Her Sweetest Downfall (Forever Girl, #1.5)

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Her Sweetest Downfall (Forever Girl #1.5)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 132 ratings · 54 reviews

Ophelia's been successful at hiding her true identity, until the mark of the serpent appears on her neck—a death sentence, should it be seen by anyone in her town. Hiding the mark might save her from falling victim to the witch hunts of her era, but the scorching sensation it carries can’t be ignored.

When the mysterious Ethan is sent to collect her for a life of something...more

ebook, 94 pages

Published July 2012 by Immortal Ink Publishing (first published March 1st 2012)

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Her Sweetest Downfall by Rebecca Hamilton

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Jun 25, 2012 Robert Zimmermann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-books-of-2012

(Review of an ARC of Her Sweetest Downfall )

Reading this novella solidified Rebecca Hamilton on my list of top ten authors. With her debut novel, The Forever Girl: Sophia’s Journey, I had a feeling I’d enjoy reading more of Hamilton’s writing. I was right. Her Sweetest Downfall blew me away.

I was very pleased with the way this novella played out. For those who haven’t read book one in the series, I feel that they can still read this novella. I think that’s a great advantage Her Sweetest Downfall...more (Review of an ARC of Her Sweetest Downfall )

Reading this novella solidified Rebecca Hamilton on my list of top ten authors. With her debut novel, The Forever Girl: Sophia’s Journey, I had a feeling I’d enjoy reading more of Hamilton’s writing. I was right. Her Sweetest Downfall blew me away.

I was very pleased with the way this novella played out. For those who haven’t read book one in the series, I feel that they can still read this novella. I think that’s a great advantage Her Sweetest Downfall has. If a reader doesn’t have the time for a full length novel, but would like to check out Hamilton’s writing, this can be a great start.

The world of The Forever Girl is introduced here in a somewhat simpler way, which may even help in reading the more detailed explanations in The Forever Girl.

I am a reader who has read and loved The Forever Girl, so I already knew the overview of the creatures encountered here. I knew some of the story behind some of the characters as well…but the main character, Ophelia, I barely knew a thing about. I wanted to know. The Forever Girl made me want more. I was completely satisfied with what I learned. The reader follows along as she the mystery of her life, and destiny, unfolds in front of her eyes. Even though I know what her ultimate goal is, the journey to get there is filled with unexpected elements. I also enjoyed the new characters that came into play. Ethan was a great male lead. I admired his dedication to his job, even when his mission was threatened by the feelings of his heart.

One of the best things for me, was making connections to characters from The Forever Girl. I’m always a sucker for having “aha” moments. I’ll be reading a passage, then something clicks. It’s great when an author does Hamilton does this. In no way does it feel like she has altered or forced the story to connect in places. Some authors can attempt to make a connection work, but it just doesn’t seem natural for the story. This is not the case. I look forward to finding other connections like this throughout the series. When there is a series of seven books (plus however many novellas are to come out) it is probably difficult to create the interlocking points. From what I know this isn’t a series that follows just one main character, or even a timeline for that matter, so these points of connection will be necessary. I feel confident that I’ll have many more “aha” moments in future books.

By the end of this series, just like with this novella, Hamilton will have written a beautiful set of books. I feel confident in saying that.(less)

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Mar 08, 2013 Charity added it

Her Sweetest Downfall is a short story/ novella in The Forever girl series by Rebecca Hamilton. Although this story is a precursor to Ms. Hamilton’s debut novel, The Forever Girl-I feel can be read as a stand alone. This book is more of a companion novella and not necessarily a prequel. However, being that I have read The Forever Girl, I found that a few questions that had cropped up through out that novel became much clearer after reading Her Sweetest Downfall.

