Ella DrakeBesprekingen

I find this a difficult book to rate. I really enjoyed the first 15-20% of the book -- the premise and the introduction of the world and characters. And I enjoyed the final 10-15% of the book. However, the rest of the book almost became a chore to continue reading. I nearly added it to my "did not finish" shelf at around the 50% point.

I do not plan to continue the series.

I was given an advanced copy of the story "The Dragon's Apprentice" by Viola Rivard in exchange for an honest opinion. The story is a part of this compilation. I really enjoyed the storyline and plot. The characters were intriguing, sassy, and funny. The storyline was engaging, well written, and sexy. I am looking forward to reading the other stories in this compilation once the book is out!

For the full book I give it 3.72 out of 5 stars, if you have a chance to read any of the ones above individually I say GO FOR IT!

Okay, I apologize. Life got away from me. I started reading/going through this novel with all its novellas in April 2015 and then I put my reading of it on pause. But now I've paused to long and I find this novel is no longer in publication. Therefore, I'm still posting this "spreading the word" / review post to show off all these authors' wonderful novellas. If you are curious as to where to purchase each novella than I have buy links attached to each individual novel I could find for it. Also be sure to look through since I gave a teaser for each. - Jess

Check out my Book Review / Spreading the Word post and 27 TEASERS here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2015/11/made-grade-taming-alpha-by-20-...

For the full book I give it 3.72 out of 5 stars, if you have a chance to read any of the ones above individually I say GO FOR IT!

Okay, I apologize. Life got away from me. I started reading/going through this novel with all its novellas in April 2015 and then I put my reading of it on pause. But now I've paused to long and I find this novel is no longer in publication. Therefore, I'm still posting this "spreading the word" / review post to show off all these authors' wonderful novellas. If you are curious as to where to purchase each novella than I have buy links attached to each individual novel I could find for it. Also be sure to look through since I gave a teaser for each. - Jess

Check out my Book Review / Spreading the Word post and 27 TEASERS here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2015/11/made-grade-taming-alpha-by-20-...

The third novella in the Cinder Mated series is an erotic firestorm of a paranormal romance. This fascinating paranormal world of mages has some intriguing elements that make it unique and refreshing and with the charismatic characters that leave the reader wanting to know more, the reader can’t help but get caught in the stories’ grip. So far I really enjoyed these short and erotic novellas, I only wish they were a little longer as I really didn’t want the stories to end.

See my full review at:
http://www.thejeepdiva.com/review-seduce-flame-cinder-mated-3-ella-drake/

The second novella in the Cinder Mated series is an erotic and turbulent paranormal romance. The author has created a fascinating and entertaining paranormal world that captures the imagination and the characters are very fascinating and complex which adds just the right amount of spice to the stories.

See my full review at:
http://www.thejeepdiva.com/review-tame-storm-cinder-mated-2-ella-drake/

The first book in the Cinder Mated series is a fascinating erotic paranormal story of mages. The author has certainly caught my attention with this different and refreshing take on the paranormal world and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

See my full review at:
http://www.thejeepdiva.com/review-desire-banshee-cinder-mated-1-ella-drake/

Full Review to be posted soon:

I wished this was a much longer story it felt choppy and vague at times and the short length emphathise this. I wished more was expanded on the world-building because the setting and concept was great with mutated vines and fungus on the loose and causing world-wide hunger and riots. The ten year jump which showed a harder edged hero and a closed off heroine was interesting but there wasn't much of a connection between the hero and heroine even if they previously spent 2 weeks together - I just couldn't believe they would hold a flame for such a long period of time especially since they both appeared to be two different people. I did enjoy the author's voice and overall the story was an action packed read but it did leave me wanting more especially since I felt it held so much more promise.

Review provided by Black Lagoon Reviews:

Jaq's Harp by Ella Drake is an imaginative, futuristic twist on the well known children's classic Jack and the Beanstalk. While this may be an extremely short novella, coming in with under seventy-five pages, this is still a romantically charged, action packed story that was interesting and enjoyable.

With many subtle and not so subtle references toward the original fairy tale, this novella grips the classic and drags it into the next millennium with bio-engineered bean stalks and evil giants in the form of corrupt medical corporations with an underlying story of true love. While the world building might be a bit forced given the confines in which it had to be developed, what I saw showed great potential as there was a nicely defined difference between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' illustrating the hierarchy in which the world exists. The futuristic attributes created an interesting environment for the story to take place in. All in all I loved the bleak world of the 'Landers' compared to the pristine and opulent existence of the 'Islanders' above. It creates a great contrast and an obvious segregation between good and evil...or should I say the just and the corrupt that I really enjoyed.

The character are likewise interesting and I instantly like Jaq's fiery persona. She's a bit of a free spirit, with a vulnerable and caring nature underneath a veneer of sarcasm. Brave and heroic, she is willing to go to any length to protect her sister and I found that to be quite admirable. Harp was just as interesting as he wears his heart on his sleeve and is no less noble in his actions. His love of Jaq is never once questionable, though he feels that he looses himself in that love, mainly because she isn't brave enough to open up as freely to him about her own emotions. While there could have been a lot more development in both character, I don't think that the quick introduction in to them or the brief over view of their past together hindered my enjoyment of the story in any way. In fact, I instantly recognized the spark between them and liked their gruff, lust riddled mannerisms. In truth, the only thing that would have made me like this story more was further exploration into their relationship. Especially as both are willing to undergo extreme pain, even death, to save the other. I mean, who wouldn't want to know more about that type of a connection? One other thing I would have liked to see more developed and further explored is Jaq's sister, Merry. Because we have only minimal dealings with her, I couldn't find myself to actually care about her illness. In fact, the relationship between Harp and Jaq far out shadowed the more familial aspect casting Merry into the background, despite the fact that it is because of her the Jaq undertakes this heroic and dangerous mission.

Also, on this topic I would have liked to know more about the sinister plot to infect the masses with this mysterious sickness in the guise of a cure. I think this was a wonderful aspect that was under played. The threat that Giant Corp presented just seemed to fall flat. Also, some of the character's actions at times can be a little odd. I mean the scene in which Harp strips and expects a quickie before making an escape when Jaq was evidently mad at him was a bit ill timed and ludicrous given the situation. There are a couple more instances when you have to simply scratch your head and wonder what is going on in the character's minds. But, there's quite a bit of action within this short story that did make sense and that kept the pace moving. However, like with some of the action, there were times when the action sequences could become a bit muddled and confusing, which threw off the pace at times as well.

Overall, there were parts of this story that really worked well and a few that didn't, but as whole it was still enjoyable. The unique, futuristic spin on this story was fun and I definitely loved the way the author brought the tale to life. In the end, if you enjoy the re-telling of the classic fairy tales or futuristic plots then this tale is for you!