Showing posts with label Michelle A Valentine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michelle A Valentine. Show all posts

Saturday, 23 February 2013

Review: Demon at my Door - Michelle A. Valentine

Gothic outcast Natalie Sugarman bartered her soul for her dying mother’s life sixteen years ago to a boy demon that could stop time. Now, days before her twenty-first birthday, the lifelines on her palms are slowly vanishing, and she knows it’s just a matter of time before Satan’s little helper collects.

Natalie's tried numerous times to kill the demon and regain control of her soul’s destiny, but she always falls short. When she decides to try and gain the element of surprise for her next attempt, Natalie seeks answers about his location from a freaky, glowing-eyed fortuneteller. Creeped out by the psychic’s methods, she bolts from the reading and misses the warning that the demon who stole her soul is always closer than she thinks.

After some strange incidents with her new boyfriend, including a hot, levitating sex session, she realizes he’s the grown-up version of her little nightmare and he’s returned to collect on their deal. Natalie must figure out how to win her soul back from the demon before her lifeline completely disappears and she becomes his forever—even if that means making a deal to damn three other souls to take her place.

*Demon At My Door is a New Adult Paranormal Romance with very mature scenes*

Visit Michelle A. Valentine's website for more information.

Review:
Natalie was five years old when she sold her soul to a demon in order to save her mother's life, she didn't understand what she was really giving up but that isn't going to stop the demon from collecting his payment when she reaches her 21st birthday. Ever since she told people about the demon she has been treated as a crazy outcast by her family and by people at school. Her friends turned their backs on her and now she lives a very lonely life. Over the summer she has been dating her ex-friend and neighbour Stew but now they are back at college he is refusing to publicly acknowledge their relationship and Natalie feels more alone than ever. That is until new boy Rick comes onto the scene and takes an immediate interest in her completley ignoring the warnings to stay away from the crazy girl. She grows closer to Rick but her birthday is fast approaching and she has very little time left. Natalie is desperate to find a way to win back her soul but will the demon be prepared to make a new bargain?

I really enjoyed Michelle A Valentine's debut Rock the Heart so when I heard she was publishing a paranormal romance I couldn't wait to read it. Demon at my Door is the first book in a new series and is aimed at the new adult market. With the new adult label I have to say I was expecting a higher sexual content than it included, apart from one particular (very hot!) heavy petting scene this really read more like a young adult book. The main character Natalie is 20 but I felt she acted like she was much younger than that and I would have found it more believable if she had been around 16 and at school rather than college.

I'll admit that I wasn't too sure at the beginning of the book whether I was going to enjoy it, it took me a long time to warm to Natalie and I couldn't stand Stew from the very beginning. I hated Stew for the way he treated her but I was almost as annoyed at Natalie for letting him get away with it. Thankfully as the story progressed and I learnt more about her past I started to understand why Natalie acted the way she did, I still didn't agree with what she was doing but it made sense that she would behave like that. I'll never be a fan of Stew but I even came to understand him better by the end of the book. The story definitely picked up for me the moment Rick walked onto the page, I loved him from the beginning and he certainly provided plenty of swoon worthy moments! Rick gives off a bad boy vibe without actually acting like a bad boy, from the very beginning he is protective of Natalie and he is such a good friend to her even while it is obvious that he is interested in so much more. I found it hard to see why Natalie would still be pining over Stew when she had the gorgeous Rick on the scene but then again first love is a very tricky thing! Even when it became clear that Rick had a few secrets that he was keeping I was still firmly on his team.

One thing that I feel I have to mention is the editing, this book could have been so much more enjoyable to read if there hadn't been so many mistakes. If I'd been reading a print copy rather than an ebook I would have been tempted to get out my red pen because on practically every page I'd come across incorrect words (your/you're, too/to, tale/tail to mention a few) or sentences that didn't quite make sense until you'd guessed what the missing word was. If that is something that will drive you insane you may want to wait and hope that an updated version is released but if you can look past it then the story itself is enjoyable. It's hard because you can't really compare a self published novel that costs £1.30 to a traditionally published book that is more likely to be £6.99, I'm just warning you so you'll know what to expect when you buy the book.

