Stained (Stained, #1)

Sep 28, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: just-finished, angels-demons

Six months ago I would have NEVER dreamed of picking up a book (or clicking on a book to buy) that had anything "angel" or paranormal in the synopsis. However, a few good books in that genre later...I am now somewhat groomed to the idea that there is something fun and fulfilling about these types of novels. I had just finished a series on the whole half human/half angel phenomena RIGHT before reading Stained, so I was a little leery to jump in with both feet fearing I would be reading a lot of c...more

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May 29, 2012 Proserpine rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story was full action-packed, after only a few lines, I jumped into this book and it was hard for me to put it down! The plot was intense and the characters were intriguing (Oh, Yes, Cayne!!!) and quite interesting.

As we start to read this book, we meet Julia, she's hiding in a ''cottage'' when she's almost hited by the fallen Cayne, a strange winged guys. This weird guy seems disoriented and injured but then another winged man appears and they begin to fight. We don't really know Julia or...more This story was full action-packed, after only a few lines, I jumped into this book and it was hard for me to put it down! The plot was intense and the characters were intriguing (Oh, Yes, Cayne!!!) and quite interesting.

As we start to read this book, we meet Julia, she's hiding in a ''cottage'' when she's almost hited by the fallen Cayne, a strange winged guys. This weird guy seems disoriented and injured but then another winged man appears and they begin to fight. We don't really know Julia or her past at this point but when Julia lay her eyes on Cayne we know that someting will come up from that encounter.

Julia possess a pretty nice supernatural power: she can heal, yes, nothing we haven't read yet, but she's able to see people aura. A fine way to read people emotional state. Above this, she seems to be resourceful, stubborn and nobody can put her aside! Exactly what the dark, mysterious, brooding and sexy Cayne seems to need! I give my dark/hot/sexy stranger guy for the eerie Cayne!

Stimulating plot: there's a lot of half angel/demon, half angel/human and demon stories out there but the author: Ella James, always maintain the suspense around her characters (Cayne and Samyaza) and the background situation.

I have a love and hate relation with the fact that the author decided to hides (for almost the entire book) Cayne's intentions and knowledge about Julia and the whole situation they got wraped up into. But it was also the right thing to do it!

Oh My God... what an ending! Everything seems to getting spiced up and I turn the last page and I'm left with THAT! Ms. James, you're a wicked author.... But you can be sure to have a new fan on your list! I'm looking forward to read the sequel (Yes, already release : Stolen)

I love the book cover, I find it mysterious and tumultuous. The mix of dark and bright color give a ''burst'' effect on the character: displayed by Julia on the cover and I it's quite ingenious.

I recommend this book to every YA PNR Lovers: you love war between angels and demons, this book is for you! Buy, borrow, put it on your TBR pile!(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Valerie Mcqueen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stained by Ella James

Rating 5*****

When the Angel of Death came calling for Julia, she wasn't there to answer. Instead sneaking out of her house saved her life. Then a hunky man named Cayne fell to her feet. What a turn of events for a senior in high school.
This story is amazing. First of all, I love books with humor attached to the storyline. Listening to the conversations between Julia and Cayne was hilarious. Both of them Gove it as good as they get it. The line about grape juice counting as...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ebook: Stained

Author: Ella James

Fiction, Paranormal,

This review may contain spoilers

I got this free on Amazon

Summary: BOOK ONE IN THE BESTSELLING STAINED SERIES:
Seventeen-year-old Julia is finally living the good life. She's traded a hard cot in a Memphis orphanage for her very own room in a perfect little house, on a perfect little street, with a perfect set of parents who picked her to be their daughter.
But Julia is hiding a secret - and one fall night, she returns home from a friend's house t...more Ebook: Stained

Author: Ella James

Fiction, Paranormal,

This review may contain spoilers

I got this free on Amazon

Summary: BOOK ONE IN THE BESTSELLING STAINED SERIES:
Seventeen-year-old Julia is finally living the good life. She's traded a hard cot in a Memphis orphanage for her very own room in a perfect little house, on a perfect little street, with a perfect set of parents who picked her to be their daughter.
But Julia is hiding a secret - and one fall night, she returns home from a friend's house to find that her secret has found her. Her 'forever home' is ashes. Her parents are dead. And, in the sky above the flames, a winged creature hunts her.
The Nephilim King, Samyaza, has taken everything from Cayne. After struggling in the darkness for years to piece together his shattered life, Cayne is finally ready to confront his past and avenge the loss of everything he loved. He tracks Samyaza to a Memphis warehouse, where he winds up flat on his back, in the healing hands of a beautiful, dark-haired girl he doesn't need to know.
Unbeknownst to either of them, they are already bound. Cayne's past holds the answers to Julia's future. But what will pose the greatest threat to her? The bounty placed on her head by the leaders of two Celestial realms, or giving her heart to a man who is bound, by birth, to break it?

