Review: Luxuria and Invidia

                                     

248 Pages

256 Pages

Published in 2009
By Nicci Sefton

"The world around them seemed to stop. The waterfall silenced, the bats' wings no longer hitting their bodies and the differences between him and Annabell seemed to disappear.

Her cool lips seemed to him like he was kissing a frozen sweet. He felt her cold arms wrap around his neck and pull him closer." Luxuria, p. 124

"She hadn't realized how fast they were going until the wind hit her like a bus, knocking her off the top of the car and rolling her down the back. But before she could land on her feet, a semi collided with her, sending her flying toward the shoulder." Invidia, p. 74

SYNOPSIS:

Luxuria: Derrick is determined to get to know Annabell from the moment he first sees her on his first day at a new high school. Undaunted by his discovery that she and her 'family' are vampires, Derrick's love for the beautiful Annabell grows. Just as Annabell begins to trust in their love, and allow herself to enjoy something good in her life, an old enemy threatens their future. Can a vampire and a human truly have a relationship? And can Annabell escape her dark past? 

Invidia:  This second installment picks up a few months after the end of Luxuria. Not only are Derrick and Annabell reveling in their bond of love, but Annabell is enjoying her new royal status among all vampires. Yet, once again, enemies from Annabell's previous life emerge, with the aim of hunting Annabell down to posses her powers. Annabell must fight to protect those who she loves, and her own soul.

REVIEW:

In both Luxuria and Invidia, we loved that the central female characters are so dynamic. They are strong willed, talented, and devoted to their family unit. We also enjoyed Derrick's character - who is a truly good guy who can still be mischievous.

We also thought that the author's concepts were original and interesting. It is very difficult to add something new to the vampire genre, but the author has managed to do just that. The plot also did keep us guessing and we were not able to predict the endings.

We were also able to detect a growth in the author's writing from one novel to the other. While both novels have both love and adventure, Invidia provides more depth to each character.

There were some questions that were left unanswered. However, we suspect that these may be resolved in the other installments. Also, at times Derrick does seem too good to be true - but so do most fictional males :) Lastly, we did feel there was a bit of a disconnect between Annabell's history and the fact that she has never had any actual lovers, but for this reason we feel that these novels are more suited for the younger half of the YA audience.

We thank the author for allowing us the honor to review her novels and wish her all the best in overcoming that pesky writer's block for the other installments!

Review: Laney

285 Pages
Published in 2010
By Joann I. Martin Sowles

"Promise?" I whispered, resting my head back against his chest.

"Nope."

"No?" My head snapped up; I was surprised and a bit offended.

"Promises are for those who can't keep them," he said, quickly kissing me on the lips. (p.210)

"[Oliver] started the car and we were speeding away with dirt spinning up everywhere, but not fast enough. Something hit the back of the car and several startled screams echoed from inside the car. One of them was mine. That vampire was on the car." (p.222)

""His arms wrapped around my waist from behind and he kissed my neck again, closer to the wound this time. My pulse accelerated. I wanted him to bite me; I wanted to be his." (p.276)

SYNOPSIS:

Laney is a college student filling her schedule with random classes trying to figure out what she wants in life. She spent most of her life being overprotected by her grandmother and now wants to experience life on her own, along with her roommate Kiera.

From the moment Laney first sees Oliver and his gorgeous smile her life begins to change. She feels an indescribable pull towards him and he seems to feel the same.

Soon Laney and Oliver are spending every moment together, allowing Laney to finally experience love.

However, as Laney begins to fall for Oliver she realizes that he is anything but your typical college boy. Brookehaven Vampires is about Laney's discovery and entry into a world she never imagined.

REVIEW:

Regardless of whether you prefer your paranormal novels to be about undying love, action packed adventures, or unique characters you will enjoy reading Laney because this novel has it all.

We really appreciated that the character was old enough to truly understand the meaning of love. We also liked that she lived on her own and thus there is not a glaring absence of a parental figure. Lastly, it was refreshing to meet a spicy, hot vamp who isn't hundreds of years old! Laney and Oliver's love story also realllllly heats up the page! :-P

The plot reads like a movie in that it is filled with vivid fight scenes and a constant thread of suspense about what is really going on and what is going to happen. We are also left with a cliffhanger at the end that expertly surprises the reader and makes us want more. (I even had turned the page without realizing that was the end! -Jas) 

Like all novels, there were some aspects that we did not like. For example, the characters' language does not employ a sufficient use of slang, and at times the love between Oliver and Laney does get a bit dramatic.

But overall, we did enjoy reading this novel and we sincerely thank the author for giving us a chance to review her first writing venture!