Madeline SheehanBesprekingen

Better than the first but still not a 5 for me. The absolute best part of this book was Deuce and Ripper FINALLY telling Eva off for being TSTL over Frankie. I can't honestly believe she didn't know what he was about or how horrible he was! She put Frankie above everybody else! Deuce and Preacher are "bad ass" MC presidents but she didn't bother to tell them she wanted away from Frankie? Her stupidity ruined the entire first book for me. If she had been a strong character it would have been awesome. I did love Ripper and Danny's story and was thankful Danny wasn't as stupid as Eva!

If Eva hadn't been stupid for so long this would have been 5 stars. I loved the Frankie resolution.

This took a long time to get into, but at about 45% I stopped skimming.

It's not a zombie book, it's about a couple of characters stumbling around trying to stay alive in hopes of getting somewhere safe to make whatever life they can 5 years or so after the zombie apocalypse takes out humanity. Pockets of society have emerged, some like Mad-Max and some like The Truman Show. The end is always the same, women have been reduced to a commodity and men take what they want. A woman needs protection from a man. Anyhow, this book was ok, I read it and the next one - which was much more romance than zombie, but this one was ok.

I pretty much read it because I got the library loan and it became a point of stubborness that I was going to finish it.

First a warning, this is harsh and ugly and full of potential triggers for sensitive readers, but it is also about love winning in the end. This is not only Ripper and Danny's chaotic romance but also resolution for Deuce and Eva as they recover and various other relationships within the club, some good, some train wrecks.

Ripper lost his family young and the Hell's Horsemen took him in and became his family. Four years ago he was brutally tortured and disfigured by a psychopath, leaving him an angry man.

Danny is the daughter of the MC President and is considered off limits. However when she calls him for a ride from her Prom night, sad and unhappy he takes her to a private watering spot to chill. They end up drinking and getting high and temptation and her calling him beautiful leads to a night of hot sex and a morning after recriminations. Ripper knows Deuce will kill him for sleeping with his daughter but these two manage to hide it. But in hiding their relationship other tragedies occur, making Ripper decide it would be best for his beautiful Danny if he was out of her life so she could have a better life than he could giver, which in turn leads to more ugliness.

While that's going on Deuce and Eva struggle to get their relationship back on track after he had to watch her being raped by her psycho ex, as well as other dramas with other couples.

I have to say the lives of these bikers pulled me in even as it sometimes disgusted and horrified me. Even though they are criminals I was still hoping they'd all get their HEA's until the very end, when Deuce allowed his men to rape the woman that kidnapped and threatened to kill his daughter. While I understand wanting vengeance I can't ever justify raping anyone for any reason. The story sort of crashed and burned for me there, only to warm my heart in the sweet epilogue. This story will put you on a roller coaster.

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

Major Trigger Warnings and spoiler. This is the warning on the back of the book 'This is not a virtuous and tender love story. It's chaotic, ruthless, and tragic. This story takes love and kills its innocence, steals away the pure moments, and crushes the hearts of the broken. A story born in childhood, tying one girl to one boy, leads to a destructive path -- that hurts more than it doesn't, that shatters more than it heals-testing the love that binds the two through a lifetime.' This only covers half of it, it doesn't cover that raw, heartbreaking and at times appalling parts of the romance between Dirty and Ellie.

This was another tough, emotional read but the author is so talented she made me want to keep reading anyways. There's two couples in this book, all of them flawed and troubled.

Cage is the son of the president of a criminal MC, he's a man whore, with daddy issues, but as a kid he also took the time to play 'tea party' with a little girl. Tegen fell in love with Cage when he joined her at tea, they were close and as the years went buy she fell more and more in love with him. Tegen didn't have an ideal childhood but when she turned sixteen she gave a drunk Cage her virginity, declaring her love and he burned her. In her pain she turns into a raging, bitch whenever they cross paths and quite honestly she came across as more of a child throwing constant temper tantrums, than a grown woman much of the time. Cage has daddy issues and treats women as disposable sex toys. It's hard to like either of them, but watching them try to figure things out kept me reading.

