What do you think?
Rate this book
Dulcie O'Neil #4
Wuthering Frights
A father she never knew existed,
An impossible decision that had to be made,
A lie she must keep to herself at all costs,
And the realization that every choice she makes has consequences.
Fairy and law enforcement agent, Dulcie O'Neil, has just discovered that her father is the Head of the Netherworld, and a double-dealing, illegal potions importer. Worse yet, she's now working for him.
Knight Vander, Dulcie's boyfriend and Head of the Association of Netherworld Creatures, is on to her father, but, in the process, will he discover Dulcie's secret? And if he does, will it mean his life?
An impossible decision that had to be made,
A lie she must keep to herself at all costs,
And the realization that every choice she makes has consequences.
Fairy and law enforcement agent, Dulcie O'Neil, has just discovered that her father is the Head of the Netherworld, and a double-dealing, illegal potions importer. Worse yet, she's now working for him.
Knight Vander, Dulcie's boyfriend and Head of the Association of Netherworld Creatures, is on to her father, but, in the process, will he discover Dulcie's secret? And if he does, will it mean his life?
236 pages, ebook
First published April 29, 2012
146 people are currently reading
1520 people want to read
About the author
H.P. Mallory
363 books2,800 followersI’m a huge fan of anything paranormal and I always have been. I get super excited whenever they have those Twilight Zone Marathon days and anything ghost or vampire related will always attract my attention.
My interests are varied but aside from writing, I’m most excited about traveling. I’m extremely fortunate to have been able to live in England and Scotland, both places really having a profound effect on my books.
Thanks for checking out my books and I hope you enjoy them! Happy Haunting!
H.P.
My interests are varied but aside from writing, I’m most excited about traveling. I’m extremely fortunate to have been able to live in England and Scotland, both places really having a profound effect on my books.
Thanks for checking out my books and I hope you enjoy them! Happy Haunting!
H.P.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
March 7, 2013
I had been enjoying this series, which I thought was great fun, However, the sex scene between Dulcie and Knight at the end of this novel when he was transferring her as a prisoner was really off-putting for me - in addition to being completely gratuitous to the plot (and I know sex can be just for fun - and in fact the best sex normally is) the sex in this scene was in effect a rape, and a strong independent woman who said no, and who had recently gone through a series of traumatic events , had an orgasm - because obviously her ex-boyfriend jailer knew better than she did. Quite apart from the outrageous abuse of power by Knight, Dulcie clearly couldn't consent. As a result of this scene I won't be reading the next in the series, and I am re-considering carrying on with the Jolie Wilkins series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2015
This installment was… frustrating. Yes, that’s probably the best description for about three-quarters of this Dulcie adventure. Downright stupid fits not quite the other quarter. Because there is a dash of revolting thrown in that absolutely must be accounted for. Revolting. Yes, that is correct. You aren’t reading a typo or a misstatement. But I will get to that in a few.
First, the frustrating. The bad writing is starting to surface. I am not paying attention to things like the active vs passive voice switches, the run-on sentences, the bad grammar (because while bad, it feels like natural speech versus a well written book so it actually, to me, reads ok if I think of these as little plays in my mind and all the words are just part of a natural conversation). No, I am talking about the characters. Dulcie seemed like a pretty cool girl in the first book. And she was even better in the second. The third book didn’t add to her coolness factor, but it didn’t detract either. This one, however? Oh my goodness is she a blubbering idiot. She is delusional, whiny, self-contradictory (at one point she thinks that she never gave up fighting to get out of her situation, but caving to each and every demand and command isn’t exactly fighting) and she becomes so irritating. Not to mention the story itself – her lies and that Knight knew but was lying too and all the manufactured drama/stress because both characters are liars… well, I can only take so much of that internal struggle from our “heroine” before it gets old. Really, really old. Like ancient Babylonian times, Noah’s Ark kind of old.
The stupid. Dulcie went from being a pretty with-it law enforcement agent to a complete moron. Zero to stupid in less than 10 seconds, flat. The Flash has nothing on her. That’s not great character development. That’s exactly the opposite of what I want to read. Had she started out a walking talking potato it would be one thing. But she is supposed to be this kick-ass regulator and she was smart enough to eventually figure out the deal with Quill in the first book. While here, Johhny Bravo is an Einstein in comparison. When characters don’t learn from their mistakes, it can be frustrating. When they are as idiotic as Dulcie is in the book… stupid is too smart. How can she not think of any options - none, zero, zilch. I thought of 15 within seconds and I am really not all that creative. I know that there needs to be some sort of tension or obstacle, but we could have gotten to the same end point in a number of other, totally valid and less moronic ways. The character didn't need to become a walking lobotomy.
More stupid. The title. A play on Wuthering Heights, I get that. But where, oh where, is the relationship? Other than a play on the title just to play with the title. I was wondering this with the prior installments, but here it was too much to continue to ignore. There were also a number of book-to-book inconsistencies that I picked up here. For example, she had returned from the Netherworld a day after meeting her father, which was mere hours after being at Gabe's where she took a shower. But here, her return, she says she hadn't taken a shower in Hades knows how long. Ok, this isn't exactly plot risking inconsistency, but there were a fair number of them here and I wonder if the author and/or editor just fell asleep at the helm. Lazy and... you guessed it... stupid!
Even more stupid. While we needed to see how the “relationship” between Dulcie and her father was going to impact things – and they were for sure going to impact things – was there a race going on that someone failed to mention? The speed with which this story takes place, from Dulcie getting home to getting her job back to ending the way it did, remember the Flash? This element of the pace makes him look like a tortoise. A man who is supposed to have been a master criminal and all around tyrant for at least a hundred years can’t take a few days or weeks to give his new plant time to get settled and work through a workable solution? Tosh! Poor planning on the author’s part if you ask me.
Then Dulcie’s libido needs some help. Sure, in the PNR genre the libido is the elephant in the room and characters are often overcome by it, unable to silence their inner voice telling them how bad they want to jump bones and eventually the fail to control their urges, heating up pages (or chapters depending on how good the author is). And often, characters think the coupling isn’t smart (ok, always not just often – but this is where the couple’s struggle to be together, the he’s too good for me, I am too damaged, I can’t… comes from) and that tension or obstacle is necessary to the plot. When done right, it makes the steamy scenes steamier and the happy endings happier. When done right, the reader gets to sigh a sigh of relief that the characters have coupled and beaten what-ever was keeping them apart. But when done wrong, the characters are stupid, whiny, self-centered annoying reflections, with the emotional range of a teaspoon. But the teaspoon is Nicky Ferrante compared to Dulcie. While her libido puts Charlie Harper to shame – as absolutely all reason and any teeny tiny sense of intelligence disappears instantly every time Dulcie gets too close to Knight since she automatically stops thinking even semi-coherent thoughts about anything other than lust. Dulcie is the poster child for Lust. And it became really tedious and boring in this installment. Especially given the revolting - and unfortunately, her inability to do anything other than lust after Knight, while being self contradictory in the same thoughts doesn't appear solved even at the end of book 5.
The revolting. This was the worst part of this book. By far. The cliffhangers in this and the last book sucked. The fact that I idea I might get a slightly more sexy version of the cozy mystery was burst worse than on over-inflated balloon sucked. All of the stupidity and frustration noted above sucked. But what sucked the worst was **spoiler ahead** the scene towards the end between our 2 main characters – Knight, who I was really starting to like, and Idiot. Where they are fighting and he goes from being a good guy to a rapist. Yep. He does. Just like that. He is all over Dulcie, she is telling him no repeatedly, and he reads her body language and decides that she doesn’t mean no when she says it, she really means yes. So he forces himself on her. It doesn’t matter that she eventually says ok – it never should have gotten that far with these characters. I have read books with rape elements or scenes. And typically there is a reason for the scene. Here – I think the author just flipped her lid. And, the way the characters handled the situation subsequently, made me ill. I had to put the book down and re-read a number of times to make sure I really read what I thought I did. (Compounding this is the fact that in the following book, which I will review in the next few days, the author even does some victim shaming. That too was revolting.) And the larger lesson of it’s not the victim’s fault and no means no, no matter what (I counted 6 times she explicitly said no or stop or don’t do this and a number of others where she had that thought) and that rape isn’t the same as passionate sex (which is one of the explanations for the whole thing later) and that no man can read the mind or in this case body of another to change no to consent. Never mind that she eventually, begrudgingly, says she wants to have sex – since it is after he has already penetrated her. His response at one point to why he is forcing himself on her is “because I can.” WTF??? Let that sink in. Is my revulsion misplaced? The more I think about it, the more revolted I am. And the more disappointed in the author I am (especially after reading Malice in Wonderland, by the way… but I won’t spoil that one in this review).
