When I was a little girl, I dreamed a handsome knight would come and rescue me from my wretched mother. He'd ride up on his white steed and break the curse I've been fated to carry since the day I was born.
Funny how things changed over time. How the fairy tale twisted into something far more crooked, darker than I ever imagined.
In reality, my knight is scarred and broken, living alone in a castle of bones that overlooks the sea. He isn’t searching for me. He never was.
Lucian Blackthorne is as cursed as I am, and equally shunned by the locals, the fishers of men, who believe him to be the devil in the flesh.
Perhaps he is, with the way his amber eyes draw me in, ignite me like an infernal blaze. And the sins he whispers in my ear are as wickedly intoxicating as the man himself.
Yet, his touch is heaven and his will is my weakness.
He calls us forbidden, an unsalvageable tragedy, with no happy end. Maybe we are. But in this story, he’s the one who needs saving.
REVIEW: 3.5-4 STARS
"You're my curse. Staying away from you, is like trying to hold my breath when the tide is rising. I want to drown in you."
#HappyBee - I *finally* read this book after having it recommended to me for months! I remember first seeing it and being intrigued - so I added it to my TBR. It has taken me a few days to gather myself after reading this book (and apparently a few months to publish my review - oops!), so here I am attempting that feat. But, what a great introduction to a new to me author!! Trying to put into words all my different thoughts is proving more difficult than I thought. - and it's not like I have a massive hangover or it bled me dry. It's actually quite funny because my feelings on it are more of the "WOW, I can't believe I haven't read her before and I really like her voice." and "There is so much to say and discuss, there's no way I will get it on one review!" I don't know what's taken me so long to read Keri Lake in general, but after reading this book, she will for sure be added to my list of authors to read more of. She is able to articulate a scene that is rich in discovery making this probably one of the easiest books to 'visualize' from a new to me author. Her flow was immediately welcoming, which I can appreciate, and I’m thankful for that. Nothing like jumping into a highly anticipated book by a NTM author and then the writing not working out for me at all. I am so glad I chose this for my first December Personal Reads. (Needless to say, my review is LATE.)
Submerged in a world of mystery and intrigue and, honestly....confusion, this book was a perfect example of how easily Lake described a scene because she had me clinging to the littlest of almost nonexistent clues to try and find my way through a murky plot full of brash, harsh truths, and compelling emotion to drive a wedge between anger and lust - which could have been confused as one in the same in some parts. She gave me a vulnerable character, a strong character, a moody character, and a complex character - oftentimes, wrapped up in the same character. This is the perfect discussable book just for the pure "but did you notice this" or "did you get why he said that" aspect of it because the opinions will vary wildly, but easily end up with the same conclusion or outcome.
I am not a dark reader by nature. I don't usually find myself enjoying them, but every now and then, one calls to me like this one did. What I found fascinating was the fact that I was able to continue reading the book with curiosity even though it wasn’t playing out the way I would’ve personally wanted. Lake's writing is compelling and she has a great voice. I couldn’t stop reading because it was so very interesting. I’m at a crossroads because this wouldn't normally be my go-to, but now I want to check out more in this style - but a standard has now been set.
What's really weird to me was that both of these characters were not an obvious draw for me. He was quiet. She was sarcastic. He was misunderstood. She was young but made some mature decisions, while other times making some not so smart moves. Sometimes the heroine acted very different than how I imagined I would be like in a that situation or how I think I would handle things, so she wasn't very relatable a few times, but I still read on with curiosity. She was definitely a younger character making some odd decisions, but it easily allowed my understanding of certain actions to go either way as well because of her maturity/age level. I figured she'll either pique my curiosity or make me not like her, because I didn't want to just sit there, second guessing her motives, moves and actions. Well, Isa had my curiosity piqued. It was almost.... weird. She was not someone I would imagine I could relate to, but her story was very interesting and that's the best part. Lake twisted a romance around two very different people and made their story a very fascinating read.