Couple #2, Dirty and Ellie were the hardest to read. Dirty was raped and abused by not only his mother but his foster mother, he was raped by both women and men and he is extremely messed up in the head. He's a rapist, he drugs women in order to have sex with him and yet he saves Ellie from being raped in an alley. He saves her and he's the only one Ellie trusts to keep her safe. Dirty's head is so messed up when it comes to women and sex, watching him fight so hard to protect Ellie not only from her rapist but from himself, drew me in, cheering him on as well as wanting him locked up and thrown in jail. It was heartbreaking hearing his inner dialogue, of self-disgust, trying to fight his demons.

I still can't believe I kept reading this story, but it was so compelling I found that I couldn't stop reading. This story definitely has a happy ending for both couples but the path to get there is so broken and torn apart you may feel a bit bruised by the end.

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

Listened to audio narrated well by Tetiana Sokolov.

Hawk has been in hiding since his mafia boss father was killed. Living off the streets, Deuce took him in and he's been in hiding every since. He's been in love with Dorothy for a long time but their relationship, or lack thereof is complicated.

Much of their story has been revealed in previous books, so a chunk of this book may feel like stuff you've already read as the details are refreshed in this book but here's a bit of a run down. *SPOILERY*

Dorothy got pregnant as a teenager and married young, nto a loveless marriage. When she met Jace, he charmed the panties right off her and she become a club mother, working at the club cooking and cleaning. Only thing is, Jace was married too, with lots of promises to leave his wife, Dorothy divorces but ends up being Jaces side piece, since he wouldn't leave his wife! After drinking too much one night Dorothy falls into Hawk's bed and he blackmails her to keep her in his bed. She ends up pregnant, telling all it was Jace's baby to keep her secrets. Jace's wife lost her mind and shot Dorothy, nearly killing her and the baby, but wait for it.... it wasn't even Jace's baby it was Hawk's! While she recovered and many events in between she moves out to California with her son. Hawk claimed his son, and visits as often as he can. That takes us to where this book picks up.

After being unable to reach Hawk for several days, she calls the club worried and it turns out Hawk was in danger. Hawk's true background gets revealed, and deals are brokered but not before Hawk gets hurt. With all of this going on Dorothy realizes just how much Hawk means to her and she wants him back.

They don't have a conventional HEA but they do get their HEA. We also get part of ZZ and Jace's story but it's very abbreviated. Some parts of this book felt disjointed, or cut off before it was finished, leaving me wondering if it was intentional or weird editing. Even with all of that I was happy to see Jace and Dorothy get their HEA.

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

Per author's note 'This isn't a romance but instead a tale of love between two despairing people, from two different wolrds, both aching for something more ….'

Preacher is the Vice President of the Silver Demons MC, I've wanted his story from the first book I read in this series. We know from previous books that Debbie goes missing when Eva was a baby. On Preacher's deathbed he finally tells Eva the true story about her mother.

This is a bittersweet tale of love between two damaged people and their sad ending, mixed with murder, vengeance and drugs.

While I prefer happily ever afters I really enjoyed this book, even with all it's darkness.

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'I stared into his icy blue eyes, entranced by the safety and comfort blanketing me, warming me. I couldn't look away. I wanted to tuck this feeling in my back pocket, take it home with me, and keep it safe under my pillow to have when I needed it most.'

Plot

Eva Fox is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcyle Club, which her father is the President of. She grows up in the lifestyle of the club, surrounded by bikers. When Eva was a young girl, she met Deuce West, Vice President of the Hell's Horsemen Motorcyle Club, and was smitten straight away. Deuce was also born and raised in the club lifestyle, but that's where the similarities end.

Their first meeting is innocent, but as Eva starts to develop into a young woman, their next few meetings are full of love and lust. Living separate lives, within different clubs, their chance encounters are few and far between, but fate brings them together again and again. Their journey together is twisted and full of pain, betrayal and bloodshed. Eva spends her life trying to prove to Deuce that she can see something within him that he can't; a man worthy of love. Her love is undeniable, and it's the one thing he can't live without.