I will be honest and say that norm...more Her Sweetest Downfall is a short story/ novella in The Forever girl series by Rebecca Hamilton. Although this story is a precursor to Ms. Hamilton’s debut novel, The Forever Girl-I feel can be read as a stand alone. This book is more of a companion novella and not necessarily a prequel. However, being that I have read The Forever Girl, I found that a few questions that had cropped up through out that novel became much clearer after reading Her Sweetest Downfall.

I will be honest and say that normally I don’t read novella’s. I’m a lover of long and lengthy novels and series’. But (and here’s the caveat), when an Author does come along that I absolutely adore then I won’t stop at nothing to read any and all of their work. And that’s just what happened here. I was floored when I read The Forever; and that was her debut novel!!! So you bet your bottom dollar I was all over Her Sweetest Downfall.

Ms. Hamilton is very creative when it come to world building. She doesn’t skimp on the details which richly enhances the experience of becoming invested in the characters. With that said, the main protagonists in this story, Ophelia and Ethan, are very three dimensional. So much so that I was left wanting to know more of their story; especially Ethan, which isn’t a bad thing in this circumstance. Sometimes if I am left wanting to know more than the author has been willing to give then that has set things up nicely for the reader to come back. There will be more books added to this series and I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg in The Forever Girl world.

Also, I want to point out that a lot of information is given in this book concerning the Forever Girl world. I moves along quickly forcing one to pay close attention the the finer points the author is trying to make. I did feel some things were a bit rushed, like the relationship between Ethan and Ophelia. I think a little more time could have been spent developing their relationship and thus wouldn’t have felt as stilted. I would have loved to see a little more character development in regards to Robert and Lenore. But hey, this is a short story and well, who knows what Ms. Hamilton has in her bag of tricks when the rest of the series hits the shelves. The Forever Girl transcends space and time, so I have no doubt I will be getting answers to my burning questions in the near future.

This read will wet the appetite of anyone who is a fan of PnR/Fantasy and wants to become familiar with Ms. Hamilton’s work. A talented young Author well on her way to very successful future.

I give Her Sweetest Downfall 4.5 stars!(less)

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May 16, 2013 Georgianna Simpson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Her Sweetest Downfall by Rebecca Hamilton
Review by Georgianna Simpson

Her sweetest downfall is a very unusual and interesting story. Meeting Ophelia was a real treat. She’s a sweet young lady who circumstances have given a very difficult life, and this journey isn’t going to make it any better…in most ways.
The fear of having a mark come up “out of the blue” on your neck one morning, especially in a time and around people who believe all things like this are evil is unimaginable. To have your fath...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Iris (Paranormal Cravings) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ophelia’s is a young woman who has been successful at hiding her true identity when keeping low profile at a mansion with some ritch lady to find out what happent to her mother. Until one day she looked in the mirrow and descovering the mark of the serpent on her neck. A death sentence in this time of year (1880) before you know it the people think your a witch and hang you. When she is send out by her mistress to deliver a letter late in the evening she find trouble. Rescued by the hands of the...more
Ophelia’s is a young woman who has been successful at hiding her true identity when keeping low profile at a mansion with some ritch lady to find out what happent to her mother. Until one day she looked in the mirrow and descovering the mark of the serpent on her neck. A death sentence in this time of year (1880) before you know it the people think your a witch and hang you. When she is send out by her mistress to deliver a letter late in the evening she find trouble. Rescued by the hands of the mysterious Ethan is soon finds out there is more about Ethan than meets the eye. This is the start of the story and the FOREVER GIRL SERIES. Ophelia discovers there is not only more about Ethan but she as well is not hundred precent human.
Her Sweetest Downfall is a sweet short introduction to this series. although some part felt a little tight and cramped with all the explaining about the types of paranormal beings that exist in this series. To many to name and way to many for me to even repeat one, or even know how to write the difficult names of the species even tho I just finished this book yesterday.

It almost felt like Rebecca tried to explain the whole scenario before the readers begin the first book of this series and was checking off a list with the families, names and paranormal beings she liked to mention in this Novella.