The Review
How bad am I? I have never read any of this series, I have heard such great things that I thought hey go & get it girl, I am sooooo very happy I did, I loved this story, I really can’t wait to get stuck into book 2 Stolen, I totally fell in love with Cayne, he was the star of the book for me, The author did a fantastic job, he had enough troubles in his life to make him a better person, I loved how this was a road book, travelling all over looking for Samyaza, I loved all the names, the action was great, just the right amount for this book, I thought. I am slightly upset with the ending, Why oh why? I read this into the morning and was just abit upset that it ended like it did, if you love a good cliffhanger, this one is for you, I ended up dreaming about how things turned out, which was not a bad thing in the end, I suppose but at 3.30am, oh I was cursing you, lol, would recommend to all my friends, well those that have not read it yet, 4.5/5
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Feb 12, 2013 Kaity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal, demons

When I first read the summary for Stained I was surprised by how similar it sounded to the CW's Supernatural (demon kills the parents in a house fire, character goes looking for vengeance and kills lots of demons along the way etc). That said, Stained and Supernatural do have those bare bones in common but they're completely different.

He got out when she’d been tear-free for a few minutes and approached warily. “Feeling better?” he asked, in a low voice that carried a hint of some distant, not-S...more When I first read the summary for Stained I was surprised by how similar it sounded to the CW's Supernatural (demon kills the parents in a house fire, character goes looking for vengeance and kills lots of demons along the way etc). That said, Stained and Supernatural do have those bare bones in common but they're completely different.

He got out when she’d been tear-free for a few minutes and approached warily. “Feeling better?” he asked, in a low voice that carried a hint of some distant, not-Southern accent. She nodded quickly, blinking away more tears.
“Good.” Cayne nodded down at her, water rolling down his gorgeous chest. “’Cause I was thinking…”

I understand that Julia is a hormone driven teenage girl whose foster parents of several years just died but I got emotional whiplash in the beginning of Stained. One second Julia is bawling her eyes out and the next she's ogling Cayne's jade eyes, black vans and ...'statuesque' figure. I really liked Julia despite this though and she does settle down after a while. I found her power of healing to be interesting and her tragic past fit really well in this story. I wish the beginning hadn't been quite so bumpy with her but it wasn't anything that damaged her character or the book.

Other than Cayne's initial unwillingness to tell Julia anything about what was going on, which drove me up the wall but definitely tethered my interest because I needed to know what was happening, I loved his character. This is the first time I'd read about a character with the power of suggestion which was exciting for me. When the TV show Heroes was on I remember thinking how interesting it would be for a character to struggle with that power - whether it was morally right to use it, if they were evil how it'd be used etc. Stained didn't delve too much into it but I was still pleased to see something of that nature.

Cayne jerked as a bullet exploded out his back. Julia ducked as a second blast knocked him a step back. He didn’t let go of the gunman. Instead, his grip tightened, and the man’s neck snapped with a horrifying pop.

I wasn't entirely on board with Stained until the first real action scene occurred where Julia and Cayne are getting along and working together. James' action writing was superb. It was fast paced, perfectly staged so that I could picture exactly how things were happening etc. I'm glad that Julia reacted believably to the first few incidents but wasn't too dramatic about it. I hate it when characters, especially in YA, go from being regular people to action heroes as if it were nothing. Once things start getting explained (Cayne telling Julia about himself and more about what Samyaza is up to was revealed) the book was impossible to put down; it was just too exciting and addictive.

I was extremely unhappy with the ending of Stained. I can't even call it a cliffhanger, it was more like the book was left unfinished. I've said this more times than I'd like to but it applies here especially. I have no problem investing time and money into series; however, I'd like it to be out the series' own merit. I want the books to be so good that I need more. I don't want to buy the next book because the first one wasn't finished.

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Feb 07, 2013 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I want to start off by saying this book, Stained, was nothing like I expected it to be...it was so much better. I`m going to try to tell just how much I loved this book without giving too much away....I LOVED it. It starts out with a young lady of 17 that was adopted by two wonderful people, that she truly loved, experiencing new things in life and checking them off her bucket list. When all of a sudden she smells smoke and realizes that it's her house being burned down....with her parents in it...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-2013

When I started this book, I went into it with low to zero expectations. I’ve read Before You Go by this same author awhile ago, and even though the writing was good, I wasn’t too impressed with the story or its characters. Once I got to the second chapter of Stained though, I was hooked.