My thoughts

I found this book quite difficult to rate, and it's probably more a 3.5 stars rather than 4 stars. I chose this book on Amazon because I enjoy stories with bikers, as I'm a big Sons of Anarchy fan. To start with, I made the mistake of reading this straight after another MC themed book, so parts of it were quite confusing to begin with as I tried to separate the two. I did enjoy this one more than the other one though, so that's a plus.

The main reason I struggled to rate this book was because of Eva's character and her willingness to be pushed around. It's funny really, because she's adamant that she doesn't want to become an Old Lady, as she grew up as the darling of the Silver Demon's bikers. I just found it strange that she was painted as a tough character who could stand up for herself, but when it came to Deuce, and her step-brother Frankie, she pretty much just rolled over and let them treat her like a piece of dirt.

I tried to understand her relationship with Frankie, but I just couldn't understand why she allowed him to treat her the way he did. It's clear that he's got problems, and I get that she cares about him and wants to help him, but I can't see how becoming his door-mat could possibly help the situation. And it appears that she's so desperate for attention from Deuce, that she doesn't care how many times he sleeps with somebody else, she'll still go straight back to him as if it never happened.

I did enjoy the storyline, it was full of tension, and it really was a rollercoaster ride. I just thought that both Frankie and Deuce were too much at times; they were overbearing rather than protective, and at times I just thought they were abusive. However, the story was exciting, and it did draw me in and have me coming back for more. So in a way, I had a bit of a love/hate thing going on with this story. It's definitely one to read for lovers of Biker Romance.

Now, after reading all of the other reviews I expected something quite different than it turned out to be. Perhaps it's just me then? Aside from a few parts it was a really sweet book... a lot happening all of the time, my kind of book! I didn't find it disturbing and f'd up like a lot of reviews so I'm thinking my brain isn't quite right considering I found it cute and sweet and funny... ahh well, was a great read anyway.

SERIOUSLY disappointed in this book, so much potential it could have been great, but fell short for me :(

*slow blink* .. that is all

I read this last night and it was an easy read but I don't think it'll be on a frequent rotation. I won't be removing it from my Kindle to make room but I predict it'll drop down the 'last read' list quite quickly as well.

I think the best way for me to sum up why I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was hoping to is that it was a 'slow cooker' type of read while I'm a 'pressure cooker' girl. Basically, I just felt that there was too much time covered, a quick event, then years / months pass, then the next installment. Most of the books I read on high rotation have a lot of things happening in a short space of time. This unfortunately didn't do that.

Truthfully, it may be more realistic that events take time to occur such as Frankie taking a year to locate Deuce and Eva but that's not why I read this kind of stuff. I can always read some faction if I was to see the gradual simmer of events leading to a conclusion which may or may not be apt.

I purchased the sequel as well so I'll read it sooner or later (dependant on mood)but I don't know if I'll proceed through the series thereafter.

Zombies galore

E/Eagle is such an enigma, was scratching my head wondering how he could ever redeem himself after reading the first book in this series, but he did and with such heart, this book we see a totally different side to eagle as he takes little Autumn/squirrel under his wing and becomes her protector, this tale is heartbreaking in places an we realise the events that changed Alder into Eagle or E, we also get to see more of Jeffers and the horrid pink haired Liv ( can't stand this Woman) a very satisfying conclusion and I devoured every word.

Gripping story

Really enjoyed this book went in a totally different direction story wise than I thought, liesel and Evelyn were such totally different characters with such different strengths they just complimented each other. With the help of Jami and Alex they escape there present circumstances with tragic Consequence's don't want to say to much in regard to spoilers but will say keep the tissues at the ready as you will need them, am looking forward to reading book 2 and wondering how E can ever redeem himself gripping read kept my attention all the way through.