I also had a little trouble with the main character. Although I liked her and the story and world building are phenomenal I still had problems with detemening the age of Ophelia. First I thought she was a teen (virgin maybe, immature behavior about keeping her mark secret) but after meeting Ethan she didn't hesitate to jump in bed with him. But with all the talk about her mother and murder of her father I found it a little confusing.

But I think we will soon find it out with the first book of the Forever Girl series.

This book is eet in an alternate Regency England, “”Her Sweetest Downfall”" is a standalone novella in the “”Forever Girl”" series, written as a gift to fans of the Forever Girl series.(less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Brian marked it as wont-read-wont-recommend

Shelves: author-bullies-reviewers, authors-behaving-badly

The author has a meltdown over bad reviews and unleashes her Twitter followers to 'destroy' the reviewer, then claims she was 'violated' in a manner similar to being raped by the review...
(Go here for more details...)

What.The.F***.

Sorry, any credibility you once may have had you just flushed straight down the crapper Ms Hamilton.

The only reason I've given this 1-star is simply so that my disgust can be registered. If it were possible to rate it as 'zero' (or even negative).....

(UPDATE:) I note t...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ophelia's Journey is part of The Forever Girl Journals. This time we get to know Ophelia. She works for a family in a time where conjectures and suspicion could make anyone persecuted. A fateful day, an ouroboros mark formed on her neck, causing the change of events that will transform her forever.

The novella continuous with the paranormal mythic world of beings created in Sophia's Journey. Here we see Ophelia becoming part of this world of creatures as a Cruor. Story is engaging and it's notabl...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Christie Rich rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rebecca Hamilton has once again wowed me with her writing in her latest release, Her Sweetest Downfall. I fell in love with Hamilton's characters in The Forever Girl

The Forever Girl Sophia's Journey (Forever Girl, #1)

, so I wasn't too surprised when I found Ophelia's story enthralling.

We drop into Ophelia's life as she heads off to run an errand for her employer. But on her journey into the woods she hears a violin playing. Her experience turns to terror when she is chased by a stranger who whisks her away from her ordinary world. The man infor...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Lori {Romancing the Dark Side} rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 1

Shelves: blog-tour-review, books-read-in-2013, vampires, my-reviews, novella, my-ebooks

Original Romancing the Dark Side Review:

A great introduction to a new paranormal world I definitely will be revisiting!

Her Sweetest Downfall is set in Regency England, in a paranormal world of shifters, fae and immortal elementals called Cruor (who share common traits with vampires). The story introduces us to Ophelia, a ladies maid who discovers a strange mark of an ouroboros (an ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail) on her neck that she desperately tries to conceal, fearing persecu...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Jen McConnel rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a fan of Rebecca Hamilton’s Forever Girl series, I eagerly downloaded this free novella. What a treat!

Ophelia is a servant in England at the turn of the nineteenth century. Her father wanted better things for her, but her father is dead and her mother is missing, so Ophelia is left to make her own choices. She goes into service not just to earn a living, however: her employers also employed her mother shortly before she vanished.

When Ophelia meets a stranger in the woods, her life changes for...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Katrina Tinnon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm so happy we finally get to learn a little bit about Ophelia. When we met her in Forever Girl, she was full of this mysterious past. But it's not mysterious anymore. ;)

The plot was very carried out very quickly. Ophelia finds herself thrown into this world she doesn't completely believe is real. Ophelia comes to terms fast with what her mark means pretty fast. One day she's completely against it, and the next she's like "Let's do this." My only complaint is her feelings toward Ethan were extr...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

The task that Sophia Parsons (from the first book The Forever Girl) is destined to fulfill has been hundreds of years in the making, with pieces of the puzzles strategically placed for their turn in Sophia’s journey.

We’re first introduced to Ophelia nearing the end of The Forever Girl, as she plays an instrumental role in Sophia’s escape. Now in the novella Her Sweetest Downfall we travel back in time to see a glimpse into the inner workings of this intricate story.