As far as paranormal romances go, the plot isn’t really new or unique, but it is exciting and in the first two thirds of the book there is a lot of action and enough vagueness which raises loads of questions and...more When I started this book, I went into it with low to zero expectations. I’ve read Before You Go by this same author awhile ago, and even though the writing was good, I wasn’t too impressed with the story or its characters. Once I got to the second chapter of Stained though, I was hooked.

As far as paranormal romances go, the plot isn’t really new or unique, but it is exciting and in the first two thirds of the book there is a lot of action and enough vagueness which raises loads of questions and keeps you turning the pages to find the answers. Ella James’s writing flows easily and she manages to draw the reader into the story by slowly unveiling the background stories of the two main characters, which of course adds more twists and secrets to the plot.

However, as much as I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue of Stained, I felt that in some places the story was rushed and there were quite a few jumps in logic. Certain things didn’t make sense to me at all and although I found the dream sequences to be imaginative and mysterious, they were also lengthy and didn’t add anything to the development of the story. I also found it strange that a two-hundred-year old character doesn’t know how to drive, but he masters this skill in less than two days and outruns the villains on the interstate, driving like a pro.

Stained is the first book in the Stained Series, so I’m guessing most of the questions I still had unanswered by the end of the book, will probably be addressed in one of the next books in this series. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and although Julia’s character got on my nerves from time to time, I still liked her as she acted the way a real seventeen-year old would. Cayne - mood-swings and all - is definitely worth the read too. Overall, this is a quick and enjoyable read, nothing too series. Judging by everything that had happened in this book, the rest of the series looks promising and I highly recommend it to paranormal romance addicts. Now I’m looking forward to reading Ella James’s Here.
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Jan 25, 2013 Sara Bree High rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-complete

Julia finally gets a home. She finally has a bed, not a cot in the orphanage. That's until everything goes up in flames! She has lost everyone and now she is running! She has secrets and it seems that they have caught up with her. The winged creature in the sky above the flames.. The reason she runs!! Samyaza, the name makes my skin crawl. He is bad news. In this book evil has a name and I just said it. Cayne is ready. He is ready to confront his past, and get his revenge for all of his loss. Ca...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Wealhtheow rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, urban-fantasy, paranormal_romance

Julia is so grateful to be adopted that she's usually a model child. But one evening she sneaks out to hang out with friends, and when she returns home, she finds it in flames. Her adoptive parents are dead, and flying above their heads is a winged man. Julia flees and holes up in a warehouse, determined to stay off the foster care system's radar until she ages out. She encounters another winged man named Cayne, and uses her healing powers (heretofore unmentioned) to save him. Then they set off...more

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Jan 03, 2013 claire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seventeen-year-old Julia is finally living the good life. She's traded a hard cot in a Memphis orphanage for her very own room in a perfect little house, on a perfect little street,with a perfect set of parents who picked her to be their daughter.

But Julia is hiding a secret-and one fall night,she returns home from a friend's house to find that her secret has found her.Her 'forever home' is in ashes.Her parents are dead.And in the sky above the flames, a winged creature hunts her.

The Nephilim Ki...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Michala Tyann rated it 2 of 5 stars

