The author is just as wordy in this one as the first. She’s using big words, and a lot of them, which makes reading tedious, and I find myself losing interest and checking out.
The whole drinking exotic animal milk, like zebra’s, because it’s like alcohol to a demon, truly is disgusting, stupid and weird.
I’m surprised how far Frank went to copy Gregori in Dark Magic by Christine Feehan. Gideon has silver eyes, hair of about the same length, and he ties it back with a leather thong. The only difference is that Gideon has silver hair with his silver eyes. You really threw us off the trail with that one, Frank! He also has an aristocratic appearance and he’s 1,000 years old. Hello, you completely ripped off someone else’s character.
The relationship that Noah had with his sisters was a little disturbing. Maybe it’s just because I’m not close like that to my brother, but the hugging tightly, kissing foreheads and cheeks, and tugging hair was just weird. And then Noah makes a comment about boys liking the story of imprinting because it’s the “most outstanding sexual experience known to exist in the world.” Wtf? Why would you say that to your sister? That’s disgusting. And then Legna says there’s hope for him, and he says “I can only hope” and winks lecherously. Ew.
I really didn’t like how much time was being spent on the side characters. We start off in Damien’s perspective, a random vampire I’ve never heard of, hearing his thoughts and feelings, while Gideon sits there this book isn’t telling his story and he’s the side character. Wtf? Then we’re back with Isabella and Jacob. I just read their story; their time is over. I don’t wanna read about them anymore when I’ve just read an entire book about them. Don’t you know that previous characters aren’t supposed to dominate the next books, and they’re definitely not supposed to be there for any length of time.
I loved the history that Legna and Gideon shared, that they gave into the wild passion at that certain time of year, and that she was hurt and mad at his careless words. But what really ruined it was that Gideon had lusted after a human woman after that encounter with Legna. Wtf? He was supposed to like Legna and be attracted to no one else. That really sucks.
Gideon scanning her body was done exactly like Gregori. He goes searching through her body, except in here, the author seemed to think she was a doctor, what with throwing out terms like physiological, enzymes, molecular structure, reproductive systems, etc. It was ridiculous! I was completely lost, and you don’t have to go that far, because readers don’t know what the freak you’re talking about.
Legna really made me mad. I thought she was a strong, independent woman who was holding fast to her vow not to let Gideon know how she felt, and to be mad at him after insulting her, leaving her and then lusting after another woman. But that lasted about a second. During his examination she reacts to his touch, and sends him what she’s feeling, like “a cat in heat.” Uh, ew. And what happened to her pride? Why is she letting him know she desires him?
After Gideon’s and Legna’s encounter, he distances himself from her, thinking that would save him from going after her at Samhain. Instead, it made him “vulnerable to any female that caught his slightest attention.” So, because he left the 1 woman he desired, he went after the first female he came to? How sweet.
I really didn’t like how Legna was so big. At first she’s tall, like all demons, which wouldn’t be bad, but then Gideon is saying she’s statuesque and she’d be considered an Amazon. Ew. That’s way too big and I don’t like that at all.
I liked when Gideon showed he trusted her enough to let her know his full name. But then he called her Nellis, and the author didn’t even say what it meant. Wtf? You can’t throw out words and then not say what they mean.
I lost pretty much all of the respect I had for Legna when she told Gideon that she was afraid, and then agreed with his careless comment that he made 9 years ago that she was a child, and asked what she could possibly bring to make their imprinting make sense. Wow, just turn into a complete baby the minute you get together. I see where this is going. And why is she suddenly so afraid when 9 years ago she was kissing and touching him and wanting things to go further, and then during the examination she’s like “a cat in heat,” looking at him from under her lashes, sending him her reaction to him touching her, and kissing him? How can you be afraid of him, after you’ve done all that? Yeah, that doesn’t even make sense.