Lucian as a whole was very interesting to me because while I may have thought I knew what was going on, some things were clearly NOT what I thought, so that kept me turning the pages, wanting to know more. Some scenes were confusing, so I won't pretend to have understood every single scene. Most notably, the hospital scene: why was he there, in truth? Why did dad allow it? All these questions were mounting and I needed answers. I did get a few answers, but I'm pretty sure I'm still somewhat confused - but I'm not sure if that was part of the "mysteriousness" of it or not.
The slow buildup of this book was like a crescendo of dark music.... I knew something was coming, but I wasn't sure what to expect. It definitely kept my thoughts moving, inspiring my notes for this review along the way. It wasn't a boring, stagnant, run of the mill romance that I run into often. A new voice with a new strangeness to discover!! There was intrigue and mystery, an amazing plot with great character development. I enjoyed Lake's voice and intonation with her words throughout the entire book. Another thing I LOVED and felt was the presence of her scenes. I was always rooted in the story. I was in the scene, feeling the emotion and the darkness that surrounded Lucian. It was seriously a treat hearing a new voice and have it resonate with me on all levels. Some parts felt extremely scripted, like the trip to the bookstore and the ‘ladies’ eating ice cream, but I just kinda went with the flow at that point. Sometimes cliche is just that - cliche, but it still allowed me a journey unlike any I've ever been on.
This was written in a past and present format - with a variant. This style isn't always a favorite of many readers, including mine, because it oftentimes leads to confusion when it's not written well. I was able to follow her words pretty clearly and without issue. Then and now, back and forth, past and present.... we met Lucian in a very stylized way. It was a neat format with the narration of only his character jumping between past and present while staying current with Isa. It added a rather interesting element to the discovery of this very intriguing character. Present growth and discovery of Isa, but a very detailed account of Lucian growing up while in two different timeframes of his life. It was pretty neat....not gonna lie.
Special mention: this cover has got to be one of my favorites I've seen for 2020. I know we have seen more new and different designs this past year, and I love that authors are looking beyond the same kinds of covers, because the first thing that caught my attention was indeed this very cover. It made me search out the reasoning and meaning behind it and I can honestly say, that makes them that much more meaningful. This will be a favorite cover for 2020 for me. Bravo!
Special mention: this cover has got to be one of my favorites I've seen for 2020. I know we have seen more new and different designs this past year, and I love that authors are looking beyond the same kinds of covers, because the first thing that caught my attention was indeed this very cover. It made me search out the reasoning and meaning behind it and I can honestly say, that makes them that much more meaningful. This will be a favorite cover for 2020 for me. Bravo!
Since I am laying it out there, one thing I didn't quite understand was the Gothic categorization of it. Maybe it’s my naïveté (most likely - oooobviouusly), but I missed that reference or scene or understanding that determined this. I did look it up though, because #naive. However!!! That didn't deter my enjoyment, and the entire time I read it, it held my attention - so I obviously wasn't too hung up or worried about not quite understanding that aspect of it. It was more of a general curiosity - a discussable curiosity, nonetheless.
In summary: I turned every page with curiosity. Lake easily held my attention throughout this book and I cannot wait to read more by her. The story was so different and had so many variables that it allowed me to let go and follow course as I read this one and that was the majority of my positive experience with this book. DEFINITELY picking up more of her books. ✔
"Isn't it funny, the way we deny ourselves based on our fears?"
~BEE
Personal purchase - so no giveaway this time on Facebook....but if you comment below, I may just have to share this book with one of you.
~MEET KERI LAKE~
Keri Lake is a dark romance writer who specializes in demon wrangling, vengeance dealing and wicked twists. Her stories are gritty, with antiheroes that walk the line of good and bad, and feisty heroines who bring them to their knees. When not penning books, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and their rebellious Labrador (who doesn’t retrieve a damn thing). She runs on strong coffee and alternative music, loves a good red wine, and has a slight addiction
to dark chocolate.
~CONNECT WITH KERI~
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