This is NOT ok. Glossing over this by the characters, is NOT ok. Ending the book on this note, between these characters, is NOT ok. Turning the hero into a monster like this, for no apparent reason, is NOT ok.
So where do I stand? I definitely need to reclassify these from the mystery to the PNR. I am terribly disappointed that the individual mystery per book is not the way this series went and it took this ugly dark twisty turn. And I read book 5 (Malice in Wonderland). Not because I was really psyched to after the way 4 ended (and that is such a shame because I was really enjoying the series up until this point) but because I was curious as to how the author would handle things and I felt like I couldn’t let it end on such a sour note. We’ll talk about my disappointment and more of the frustrating and the stupid in the next Dulcie review.
First, the frustrating. The bad writing is starting to surface. I am not paying attention to things like the active vs passive voice switches, the run-on sentences, the bad grammar (because while bad, it feels like natural speech versus a well written book so it actually, to me, reads ok if I think of these as little plays in my mind and all the words are just part of a natural conversation). No, I am talking about the characters. Dulcie seemed like a pretty cool girl in the first book. And she was even better in the second. The third book didn’t add to her coolness factor, but it didn’t detract either. This one, however? Oh my goodness is she a blubbering idiot. She is delusional, whiny, self-contradictory (at one point she thinks that she never gave up fighting to get out of her situation, but caving to each and every demand and command isn’t exactly fighting) and she becomes so irritating. Not to mention the story itself – her lies and that Knight knew but was lying too and all the manufactured drama/stress because both characters are liars… well, I can only take so much of that internal struggle from our “heroine” before it gets old. Really, really old. Like ancient Babylonian times, Noah’s Ark kind of old.
The stupid. Dulcie went from being a pretty with-it law enforcement agent to a complete moron. Zero to stupid in less than 10 seconds, flat. The Flash has nothing on her. That’s not great character development. That’s exactly the opposite of what I want to read. Had she started out a walking talking potato it would be one thing. But she is supposed to be this kick-ass regulator and she was smart enough to eventually figure out the deal with Quill in the first book. While here, Johhny Bravo is an Einstein in comparison. When characters don’t learn from their mistakes, it can be frustrating. When they are as idiotic as Dulcie is in the book… stupid is too smart. How can she not think of any options - none, zero, zilch. I thought of 15 within seconds and I am really not all that creative. I know that there needs to be some sort of tension or obstacle, but we could have gotten to the same end point in a number of other, totally valid and less moronic ways. The character didn't need to become a walking lobotomy.
More stupid. The title. A play on Wuthering Heights, I get that. But where, oh where, is the relationship? Other than a play on the title just to play with the title. I was wondering this with the prior installments, but here it was too much to continue to ignore. There were also a number of book-to-book inconsistencies that I picked up here. For example, she had returned from the Netherworld a day after meeting her father, which was mere hours after being at Gabe's where she took a shower. But here, her return, she says she hadn't taken a shower in Hades knows how long. Ok, this isn't exactly plot risking inconsistency, but there were a fair number of them here and I wonder if the author and/or editor just fell asleep at the helm. Lazy and... you guessed it... stupid!
Even more stupid. While we needed to see how the “relationship” between Dulcie and her father was going to impact things – and they were for sure going to impact things – was there a race going on that someone failed to mention? The speed with which this story takes place, from Dulcie getting home to getting her job back to ending the way it did, remember the Flash? This element of the pace makes him look like a tortoise. A man who is supposed to have been a master criminal and all around tyrant for at least a hundred years can’t take a few days or weeks to give his new plant time to get settled and work through a workable solution? Tosh! Poor planning on the author’s part if you ask me.
Then Dulcie’s libido needs some help. Sure, in the PNR genre the libido is the elephant in the room and characters are often overcome by it, unable to silence their inner voice telling them how bad they want to jump bones and eventually the fail to control their urges, heating up pages (or chapters depending on how good the author is). And often, characters think the coupling isn’t smart (ok, always not just often – but this is where the couple’s struggle to be together, the he’s too good for me, I am too damaged, I can’t… comes from) and that tension or obstacle is necessary to the plot. When done right, it makes the steamy scenes steamier and the happy endings happier. When done right, the reader gets to sigh a sigh of relief that the characters have coupled and beaten what-ever was keeping them apart. But when done wrong, the characters are stupid, whiny, self-centered annoying reflections, with the emotional range of a teaspoon. But the teaspoon is Nicky Ferrante compared to Dulcie. While her libido puts Charlie Harper to shame – as absolutely all reason and any teeny tiny sense of intelligence disappears instantly every time Dulcie gets too close to Knight since she automatically stops thinking even semi-coherent thoughts about anything other than lust. Dulcie is the poster child for Lust. And it became really tedious and boring in this installment. Especially given the revolting - and unfortunately, her inability to do anything other than lust after Knight, while being self contradictory in the same thoughts doesn't appear solved even at the end of book 5.
The revolting. This was the worst part of this book. By far. The cliffhangers in this and the last book sucked. The fact that I idea I might get a slightly more sexy version of the cozy mystery was burst worse than on over-inflated balloon sucked. All of the stupidity and frustration noted above sucked. But what sucked the worst was **spoiler ahead** the scene towards the end between our 2 main characters – Knight, who I was really starting to like, and Idiot. Where they are fighting and he goes from being a good guy to a rapist. Yep. He does. Just like that. He is all over Dulcie, she is telling him no repeatedly, and he reads her body language and decides that she doesn’t mean no when she says it, she really means yes. So he forces himself on her. It doesn’t matter that she eventually says ok – it never should have gotten that far with these characters. I have read books with rape elements or scenes. And typically there is a reason for the scene. Here – I think the author just flipped her lid. And, the way the characters handled the situation subsequently, made me ill. I had to put the book down and re-read a number of times to make sure I really read what I thought I did. (Compounding this is the fact that in the following book, which I will review in the next few days, the author even does some victim shaming. That too was revolting.) And the larger lesson of it’s not the victim’s fault and no means no, no matter what (I counted 6 times she explicitly said no or stop or don’t do this and a number of others where she had that thought) and that rape isn’t the same as passionate sex (which is one of the explanations for the whole thing later) and that no man can read the mind or in this case body of another to change no to consent. Never mind that she eventually, begrudgingly, says she wants to have sex – since it is after he has already penetrated her. His response at one point to why he is forcing himself on her is “because I can.” WTF??? Let that sink in. Is my revulsion misplaced? The more I think about it, the more revolted I am. And the more disappointed in the author I am (especially after reading Malice in Wonderland, by the way… but I won’t spoil that one in this review).
This is NOT ok. Glossing over this by the characters, is NOT ok. Ending the book on this note, between these characters, is NOT ok. Turning the hero into a monster like this, for no apparent reason, is NOT ok.
So where do I stand? I definitely need to reclassify these from the mystery to the PNR. I am terribly disappointed that the individual mystery per book is not the way this series went and it took this ugly dark twisty turn. And I read book 5 (Malice in Wonderland). Not because I was really psyched to after the way 4 ended (and that is such a shame because I was really enjoying the series up until this point) but because I was curious as to how the author would handle things and I felt like I couldn’t let it end on such a sour note. We’ll talk about my disappointment and more of the frustrating and the stupid in the next Dulcie review.
August 21, 2012
Slight spoilers below. No plot points revealed.