Zombies galore

E/Eagle is such an enigma, was scratching my head wondering how he could ever redeem himself after reading the first book in this series, but he did and with such heart, this book we see a totally different side to eagle as he takes little Autumn/squirrel under his wing and becomes her protector, this tale is heartbreaking in places an we realise the events that changed Alder into Eagle or E, we also get to see more of Jeffers and the horrid pink haired Liv ( can't stand this Woman) a very satisfying conclusion and I devoured every word.

Gripping story

Really enjoyed this book went in a totally different direction story wise than I thought, liesel and Evelyn were such totally different characters with such different strengths they just complimented each other. With the help of Jami and Alex they escape there present circumstances with tragic Consequence's don't want to say to much in regard to spoilers but will say keep the tissues at the ready as you will need them, am looking forward to reading book 2 and wondering how E can ever redeem himself gripping read kept my attention all the way through.

"Listened to audio narrated fabulously by Tatiana Sokolov. She brought all the characters to life in a way that I didn't want to stop listening.

First this story is not a nice romance. Take the warning on the jacket to heart. There is underage inappropriate kissing and touching, adultery, rape and more. This is not about do-gooder bikers, but bikers into, drugs, arms trafficking and violence. It is not a read for people sensitive to these issues. In saying that, there is something compelling about their story and makes you want to know their story.
This story starts out when Eva, a kindergartner, first meets Deuce while she's visiting her father in Riker's Family visiting room. She's adorable and sweet to Deuce's rough hard edges. She announces to Deuce and his father that she's going to grow up to be a big bad biker queen and marry the biggest, baddest biker dude and charms the pants off both of them. Deuce at 23 has had enough of his father's abuse after that Riker visit and orders a hit to take him out. The story continues with them meeting again when she was 12, which was innocent and then 16, which wasn't. When they meet again when she's 16, to his 34 ,at first it's innocent but when he's trying to leave it gets uncomfortable as he kisses her and when that kiss heats up he fondles her, making her come. He comes to his senses, and condemns himself for being turned on and touching a sixteen year old and to add icing to that cake, he's married! Eva's father shoots him twice for his trespass. He comes across her again in a nightclub when she was eighteen and they light on fire. While this is going on Eva has a 'adopted brother,' Frankie, who is crazy and can't sleep without her by his side and as he gets older demands that only he will touch her and that she is his.

Each time this couple meets, the heat and fire is scorching. But this story is brutal, the treatment of women in general is that they are all bitches to be used at the will of the men, however Eva's father's MC treats her like a princess and this causes problems when Eva is unwilling to treated badly. Even though Eva is treated like a princess, there's a huge disfunction with the way Eva takes care of Frankie to the point, that when Frankie rapes her, she blames herself.

I'm so conflicted about this story, it's ugly and dysfunctional but the emotions these two share and all the crap these two navigated to get together and Deuce still almost screws everything up, made this a couldn't put it down, non-stop read. The author weaves, cute, sweet, and funny with ugly and toxic.

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

4.4 stars

Wow. First book I've read by this author. Some pretty hardcore scenes and a riveting account of MC romance. Some parts I really enjoyed and others lacked the fluidity that I was looking for. Still, a great introduction into the new to me author.

Biker gangs are oddly intriguing, but damn the people in this book are fucked up. And the language was just over the top for me. I really like the word "fuck", but this was just ridiculous.

Calling every woman bitch wasn't my fuckin' thing either.

A few quotes from the book:
"He would not rearrange his whole fucking life for some bitch."
" You showed up outta nowhere cuz you fuckin' wanted me, so you fuckin' got me, and I'm gonna tell you straight up that a few fuckin' days of you hasn't been enough. So you reel that fuckin' attitude in cuz you're fuckin' stayin'!"