Stained by Ella James
Reviewed by Michala T.
At just under 200 pages this book was an easy read and fortunately a free one for me thanks to Amazon.com. Most books this size would have taken me maybe 4 hours (6 on a rough day) to read. This one however took me two days. That in itself says something (if you know anything about my reading habits). So let’s take a dive into this book and see what when right and what went wrong.
This is book one in a series, FYI. The opening was a perfect pincher! It t...more Stained by Ella James
Reviewed by Michala T.
At just under 200 pages this book was an easy read and fortunately a free one for me thanks to Amazon.com. Most books this size would have taken me maybe 4 hours (6 on a rough day) to read. This one however took me two days. That in itself says something (if you know anything about my reading habits). So let’s take a dive into this book and see what when right and what went wrong.
This is book one in a series, FYI. The opening was a perfect pincher! It took me just a few lines of reading before it was screaming “don’t put me down!” Julia, who is seventeen years old, finds her world has forever changed; in fact, it’s been ripped out of her hands. Everything she knows and loves is gone and she has nowhere to go and no one to turn to. To prevent spending the last year of her adolescence in a group home she alters her appearance and hides away.
Julia takes the saying ‘a handsome guy fell from the heavens’ literally when a mysterious man crashes through the roof of the abandoned warehouse that is her current home. But he isn’t alone. He’s with a very sinister presence that is out to kill…surprise, her! Tall, dark, and hunkalicious saves her this round!
Cayne refuses to give Julia answers but insists that he will help her take him down since he wants to kill him anyway. But she does finally get him to share some details about himself and who the monster trying to killer her is. Together they travel, hunting the ‘angel of death’ down with all intent on killing him and over and over they come across killings of people just like Julia; people who have ‘birthmarks’, or are as he calls them, Stained.
While the angel of death and his men are looking for people who are Stained, including Julia, she and Cayne learn that the Stained are after Cayne, though for reasons unknown to them. Both endure very private trials while simultaneously dealing with the growing feelings of love for the other which puts makes their journey that much more dangerous.
The story Ella James created was definitely an intriguing one. Its hard to create new twists in a world where paranormal is the new Harlequin Romance novel but she was able to do so. Unfortunately the story was very brief and lacked the depth that I needed to draw me further in. I felt that the author rushed the completion and publication of the book and the depth and intensity was a casualty of the war.
The characters were, well, I am divided with my feelings in this category. Julia in the beginning was very likable and believable. I just felt that she accepted too easily that tall, dark, and brooding stranger in her. And Cayne’s character wasn’t believable to me either. It isn’t that the characters’ history isn’t believable; their connection, the relationship between them just wasn’t doing it for me.
Well, maybe if you take into consideration that they have both been in a very high stress and emotional event which can and often does bring together people in unique ways psychologically…but I don’t believe that is what the author was going for here. So, um, no…not doing it for me.
And if I couldn’t say anything more against the book…the ending…hello? WHAT! No! You do not do that to a reader. I am totally all for the books that stop somewhere and force the reader to beg the author, will even give their left (or right) kidney for the next book. This book however, the ending wasn’t just dropped of a cliff…it’s throat was twisted and dead in less than a millisecond! I didn’t blink and it was…done. And I’m left….blinking and wondering if my ebook was cut off and I didn’t get the remaining page or pages. But no…the author could have done a way better job at closing this book and still raising many tension mounting reasons to propel me into reading the next book in the series. At this point I won’t be reading anything more of this series. No thanks. Loved Julia, the Seer and her son could be their own story (oh please write that!) but either rewrite this and don’t jip me of the true story it could be and would be if the effort was put into it.

Verdict:
3.5/10

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Sep 01, 2012 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-must-reads, aug-2012, blog-tour-review, books-i-own

First I have to say that when I first saw the cover for this book I was interested. It is a simple cover but it really does pull the reader in right from the start.It's haunting but at the same time your wondering what the girl is staring at. The night is gloomy and dark and the clouds are raging and it leaves you wondering and asking the question what happened? Ella James has written an incredible story and added twists and turns that will leave the reader wanting more. I know when I started re...more First I have to say that when I first saw the cover for this book I was interested. It is a simple cover but it really does pull the reader in right from the start.It's haunting but at the same time your wondering what the girl is staring at. The night is gloomy and dark and the clouds are raging and it leaves you wondering and asking the question what happened? Ella James has written an incredible story and added twists and turns that will leave the reader wanting more. I know when I started reading it I could not put it down and when I got to the end I said OMG what the heck I need book two like right now no not right now but like two seconds ago.

Julia is a haunted girl living her life in foster home after foster home. Trouble always seems to find her and she is not sure why that is. She knows shes different from others by why are these strange things happening to her and what can she do about it? The last straw for Julia is when someone burns down her current foster home and everyone in the house dies except her. After the fire she decides to run and hide until she can figure out what is going on. She finds an old building to hid in and while she is there she hears this fighting going on so when she goes to see what it is she sees two guys fighting to the death. One guy is injured and she heals him.

Once the stranger is healed we start to find out what Julia is and who the stranger is. The stranger wants to help Julia and they begin on this journey to find out the truth. But the stranger who we find out is Cayne really knows what and who Julia is. They will have to fight the bad guys and uncover lies, secrets and half truths in order to survive. Julia will also have to decide what to do about her feelings for this stranger. Love never really crossed her mind before but as the two get closer so does her feelings for him and she will have to decide what to do with them.

