderful love story in it's own right, it's also and extended happily-ever-after form the other three brothers. I loved seeing how the family had grown and still stayed close. 4.5 stars.
: Self declared spinster and mother hen of the family, Amelia Hathaway, finds herself in the arms of the wealthy half-gypsy Cam. If that sentence alone doesn't sell you on this book, let me say that this is one of my absolute favorite books, period. It's an opposites attract pairing. Cam is extremely sexy and mysterious. Amelia is a strong, admirable character who many women can probably relate to. Plus, you get to meet the rest of the Hathaways and get your first glimpse and all of their delightful madness. 5 stars.
: Now, this was probably the weakest in the series for me. The heroine, Win Hathaway, has spent a lot of her life in frail health. Even though she's much recovered, everyone including our hero Merripen, treat her with a lot of delicacy. I'm not overly fond of fragile heroines. Still, it's emotional and romantic. It has a very strong hero, and I did connect to his emotional journey. 3 stars.
: Poppy Hathaway is basically trapped into marrying the stern hotelier Harry Rutledge. A good portion of the book takes place in the hotel, where to Harry's dismay Poppy befriends everyone from cook to messenger. I liked that Poppy was such a friendly heroine. I thought she and Harry were an excellent match. 4 stars.
: In some ways this is your typical reformed rake (Leo) meets uptight spinster (Cat) romance. But it has enough uniqueness to keep things interesting. Leo has a pretty valid reason for his rakish behavior, and has already begun to pull himself together by the time Cat arrives. Cat is the governess for the younger Hathaway girls, and she has valid reasons for being pinned up. The two are remarkably cut together. 4.5 stars
: Beatrix agrees to help her friend Pru write letters to her betrothed, Christoper, who is at war in France. Bea ends up writing the letters herself after Pru loses interest, and through the exchange she and Christopher fall in love--without him realizing her true identity. Letters and journals are a favorite story-telling device of mine. Added to this Bea is my favorite Hathaway girl, with her love of animals and her lively spirit. This book is particularly delightful. 5 stars.
: Lachlain, the leader of the Lykae, escapes from years of torture at the hands of vampires when he catches the scent of him fated mate. Emmaline, half valkyrie and half vampire, is the last person Lachlain would have chosen or expected as a mate, but he's determined to claim her anyway. The interactions between them are intense. I was struck by the familiar imbalance of power between the too--Lachlain being extremely powerful and overbearing, Emmaline being somewhat sheltered and helpless. This is a sexy, if somewhat irritatingly anti-feminist trope. It's forgivable in this book because Emma really comes into her own by the end, and Lachlain becomes a bit gentler (without being totally de-clawed). Really great first book. 4 stars.
: Kaderin the Cold Hearted, a valkyrie known for her skill in slaying vampires, competes in an Amazing Race style tournament for immortals, hoping to win a prize she covets desperately. Sebastian, knowing that Kaderin is his Bride (fated mate), competes as well in hopes of winning Kaderin over. I liked that Kaderin was such an alpha female, while Sebastain (though quite alpha like in his own right) is not quite as domineering as your typical paranormal romance hero. I loved how much action and adventure this book featured, and I really got into the competitive nature of the plot. 5 stars.
: Bowen, a Lykae, once lost his mate when she tragically ran from him. Now, a witch named Mariketa appears to be his mate. Bowen struggles with his prejudice against witches and Mariketa's desire to build her power. Unfortunately this wasn't a favorite book for me. I didn't care for Bowen as a hero, I found him irrational and overbearing most of the time. I liked Mariketa, but I didn't feel like she and Bowen were a good match. 2.5 stars.
: Conrad, a mostly mad vampire, is locked in a house haunted by Naomi, the ghost of a former ballerina. This is the most successful attempt I've seen at using a ghost as the protagonist of a paranormal romance. It makes for such beautiful imagery, comedy, and an extremely touching romance. I also liked that the hero was inexperienced when it came to sex and women--you don't see too many virgin heroes. 5 stars.
: Dethrone demon king Rydstorm falls in love with the evil sorceress Sabine. I was really excited that the heroine had such a dark personality, and I found her back story intensely interesting. Rydstorm is not quite as interesting, but still manages to be three dimensional. The romance is surprisingly satisfying. The plot drags a bit in some places, but for the most part it keeps your interest. 4.5 stars.
: Garreth, prince of the Lykae, discovers that Lucia the valkyrie and master archer is his mate. Lucia actively runs from him, busy pursuing her own mission. Lucia has some old scores to settle and an apocalypse to avert. Lucia and Garreth are probably my favorite couple of the series, I feel that they have a lot of chemistry. The timeline of this book goes all the way back to book one, and I thought that was pretty impressive. 5 stars.
: Carrow the witch is blackmailed and sent to Oblivion, a hell plane, to apprehend Malkom (a half demon, half vampire). Malkom is pretty violent and isolated by nature, for good reason. I found him intensely interesting. I liked Carrow as well, and she develops a great deal throughout the book--from carefree party girl to responsible guardian. I felt their chemistry was a bit forced, but it still had it's moments. 4 stars.
: This one has an ambitious plot. Regin, a valkyrie, meets Aiden the berserker when she's very young. He fully intends to make her his mate, but dies before he can win his immortality. Several incarnations later, he's back as Declan Chase, a human involved in the capture, torture and murder of immortals. Regin remains one of my all time favorite characters, with her humor and fierceness. With Chase, I felt that Cole struggled to go from villain to fully redeemed hero. It was a little unbelievable, and I just didn't connect with him as strongly as I wanted to--and therefore didn't fully buy into the romance. 3.5 stars.
, and I'm not sorry to have taken my time with it. Like the first two books in the trilogy it's so vast and detailed that a quick read wouldn't allow me to take in everything. As it is I find it difficult to articulate what exactly appeals to me about these books.
I immediately wrote a review detailing how surprised I was that I enjoyed such a weighty piece of historical fiction. It isn't just the romance, although for me that's certainly part of it. It's the adventure, violence, history, turmoil, and attention to detail that make it stand out. I said all of this, to anyone who would listen. But I never reviewed Dragonfly in Amber, though I certainly enjoyed it almost as much. The reason for this is simple. Dragonfly in Amber makes me sad. I think that when I finished it the first time I was way too emotional to write about it objectively.