I love these covers oh so much...more The task that Sophia Parsons (from the first book The Forever Girl) is destined to fulfill has been hundreds of years in the making, with pieces of the puzzles strategically placed for their turn in Sophia’s journey.

We’re first introduced to Ophelia nearing the end of The Forever Girl, as she plays an instrumental role in Sophia’s escape. Now in the novella Her Sweetest Downfall we travel back in time to see a glimpse into the inner workings of this intricate story.

I love these covers oh so much! This one especially with the dramatic ice blue eyes that are so startling, and reflect perfectly on the character of Ophelia.

Ophelia came into The Forever Girl at a very tense moment, where I was definitely more concerned about the main characters and how they were going to get out of that situation than who this random helpful stranger was. In my rush, I didn’t really give her a second thought. In Her Sweetest Downfall we get to see who she was before, and how she ended up in such an important moment later on.

But here’s the trouble with novella’s, they’re usually a short quick information filler to tide over fan’s while waiting for the next full length novel. As such, it’s difficult to develop characters and relationships to a fully engaging level.

With the character of Ophelia, while she’s admirable in her determination and passion in dangerous witch hunting times, her character kind of fell flat for me. I just felt like she was going through fated motions (and in a way she really was), and I didn’t feel as interested in her as I wanted to be.

The character of Ethan was intriguing, he had a straight forward goal from the get-go. He's got this incredible devotion to his duty, but it gets a bit muddled when he meets Ophelia and it was enthralling to see him struggle between his responsibilities and love.

Ophelia and Ethan’s romance is a bit iffy in that it was like Stockholm syndrome on steroids. It felt like their entire romance was based on just getting to the physical aspect of it all because that’s how their relationship developed - on looks. But while going through some very difficult situations together, I could see that they were growing closer together, and Hamilton manages to tie their romance up in a very neat sensual bow.

However, the secondary characters take the cake. I loved seeing Lenore again! She’s primal and fierce - you’re never really sure of what she’s going to do. For the briefest moments when we’re introduced to the Queen, she’s definitely a character that stood out firmly in my mind, and the tidbits of crucial information revealed about her left me more curious about her story than any other character so far.

Hamilton doesn’t disappoint in her writing style, if anything she’s managed to hone it. She crafts amazing lilts to character voices, and fluidly rich descriptions of surroundings and action sequences. Having read The Forever Girl, I knew where this was ultimately headed, but I still enjoyed watching this path unfold with self discovery, forbidden love and tense decisions that can alter the course of the future.

Her Sweetest Downfall acts as a “sequel-prequel” book. You can read it before The Forever Girl because Hamilton does rehash the elemental creature mythology. But there’s subtle moments where characters are revealed and the major plot, I feel cannot be fully appreciated without reading The Forever Girl first.

Overall, it’s a quick light read, and serves its purpose by opening up more backstory for The Forever Girl, but with it’s 128 page length, it was hard to really feel fully enveloped by the story. (less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Anubha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Her Sweetest Downfall , by Rebecca Hamilton

Before reading: The day I finished reading ‘The Forever Girl’ I had many questions in my mind about the queen-being pure breed, about Ophelia- why is she helping Sophia and many such questions. And when Rebecca told me that some of these questions will be answered in this novella I couldn’t wait for it. Finally Her Sweetest Downfall arrived in my mail and I was so excited to read it to know more about the world that Becca created in the forever girl.

Af...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Stefan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This novella is a nice addition to the first novel in the Forever Girl series. It fills in some history and mythology while also providing an interesting and entertaining story unto itself. Rebecca Hamilton has a flair for creating a tale that grabs the reader and keeps their interest from start to finish.

If I had to pick something that I didn't particularly care for in this story, I'd have to say that the romance element was a bit much for my taste at times, but only a bit. Of course, since I'm...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Opal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, novella

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love the cover of this short 94 page novella. It’s gorgeous! So yes, I do judge a book by its cover and I did like this book. It was exciting and romantic.