Julia will have to uncover who she is and what she is destined to do. Will she be able to discover the truth before it is to late? Will she open her heart to Cayne after losing everything she has ever loved? Will Cayne tell her the truth before it is to late? What will Sam do after the dust settles and truth is revealed? Come along for the best paranormal read I have read in the longest time! Ella you rock and I can't wait to read book two in your series.(less)

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Jul 24, 2012 Alisha rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was a pretty decent story with a slightly fresh take on the popular Nephilim theme that's been a bit overdone lately. I really liked the title, which was pretty imaginative, and the interesting mystery of her birthmark and why the Nephilim named Sam wants her dead kept the story fresh. The main male character Cayne was also pretty well done, although most the time he did nothing heartwarming. I kinda didn't understand Julia falling for him, since before the moment in the train I didn't sense...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Sabrina rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know where to start with this review except to say that I love Cayne and he is now on my book crush list. I could get lost in his green eyes and his bad boy attitude made me love him even more.

Julia has had a hard life going from foster homes to group homes and hiding what she is. She is at her third family’s house when it goes up in flames and she is the only one who makes it out alive. On the run and hiding out in an abandoned ware house trying to sleep Cayne falls through the roof fig...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Laura Hartley rated it 4 of 5 stars

So I just finished reading Stained and I loved it. I have to admit, the only reason I read this was because I randomly stumbled across it on my kindle and was confused as to how it got there, but I sure am glad that it found its way to my library! I was initially reading this on the Kindle app for iPod which is my least favourite method of reading but once I'd started Stained, I just couldn't stop! Stained had me gripped from the beginning to the end with its compelling story and characters and...more So I just finished reading Stained and I loved it. I have to admit, the only reason I read this was because I randomly stumbled across it on my kindle and was confused as to how it got there, but I sure am glad that it found its way to my library! I was initially reading this on the Kindle app for iPod which is my least favourite method of reading but once I'd started Stained, I just couldn't stop! Stained had me gripped from the beginning to the end with its compelling story and characters and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series!

The story centres around Julia and Cayne and there are very few other characters. I absolutely fell in love with Cayne as I suppose any teenage girl would. He's badass. Like Nephilim badass. He's super hot, super alluring and super secretive and you can't help but fall in love with him. From the minute he burst through the Julia's ceiling (literally), I was completely under his spell. You can see both Julia and Cayne develop as the book goes on and you get more and more engrossed in their story. What's interesting is that both of these characters are searching to find out more about themselves, but the more they learn the more complicated things get. Whilst Nora is one of the 'stained', Cayne is a Nephilim and it appears that these two races have it out for each other, though this isn't explored that much in book 1. Although this book is written from the third person perspective, you still get glimpses into Julia's thoughts and you really understand her as a character. Sometimes I found Cayne thoroughly confusing, but I liked that we didn't know everything about him because it added to the allusion.

Some aspects of this book are pretty predictable, but some really aren't. Just as I'd started to get into the groove of this book, there was a random passage featuring some new characters teasing me just enough to have me turning pages like crazy trying to figure out how this new info would all fit in. You feel a build up as you're reading and you just know that something is coming, but you're never quite sure what it is.

Stained ends on such an abrupt and unanticipated cliffhanger and as I hadn't been keeping tabs on how far into the book I was, I found myself frantically pressing the 'page turn' button, willing there to be more. I cannot wait to get started on Stolen, the second book in this series, so that I can find out exactly what happens to Cayne and Julia! I, rather shamefully, have to admit that I have never purchased a book from Kindle ebook from Amazon but for this book I think I'll have to make an exception because I need to know more!

Having finished reading the book, I have to say that I don't think the cover is particularly representative of the content. The girl standing there is nothing like what I'd imagine Julia to be like, particularly because she has very short hair and I can't really imagine her in those clothes, but hey, that's just the way my imagination sees things. Personally, I feel the cover lets the book down a bit, but, as they say, never judge a book by its cover! For me, the cover is the only negative thing about this book, everything else is brilliant!

This book very much reminded me of the series Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick so I'd definitely recommend this to any fans of Patch and Nora. This ebook is only £0.77 on Amazon, which is incredibly cheap for such a fantastic novel so get your hands on it now - no excuses!(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Cathy Garcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted in The Writing Between the Shelves: http://thewritingbetween.blogspot.com...

I love when authors begin a series with a captivating scene; it's what grabs the reader attention from the start. This is what author Ella James does. Julia finds herself lost while she stares up at the flames of her
foster parents home. She has nowhere to run and hide but she knows one thing for sure, she does not want to go back into the system. She is done with foster homes. Julia leaves everything b...more

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Apr 09, 2012 A.R. Von rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very satisfying YA paranormal romance that keeps you at the edge of your seat with lots of fun, action and excitement going on at every unexpected turn.