Frank has the distinct talent of being the most wordy and intellectual author I’ve ever read, and in a romance book, that’s not a good thing. You don’t want to jar readers right out of the mood because they’re tripping over words. Case in point:
“His mouth took from hers wildly, his hands coming to cradle her head as she swayed forward into him, deeper and deeper into the hot clash of taste and tongues. She was pristine ambrosia, food for the gods, and it sent spears of want plunging down through his body. Control? It was hers and hers alone. He suddenly understood what it might be like for those on the receiving end of his power. What he was receiving from her electric, powerful, and a healing of his self-imposed solitude that was like a beneficent balm.”
Are you kidding me? Pristine ambrosia? Beneficent balm? What the freak?
Gideon says she needs time, but they won’t be able to resist each other at Samhain, and Legna responds with “I am grateful for whatever time you give me.” Seriously? You’re thanking him for not forcing you to be with him? My god, this is so annoying. Where did the strong, fiery Legna go? Cuz this woman is a doormat.
And Legna’s eyes turning silver like his . . . really? Why is that? That’s so annoying.
I see that Legna is going to be superwoman, just like Isabella in the previous book. Since 9 years ago when Gideon had started the imprinting process with Legna with their kissing, Legna has been tapping into his strength, so that’s why she’s advancing so fast. I see Frank was bitten by the same bug that Stephanie Meyer’s was, the one that has the women receiving power after power and just being superheroes to save the day.
Another thing that annoys me is everything making comments about Legna getting her attitude and way of thinking from Bella. Bella is an immature idiot with a childish sense of humor that’s supposed to be sarcastic and funny, but is really just annoying. Can’t Legna be sarcastic or fiery without everyone comparing her to the stupid Bella?
I didn’t like how Gideon so easily made the transition from being single and in control of his emotions to teasing and called her sweet, beautiful, and his beautiful one. I didn’t expect that flowery speech, but I forget he’s modeled exactly after Gregori.
Just like in Dark Magic, Legna is considered a fledgling, so young compared to him. There’s also the matter of Gideon expecting his will to be done, and being rooted in the old ways. Frank also adopted a sense of betrayal that was in Dark Magic. He created something that would make Legna hurt and mad, that Gideon had taken her memory of her mom’s death.
Frank also had Gideon have incredibly wide shoulders, just like the men in Christine Feehan’s Dark series. But in here, Gideon has silver hair, silver eyebrows, and silver eyelashes. No, hold that thought. His eyelashes are actually black. I guess Frank realized how strange silver eyelashes would’ve looked like, and so changed them to black. That’s a copout. You can’t have a weird anomaly occur like a man having two different colored hair on his body.
Legna is alternately bold and shy, and that makes for frustrating reading, like they’re bipolar or they just don’t know what they want. She’s in his bed touching his face and chest while she thinks he’s sleeping, but when he wakes up she’s trying to back away. She’s call scared and then she’s stammering and hesitant and fearful like a little fool. She says she’s afraid of the way he makes her feel, and so he tells her to leave now, and what does she do? She goes and jumps him. You just got done saying you were afraid and you weren’t ready, so when he tells you to go as he’s holding onto his last bit of control, you go kiss him. Are you scared or aren’t you? God, she’s as annoying as the women in the Dark Series.
“You have had my undivided love and attention practically since the day I was born, Noah. Has it never occurred to you that you are simply unwilling to share me with anyone else? You joke about it, but ther are reasons why you are not interested in finding a companion of your own. Why should you? You have a perfectly kept home, a beautiful hostess to manage your social affairs, and she is pretty much emotionally maintenance free. I give you completely unconditional love, respect, and admiration. I keep you company when there are so many around, but none are really close enough to your heart to safely be a King’s confidant. There is only one thing I cannot do for you, and I already know you have your ways of obtaining that.”
How . . . disturbing. Who says that to their brother?
It was so disgusting when Gideon said it had been a while since he had been attracted to a female. Shut up. I don’t wanna hear about that crap. I mean seriously, is he really telling her about other women? And then she warns that if it’s anything under 1,000 years she doesn’t wanna hear about it, and he edits himself innocently, saying “did I mention I was a virgin?” Wtf? Why would you have them have this discussion about his past sex life with other women and be all cute about it? And then she coos at him, giving him a pat on the cheek. Why would you just laugh it off, instead of being hurt? And don’t you know you’re not supposed to talk about things like that with your mate? Ugh, it’s just like Christine Feehan. You set it up to where they all have 1 mate intended for them, but then you have the men sleep with other women before they get with her. It’s senseless.