It begins with Ophelia in the service of the Lady Karina as a maid. She’s sent on an errand and ends up in the hands of Ethan. He helps her understand that the mark her bears is the sign that she is a member of an elite race. This race is meant to save the world from a cruel faction who is hellbent on genocide.

Ophelia was very likable despit...more I love the cover of this short 94 page novella. It’s gorgeous! So yes, I do judge a book by its cover and I did like this book. It was exciting and romantic.

It begins with Ophelia in the service of the Lady Karina as a maid. She’s sent on an errand and ends up in the hands of Ethan. He helps her understand that the mark her bears is the sign that she is a member of an elite race. This race is meant to save the world from a cruel faction who is hellbent on genocide.

Ophelia was very likable despite being so guarded. In fact, I liked her because she was so guarded. She was tough and, except for one glaring moment, she had all her wits about her. The one glaring moment came towards the end. She decided to lead Queen Callista away from Ethan and Lenore despite the fact that the Cruor have heightened senses? How could she forget that? I can only suppose it’s because she was a newborn.

Ethan wasn’t my favorite male lead. He was likable enough. I just couldn’t swoon over him. Mostly because he had this big secret over Ophelia that was never revealed. Maybe that’s a lead for another story or that was something from another book, but it irritated me.

The book had plenty of action. From the moment Ophelia was sent on her errand into the woods until the very last few pages, things were constantly in motion.

There was a strange point in the book where Robert was promised something big by Ethan. This promise led to Robert’s help in Ophelia’s introduction to the Maltorim’s asylum where Queen Callista resides. The promise was very mysterious and seemed to dangle in front of the reader like a carrot to a donkey but nothing ever came of it.

The magical races in this book are inventive and creative. Among them are the Ankou that shepherd Mort’s (dead souls) and are a little like fairies. Then there are the Cruor which are like vampires. There are also the dual-breeds which the Maltorim’s are determined to annihilate.

On the whole this book was a good if not great read. I’ll definitely look for the other books in this series.(less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Thomas Winship rated it 5 of 5 stars

Like an unrepentant criminal returning to the scene of the crime, Rebecca Hamilton brazenly saunters back to the world she created in The Forever Girl: Sophia's Journey for her latest release: Her Sweetest Downfall: Ophelia’s Journey.

This time, instead of meeting a beleaguered young woman in current times, we’re introduced to a beleaguered young woman some two hundred years in the past; a dark time in which women aren’t allowed to wear pants (and men still aren’t allowed to wear dresses!) and it...more Like an unrepentant criminal returning to the scene of the crime, Rebecca Hamilton brazenly saunters back to the world she created in The Forever Girl: Sophia's Journey for her latest release: Her Sweetest Downfall: Ophelia’s Journey.

This time, instead of meeting a beleaguered young woman in current times, we’re introduced to a beleaguered young woman some two hundred years in the past; a dark time in which women aren’t allowed to wear pants (and men still aren’t allowed to wear dresses!) and it’s fairly standard behavior for highwaymen to waylay unsuspecting young ladies traveling alone.

As the title suggests, the story’s star is Ophelia—a vulnerable young woman who's suddenly saddled (like a wild stallion? NO! Jeesh. It’s paranormal romance … but it’s the first page, for crying out loud!) with a most inconvenient tattoo.

Now, in this case, the term “inconvenient” means “will lead to poor Ophelia being burned at the stake.”

To make matters worse, Ophelia has no idea why the tattoo is there. No, she didn’t spend the previous evening hopped up on pharmaceutical products. And, no, she isn’t pretending that she has no idea where it came from because she’s afraid of her parents—they’ve got bigger issues.

In no time at all, Ophelia is up to her neck in danger. How does the lil’ lass fare?