Ella James created two excellent main characters that are both very strong independent people, that are each alone in the world and both searching for something or someone.

Julia has lost everything she knows and cares about and had to leave her old life behind. She is now more alone than ever and trying to figure out what her next move should b...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Frishawn Rasheed rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone that likes great action stories

Here, yet again, it stands to reason that where there is great story telling there is authoress Ella James.
This tale is nothing like the sweet "be still my heart" love readers were served in "Before You Go". "Stained" is an action packed, mile a minute thrill read, filled with demons, fights, wings, angst, mystery, suspense...and maybe...just a little...ROMANCE.

What Are You?
Julia is a girl who loses it all on the night that her house burns down at the hands of a mysterious demon that she sees mo...more Here, yet again, it stands to reason that where there is great story telling there is authoress Ella James.
This tale is nothing like the sweet "be still my heart" love readers were served in "Before You Go". "Stained" is an action packed, mile a minute thrill read, filled with demons, fights, wings, angst, mystery, suspense...and maybe...just a little...ROMANCE.

What Are You?
Julia is a girl who loses it all on the night that her house burns down at the hands of a mysterious demon that she sees moments before she is forced to flee her burning home; leaving her dead foster parents and all that she has known behind to start a life as...

Flash forward. Julia...abandoned pecan factory...death demon...hot guy...a fight...hot guy almost dies...and Julia heals him.
That right, she heals him. So we the readers are left with the same question for both Julia and the hottie that falls through the roof of the afore mentioned pecan factory, who we later come to know as Cayne.
Who are you?

So Now What?
She saves him from his injuries and he saves her from Sam. Oh yeah, did I not tell you that Mr. Death's name is Sam, and that he is not only hunting Julia, but is also locked in a to-the-death battle with Cayne?
It seems that Cayne and Sam are playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse and Julia is the shiny cat toy with feathers that neither can resist.
This is where the real fun begins. While on the hunt for Sam readers get to see the sights of Memphis, find out that Cayne is a half demon with missing memories, learn about Julia and her mysterious birthmark, fight more demons and...I would love to tell you but you're just going to have to read it.

Not Your Average Angel
Cayne is not your average angel, and this is not the hot angel + cute girl = show me your wings and I'll love you forever. This story is a battle from start to finish. Julia and Cayne are both battling for sanity, truth, love, and their lives.
This is an intelligent read full of characters that are not always perfect, but who are able to think on their feet. The story plays out before the reader like a flawlessly conducted symphony. Every scene, player, line, and setting doing its part to make the experience of "Stained" the masterpiece that it is.

Review cross-posted from http://wtfareyoureading.blogspot.com/...(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Erika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

Title: Stained
Author: Ella James
Publisher: Barkley’s Books
Date of Release: September 14th, 2011
Number of Pages: 157
Summary:

After a fire destroys seventeen-year-old Julia’s home and kills her foster parents, she chases the half-demon responsible across the country and back, determined to avenge her family and discover why a host of celestial baddies want her dead. With Julia is enigmatic hottie - Cayne, who has his own score to settle with the half-demon, and who might be just as dangerous as t...more Title: Stained
Author: Ella James
Publisher: Barkley’s Books
Date of Release: September 14th, 2011
Number of Pages: 157
Summary:

After a fire destroys seventeen-year-old Julia’s home and kills her foster parents, she chases the half-demon responsible across the country and back, determined to avenge her family and discover why a host of celestial baddies want her dead. With Julia is enigmatic hottie - Cayne, who has his own score to settle with the half-demon, and who might be just as dangerous as the creature he and Julia hunt.

Review: I was intrigued and hooked from the very first page. During the first chapter, I was confused, but in a good way because it kept me guessing, and it wasn’t soon before Julia’s point of view had me hooked. There is something special about a book that can make your heart pound so hard you think you may be having a heart attack. Then the next moment drop your stomach into the inferno of hell leaving you nauseous with worry and sadness. Ella James is a talented writer with the ability to grab her readers’ attention and pull it into the magnificent world she has created in Stained.

Julia is a complex main character, and we don’t fully know who she is until the final pages. The character development within her was flawless and I loved every bit of information on her that was revealed with each turn of the page. Even though she was in such a desolate place emotionally she didn’t give up hope. The only thing I want now is more!! Cayne was infuriating at first, which I suppose is the attraction. I really liked how uncertain of his past he was and how we got to learn who he was alongside of Julia. This provided a unique experience that I enjoyed with each revelation. Cayne was the perfect companion to Julia as the MC, he provided the right amount of edge and compassion.