I think it's pretty obvious that this book is not about feminism, or even respecting women.
But still for some reason I'm willing to read the next trashy book ;)

The voyage to their HEA was way too dark for my taste. I wanted to slap Eva with how she enabled Frankie for so many years, and for how she "handled" being blackmailed toward the end of the book. I wanted to knee Deuce in the groin for his inability to just freakin' DEAL like even a SOMEWHAT rational adult regarding his relationship with Eva...and in a manner that does not question the definition of the word "cheating." I have to admit that their first kiss was smokin' hot (but I must also admit I love the whole huge age difference theme in general). Their chemistry together made for some steamy scenes but their intense chemistry together is what, in the end, made me not-so-crazy about the book and here is why (small spoiler here but not a huge surprise and not one that will ruin your reading): specifically how when they hooked up with other people they enjoyed it a bit too much. Real life, sure, people need to move on and grab whatever happiness they can find even if it can't be with whom they want. But in a work of fiction, I want my star-crossed lovers to just go through the motions of life until the author can get them back where they need to be. This is where the "too dark" part of my opinion comes in. I just couldn't help but hate them a bit every time they were with someone else. Love the grit of the MC world, but I'll admit I like it wrapped up a tiny bit prettier. I found that after I finished this book I needed to "cleanse my palate," so to speak, with a nice, happy, sweet, non-MC romance like a Bella Andre book or something! But back to MC Lovin', I recommend writer Kristen Ashley for those who want gritty stories with scary, badass biker dudes but who at the same time have a more palatable sense of honor when it comes to dealing with those "gritty" moments. Start with Motorcycle Man before you start her new CHAOS series. But back to Sheehan, I liked the sample of Unbeautifully enough to give it a shot and so far (about 25% into it) I find myself liking it enough to plough through my issues with Undeniable. But so far it has had a lot of scenes with Deuce & Eva and even in Unbeautifully I'm having a had time caring much about them. I'm tempted to skim those scenes but for now I'll just wait and see if those two can manage to NOT make me hate Danny and Ripper's story.

Smut to the core but oh what fun!

(Ramblings of a #TeamGerik fanatic)  CONTAINS SPOILERS







This isn’t a regular review. This is a book fan arguing her point of view on how the series should go after this book and pointing out interesting facts and questions. It's like Twilight (love triangle, supernatural), Percy Jackson (Greek Gods and legends), and Harry Potter (magic, mythology, multiple hidden meanings) grew up, had an orgy and spawned this series.





I have nothing against Xan, but Gerik is the shiznit. Obviously both Gerik and Xan are hot as fek and totally amazing. Both are wonderful. But Gerik is made for her and magic. Any male lead in any book can connect the way that Xan can with her, but what makes this so special is how Gerik can connect with her. I think that everyone is just giving him too bad of a rep for what he is going through. Emilian was helped through everything by his people. Gerik was orphaned and the leaders didn't help him make the connection with Trinity. So he was left hanging with his full-fledged feelings for her all his life without the actual connection. He obviously loved her very much or he would have just raped her to make the connection instead of waiting for her. He never forced her into anything. By the time Trieme was 22 and Emilian was 29, the same ages as Trinity and Gerik currently, they were married and she was pregnant. I think, in the whole cosmos connection of everything, that is the stage that Trinity and Gerik are suppose to be in now so as his biological magical manly clock is freaking the fuck out and needing to make that happen. So instead of just raping Trinity to make it happen, he is trying to get rid of some of that pressure with Onyx. He does not enjoy it. It says in the book he shut his eyes and pretended it wasn't her, and that after it didn't feel better. Also, I don't think it's just him whoring around or can it be compared to a regular guy because he wants Trinity so bad just wanting to touch her and not allowing himself causes a hurricane. He's just trying to give her time to accept him. He has loved her his whole life, but has just been waiting for her the same as Emilian with Trieme except he didn't get to connect with her at her birth. I think since they are parts of the same soul, they will have to be together because their whole soul being torn apart is what caused this apocalypse to being with. So I'd have to say it's threesome or Gerik, end of.