The only other time that I have hated the ending of a book the way I hated the end of this was Hard Bitten in the Chicagoland Vamp series. Though HB was probably a lot worst cuz I was crying lol.
Mallory basically changed her main hero character into a rapist. And her Heroine into a fool.
When everything hits the fan it's like Dulcie goes from being the strong quirky heroine to a weakling who can't even formulate a sentence. Way to end the argument? Two words ask the other Loki. I understood everyones feelings are on display and emotions are high and ppl feel betrayed, but this ending was horrible for me just horrible.
First how many times does Dulcie have to be sexually abused by men in this series? Second, why did the author just obliterate Knight? In my opinion that's what she did. I now heavily dislike him and hope Dulcie ends up with Quillian or even Bram, two men who have consistently come through for her.
I can't even remember what I was liking about this book. I read it on and off all day so I obviously enjoyed it, but I am like irrationally angry about this ending.
The only other time that I have hated the ending of a book the way I hated the end of this was Hard Bitten in the Chicagoland Vamp series. Though HB was probably a lot worst cuz I was crying lol.
Mallory basically changed her main hero character into a rapist. And her Heroine into a fool.
When everything hits the fan it's like Dulcie goes from being the strong quirky heroine to a weakling who can't even formulate a sentence. Way to end the argument? Two words ask the other Loki. I understood everyones feelings are on display and emotions are high and ppl feel betrayed, but this ending was horrible for me just horrible.
First how many times does Dulcie have to be sexually abused by men in this series? Second, why did the author just obliterate Knight? In my opinion that's what she did. I now heavily dislike him and hope Dulcie ends up with Quillian or even Bram, two men who have consistently come through for her.
I can't even remember what I was liking about this book. I read it on and off all day so I obviously enjoyed it, but I am like irrationally angry about this ending.
May 5, 2012
This book was a roller coaster. I hope Ms. Mallory will quickly release the next book so we can see how Knight and Dulcie resolve their issues. I felt horrible for the position Dulcie found herself in, but I thought that Knight's reactions were real, letting his anger and hurt show rather than being too quick to trust after having been lied to. The other thing I really appreciate about this series is that they are books I can't put down. I just like the style so much, I'm definitely hooked from the beginning, and I think the characters are so well-rounded and filled out.
***SPOILER***
There was one uncomfortable part for me, which was toward the end of the book where Dulcie and Knight are intimate despite her protests. I get that it was probably supposed to make me feel uncomfortable and show that the two of them still want each other despite not liking each other, but I was a little uncomfortable reading it. I'm so routing for their HEA and definitely see Bram and Quillan as pleasant distractions/options.
***SPOILER***
There was one uncomfortable part for me, which was toward the end of the book where Dulcie and Knight are intimate despite her protests. I get that it was probably supposed to make me feel uncomfortable and show that the two of them still want each other despite not liking each other, but I was a little uncomfortable reading it. I'm so routing for their HEA and definitely see Bram and Quillan as pleasant distractions/options.
May 4, 2012
Read my review on Paromantasy
Here is my one long sentence gush session..er, review: Wuthering Frights is an unputdownable, thrilling, action-packed, emotional roller coaster of a read that will have you laughing, crying and your mind rattling as Dulcie tries to find a way to fight her tyrant of a father, keep up with the lies of her now shady second life, and leave the life she once new behind to protect the ones she loves the most. The cliffhanger ending will leave your heart on the floor and begging for more of this amazing series.
Dulcie O'Neil series, How I love thee? Let me count the ways...
#1 - Non-stop action - Dulcie is now at the mercy of her tyrant father who runs the Netherworld with an iron fist. She is forced to go against everything she believes in by joining the life of crime, but saving Knights life is worth it. In joining her daddy's minions, she is on a constant track of lies, danger and action as she tries to keep up with her life as an Investigator and the crimes that are going down under her ex-lover's nose. The constant whirlwind that is Dulcie's life will be sure to leave your heart-pounding and your fingers racing through the pages.
#2 - Emotional Roller coaster This is the most emotional of the entire series and that is saying something. In Dulcie's effort to protect Knight and the ones she loves, she is forced to leave them behind. The interactions with Knight are filled with heartbreak and anger as you see our power couple put to the test. Will they survive?? Let's just say, then ending will surprise you. Along with Knight, her relationship with Sam is also suffering, along with that of her other friends and you can't help but want to hug the lot of them.
#3 Mystery and Revelations - Dulcie is not the only one who wants to see daddy dearest removed from his "throne". Someone knows what is happening and they are spilling the beans to Knight. The problem is: does this person know about Dulcie and what does that mean for her and the lives of her friends who she is trying to protect? When nothing is at it appears, who can you trust? The answer may shock you! Along with these mysteries are revelations that can rock Dulcie's world. As I said, not everything nor everyone is who they appear to be. Many know a lot more than they let on. Let's just say as the secrets pile up and the truths are revealed, the way we look at some of the major characters will be dramatically altered!
#4 Love - You cannot have a Dulcie O'Neil series with some romance. In this book the love between Knight and Dulcie is bittersweet as Dulcie does her best to protect Knight by adding distance between them. But that is not the only hints of romance that we have. We see all whole new side of Bram and this new sweet spot of his makes him that much hotter. Sure, we still don't know his true intentions, but actions speaks louder than words and his actions has proven that Dulcie is not just a passing fancy. With tension between Dulcie and Knight rising, Bram may just prove to be a contender for Dulcie's heart.
# 5 Keeping it New and Exciting - One thing that HP does brilliantly, is the constant addition of new characters, the continued growth of our current characters and the way she weaves a new storyline from past events. It is like a huge unfinished puzzle that we are working through little by little while trying to decipher what the big picture is going to be. I love the progression of Dulcie and Knight. We see a whole other side of Knight and it is not to pretty - but he is only human...well, Loki but you catch my drift. Dulcie has really grown and is willing to risk it all to save the people she loves, now that is what I call a heroine. Bram's layers are pulled back with each book and I cannot wait to find out more. The supporting characters are still funny, spunky and lively as ever. Add the new characters of the evil daddy, a new fairy with the same spirit of Dulcie, but with a chosen careers in crime and the new partnership between Dulcie and her ex-boss/crush Quill and Wuthering Frights makes for a highly entertaining read.
If you haven't guessed by now - I love this book and this series. HP is one of the greatest in this UF/PNR genre and I cannot wait to read more of this series and the Jolie series. The cliffhanger ending left my mind reeling - HP, don't make us wait too long for book 5!!
Here is my one long sentence gush session..er, review: Wuthering Frights is an unputdownable, thrilling, action-packed, emotional roller coaster of a read that will have you laughing, crying and your mind rattling as Dulcie tries to find a way to fight her tyrant of a father, keep up with the lies of her now shady second life, and leave the life she once new behind to protect the ones she loves the most. The cliffhanger ending will leave your heart on the floor and begging for more of this amazing series.
Dulcie O'Neil series, How I love thee? Let me count the ways...
#1 - Non-stop action - Dulcie is now at the mercy of her tyrant father who runs the Netherworld with an iron fist. She is forced to go against everything she believes in by joining the life of crime, but saving Knights life is worth it. In joining her daddy's minions, she is on a constant track of lies, danger and action as she tries to keep up with her life as an Investigator and the crimes that are going down under her ex-lover's nose. The constant whirlwind that is Dulcie's life will be sure to leave your heart-pounding and your fingers racing through the pages.
#2 - Emotional Roller coaster This is the most emotional of the entire series and that is saying something. In Dulcie's effort to protect Knight and the ones she loves, she is forced to leave them behind. The interactions with Knight are filled with heartbreak and anger as you see our power couple put to the test. Will they survive?? Let's just say, then ending will surprise you. Along with Knight, her relationship with Sam is also suffering, along with that of her other friends and you can't help but want to hug the lot of them.
