Monday 8 October 2012

ARC Review: Of Blood and Bone (The Minaldi Series #1)

Original Title: Of Blood and Bone
Series: The Minaldi Series #1
Author: Courtney Cole
Publisher: Lakehouse Press
Release Date: September 30th 2012
Source: From the author
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Of Blood and Bone (The Minaldi Legacy, #1)

As a little boy, Luca Minaldi was told he was a monster.
As an adult, he knows it is true.

He lives in Malta, a fairytale-like place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best kept of them all.

Eva Talbot arrives in Malta for the summer to finish up her doctoral dissertation. When she meets Luca, a mysterious and handsome shipping tycoon, there is an instant attraction, a disturbing and beautiful energy that she has never felt before. But she senses the darkness that lives within him.

Eva is hired to care for his mother, who suffers from dementia, but it is Luca who Eva will eventually risk everything to save. Her life becomes a swirling chaos of darkness and romance, of secrets and mystery. And the question that emerges will become the most important answer of all.

Can she save Luca from the darkness that plagues him without losing herself?

The answer is a matter of life or death.

REVIEW

Evangeline (Eva) is an American psychiatrist, who travels to Malta to finish her dissertation over the summer.  On her first day, Eva meets Luca Minaldi, who 'protects' her from a spider..and so begins the romantic interlude.  In this new place, people are friendly and accepting, except there are strange murders happening all over the place.  While her attraction towards Luca increases over time, she also learns that this rich, gorgeous and mysterious male has some dark secrets.

This felt like a modern day version of "Beauty and the Beast" with more suspense.  I liked the author's writing in general, and her way of maintaining the thrill.

I loved the way the author has brought out certain feelings, differently through her writing.

"Ever since my father died, since he committed suicide, my mother has not been well. Not that she was ever well to begin with. Not truly. But she is worse now than she has ever been. Now, to put it less than eloquently, she is fucking insane."

"And it’s not that I don’t think he’s attractive. Clearly, he is attractive. And he’s charming and sweet. And I like him. But when I think of him, I think of a golden retriever. Happy, loyal, not too deep. I think I need a man with substance."

Although I like this new world and new characters, the main characters doesn't connect deep with me, as much as the world did.  This new world with friendly atmosphere is sweet.  The main strengths of this novel are its story and the thrill.  There is a cliffhanger in the end and you are going to buy the next one to know what lies next.

"so I tell him that" - This is the statement that occurs some 100 times or so, in this book.. and its becoming annoying at times.  For example, "I find myself sleepy, so I tell him that."  I think I prefer direct dialogues.

There are many times, that I thought this book is way too predictable (maybe the blurb says it all???), but still I enjoyed this novel and that's all that matters in the end..right?  So, yes!  There are some flaws, but who cares.  Enjoying the novel during your reading time is more important.


*** WARNING: This novel contains adult content! ***

*** The quotes from this review is taken from the ARC provided by the author. ***

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