Another similarity with Dark Magic is that Gideon was given a mate of his own kind, just like Gregori. Most of the others in the Dark Series were given human women, and I see she kept the healer with a woman of his own kind, just like Feehan did. She even gave her characters the same sense of humor. The women make dumb, embarrassing comments that are supposed to be funny but aren’t, and the men just die laughing out loud. They joke about the men being sex fiends and perverts, and they joke about the men expecting everyone to follow their orders. Frank also used the worn-down line that Feehan used, about the man not knowing what it was to laugh, or having a sense of humor, until the woman came along. Would it kill you to come up with your own material?
“Braver still, she traced her butterfly touch down the firm column of his throat, marveling at its complete antithesis to the slim shape of her own and how strange it was that she found that to be a sexy thing.”
The antithesis? Did you really just use the antithesis when studying his body? Oh, how dry the romance is. This is what I would expect a relationship with a college professor to be like. He’ll be using flowery speech and weird words you don’t know to describe your body….and on that note I’m gonna stop.
Frank must’ve had a good education, and that’s great, but a romance novel isn’t the place to show off your knowledge of words.
Frank is just as long-winded as Christine Feehan. The characters, primarily the man, launches into these super long speeches that have me feeling physically worn out as I’m reading them. They’re so lonnggg and boring and tedious to read through. It’s like trying to concentrate on psychology or chemistry. No one wants to read these speeches that are almost a whole page long.
I’m really surprised Frank didn’t just come out and say that Legna was the light to his darkness like Feehan did. Instead she launches into a page-long narrative that danced right on the edges of that concept. She searched for other ways to say it, but the idea was exactly the same:
“She was his one true mate, his second half, the feminine side of himself that flourished on intuition and protective instincts. She was the side that turned calm before the battle so as to see to complete preparation for what was to come. She was center, focus, and everything moral that would guide his actions. She was the strategy and logic that would take him along the best course to victory while exercising caution for his own safety. She was mercy for those who would lie beaten at his feet, satisfying him with victory while sparing him the poisonous joy of killing when it was no longer needed. She was the peace and the light that would keep him from burdening himself with the heavy weight of taking a life, no matter how justified it was.
He was her one true mate, her second half. As she armed him, she felt him slipping deeply into her soul, becoming the masculine side of herself. This was the place within her that thrived on defending what was hers, the part that would mark her territory with the blood of her enemies if they dared cross the lines set before them. He came her sense of authority and righteousness, the part of her that was battle scarred and warrior skilled. He was her physical prowess, her devious cunning, and the part that would endure the pain and wounds of hell rather than see injustice done. He was the darkness and the conflict that kept her from becoming too complacent in the soft nature of peace, leaving herself open to the attack of those who were not so honorable in ideals as she would have them be.”
I’m absolutely appalled at the depth of this author’s copying. That takes guts to completely rip off another author’s ideas and then have it produced, making money off of it. That is so wrong and despicable. And anyone who has read Feehan knows where Frank got all of her ideas.
I just love how Bella’s dominating this book too, because as everyone knows, it’s all about Bella. After Twilight, I’m so sick of hearing that name it isn’t even funny. And I don’t know why anyone would choose that name. Bella gets attacked, and so that’s at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Legna is worried about her. Gideon has to heal her. Elijah has to search into the attack. Jacob is heartbroken, and Gideon has to look for people that could have been behind the attack.
You can tell when the author is describing something on her own, something she’s trying to make sound unique like she hasn’t copied the overall concept, because it sounds grossly intelligent. For example:
“A true Lycanthrope could exist in three stages. A single animal of any species imaginable was the first. There was a human form for the second, indistinguishable from any normal mortal who could not see beneath the skin and into their genetic make-up. Most Demons could tell just by their scent that they were not truly human. Gideon suspected this was probably true of other Nightwalkers as well. The third and final form was the Lycanthropic form, a combination of the first and second, the specific animal and the specific human usually as large as a human but sporting the specific attributes of the Lycanthrope’s animal form, like the fur and claws if it was a bear, or fangs and wings if it was a bat.”