 









Red string of fate









I also want to talk about all the Greek Gods and stories. The first mermaid story has some similarities to the first Vampire/Zombie/Whatever those scary f'ers are. The Soul Mate really has a Hades & Persephone feel to it. This is a something I found on the Internet about P "queen of the underworld. Homer describes her as the formidable, venerable majestic queen of the underworld, who carries into effect the curses of men upon the souls of the dead. Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld. The myth of her abduction represents her function as the personification of vegetation which shoots forth in spring and withdraws into the earth after harvest; hence she is also associated with spring and with the seeds of the fruits of the fields." Is there a P and Trin connection? The most important Greek myth I wanted to discuss was the Fates, the 3 sisters. Somehow I know this has got to be important. This is something I found on the Internet about them "The Fates have the subtle but awesome power of deciding a man's destiny. They assign a man to good or evil. Their most obvious choice is choosing how long a man lives. There are three Fates. Clotho, the spinner, who spins the thread of life. Lachesis, the measurer, who choses the lot in life one will have and measures off how long it is to be. Atropos, she who cannot be turned, who at death with her shears cuts the thread of life. The Fates are old and predate the gods. It is not entirely clear how far their power extends. It is possible that they determine the fate of the gods as well. In any case, not even the most powerful is willing to triffle with them." So they make a man good or evil... Teodora spins the thread of life. Idk what that means. Sits the backdrop of life in motion maybe? Trinity choses the lot and measures how long it's going to be. So she will decide what kind of life they lead and how long that kind of life exists, right? Tahyra cannot be turned. Hum.... Also she can end it all? At her death, she ends all life? There has to be a whole hell of a lot going on with this Fates thing. Lastly I wanted to talk about Trinity's name and the series name The Holy Trinity. (Yep u guessed more Internet quotes) Here's what I found on Trinity: "Trinity Theology In most Christian faiths, the union of three divine persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in one God. Also called Trine. Also called Holy Trinity Blessed Trinity the union of three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in one Godhead. The union of three persons in one Godhead, or the threefold personality of the one Divine Being. 




























toni 
FULL REVIEW CAN BE FOUND AT http://fangirlmomentsandmytwocents.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-soul-mate-by-madelin...
I just did some rereading and needed to add a tidbit to my review. Like it's insanity not choosing this man.
"That's me inside you, Trinity. I've always been there and always will be."

toni


FangirlMoments and My Two Cents

I read this awhile back and just recently reread. I still feel the same.

First off Gerik is the best person ever his whole life has been what he could do for others not himself.

He admits that he left risking his life (because the soul was too much for one alone) in order to give her a chance at happiness with Xan even though he loves her and has always wanted her.

This book brought me to tears. Poor Gerik.

And when he came, I came...and something shifted inside of me...and I knew that I had been waiting my entire life for this moment, for this man.

Although I'm in deep for Gerik, I'm not completely lost to the appeal of Xan. And I understand how she loves them both equally.

toni


FangirlMoments and My Two Cents

BE WARNED SPOILERS BELOW
















This Review Contains My Unconfirmed Opinions and Hypotheses About the Series




The Lost Souls is book 2.5 in a series I'm crazy over.  These books are not lengthy, but they carry a real punch filled with emotion and hidden gems, jam packed like an underground gold mind.



From the title The Lost Souls many ideas come to mind:

The human characters that are continually getting split up and lost from each other

The skin eaters who aren't dead but aren't quite alive seeming to be soulless killing machines

The deaths of characters

The Soul (as in the split soul reincarnated through time) and those who have lost it over time (they don't seem to fair too well)



The other books were mainly about Gerik, Trinity and Xan.  This book is mainly about all the other characters.  Most of it takes place during the same time as book 2, but it is from the other characters' points of view.



The quote from the beginning of the book is


"Not all those who wander are lost..."

-J. R. R. Tolkien 

Then, the first words of the Prologue are

What is fate?  Or destiny?

Do we each have a predestined plan-a path mapped out long before we were born to lead us on our journey?  Does someone, something, somewhere already know what is yet to come?




From these two quotes, I want to think that the ones that have wandering souls have not lost them, and every bit of this has been part of a bigger plan.  Because of how everything goes, characters that would never have crossed paths become key roles in each other's lives, completely changing the story.  Also because of the appearance of an end of time type feeling, we see sides to characters we wouldn't have known otherwise.  Many rise up as leaders, show unwavering faith and unending sacrifice.  Many make rash, devastating decisions.  It's all cause and effect.