Read it yourself to find out. All I’ll say is that Hamilton packs a whole lotta story into this novella. It’s more than enough to satisfy her undead … er … enthusiastic army of supporters (sorry; too much horror on the mind), while also appealing to the few YA and PNR fans she hasn’t already ensnared.

BTW—rumor has it that Hamilton is going to run a contest in which one lucky contestant will win Ophelia’s tattoo. Two caveats: it has to be placed somewhere fit for public consumption (which varies by geographic location, obviously) and Hamilton herself will be the tattoo artist. She’s never done it before, but there are plenty of YouTube how-to videos for guidance. Details announced soon!

Shhh! You didn’t hear it from me.
(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Carey Sabala rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a quick little novella and companion piece to Rebecca Hamilton's very popular Forever Girl series. I personally haven't read the series, so the review is based on the novella alone. After doing some research on the series though, it sounds like this is the perfect novella/prequel to the series and I'd highly recommend you read this before embarking on the rest of the books.
As for the novella itself, it's a great quick read. I was able to get through it in a few hours while waiting at the...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rebecca Hamilton has a talent for storytelling, especially intimate and action scenes and I will continue to read her books that she puts out.

Her Sweetest Downfall is is a novella based on a supporting character in The Forever Girl series.

My main issue with this book was Ophelia's accent. It was distracting and poorly executed. Every time she spoke, I would stop and try to figure out her accent because the only thing that indicated she had an accent was the "H" missin (ie 'ow and 'ere). Otherwis...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

I didn't realize this book was part of a series when I began reading it and now I will have to hunt down the series so I can read them as well. This book is the perfect length and grabbed me from the first page and held my attention throughout the entire story. The author of course left me hanging, which I both love and hate at the same time. This was definitely a good way to get into the series and I can't wait to read more from this author. There were a few grammatical errors, which always bot...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Brandy Dorsch rated it 4 of 5 stars

Whoa! I am intrigued with this prequel and I want more! This is a short read, Kittens so I am not going to go full description. Ophelia is hiding in a noble home looking for her mother. When Ethan explains to her that her destiny is greater than herself, her family or even him, Ophelia is reluctant (understatement) to listen to what he has to say.
How can a simple girl be something greater than what she appears to be? When Ophelia realizes that the stories her mother told her as a child were act...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Vanessa E. Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is such exquisite writing! I love the way Rebecca writes paranormal stories. She's a very good writer. I am now anxiously awaiting the next novel in her fabulous series!

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Aug 21, 2012 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, paranormal-fantasy, romance, young-adult

I think I enjoyed this book even more than the last. I feel Rebecca Hamilton's writing has matured quite a bit since the first Forever Girl book and I can't wait for what she's planning to bring to the next book. The kindle version has a couple of spelling mistakes that sort of bothered me while reading but the story was really good. Obviously this is just a little treat for us readers and fans before the second Forever Girl book comes out but I found the Ophelia's story quite profound and inter...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Joanna Gawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed The Forever Girl: Sophia's Journey, and I'm pleased - and somewhat relieved - to say that I also enjoyed Her Sweetest Downfall. After reading the latter, I may just have to read the Forever Girl again. I'm sure that reading it with my revised perspective will add extra richness and colour to the original story (not that it was lacking in any way!)

Her Sweetest Downfall is very well-written, moves at a good pace throughout, and the characters are believable. It was interesting exp...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Cherry rated it 4 of 5 stars

The beginning was slow and I was about to give up on it when the story finally picked up and became interesting. I didn't care much for Ophelia's accent, but everything else was good. Lenore was definitely my favorite character. I wish the story was a bit longer, I want to know what happens when Ophelia fulfills her fate. Good story for anyone looking for something quick and interesting to read or any paranormal lovers. Though the names were a bit different (albeit familiar), it wasn't cliche wi...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Kelly Beckett rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have got to say I was blown away reading Her Sweetest Downfall and I sat and read the novella from start to finish as I just could not bring myself to put it down!! I loved it!! Very well written and fast paced story which completely pulled me in from start to finish. After reading this I have definately put Rebecca Hamilton right up there on my list of favourite authors and will be keeping an eye out for other works by this author. I must admit that I hadn't read The Forever Girl before I rea...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Dani Star rated it 5 of 5 stars