What? specific animal, specific human, specific attributes. What the freak? And a Lycanthrope, by definition, is someone who turns into a wolf, specifically and only a wolf, not any animal they choose.
Frank even has them mention playing chess, which was in Dark Prince. And how incredibly boring. That’s her grand idea as to what to do with Gideon? She’s a real bag ‘o fun. And even though Gideon keeps insisting she’ll never bore him, just as the men in the Dark Series do, I don’t guy a single word. Legna is 1 of the most boring characters I’ve ever had the displeasure to read about. She speaks like someone straight from the 1700s, and wears dressed to go with it. Ugh, what a complete and utter bore. Yeah, she’s real young and vibrant.
Gideon goes to the court of Siena, and Legna gets jealous, which was kind of irrational because the woman had expressed her pleasure over Gideon having a mate, said she wouldn’t get with a Demon, and she was a virgin, but kind of rational because of the way the queen dressed, and she asked Gideon if he came there to be with her. But Gideon says that it’s foolish of her to feel that way, and she gets mad, feeling that he’s calling her childish again. She stays mad for a few minutes, arguing with him, but then just gets over it and is touching him the next second, like a real bipolar. Gideon calls her little girl and insolent girl during the argument and grips her throat so hard it leaves marks, yet Legna is caressing him the entire time.
“Legna’s head was spinning from stimulus and psychometric devastation.” What the freak?
I was disappointed that Gideon didn’t make 1 remark about the time when Legna materialized at Noah’s celebration in the council room and she was naked. Jacob mentioned it in the 1st book, and that’s kind of weird. Shouldn’t Gideon have been the more appropriate 1 to remember such a scene about Legna? I also disappointed with Gideon’s real name: Pentangelo. Rly?
The author obviously didn’t know what to do with Legna and Gideon, and so just branched off with the other side characters. That should never happen. Bella was getting hurt, Noah was thinking, Jacob was with Bella, Corrine was attacked… I mean, are you kidding me? This is Gideon’s and Legna’s story, it’s supposed to be all about them.
There were more disturbing comments about Legna running across Noah with a partner more than a few times over the centuries, and Gideon remarking that Noah felt the energy of their lovemaking from miles away. Ew. That’s a line you just don’t cross.
Frank even has human hunters out to get the Nightwalkers, and even goes so far as to call them fanatics. She set up her world exactly like Feehan’s, down to the threat from humans.
Legna has to meditate and get her strength back up so she can help get Corrine back, and so Gideon comes in and can’t stop thinking about her body. Rly? You’re rly gonna distract her from that? And I was so sick of Gideon studying her physiological response.
“Adrenaline was racing through her, causing chaos in her biorhythms to the point that Gideon hardly knew where to start to help calm her.” What? Rly, you don’t have to go so far with the medical terms.
I always wondered how mates destined to imprint took like 3 centuries to make it happen. Finally, Gideon says it’s because she walked in on him when her mom had been dead and covered in blood because he hadn’t been able to save her that had him keeping his distance from her.
I was glad that Legna wasn't a virgin, because Gideon had been with other women, but I found it strange that there was no mention of Legna's love life before Gideon, like it wasn't okay to talk about her sex life but it was okay to talk about Gideon's. That's a double standard there!
The romance was so boring, and I almost fell asleep while even reading the sex scenes, and that shouldn't happen. Also, the characters changed completely from their original personalities, and that was disappointing and annoying.
It was obvious that Elijah was going to get with Siena, and I wasn’t too crazy about that. Siena was just weird, what with the jingling collar that was too reminiscent of a house cat for me, and her weird hair that wrapped around herself to grow into fur, and that wrapped around Elijah’s wrist in the preview of their book. Creepy and weird!