The development of the plot was steady and while the novel is short, it only left me desperately needing more. The fluidity of each event that built and then receded only to build again, was action packed and exciting. If you have read Angelfall or Angel Burn, this book will be right up your alley. I adored those books and now am adding Stained to my list of favorites! Go grab Stained and then make sure to grab book two Stolen on March 10!
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Oct 17, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved everything about Stained. Period. I love the story line, the characters, the writing. The excitement started from chapter one and didn't end until the last page! Julia is 17 and has been in and out of foster homes most of her short life. After viewing the Angel of Death hovering above her current foster parents home she takes off to avoid going back to the orphanage and ending up in another foster home. After all, she is almost 18. With no where to go and no money, she takes refuge in an...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Sarah Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013, utopya-reading-challenge-2013

Originally posted at Give it to Cupcake.
http://giveittocupcake.blogspot.com/2...

Lets talk about the cover first, since I'm a total visual person. I was really drawn to this cover. The girl in the front, who I assumed would be Julia, has a very angelic glow along with the creepy pyramid in the back. I wanted to know more about the girl and the pyramid right away! So much in fact I almost overlooked the star-like mark on the girls shoulder! Definitely loved this cover!

Once I started reading, I'm n...more Originally posted at Give it to Cupcake.
http://giveittocupcake.blogspot.com/2...

Lets talk about the cover first, since I'm a total visual person. I was really drawn to this cover. The girl in the front, who I assumed would be Julia, has a very angelic glow along with the creepy pyramid in the back. I wanted to know more about the girl and the pyramid right away! So much in fact I almost overlooked the star-like mark on the girls shoulder! Definitely loved this cover!

Once I started reading, I'm not going to lie. The first thing that had me super excited was the fact that this all took place around Memphis. I just kept thinking, I've been there! I live three hours away. I know Beale street! I know the Peabody Hotel! That was so very awesome for me.

Julia won me over almost immediately with her broken past and pink chucks. When she is forced to run away, I could feel how scared and alone she was. Then comes Cayne and her world changes. Julia is instantly drawn to help him, which I think is just a part of who she is. She seems to always try and find the best in people and try to push out an bad feelings she may have. She's too trusting, maybe? A curse and a blessing!

Cayne is stoic and doesn't show any feelings, which drives Julia crazy. She wants to know more about him and he just keeps pushing her away, or so, he pushes her away with his words but when things get tough physically when Samyaza threatens to harm Julia, he shows a different side of him with his actions. This was my favorite part of Julia and Cayne's chemistry. The push and pull of their affection with each other is overwhelming -in a good way. There were times I wanted to yell at both of them and reach through my Kindle and shove them together so they would finally kiss! I loved this about them though, because it made it seem as though you never knew what the future was going to be like for these two.

Ella James writes a great introduction to this new adventure and life for Julia and Cayne. Both seek revenge and they seem to be stronger together. I can't wait to find out more answers about Julia and Cayne's fate!(less)

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Jun 03, 2012 Honey Bee rated it 4 of 5 stars

After a fire destroys seventeen-year-old Julia's home and kills her foster parents, she chases the half-demon responsible across the country and back, determined to avenge her family and discover why a host of celestial baddies want her dead. With Julia is enigmatic hottie Cayne, who has his own score to settle with the half-demon, and who might be just as dangerous as the creature he and Julia hunt.

Are you looking for a fast-paced action and adventure story, with twist and turns, plus the added...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Annette M Guerriero Nishimoto rated it 3 of 5 stars

Today's review is on Stained by Ella James

Stained is the first book that I have read by James. It hooked me right at the very beginning, but then got a little slow only to jack back up to excitement up to the very end. At just under 200 pages, it was a nice one day read.

Returning from a neighbors house, seventeen-year-old Julia; who has been in and out of foster homes all of her life, finds her own engulfed in flames. The bodies of her current foster parents still inside, and the "Angel of Death...more Today's review is on Stained by Ella James

Stained is the first book that I have read by James. It hooked me right at the very beginning, but then got a little slow only to jack back up to excitement up to the very end. At just under 200 pages, it was a nice one day read.

Returning from a neighbors house, seventeen-year-old Julia; who has been in and out of foster homes all of her life, finds her own engulfed in flames. The bodies of her current foster parents still inside, and the "Angel of Death" stoking the flames.

To avoid being placed in a group home yet again she decides to flee. Never again will she return to school or see her friends. That's par for the course for "freaks" like her though. Taking refuge in an abandoned warehouse, she cuts her hair short and tries to sleep.