Overall I did like Demon at my Door but it didn't manage to blow me away. However, after a rocky start I found myself enjoying the story more and more towards the end which is when things really got going and I can't wait to spend more time with Rick when the sequel is released. If you're a fan of young adult paranormal romance and you don't mind stories with a bit of spice to them then it would be worth giving this book a try.

Source: Ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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Monday, 7 January 2013

Review: Rock the Heart - Michelle A. Valentine

For the last four years, good girl Lane has regretted breaking up with Noel Falcon. She thought she was sensible when she told him his dreams of being a rock star would get him nowhere, but now that he's a rock god and her career is stagnant, she realizes just how wrong she was. When Noel hires the marketing company where Lane is an intern, she’s forced to see him again. If she wants to land her dream job as executive within the company, she has to win him over and secure his account. Too bad Noel is still pissed at her for breaking his heart.

When Lane’s company flies her to a Black Falcon concert to gain Noel’s attention, emotions run high the moment she sees him and realizes she’s far from over him. But Noel’s countless trysts with groupies and his cocky attitude make Lane believe he isn’t the same guy she once loved—now he seems to only want her body. Then after Lane discloses she needs him to procure a job, Noel proves he’s a changed man by forcing her to go on the road with him in order to get it.

After Lane reluctantly takes Noel up on his offer, she becomes willing to do whatever it takes to keep him satisfied, even if it means succumbing to his seductive ways. Lane soon finds deception is a dangerous game and she’s not the only one playing.

Black Falcon Series:
Rock the Heart
Rock the Band (Novella) (January 2013)
Rock my Bed (February 2013)

Visit Michelle A. Valentine's website for more information.

Review:
Lane and Noel were high school sweethearts but she broke his heart by leaving him when he decided to chase after his dream of becoming a rock star. Lane was convinced that Noel would never make a success of himself in the music business and wanted him to focus on getting an education and a more traditional job instead. Four years on and Noel is living the dream and touring the world with his band Black Falcon while Lane is still struggling as an intern trying to build her dream career working for a marketing company. When Black Falcon hire the company Lane is working for it could be her chance to earn a respected position with the company but to do that she is going to have to do whatever it takes to keep Noel happy - even if that means going on tour with him and the band.

I have been really enjoying reading about rock star heroes recently and Noel is one sexy rocker who I was happy to spend time with. He has the bad boy attitude down perfectly but underneath the outward swagger it is easy to see he's really a nice guy. I ended up feeling quite sorry for Noel at times, he wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to Lane, she knew that she had broken his heart by rejecting him but he was quick to admit that he still had feelings for her. I found myself getting quite irritated by the way Lane kept messing him around, she couldn't make up her mind whether to give their relationship a second chance or not and I started to get to the point where I wanted Noel to realise that she just wasn't worth the effort! Then we found out about Noel's big secret and my opinion of him changed completely. It's hard to say much without giving spoilers but I wasn't annoyed with him because of what he'd done (he was trying to do the right thing) but I was livid with him for the way he had lied to Lane about things. He should have been honest with her from the start and if I was Lane I'd probably have punched him! Thankfully they have been able to work through some of their misunderstandings though because they do work well as a couple and they have great chemistry.

I'm excited we get to see more of Noel and Lane's story when Rock the Band comes out later this month and I'm equally looking forward to Riff's story (Rock my Bed) which is due to be released at the end of February. I hope that we will eventually see each of the members of Black Falcon get their own happy ending and I really, really want to spend more time with Striker who is the lead singer of a rival band. Rock the Heart was an entertaining read but there were times when you could tell it was a debut. I'm not saying that is a bad thing because every author starts somewhere but it does mean that there were a few typos and spelling mistakes in the book. There were also a couple of phrases that got a little repetitive but overall the book is well written and enjoyable. I do think it could have been improved with a little more editing but the potential is definitely there and I am expecting great things from Michelle A. Valentine in the future.

Source: Ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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