#3 Mystery and Revelations - Dulcie is not the only one who wants to see daddy dearest removed from his "throne". Someone knows what is happening and they are spilling the beans to Knight. The problem is: does this person know about Dulcie and what does that mean for her and the lives of her friends who she is trying to protect? When nothing is at it appears, who can you trust? The answer may shock you! Along with these mysteries are revelations that can rock Dulcie's world. As I said, not everything nor everyone is who they appear to be. Many know a lot more than they let on. Let's just say as the secrets pile up and the truths are revealed, the way we look at some of the major characters will be dramatically altered!
#4 Love - You cannot have a Dulcie O'Neil series with some romance. In this book the love between Knight and Dulcie is bittersweet as Dulcie does her best to protect Knight by adding distance between them. But that is not the only hints of romance that we have. We see all whole new side of Bram and this new sweet spot of his makes him that much hotter. Sure, we still don't know his true intentions, but actions speaks louder than words and his actions has proven that Dulcie is not just a passing fancy. With tension between Dulcie and Knight rising, Bram may just prove to be a contender for Dulcie's heart.
# 5 Keeping it New and Exciting - One thing that HP does brilliantly, is the constant addition of new characters, the continued growth of our current characters and the way she weaves a new storyline from past events. It is like a huge unfinished puzzle that we are working through little by little while trying to decipher what the big picture is going to be. I love the progression of Dulcie and Knight. We see a whole other side of Knight and it is not to pretty - but he is only human...well, Loki but you catch my drift. Dulcie has really grown and is willing to risk it all to save the people she loves, now that is what I call a heroine. Bram's layers are pulled back with each book and I cannot wait to find out more. The supporting characters are still funny, spunky and lively as ever. Add the new characters of the evil daddy, a new fairy with the same spirit of Dulcie, but with a chosen careers in crime and the new partnership between Dulcie and her ex-boss/crush Quill and Wuthering Frights makes for a highly entertaining read.
If you haven't guessed by now - I love this book and this series. HP is one of the greatest in this UF/PNR genre and I cannot wait to read more of this series and the Jolie series. The cliffhanger ending left my mind reeling - HP, don't make us wait too long for book 5!!
September 3, 2012
Today's review is on Wuthering Frights (Dulcie O'Neil, #4) by H.P. Mallory
I don't know about you, but I just can not get enough of this series! Each book has just enough of everything to keep me anxiously waiting for the next installment, and number four is no different!!
In the last book we found out that the Head of the Netherworld is none other than Dulcie's long and forgotten father, the one man responsible for the illegal potions entering Earth. Not only that, he tells her that if she is to save her boyfriend's life she has to "work" for him. She has to be his "eyes and ears in the ANC."
But where her "friend" Quillan has lost the drive to fight against the Netherworld's tyrant of a ruler, Dulcie may be just the person to bring him down. She just has to make sure that Knight's life continues to be safe from her father's far reaching arms. Sadly though, the only way Dulcie see's to keep her boyfriend safe is to break up with him. But this decision may ruin their relationship forever.
5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I don't know about you, but I just can not get enough of this series! Each book has just enough of everything to keep me anxiously waiting for the next installment, and number four is no different!!
In the last book we found out that the Head of the Netherworld is none other than Dulcie's long and forgotten father, the one man responsible for the illegal potions entering Earth. Not only that, he tells her that if she is to save her boyfriend's life she has to "work" for him. She has to be his "eyes and ears in the ANC."
But where her "friend" Quillan has lost the drive to fight against the Netherworld's tyrant of a ruler, Dulcie may be just the person to bring him down. She just has to make sure that Knight's life continues to be safe from her father's far reaching arms. Sadly though, the only way Dulcie see's to keep her boyfriend safe is to break up with him. But this decision may ruin their relationship forever.
5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
June 23, 2012
WUTHERING FRIGHTS was just okay to me. The plot was in a way predictable.
The story picks up right where it was previous ended, with Dulcie receiving her commands and making her way back to the real world with Quinn.
After a ‘night of celebrating their release’ with Knight, Dulcie quickly asks for her job back, promptly breaks up with him, and begins her secret work for her father. It takes a toll on not only her friendships, job and sleeping habits, but as her as a person.
Melchior’s newest drug is about to hit the street and Dulcie, Quinn and Christina are in charge of prepping for the selling of it. This new drug convinces its user that they have their greatest desire. Not only is it highly addicted, but is effective by simply smelling it. Knowing this will lead to total chaos and Melchior’s deeper control of the Netherworld, Dulcie seeks this as her chance to get out.
She seeks Bram who informs her of a secret Resistance group that is against Melchior. If she can gain their trust, she can finally get off his team. She slips a note to Caressa and watches as ANC arrives.
However, Knight now believes she’s always been working for her father and quickly arrests her. During the drive she is unable to convince Knight of her innocence. However she learns of the past between Knight and her father. Knight came to town because of her, and that he still loves her despite his unwillingness to believe her.
He proves he still loves her when he pulls over in the middle of nowhere, in a dark empty area and has his way with her roughly while her hands are tied behind her back despite her please to stop that eventually turn into hunger as well.
They reach the small cell house and he locks her away without another look, adding Quinn and others in other cells.
Only when Christina makes Knight let her see Dulcie does he begin realizing he’s going to have to eat his words when, right at the cliff hanger, Christina announces she’s the head of the Resistance.
There just wasn't enough romance and I felt like the characters really changed in this book.
The story picks up right where it was previous ended, with Dulcie receiving her commands and making her way back to the real world with Quinn.
After a ‘night of celebrating their release’ with Knight, Dulcie quickly asks for her job back, promptly breaks up with him, and begins her secret work for her father. It takes a toll on not only her friendships, job and sleeping habits, but as her as a person.
Melchior’s newest drug is about to hit the street and Dulcie, Quinn and Christina are in charge of prepping for the selling of it. This new drug convinces its user that they have their greatest desire. Not only is it highly addicted, but is effective by simply smelling it. Knowing this will lead to total chaos and Melchior’s deeper control of the Netherworld, Dulcie seeks this as her chance to get out.
She seeks Bram who informs her of a secret Resistance group that is against Melchior. If she can gain their trust, she can finally get off his team. She slips a note to Caressa and watches as ANC arrives.
However, Knight now believes she’s always been working for her father and quickly arrests her. During the drive she is unable to convince Knight of her innocence. However she learns of the past between Knight and her father. Knight came to town because of her, and that he still loves her despite his unwillingness to believe her.
He proves he still loves her when he pulls over in the middle of nowhere, in a dark empty area and has his way with her roughly while her hands are tied behind her back despite her please to stop that eventually turn into hunger as well.
They reach the small cell house and he locks her away without another look, adding Quinn and others in other cells.
Only when Christina makes Knight let her see Dulcie does he begin realizing he’s going to have to eat his words when, right at the cliff hanger, Christina announces she’s the head of the Resistance.
There just wasn't enough romance and I felt like the characters really changed in this book.
May 2, 2012
I've followed H.P. Mallory for awhile now and I've never been unhappy with any of my purchases. I'm in love with both the Dulcie O'Neil series as well as in love with the Jolie Wilkins series!
This book was great! The last book we discovered the head of the Netherworld is really her father, who's a tyrant out for power and basically distributing the illegal potions and such. After reveling he is her father he makes her promise to get her job back with the ANC and basically report to him or else he'll kill Knight. Dulcie loves Knight so much that she agrees to work with Quillan and other unsavory characters in order to be his eyes and ears and literally balance an act of two different worlds. Dulcie absolutely hates it with a passion and hates that she's betraying everyone so she basically cuts ties with Knight because she doesn't want to betray him but she can't continue on in a relationship with him, knowing she's lying.
This is an excellent addition to the Dulcie O'Neil series... there were some plots toward the end that I never saw coming... H.P. Mallory is a superb, enchanting story teller that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat. By the way, if you're wondering, YES the ending is a cliff hanger!!!! Of course with good story telling, that is to be expected no? :)
5 Stars by Paranoraml Addicts
This book was great! The last book we discovered the head of the Netherworld is really her father, who's a tyrant out for power and basically distributing the illegal potions and such. After reveling he is her father he makes her promise to get her job back with the ANC and basically report to him or else he'll kill Knight. Dulcie loves Knight so much that she agrees to work with Quillan and other unsavory characters in order to be his eyes and ears and literally balance an act of two different worlds. Dulcie absolutely hates it with a passion and hates that she's betraying everyone so she basically cuts ties with Knight because she doesn't want to betray him but she can't continue on in a relationship with him, knowing she's lying.