From my previous rants about the other books, like my review of book 1 and my posts in Facebook, everyone should know I love Gerik.  Ok, so he turned into a dragon at the end of book 2.  I can still work with that.











Alright, alright, enough with the joking around.  This is seriously an awesome series so I'll try to show a little restraint, un poco de moderación.  Gerik isn't really present in this book.  He's turned full dragon, and left the show for the time being.  I missed him.  We did get some great insight about him through others thoughts.  One quote I have to point out to anyone anti-Gerik is from Marko after he had received The Soul and immediately raped Cassie.





He wasn't sure how Trinity had evaded Gerik for as long as she had back in the Catskills, or how Gerik hadn't gone stark raving mad from her constant refusal of him.  Gerk was a better man than he was, that was for certain.  Marko had possessed that damn soul for a single second and look what he'd done.  But then again, that soul had never been meant for him.


This leads me to the first characters that I want to discuss-Carrie and Marko.  From the quote above and what goes down, wow, just wow, this split soul business is rough.




Fate wasn't suppose to make sense.  It just was.  That destiny, everyone's, had been written in the stars long before their births, long before...anything.



It was incredibly odd, utterly indescribable, the sensation like nothing he'd ever felt before.  Almost as if he were four people all at once.  He was himself, feeling his own feelings, and yet he was him, feeling her feelings.  But then he was also feeling her, feeling her own feelings, and he was also her, feeling his feelings.


In my opinion, it was imperative that the souls mate right then.  I had said before, it was killing Gerik because when Trieme was 22 and Emilian was 29, she was pregnant.  She was killed before the baby was born causing Emilian to go dark bringing about this whole curse on mankind.  To complete the cycle Gerik needed to mate with Trinity.  They were the perfect ages, she 22 and he 29, but then she broke the bond by being with Xan.  Then all hell ended up breaking loose and the backlash of that hell was shared by all.  Now Marko got the soul (at 29) and he made that f'n baby, by gods!  Carrie is just 17, but desperate times call for desperate measures!  Third time is a charm.  I think this baby has to be born in order to lay the soul to rest.



The next are Shandor and Tahyra.  What makes them so different from the other skin eaters?  Shandor had magic before making him more in tune with nature and more knowledgeable of the unnatural.  This is the reasoning he seems to be leaning toward.




"Try not to judge so harshly that which you don't understand."



"You're the sort of beautiful a man doesn't just want to fuck.  You're the kind a man wants to watch fall apart beneath him, so he knows that it was him who broke her."


Remember Tahyra's father called her Atropos (she who cannot be turned) so I'm pretty sure she is going to be important in the final outcome.




Shandor stared at her, feeling the man and the beast inside him coming together.  She was the one thing they agreed upon.  She was their prefect mate, their perfect female.  They would protect her at all costs.  No man or beast would get close enough to take her.  She was theirs, and they were hers.


Both of these characters are certain to have very principal roles to play.  They are the connection between the natural and the unnatural worlds.



On a random note, I just gotta say, wtf is it about Becki that makes every man hop the crazy train!  I must have missed something when it comes to her.  Nico, lord have mercy.




Caged humans were no better off than caged animals.


Hockey is my next topic.  Madeline seriously had intentions of breaking our hearts with this one I believe.  Hockey seems to have been shit on the most throughout the series and still come away smelling heavenly.




"I couldn't give her very much, but I could give her me, all of me."




"Maybe you're right, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't live as an honorable man during the remainder of your life."




"He'll forgive you, fată.  If my frate loves you, he'll forgive you.  Us Romani, we are weak when it comes...to...our...women."




And then...Then there was nothing at all.  Hockey was in God's hands now.




Then, after drying our eyes, we got to read a sneak peek of book 3.  The best part of it was the last line!




"I'd say we have a dragon to find."


There are many other characters that have roles in this book and the series.  I'm not going to name them all, but it contains a stellar cast varying across the spectrum of lightness and darkness.