In general I prefer to read books in order, and I had already started reading this book before I realized there was another before it. Thankfully that didn’t make much of a difference, it was easy to follow along and I quickly got attached to the lovely characters created in this story. I had never read anything by Rebecca Hamilton before but I am glad I took the time to download and read this book, I am now a permanent fan of her writing and I can not wait to read the other Forever Girl books!...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Juana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fantasy-supernatural, paranormal-fantasy, paranormal-romance, vampires

When Ophelia was first introduced into the story in the first book I had wished to read more about her. To know why she was helping Sophia so it was very awesome that Rebecca Hamilton brought us this book that told us Ophelia's journey how she got to the Maltorim and how she knew about Sophia.

The whole story was perfectly written from when Ophelia discovers the mark on her skin, getting send to deliver a letter that will never arrive to her destination because she was lured to where the music of...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Julie-anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ophelia wakes up to find an Ouroboros on her collarbone - this is bad news for her as it'll apparently get her branded as a witch. She gets sent on an errand by her boss and loses her horse then gets grabbed and stolen by a dude. Dude is Ethan who says he has been sent to help her, he has to make sure she fulfills her destiny. But of course they fall for each other - which is not a good thing since they won't see each other after her destiny is fulfilled. She changes as she should do and infiltr...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Tanja (Tanychy) St. Delphi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galleys, paranormal-romance

Few months ago I've had a chance to read The Forever Girl, first book in this series. In the meantime I learned how the whole structure of this series would look like. There will be three books that will talk about Sophia and also three novels that will talk about some characters in the whole trilogy. Now this is the first novel and it's about Ophelia.

Storyline. For those of you who had read The Forever Girl you should remember Ophelia from the end of the book. There was short story about her....more Few months ago I've had a chance to read The Forever Girl, first book in this series. In the meantime I learned how the whole structure of this series would look like. There will be three books that will talk about Sophia and also three novels that will talk about some characters in the whole trilogy. Now this is the first novel and it's about Ophelia.

Storyline. For those of you who had read The Forever Girl you should remember Ophelia from the end of the book. There was short story about her. (don't want to put spoilers because of those who haven't read the book jet). Here we meet Ophelia and actually witness the whole story. Ophelia lived normal life as a maid until one day when mark appeared on her neck causing her pain. Soon after that she was kidnapped by mysterious man called Ethan. He was sent to help her complete her task. She has to join dark, spernatural world and protect someone from the future. Her past is also chasing her and she must decide what she is going to do.

Characters. Ophelia is really interesting character. She is not too strong nor too weak. You can easily relate with her and her doubts are something that most of us would have. Ethan is at the other hand really mysterious and even though the author doesn't give you the detail description you can imagine his tall and strong body in dark cloths, and his dark hair on his shoulders and his dark eyes. Maybe my imagination is talking through me, but that's how I imagine him. Now you say that you aren't interested! Like you would. There is one also interesting character but I won't talk about that cause, like I've already said, I don't want to put spoilers in this review.

Love-story. This is something that in opinion happened to quickly. But then again this is a novel so I guess the author couldn't develop more. I'm not saying that the love story isn't nice but I wish it had been a little bit longer. Everything beside that was great.

Conclusion. At the end I must say that now I understand this idea about writing novels in between the books and I really like it. This novel helped me to remember The Forever Girl and also gave me better idea about Ophelia and also Sophia's task. The author also reminded us of elements and the whole story behind that. Now I'm really looking forward reading Come, the Dark. I got the feeling that this is not all about Ophelia and that we're going to see her in the books to come.