This is an excellent addition to the Dulcie O'Neil series... there were some plots toward the end that I never saw coming... H.P. Mallory is a superb, enchanting story teller that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat. By the way, if you're wondering, YES the ending is a cliff hanger!!!! Of course with good story telling, that is to be expected no? :)
5 Stars by Paranoraml Addicts
September 19, 2020
Just another example of romanticized rape. Spurned lover turns in to an abuser, but hey, it's okay, because both the characters are hot, he's really just misunderstood, and she goes along with it in the end so it's all good, right? I'm glad to see rape culture is alive and well.
Look, I'm about as kink friendly as they come. Everybody is allowed to have their fantasies and I'm sure some people will enjoy this one. I get that. I'm all for consenting adults enjoying themselves. My issue is that it gets swept under the rug and portrayed as okay. It's not okay! She said no over and over again. He used his position of authority to abuse her. It is really horrific. The longer I think about this book, the angrier it makes me.
I really tried to continue on to the next book, because I already paid for the stupid thing, having no idea how bad this series would turn. I couldn't do it. It seems pretty obvious they will get back together with the way she still pines for him and is dismissing the abuse. It's just so messed up that she doesn't see anything wrong with what he did. It's so messed up the author doesn't see anything wrong with what she wrote. I just can't do it anymore. I removed all the books by this author from my device.
This literary garbage needs to stop.
Look, I'm about as kink friendly as they come. Everybody is allowed to have their fantasies and I'm sure some people will enjoy this one. I get that. I'm all for consenting adults enjoying themselves. My issue is that it gets swept under the rug and portrayed as okay. It's not okay! She said no over and over again. He used his position of authority to abuse her. It is really horrific. The longer I think about this book, the angrier it makes me.
I really tried to continue on to the next book, because I already paid for the stupid thing, having no idea how bad this series would turn. I couldn't do it. It seems pretty obvious they will get back together with the way she still pines for him and is dismissing the abuse. It's just so messed up that she doesn't see anything wrong with what he did. It's so messed up the author doesn't see anything wrong with what she wrote. I just can't do it anymore. I removed all the books by this author from my device.
This literary garbage needs to stop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 21, 2013I'm not rating this book because I kind of feel betrayed by this author...My friends keep telling me the ending really sucked, I personally thought the end of the previous book also sucked and I really just read the highlights so I could pass this up and start the next one. I'm currently between hating the author to hating Knight. Dulcie pretty much lost most of her appeal to me as she is now weak and a fool and I'm really sorry to see such an amazing character fall so hard. Same with Knight. He was always kind of overbearing and forceful but I never thought I would see him act so badly. I am deeply disappointed with them both. I really hope the next one is better or I won't be able to stomach it and will simply give up this series which would be a real shame. And to think I initially liked this one better than the Jolie Wilkins Series...
August 14, 2017
This serie usually is a light reading, just fun to read after long days at work.
But I do have a BIG issue with this tome. What made me really really uncomfortable was the rape scene.
Because yes, even if you're in love, even if the guy is your boyfriend when you say no and he forces you IT IS RAPE.
Worse even, of course the heroine can't help finally enjoying the sex like in a bad porno movie...very disapointing and, imho, a very dangerous thing to "promote".
But I do have a BIG issue with this tome. What made me really really uncomfortable was the rape scene.
Because yes, even if you're in love, even if the guy is your boyfriend when you say no and he forces you IT IS RAPE.
Worse even, of course the heroine can't help finally enjoying the sex like in a bad porno movie...very disapointing and, imho, a very dangerous thing to "promote".
June 5, 2012
Dulcie, Dulcie, Dulcie... What have you got yourself into?!
Let me start off by saying that yet again H.P. Mallory has outdone herself. Immediately picking up where Great Hexpectations left off we are able to dive right back into the life of Dulcie O'Neil. This time around however she is up to her eyeballs in it, once leading the life of a Regulator -Think police officer, now finding herself being forced to be one of the bad guys.
I honestly felt for Dulcie in this book, yeah yeah I know she is a fictional character but it just goes to show how great of a writer H.P. Mallory is. Dulcie is being forced to end it with her one true love, Knightly Vander... she can't let her friends in on what is happening and it all seems hopeless.
I have to say that I am so glad she did not fall for Quillan in this book. As they are now both working on the same side it would have been easy to start a relationship with him but she knows who she loves and stuck by that.
Now saying that... one thing you do learn from this book is to not tick off Knight! He is one upset Loki! The scene toward the end of the book with Dulcie and Knight was almost uncomfortable to read. I just wanted him to believe her so much, I wanted him to take her in his arms and just hold her. She has been through so much but then I guess so has he. I can see where his anger is coming from and can even see how the puzzle is fitting together in his head. But surly what Dulcie is saying can easily be proven with a phone call to his friend Gabriel as he would prove what she is saying about going after the Head of the Netherworld after she was released from Prison. Or maybe a quick call to Caressa? I am sure the 5th in the series will start off exactly where this left off as thankfully all of H.P. Mallory's books seem to do. I can only hope that by that time Knight has seen the light and begs for Dulcie's forgiveness for not believing her.
H.P. Mallory announced recently on Facebook that the 5th in the series will be titled 'Malice in Wonderland' and will be released January 7th 2013. That seems like ages away but hopefully it will go very quickly so that we can all get our Dulcie, Knight and Bram fix!
Some of my favorite passages:
Yes, my career as a lying sack of shit was off to a good start. Yay me.
"It seems we are a standstill, Dulice, sweet."
The idea was to make myself look as unlike myself as possible. I was going for camouflage, disguise and incognito. I was going for Cyndi Lauper meets Boy George with a bit RuPaul thrown in for good measure.
"F**k me for still caring," he whispered and signed as his eyes found mine.
Let me start off by saying that yet again H.P. Mallory has outdone herself. Immediately picking up where Great Hexpectations left off we are able to dive right back into the life of Dulcie O'Neil. This time around however she is up to her eyeballs in it, once leading the life of a Regulator -Think police officer, now finding herself being forced to be one of the bad guys.
I honestly felt for Dulcie in this book, yeah yeah I know she is a fictional character but it just goes to show how great of a writer H.P. Mallory is. Dulcie is being forced to end it with her one true love, Knightly Vander... she can't let her friends in on what is happening and it all seems hopeless.
I have to say that I am so glad she did not fall for Quillan in this book. As they are now both working on the same side it would have been easy to start a relationship with him but she knows who she loves and stuck by that.
Now saying that... one thing you do learn from this book is to not tick off Knight! He is one upset Loki! The scene toward the end of the book with Dulcie and Knight was almost uncomfortable to read. I just wanted him to believe her so much, I wanted him to take her in his arms and just hold her. She has been through so much but then I guess so has he. I can see where his anger is coming from and can even see how the puzzle is fitting together in his head. But surly what Dulcie is saying can easily be proven with a phone call to his friend Gabriel as he would prove what she is saying about going after the Head of the Netherworld after she was released from Prison. Or maybe a quick call to Caressa? I am sure the 5th in the series will start off exactly where this left off as thankfully all of H.P. Mallory's books seem to do. I can only hope that by that time Knight has seen the light and begs for Dulcie's forgiveness for not believing her.
H.P. Mallory announced recently on Facebook that the 5th in the series will be titled 'Malice in Wonderland' and will be released January 7th 2013. That seems like ages away but hopefully it will go very quickly so that we can all get our Dulcie, Knight and Bram fix!
Some of my favorite passages:
Yes, my career as a lying sack of shit was off to a good start. Yay me.
"It seems we are a standstill, Dulice, sweet."
The idea was to make myself look as unlike myself as possible. I was going for camouflage, disguise and incognito. I was going for Cyndi Lauper meets Boy George with a bit RuPaul thrown in for good measure.
