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a_chickletz's review against another edition
5.0
Oh.
My.
God?
Where has this book been all my life? Well, I know where it HAS been for the past year. I had joined goodreads (a discount and free kindle book email service) and this was one of the books that popped up. The thing intrigued me, and since it was free, I downloaded it.
I finally got around to reading it last night and it was so good I marathoned it all in one sitting. I have never done that with a book in a long time, nor for a book that has to do with vampires.
I was so scared that this was going to become Twilight but thank god it never did. What I got was a vampire that was fresh, new, and reminded me of a clash between an X-Men and Anne Rice. The focus, er the heroine, was a sassy, strong, cunning girl who could totally rip the shit out of Bella Swan.
The story, the characters, everything was paced so wonderful that I couldn't find any cliches or problems that made me roll my eyes or put off from reading for a bit. (Wait till you guys meet Camryn! He's so amazing.)
I loved the book so much I went and purchased book two. :)
Seriously. Read the other reviews - this is a hidden gem in supernatural literature that you gotta pick up.
My.
God?
Where has this book been all my life? Well, I know where it HAS been for the past year. I had joined goodreads (a discount and free kindle book email service) and this was one of the books that popped up. The thing intrigued me, and since it was free, I downloaded it.
I finally got around to reading it last night and it was so good I marathoned it all in one sitting. I have never done that with a book in a long time, nor for a book that has to do with vampires.
I was so scared that this was going to become Twilight but thank god it never did. What I got was a vampire that was fresh, new, and reminded me of a clash between an X-Men and Anne Rice. The focus, er the heroine, was a sassy, strong, cunning girl who could totally rip the shit out of Bella Swan.
The story, the characters, everything was paced so wonderful that I couldn't find any cliches or problems that made me roll my eyes or put off from reading for a bit. (Wait till you guys meet Camryn! He's so amazing.)
I loved the book so much I went and purchased book two. :)
Seriously. Read the other reviews - this is a hidden gem in supernatural literature that you gotta pick up.
kippins's review against another edition
3.0
This was so close to being a DNF for me. The first half was so slow & boring to me, but I read friends reviews & they all seemed to say the same thing, slow to start but great in the end.
And they were right. The 3 stars are totally for the second half. Wants the action truly started & the romance really started I couldn't put it down. So much so that I went straight into the next one :)
I loved Gio. He is the perfect combo of sweet & tough. The things he says & does for B are divine & then the way he gets when he has protect her etc is just swoon-worthy!
And Beatrice is a great heroine, I really liked her.
And they were right. The 3 stars are totally for the second half. Wants the action truly started & the romance really started I couldn't put it down. So much so that I went straight into the next one :)
I loved Gio. He is the perfect combo of sweet & tough. The things he says & does for B are divine & then the way he gets when he has protect her etc is just swoon-worthy!
And Beatrice is a great heroine, I really liked her.
hermance's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Despite many flaws this book did the job. It is a paranormal romance/romance urban fantasy. Vampires have elemental powers. The main female characters isn't as smart as the other characters think she is. As for the male lead character, I have trouble believing that a 500 + years vampire, born during the Italian Renaissance and given a humanist education, would find a young but silly and childish woman interesting. I couldn't really feel the love between them. Attraction, yes. Love, no. Also, Beatrice forgave Giovanni too easily for what he did. The villain felt cartoonish. There was too much telling and little showing.
sara11_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting start to a series. I will always be annoyed with characters that automatically assume the worst of the other character instead of thinking things through and realizing that they are pushing them away to protect them. It's a trope that comes up so often and almost every time it requires that smart people suddenly become idiots. Also, don't approve of characters keeping secrets for no real reason other than creating conflict later in the book.
mystralstorm's review against another edition
4.0
Before Reading:
I found this hidden treasure over the Christmas break. I was browsing through the free books on Amazon when I found it. Since it was free and I needed a book to read, I downloaded it to my kindle. Best decision I made that week when it came to book buying.
*WARNING*: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!!!!!
My Review:
I will admit I wasn't expecting much from this book. I thought at first it would just kill some time and I might delete it from my kindle later; it didn't take long for me to change my about it. From the first few pages of the story I was sucked into the supernatural world Elizabeth Hunter created. She adds a creative twist to vampires and the way she wrote her characters was amusing and at the time made me bit my lip in fear of the worst happening with the different twists the plot took. By the time I finished it I was ready to kill Lorenzo, smack Giovanni for being an idiot at the end, and sit down with Beatrice and eat ice cream with her.
What I liked:
Description, description, description. Description makes the world go around. Alright, maybe not but I love when an author uses it as a tool to enhance the story. With A Hidden Fire the description was just plain wonderful. I love how she uses it to show everything looks and it helped make the story in my opinion. It was easy to imagine how everything looked and there were times where I imagined the story as a mini movie playing in my head.
Besides the description I also loved the twist Elizabeth Hunter used when dealing with vampires. I will admit, I had no idea vampires were part of the book when I picked it but it didn't bother me in the least thanks to the way she created them. Ms. Hunter's vampire are unique in the way that every single vampire is able to use an element: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. I believe this is the first time I have read a book were an author gave such a twist to vampires. It was refreshing. I also enjoyed the way she made them able to control people by touching them.