I noticed several of the Romani had ideas about if they killed Mullo-the first vampir (aka Emilian), that would break the curse.  Also, it's been said over and over throughout the series that Gerik is Trinity's soul and Xan is her heart, and she loves them both completely.  So, I'm assuming from the title of book 3 My Heart and Soul, it's Trinity's Gerik and Xan combining with her to make The Holy Trinity.  Will this be a physiological combination...or...an out-of-body otherworldly combination...or...  Can we please get some sandwich action?  Please.



In conclusion, per usual for every book she writes, this book is a literary diamond.  I can't wait for more.







toni











FULL REVIEW CAN BE FOUND AT http://fangirlmomentsandmytwocents.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-lost-souls-by-madeli...


I recently did a reread and discuss with some of my reading friends. Of course with a book like this with so much to decipher everyone has varied opinions about what will happen next.

This is sorta paraphrasing some of what I wrote in my review and still how I feel no matter what arguments I read. Xan is the heart. Gerik is the soul. Trinity is the body. They are the holy trinity. The baby has to be born to break the curse because Trieme being killed while pregnant is what caused the original curse. Shandor and Tahyra are the connection between the natural and unnatural worlds.

Yes, I think if the baby is born, the holy trinity get their siznit straight and "the links between" all play out everything will be broken.

toni


FangirlMoments and My Two Cents

Jase, Dorothy and Hawk were always the story I was least interested in from the series, but Madeline did a great job of drawing me in after providing more about their backgrounds. I loved the flashbacks, seeing first meetings and all the pivotal moments that led them to where and who they are now.

"You said, 'Name's Brady,'" I whispered. "Jason Brady."

[...]Hawk, always waiting in the shadows...
"You need somethin' from me, baby?"

In my opinion, the theme to this book is family specifically the parent and child link. Jase, Dorothy and Hawk all have to face their past mistakes and their futures. Each must weigh their individual connection to and with their parents. Is it a blessing that needs to be strengthened, a yoke that needs to be removed or a truth that must be confronted? Also there is an abundance of parental regret shown by each, whether it's missed opportunities, misplaced focus, interrupted life—just so many mistakes. All three have to "man up" and make the hard decisions to make things right.

Good God, what was wrong with me? Almost thirty-seven years old with a grown child and pregnant with another, yet in many ways I was still a child myself.

If only he'd realized sooner that it wasn't the house, four walls and a roof, that made a home. It was who had lived inside those four walls.

He was going to miss it all.

"Because life hurts."
"Hidin' is fuckin' easy. It's really livin' that's hard, that sometimes hurts like a son of a bitch."

Of course I love the bits of DEUCE that made it into the story. He's like a father to every man, woman and child in the series. I SO LOVE that man.

Deuce, the president of our town's local motorcycle club, was one of the most frightening yet intriguing men I'd ever met.

Deuce glared at him through red-rimmed eyes flashing with emotion.

Never before had anyone seen this sort of show of emotion from Deuce.

Cox and Ripper, the comedic duo represent also. It made me even more crazy about them too.

Ripper shoved Cox and in turn Cox shoved Ripper, and as the two of them proceeded to shove and slap at each other like the two little girls they often acted like, the rest of the room burst into a fit of laughter.

The ladies of club have their great moments of course.

"We used to be them, young and hot, the center of attention inside the club, and now we're not. We've become the actual old ladies."
"I don't mind. I feel like it's the natural progression of things, and we're all exactly where we're supposed to be."

"I'm not wild ... pussy."
"I'm ... dusty pussy."

I believe that Madeline has a pattern going of the latest book telling how the next will be. In UnAttainable it ended calmer with the generations of family all together. UnBeloved delved deeper into the importance of familial relationships compared to the previous books which focused more on romantic relationships. The epilogue of this book pretty much ended in a bang so I believe the coming books are going to be much wilder. And I am so looking forward to it.

I loved this book and this series. I highly recommend it.



toni


FangirlMoments and My Two Cents

FULL REVIEW CAN BE FOUND AT http://fangirlmomentsandmytwocents.blogspot.com/2014/07/unbeloved-by-madeline-sh...