"F**k me for still caring," he whispered and signed as his eyes found mine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2012
Wuthering Frights
I am slightly biased as I LOVE pretty much anything that H.P. Mallory writes. This is the fourth installment for the Dulcie O’neil series. It is a cliff hanger (like everyone has said), but pretty much jumped right in where the last story took off (which was a major complaint from the last Jolie Wilkens book).
I really hate watching movies or reading books where the main character gets dumped on repeatedly. This happens to Dulcie in this book. I started reading it, and then stopped because it just seemed that she was losing everyone around her and they all blamed her. At one point Dulcie gets beat up by this guy, Baron, and while Quill was trying to stop it from happening he never once says, “You are not going to wanna do that to Melchior’s daughter.” In my mind that is all it would have taken to stop what happened, but perhaps there is a reason for not saying that.
Dulcie didn’t handle her situation the way I would have and she didn’t say things to Knight that I think would have been beneficial to her case. Clearly everyone reacts differently in situations, but it makes it hard to relate to a character that seems to consistently not be able to make a choice that would help her.
Having said all that, the end of the story leads me to think that Dulcie’s extremely long string of bad luck may be turning. I admit that I am mad at Knightly Vander. Dulcie is supposed to be his true mate, but he has immediately thrown their entire history out the window at the first sign of trouble. I would have liked for Knight to have seen past Dulcie’s ruse and put the pieces together and try to help her. I can see that he wouldn’t want to be played for a fool, but he seems to be pushing his version of what he thinks happened beyond what should be rational. But then again, who is rational when in love? But he is definitely not giving Dulcie the benefit of the doubt, and because of this, I am mad at him. I want him to think that he has lost Dulcie. My heart hurts for Dulcie in this book (yes, I know she is fictional, but the author did a good job of showing the hurt that Dulcie is going through in this book.
I am slightly biased as I LOVE pretty much anything that H.P. Mallory writes. This is the fourth installment for the Dulcie O’neil series. It is a cliff hanger (like everyone has said), but pretty much jumped right in where the last story took off (which was a major complaint from the last Jolie Wilkens book).
I really hate watching movies or reading books where the main character gets dumped on repeatedly. This happens to Dulcie in this book. I started reading it, and then stopped because it just seemed that she was losing everyone around her and they all blamed her. At one point Dulcie gets beat up by this guy, Baron, and while Quill was trying to stop it from happening he never once says, “You are not going to wanna do that to Melchior’s daughter.” In my mind that is all it would have taken to stop what happened, but perhaps there is a reason for not saying that.
Dulcie didn’t handle her situation the way I would have and she didn’t say things to Knight that I think would have been beneficial to her case. Clearly everyone reacts differently in situations, but it makes it hard to relate to a character that seems to consistently not be able to make a choice that would help her.
Having said all that, the end of the story leads me to think that Dulcie’s extremely long string of bad luck may be turning. I admit that I am mad at Knightly Vander. Dulcie is supposed to be his true mate, but he has immediately thrown their entire history out the window at the first sign of trouble. I would have liked for Knight to have seen past Dulcie’s ruse and put the pieces together and try to help her. I can see that he wouldn’t want to be played for a fool, but he seems to be pushing his version of what he thinks happened beyond what should be rational. But then again, who is rational when in love? But he is definitely not giving Dulcie the benefit of the doubt, and because of this, I am mad at him. I want him to think that he has lost Dulcie. My heart hurts for Dulcie in this book (yes, I know she is fictional, but the author did a good job of showing the hurt that Dulcie is going through in this book.
September 8, 2012
I will admit, I had to pluck up courage to read this fourth instalment in the Dulcie O'Neil Series and not because I thought it wouldn't be good. On the contrary, I was so upset with the way things were heading at the end of book three, that I just couldn't bring myself to face it straight away. I mean, come on! Poor Knight, it was written all over the wall.
But, after reading a couple of mediocre urban fantasies I just couldn't stop myself from going back to Dulcie. Let's face it - HP Mallory can write a better than decent story and I needed better-than-decent.
So, book four, Wuthering Frights. The book takes off immediately where the last finished. Same scene, same characters, same enormous problem. Dulcie is blackmailed into working for her father, the Head of the Netherworld and one very crooked crook. Mallory makes it easy to sympathise with Dulcie, to empathise with her friends who are all being shut out by Dulcie in an effort to protect them from her murderous father. And as for Knight. Man, did I suffer alongside him.
Once again a great fast pace, interesting story, and intriguing characters. Mallory brings in new characters who help spice things up nicely and prevent the story from becoming bored. There was one scene with Dulcie and Knight towards the end - on the side of the road, you'll be able to pick it out when you see it - that I didn't like. I think it was meant to be titillating, but for me it fell a little flat, didn't come across as sexy, but more controlling. I am still trying to fit that scene into my understanding of the characters - and I just can't see it. Yet.
Still, I think HP Mallory has a talent and her stories are more than captivating, they are a little addictive. I have already downloaded the first in the Jolie Wilkins Series simply because I can't get enough of Mallory and her easy-to-read writing style. Not to mention great story building and intriguing characters. I just pray that the next instalment in the Dulcie Series has a little more romance - the loving kind.
This one gets a 7/10: "Good solid read, something to get your teeth into" on the NBRS.
But, after reading a couple of mediocre urban fantasies I just couldn't stop myself from going back to Dulcie. Let's face it - HP Mallory can write a better than decent story and I needed better-than-decent.
So, book four, Wuthering Frights. The book takes off immediately where the last finished. Same scene, same characters, same enormous problem. Dulcie is blackmailed into working for her father, the Head of the Netherworld and one very crooked crook. Mallory makes it easy to sympathise with Dulcie, to empathise with her friends who are all being shut out by Dulcie in an effort to protect them from her murderous father. And as for Knight. Man, did I suffer alongside him.
Once again a great fast pace, interesting story, and intriguing characters. Mallory brings in new characters who help spice things up nicely and prevent the story from becoming bored. There was one scene with Dulcie and Knight towards the end - on the side of the road, you'll be able to pick it out when you see it - that I didn't like. I think it was meant to be titillating, but for me it fell a little flat, didn't come across as sexy, but more controlling. I am still trying to fit that scene into my understanding of the characters - and I just can't see it. Yet.
Still, I think HP Mallory has a talent and her stories are more than captivating, they are a little addictive. I have already downloaded the first in the Jolie Wilkins Series simply because I can't get enough of Mallory and her easy-to-read writing style. Not to mention great story building and intriguing characters. I just pray that the next instalment in the Dulcie Series has a little more romance - the loving kind.
This one gets a 7/10: "Good solid read, something to get your teeth into" on the NBRS.
May 3, 2012
I rate this a 4.5
I can say with confidence when I pick up a H.P. Mallory book from the Dulcie O'Neil series, I know I’m in for an entertaining story. H.P. Mallory has a great sense of humor and a flare for the dramatic. And this installment of Dulcie O’Neill is no exception to that rule. We end up on a wild ride immediately where the last book left off, in her new found father and Dictator of the Underworld. He has just given her an ultimatum she cannot refuse. Either she works from him, or Knight dies. It wasn’t a hard decision but this book focuses on the fallout from that choice.
Dulcie has always been cool and calm under pressure, but since she has left the underworld she is a wreck. She’s lost weight, she isn’t talking to any of her friends, she hasn’t slept in days and she got her a$$ beat the first day on her new “job”. She knows she has to break things off with Knight and its breaking her heart. If that isn’t enough Quin is acting like things never changed and plants one on her. Poor Dulce, her life has become a chaotic mess ever since she found out who her dad is. There is plenty of action, emotion and betray in this book, one thing can be assured you will not be bored, I had a hard time putting this one down. With the series just when you think that you have things figured out Mallory throws you a curve ball. At the end of this book you are left with another jaw dropper, not quite to the last books proportions but enough to have you wishing that book 5 was out like yesterday. Well done H.P. Mallory, well done!