If I wasn't already in love with the book, the characters made sure to change my mind. It wasn't hard to be intrigued by all the mysterious secrets Giovanni seemed to hold or start laughing with Carwyne as he teased and poked Giovanni or want to become friends with Beatrice. They were all likable characters. The one character that should of died but didn't was Lorenzo, the king of creepiness and evil. I hate him so much I just wish I could stake him. He doesn't show up into the end but his work is shown throughout the book. It's his fault Beatrice lost her father. If it wasn't for him her father would still be human. I really hope he dies in the next book. It will make me smile.
What I didn't care for:
The only thing that bothered me was Lorenzo didn't die in this book and the way Giovanni allowed Beatrice to be kidnapped. In the end I understand way the slimy douchbag didn't die and Giovanni's actions are explained but that doesn't stop me from wanting to hit him.
There wasn't much of the book that bothered me. The plot was good, characters were awesome and the romance was perfect. The one thing I was glad about the romance that didn't happen was Giovanni and Beatrice not having sex. I'm not sure why but I feel if they did it would have ruined the book for me. I am praying that the next few books manage to get buy without showing whats happening in the bedroom.
Overall:
I gave A Hidden Fire 4 stars out of 5. I enjoyed it more than what I thought I would. It was easy to get pulled into the story and by the time it ended I was ready for the next book Some point in the future I will read the next 3 books; I can't wait to see what Ms. Hunter will do next.
Originally posted: http://readwriteloverepeat.blogspot.com
I found this hidden treasure over the Christmas break. I was browsing through the free books on Amazon when I found it. Since it was free and I needed a book to read, I downloaded it to my kindle. Best decision I made that week when it came to book buying.
*WARNING*: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!!!!!
My Review:
I will admit I wasn't expecting much from this book. I thought at first it would just kill some time and I might delete it from my kindle later; it didn't take long for me to change my about it. From the first few pages of the story I was sucked into the supernatural world Elizabeth Hunter created. She adds a creative twist to vampires and the way she wrote her characters was amusing and at the time made me bit my lip in fear of the worst happening with the different twists the plot took. By the time I finished it I was ready to kill Lorenzo, smack Giovanni for being an idiot at the end, and sit down with Beatrice and eat ice cream with her.
What I liked:
Description, description, description. Description makes the world go around. Alright, maybe not but I love when an author uses it as a tool to enhance the story. With A Hidden Fire the description was just plain wonderful. I love how she uses it to show everything looks and it helped make the story in my opinion. It was easy to imagine how everything looked and there were times where I imagined the story as a mini movie playing in my head.
Besides the description I also loved the twist Elizabeth Hunter used when dealing with vampires. I will admit, I had no idea vampires were part of the book when I picked it but it didn't bother me in the least thanks to the way she created them. Ms. Hunter's vampire are unique in the way that every single vampire is able to use an element: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. I believe this is the first time I have read a book were an author gave such a twist to vampires. It was refreshing. I also enjoyed the way she made them able to control people by touching them.
If I wasn't already in love with the book, the characters made sure to change my mind. It wasn't hard to be intrigued by all the mysterious secrets Giovanni seemed to hold or start laughing with Carwyne as he teased and poked Giovanni or want to become friends with Beatrice. They were all likable characters. The one character that should of died but didn't was Lorenzo, the king of creepiness and evil. I hate him so much I just wish I could stake him. He doesn't show up into the end but his work is shown throughout the book. It's his fault Beatrice lost her father. If it wasn't for him her father would still be human. I really hope he dies in the next book. It will make me smile.
What I didn't care for:
The only thing that bothered me was Lorenzo didn't die in this book and the way Giovanni allowed Beatrice to be kidnapped. In the end I understand way the slimy douchbag didn't die and Giovanni's actions are explained but that doesn't stop me from wanting to hit him.
There wasn't much of the book that bothered me. The plot was good, characters were awesome and the romance was perfect. The one thing I was glad about the romance that didn't happen was Giovanni and Beatrice not having sex. I'm not sure why but I feel if they did it would have ruined the book for me. I am praying that the next few books manage to get buy without showing whats happening in the bedroom.
Overall:
I gave A Hidden Fire 4 stars out of 5. I enjoyed it more than what I thought I would. It was easy to get pulled into the story and by the time it ended I was ready for the next book Some point in the future I will read the next 3 books; I can't wait to see what Ms. Hunter will do next.
Originally posted: http://readwriteloverepeat.blogspot.com
diana123980's review against another edition
3.0
Boring. Excruciatingly boring. I think the same scene played on repeat for half the book.
bouldermimi's review against another edition
4.0
Read 1/17/21 - eBook
What a great start to a new series I know I'm going to love. Vampires in this series have control over one of the elements, Giovanni's is fire. Beatrice sure is smart and spunky, what vampire could resist her? I especially love Carwyn, he's a hoot! Going to look for the next book in the series!
What a great start to a new series I know I'm going to love. Vampires in this series have control over one of the elements, Giovanni's is fire. Beatrice sure is smart and spunky, what vampire could resist her? I especially love Carwyn, he's a hoot! Going to look for the next book in the series!
readsbyeva's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sophieanne97's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
curly85's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75