I was thinking about giving it four stars because the love story could have been deeper, but considering that this is a novel and that the love story isn't in focus in this book I changed my mind.(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Mini rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: friendly-authors, occult, paranormal-fantasy, urban-fantasy, wicca, author-is-a-sweetheart, favorite-books, sweetest-authors, author-who-support-other-authors, author-who-supports-book-bloggers, can-t-wait, new-favorites, amazing-book-find, authors-who-advocate-for-autism, following-author-on-twitter, awesome-indies, must-reads, taking-a-stand, to-review, vampires

(Review of an ARC )

This would be my first time receiving an ARC, and I was beyond excited. A fan of The Forever Girl since I first read it last Feb, like any other fan of any awesome book series.. I was just waiting for the next. Thanks to the novella - I'll survive the wait till the next in the series is out.

It's short and you will be able to finish it in one sitting. In book #1, when you meet this mysterious woman Ophelia who helps Sophia, you begin to have this strong urge to know more about...more (Review of an ARC )

This would be my first time receiving an ARC, and I was beyond excited. A fan of The Forever Girl since I first read it last Feb, like any other fan of any awesome book series.. I was just waiting for the next. Thanks to the novella - I'll survive the wait till the next in the series is out.

It's short and you will be able to finish it in one sitting. In book #1, when you meet this mysterious woman Ophelia who helps Sophia, you begin to have this strong urge to know more about her- who is this stranger who comes and help Sophia at the near end, what’s her story? And why did she help Sophia?, and grabbing 'Her Sweetest Downfall' is a perfect way to know this lady.
The story begins with Ophelia, an ordinary girl working for Lady Karina and then as if discovering the ouroboros mark wasn’t something to be worried about, she gets kidnapped by a stranger while on her way to deliver a letter for Lady Karina. The stranger introduces himself as Ethan, a man who would tell her she is no ordinary and what that serpent mark on her really means and what her mission should be, little did he know that his bound SO strong towards his duty would come in conflict with the matter of his heart. I loved how he is strongly determined on his duty/mission and not letting love come in between. So is Ophelia once her mind is set. Aww.. I don’t wanna say more and spoil the fun for other readers. Just GO, grab it !!

Her Sweetest Downfall takes you to another side of the world of The Forever Girl… here you get to learn more of the dual-breeds. It was a pleasure to meet Lenore and Queen Callista again…. I could never get enough of them. That’s the thing about Rebecca’s writing- you fall in love with EVERY character. Learning more about the world of the elementals through the eyes of Ophelia, and how each dual-bred has to be what they are, was so fun. I absolutely enjoyed reading Her Sweetest Downfall, it just kept me wanting for more, how I wish it was a full-length one instead of a novella.

And yes, just like the other reviewers mention, if you want to have a glimpse of the world of The Forever Girl and still not ready for a full-length novel, this novella is just the right one for you.

All I can say right now is – I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT and marking the dates on my calendar.
(Note: It is true that I own an ARC, but it doesn’t affect my review in any ways. The thoughts are my own)
(less)

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Oct 24, 2012 S.M. Boyce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance, paranormal-fantasy, fantasy, magic, occult, new-adult, witches, vampires, world-building, _own-it_kindle

The Short Version

Rebecca Hamilton wrote this novella as a companion journal to the Forever Girl series. It offers a glimpse into the life of a minor character who saves the day in the Forever Girl (Book One). Hamilton’s smooth writing voice submerges you into the story after just the first couple pages, and you don’t ever feel the need to come up for air. Fans of the series should definitely take the detour and read this novella.

The Details

I think this story needed to be told, because a criticis...more

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About Rebecca Hamilton

Rebecca Hamilton writes Paranormal Fantasy, Horror, and Literary Fiction. She lives in Florida with her husband and three kids, along with multiple writing personalities that range from morbid to literary. Having a child diagnosed with autism has inspired her to illuminate the world through the eyes of characters who see things differently.

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Her Sweetest Downfall (Forever Girl #1.5)

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