I can say with confidence when I pick up a H.P. Mallory book from the Dulcie O'Neil series, I know I’m in for an entertaining story. H.P. Mallory has a great sense of humor and a flare for the dramatic. And this installment of Dulcie O’Neill is no exception to that rule. We end up on a wild ride immediately where the last book left off, in her new found father and Dictator of the Underworld. He has just given her an ultimatum she cannot refuse. Either she works from him, or Knight dies. It wasn’t a hard decision but this book focuses on the fallout from that choice.
Dulcie has always been cool and calm under pressure, but since she has left the underworld she is a wreck. She’s lost weight, she isn’t talking to any of her friends, she hasn’t slept in days and she got her a$$ beat the first day on her new “job”. She knows she has to break things off with Knight and its breaking her heart. If that isn’t enough Quin is acting like things never changed and plants one on her. Poor Dulce, her life has become a chaotic mess ever since she found out who her dad is. There is plenty of action, emotion and betray in this book, one thing can be assured you will not be bored, I had a hard time putting this one down. With the series just when you think that you have things figured out Mallory throws you a curve ball. At the end of this book you are left with another jaw dropper, not quite to the last books proportions but enough to have you wishing that book 5 was out like yesterday. Well done H.P. Mallory, well done!
October 24, 2014
I was so glad that I did not have to wait for this book considering the cliff hanger from the last book. I was a bit disappointed in how Dulcie handled her situation because she has been a very strong character up until now. But that is what is great about Mallory’s books, just when you think you know what the character is like and how they will react, they do something you don’t expect. That is what makes these stories interesting to me. And the surprises just keep coming which keeps you reading just to see where things will go.
I have to admit I was very upset with Knight and how he was so blind to the facts. He claimed to know Dulcie’s moral compass and to be her soul mate but he believed that she could be that evil person. Again, this shows Mallory’s ability to write a good story. She was able to make a lot of readers believe that someone who is supposed to be so smart and able to read other people, would be that blind when it comes to the person he is supposed to love. I can hardly wait for the next book to see where things go and if Dulcie will forgive him or not—not would certainly add a twist.
I have to admit I was very upset with Knight and how he was so blind to the facts. He claimed to know Dulcie’s moral compass and to be her soul mate but he believed that she could be that evil person. Again, this shows Mallory’s ability to write a good story. She was able to make a lot of readers believe that someone who is supposed to be so smart and able to read other people, would be that blind when it comes to the person he is supposed to love. I can hardly wait for the next book to see where things go and if Dulcie will forgive him or not—not would certainly add a twist.
June 12, 2017
If I could give this book minus one star I would, even zero is too high a score.
It's cliched and trite the whole way through to the last chapter. In the last chapter is gets disturbing really, really fast. I'm no a squeamish person when it comes to sex scenes, I don't generally even baulk at rough play or BDSM (even though I don't tend to read it for enjoyment). There are even books that I've loved in which the rape of the main character was a pivotal and important catalyst to the story line.
Dulcie was raped by Knight in this book, it was horrible the way it happened, it was gratuitous in that it really wasn't necessary and how it was dealt with during, before and definitely after was very, very disturbing. I was hate reading my way through this series, by this book I wanted to see how much worse the writing could get, after all this author has apparently sold a lot of books and even been trad-published. Not long after this scene the book ends so you need to get the next book to find out what happens.
It's cliched and trite the whole way through to the last chapter. In the last chapter is gets disturbing really, really fast. I'm no a squeamish person when it comes to sex scenes, I don't generally even baulk at rough play or BDSM (even though I don't tend to read it for enjoyment). There are even books that I've loved in which the rape of the main character was a pivotal and important catalyst to the story line.
Dulcie was raped by Knight in this book, it was horrible the way it happened, it was gratuitous in that it really wasn't necessary and how it was dealt with during, before and definitely after was very, very disturbing. I was hate reading my way through this series, by this book I wanted to see how much worse the writing could get, after all this author has apparently sold a lot of books and even been trad-published. Not long after this scene the book ends so you need to get the next book to find out what happens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2012
Crap.
Just as I was ready to call it quits on this series, the author left me with a cliff hanger!
However, I really was put off by the simplistic writing in the book. I'm not looking for something that is chocked full of flowery adjectives just for the sake of having them in there, but this is an exceprt from the book & there are so many others similar throughout the whole thing:
"I reached inside the cupboard closest to me and offered him a paper one. In general I liked paper as it was easier to clean up. I detested doing dishes. He smiled in thanks and took the plate, placing a generous piece of pizza on it and handed it to me."
How is this even book-worthy? Of course you used paper plates when you ordered pizza. We all know why. There's no need to offer up a paragraph about WHY you're using paper plates. Good grief. It's like she has such potential, but then she sounds like she's doing creative writing class in high school.
Just as I was ready to call it quits on this series, the author left me with a cliff hanger!
However, I really was put off by the simplistic writing in the book. I'm not looking for something that is chocked full of flowery adjectives just for the sake of having them in there, but this is an exceprt from the book & there are so many others similar throughout the whole thing:
"I reached inside the cupboard closest to me and offered him a paper one. In general I liked paper as it was easier to clean up. I detested doing dishes. He smiled in thanks and took the plate, placing a generous piece of pizza on it and handed it to me."
How is this even book-worthy? Of course you used paper plates when you ordered pizza. We all know why. There's no need to offer up a paragraph about WHY you're using paper plates. Good grief. It's like she has such potential, but then she sounds like she's doing creative writing class in high school.
May 7, 2012
Oh the cliffhangers! They will be the death of me!
But for the most part, as with all Dulcie (and Jolie) books, the story was very exciting and fast-paced. Great reveals (especially the very end!) and good character interaction. A couple (minor) gripes: Jolie's "decision" near the beginning of the book (don't want to give spoilers, but if you've read it I am sure you know what I mean) and the second to last scene of the book, by the car. Again, no spoilers here, but that scene just made me angry. It wasn't hot, it was just sad, but maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I read it.
Can't wait for the next one :)
But for the most part, as with all Dulcie (and Jolie) books, the story was very exciting and fast-paced. Great reveals (especially the very end!) and good character interaction. A couple (minor) gripes: Jolie's "decision" near the beginning of the book (don't want to give spoilers, but if you've read it I am sure you know what I mean) and the second to last scene of the book, by the car. Again, no spoilers here, but that scene just made me angry. It wasn't hot, it was just sad, but maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I read it.
Can't wait for the next one :)
June 16, 2012
Could have been better" this back and forth between her and Knight, together, not together, together, not together is getting old and so many series do that that it wears on you quickly.
She's getting to be a half wit really, we get it you have fairy wings you can't control in the Netherworld, do we have to read a half a page or more about it every time. I will say the series is getting more meat into it and with this turn of events at the end perhaps it will get better and the characters will be stronger. It was a little boring with just mostly Dulce and Quill, I hope to see more of the rest of the gang in the next installment.
June 21, 2024
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🎧
I feel like these books are like chips you can't just do one. They are fantastic and fun to listen to.
Dulcie is having a hard time with her new job working for her father and dislikes what he is making her do all to protect those she loves.
I enjoyed how this book played out but there was one part which seems to be an issue with a lot of us who like the books on how the author did it. You can read other people's spoiler reviews for it. I just wanted to say it didn't need to be like that to convey the emotion she was trying to get.
LOVE the narration I can't think of anyone but Therese narrating these she does such a fine job.
I feel like these books are like chips you can't just do one. They are fantastic and fun to listen to.
Dulcie is having a hard time with her new job working for her father and dislikes what he is making her do all to protect those she loves.
I enjoyed how this book played out but there was one part which seems to be an issue with a lot of us who like the books on how the author did it. You can read other people's spoiler reviews for it. I just wanted to say it didn't need to be like that to convey the emotion she was trying to get.
LOVE the narration I can't think of anyone but Therese narrating these she does such a fine job.
May 6, 2012
OMG! The next Dulcie book cannot come out soon enough! I wanted to throw my nook across the room a few times, but I loved it! Talk about a cliffhanger!
May 4, 2012
Another Fab book by HP Mallory.. I hate endings like this one but once again I will wait until the next book.