She awakes to the sound of something on the roof. Suddenly a handsome guy falls through. He's injured and she knows she can heal him. While she tries, the "Angel of Death" comes crashing down too. Tall, dark, brooding, and handsome jumps up and continues fighting until "Death" turns and fly's away.

Julia then questions Mr. Handsome; Cayne, about what has happened but get's nowhere. Neither does he however when he asks what she is. Added to the drama is the fact that Cayne has lost him memories. He only knows that he wants to kill Samyaza; the "Angel of Death", and now so does Julia.

The two then embark on a journey packed with life and death danger around every corner. Not only are Samyaza's men looking for them, but the rest of the Stained are as well. And while Samyaza's men will kill them both, the Stained only want to kill Cayne.

Along the journey Julia and Cayne find that they not only need each other, they love each other.

A unique twist on the whole Nephilim/Demon paranormal scene, I really liked reading Stained and look forward to reading the next installment. There were just a few editing mistakes in the copy that I was given and as my readers know, I have to mark my rating accordingly.

3 of 5 stars
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Jan 02, 2013 Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels, demons, on-my-kindle, mythology, gave-up-on-series, gary-stus, kill-it-with-fire, mary-sues, meh, no-me-gusta, wtf, free-books, young-adult, bad-romance, paranormal, fantasy, romance, insta-love

Just ... ugh. I have a lot of reviews to do, but I just need to get this one out of my system now.

I downloaded this book because it was free on Amazon. So, it wasn't like I should have expected much from it. But what I did get was ... not good. Let's just say, I was not a fan of Stained.

So, here we go.

17-year-old Julia sneaks out one night, and when she returns home she finds that her house has burned to a crisp, along with her loving foster parents. (Shit, I hate when that happens!) She also...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Dejana Vuletić rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: awwwww, fantasy, irresistable-hot-guys, part-of-a-series, swooning-and-squealing, want-to-live-in-this-universe

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

Stained was refreshing story for me. I don't read too many angel books, although I've been dabbling in them more and more lately. And when I saw this book, I knew I would have to get my little paws on it. And I wasn't disappointed.

As far as main characters go, Julia isn't half bad. She may get emotional sometimes, but she's still strong considering what she's gone through and she's independent and wants to know more about herself. Cayne sounds irresistible *drool* Serious...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

well, this was great! I really really enjoyed the characters- Julia is strong, funny, and is accepting of the world that unfolds around her. She doesn't like it- but who would like having their parents killed, being hunted by an evil half demon, and learning that hundreds of people with the same birthmark as you are being killed? i sure as heck wouldn't. And then there is Cayne. Also a half demon. But he is out to kill the said evil half demon that is hunting Julia. So they team up. This was not...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Maureen Hoar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stained is a story about Julia, an nobody. She lives with her foster parents and goes to school. She has no friends. Everyone thinks she is weird because she can sense people's auras and she has a healing touch. One day, on her way home, she finds her home ablaze. A demon has set her house on fire with her parents inside and he is hoping that she is too. She escapes and hides out in the city. She literally is bombarded by two etherial beings battling on a roof top. One of them is the demon that...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Tanya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-paranormal-romance, redemption, favorite-books

Stained
Book 1 in the Stained Series

*** First , I am so glad that a goodreads friend was reading this and it caught my eye. I can't ever thank her enough.****

Amazing. Compelling. Such a adventure. Pulls at my heart. Redemption

I have so many great things and thoughts about this book. I simply loved it from start to finish. I literally read it in about 12 hours.This book has been a adventure. Such a great writing style. Great characters,I felt what they felt. Don't be fooled by the fact this is...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Nicole Hewitt rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review was also posted on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction.

I was disappointed with this book. At several points while I was reading I couldn't wait for it to be done so I could put it down, which is very unusual for me. And, honestly, I can't even put my finger on what went wrong for me. On the surface, I should have liked the story. Yes, the plot is a bit of a cliche, but that's usually at least okay with me as long as the story grips me in ways that transcend the cliche. This one did...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Shawna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, on-my-k, own, ya

This book had a great start. Julia is a 17 year old girl who loses her foster parents in a fire on the very first page. A fire she should have died in as well...but didn't. While watching the flames erupt from her house, she sees what she assumes is the Angel of Death hovering above.....Not wanting to be returned to the system, Julia flees and takes shelter in an abandoned warehouse.

Enter Cayne. Cayne is clearly not your average human. That may be because he is only half human, and half demon. C...more

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title link	preview: Stained
avg rating	preview: Stained Goodreads rating: 3.79 (2497 ratings)
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Stained (Stained #1)

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