June 8, 2012
Love the Dulcie series... this one is my favorite so far... I just love Knightley Vander... and the Denali scene is awesome... I just love this book... I couldn't put it down..
September 19, 2012
Absolutely love this author and her series!
October 15, 2012
Can't wait for the next one
June 15, 2018
I...This book...well...grr....*scrunchies nose and then sighs* I'm still trying to forget the last 15 pages or so. I was thinking this review would bring 3 stars up until those last pages. But yeah. No. Those pages made me subtract a star. I'm still not sure what the author's goal was with that scene. There seemed to be no purpose. Maybe she thought it would be hot and passionate? It wasn't. Ick and gross would be better descriptors.
So most of this installment - #4 in the Dulcie O'Neil series - is just there. It doesn't break any new ground either character or plot wise. Honestly, it's pretty much one big trope. It's surprising the characters aren't tripping over all the trope-iness, the way it's just laying all around covering up the minuscule other plot that felt very filler-ish at times. You know the trope where 1 half of the main couple does something to save the other half, something that is terrible, awful and/or borderline illegal - usually blackmailed into it - and then can't tell the saved person what they did. Because there are death threats. Basically a Lifetime movie of the week plot. Not Hallmark this time. Because Hallmark movies and their immensely watchable cheesiness do not allow for dark and dreary death threats.
So our previously somewhat kick-arse heroine Dulcie pretty much folds like a metal chair in a church basement and does her evil father's bidding. Meanwhile, Knight, the saved one is completely clueless, emotionally blind and apparently the most gullible Loki to ever live (which is odd because Loki in Norse mythology is a trickster). All that "fun" results in lies and fights and big breakups and brooding and sobbing guilt and woe is me, my life sucks inner monologues. For. The. Whole. Book. Which thankfully isn't that long. Sure there are a few moments levity and sweetness - Trey's love of Dulcie's dog Blue and Sam being the very smart bff who knows Dulcie better than she knows herself. Plus there's Christina who is kinda fabulous in her own way (all that awesomeness clued me in pretty quickly that she was hiding something important). But bright and shiny moments were few and far between. We're left with more angst than usual, an even more convoluted love quadrangle (why again does every guy in Splendor want Dulcie?) and a rebel allian....erm I mean Resistance that has existed for years without anyone knowing about it. Makes me not want to grab my eReader and swipe over to book 5 any time soon.
So I think I'll be taking a step back from As the Netherworld Turns for now. Not forever - I'm sure I'll be back in Splendor at some point. Because my curiosity will get the better of me and I'll have to find out how the author either ignores or explains away those last few pages.
So most of this installment - #4 in the Dulcie O'Neil series - is just there. It doesn't break any new ground either character or plot wise. Honestly, it's pretty much one big trope. It's surprising the characters aren't tripping over all the trope-iness, the way it's just laying all around covering up the minuscule other plot that felt very filler-ish at times. You know the trope where 1 half of the main couple does something to save the other half, something that is terrible, awful and/or borderline illegal - usually blackmailed into it - and then can't tell the saved person what they did. Because there are death threats. Basically a Lifetime movie of the week plot. Not Hallmark this time. Because Hallmark movies and their immensely watchable cheesiness do not allow for dark and dreary death threats.
So our previously somewhat kick-arse heroine Dulcie pretty much folds like a metal chair in a church basement and does her evil father's bidding. Meanwhile, Knight, the saved one is completely clueless, emotionally blind and apparently the most gullible Loki to ever live (which is odd because Loki in Norse mythology is a trickster). All that "fun" results in lies and fights and big breakups and brooding and sobbing guilt and woe is me, my life sucks inner monologues. For. The. Whole. Book. Which thankfully isn't that long. Sure there are a few moments levity and sweetness - Trey's love of Dulcie's dog Blue and Sam being the very smart bff who knows Dulcie better than she knows herself. Plus there's Christina who is kinda fabulous in her own way (all that awesomeness clued me in pretty quickly that she was hiding something important). But bright and shiny moments were few and far between. We're left with more angst than usual, an even more convoluted love quadrangle (why again does every guy in Splendor want Dulcie?) and a rebel allian....erm I mean Resistance that has existed for years without anyone knowing about it. Makes me not want to grab my eReader and swipe over to book 5 any time soon.
So I think I'll be taking a step back from As the Netherworld Turns for now. Not forever - I'm sure I'll be back in Splendor at some point. Because my curiosity will get the better of me and I'll have to find out how the author either ignores or explains away those last few pages.
November 25, 2025
After meeting her father, Dulcie is put in an impossible situation, either work for her father or see Knight killed. To her it’s basically a no-brainer, make sure nothing happens to Knight. This means she is not on the other side of the law and must basically break off with everyone, especially Knight.
Working with Quillin, who has been working for her father for years, Dulcie has to try and figure out a way to get out of the deal without Knight being killed.
This book is full of the difficult situation that Dulcie is in, how she plans to get around it, if she can get around it. Also, she has to figure out a way to stop the importation of a deadly, addictive drug.
This is a shorter book but it is still full of a good story. There are a lot of emotions involved, some action, suspense and surprises. The romance has been put on hold for now.
It’s an easy reading, fairly quick book. A lot happens that will be carried on into the next book. Looking forward to it.
Definitely enjoying this series.
Working with Quillin, who has been working for her father for years, Dulcie has to try and figure out a way to get out of the deal without Knight being killed.
This book is full of the difficult situation that Dulcie is in, how she plans to get around it, if she can get around it. Also, she has to figure out a way to stop the importation of a deadly, addictive drug.
This is a shorter book but it is still full of a good story. There are a lot of emotions involved, some action, suspense and surprises. The romance has been put on hold for now.
It’s an easy reading, fairly quick book. A lot happens that will be carried on into the next book. Looking forward to it.
Definitely enjoying this series.
March 26, 2023
I’m so disappointed… :(
After LOVING the last book, I started this one, thinking we were going to get to see a conflicted Dulcie come clean to Knight and have the two of them work out a way to escape her father’s evil clutches. However, only a couple pages in, I realized this would not be the case… Dulcie immediately sabotages her relationship with the man she risked her life to save. This, of course, made me concerned for the course we seemed to be on, so I came back to look at the book’s reviews before reading any further.
For my own sake- as a bonafide Knight-loving maniac- I’m not going to continue with the series. Considering that A) their relationship (which we waited SO long to happen!) is apparently tanked and B) he becomes a rapist (as a bonus, Dulcie, for her part, apparently becomes an idiot), I just don’t know if I can take reading any more! Sad, but it was good while it lasted…
After LOVING the last book, I started this one, thinking we were going to get to see a conflicted Dulcie come clean to Knight and have the two of them work out a way to escape her father’s evil clutches. However, only a couple pages in, I realized this would not be the case… Dulcie immediately sabotages her relationship with the man she risked her life to save. This, of course, made me concerned for the course we seemed to be on, so I came back to look at the book’s reviews before reading any further.
For my own sake- as a bonafide Knight-loving maniac- I’m not going to continue with the series. Considering that A) their relationship (which we waited SO long to happen!) is apparently tanked and B) he becomes a rapist (as a bonus, Dulcie, for her part, apparently becomes an idiot), I just don’t know if I can take reading any more! Sad, but it was good while it lasted…
June 20, 2022
Well it got real
It went exactly how I expected, other than the new drug. How do two people come back from this crap? Dulcimer finds herself between a rock and a hard place. I am more prone to tell truths than lie, but I figured this would come back to bite her while he is made into an a hole. Working with Quill, working with her father and betraying her friends even with the best of intentions and against everything she believes in? Yeah, there are always alternatives. Good news? She was in the right place for learning of the new drug.
It went exactly how I expected, other than the new drug. How do two people come back from this crap? Dulcimer finds herself between a rock and a hard place. I am more prone to tell truths than lie, but I figured this would come back to bite her while he is made into an a hole. Working with Quill, working with her father and betraying her friends even with the best of intentions and against everything she believes in? Yeah, there are always alternatives. Good news? She was in the right place for learning of the new drug.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews