Review: Sizzling Hot!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 6, 2014
Madeline Pryce’s DARK CRAVINGS is an explosive debut novel from Ellora’s Cave. It is sizzling hot. You can almost feel the slide of skin against skin, and the scrape of fangs in places better not mentioned… This book defines sensual, raw, and gritty. Madeline takes you on a fantasy ride of vampires, demons and shape shifters, all in a modern-day, believable setting. The plot was original and out of this world. The fights scenes would have you cringing, glad that you were only reading the action, not involved in it. Ella and Micah kick some major a!@.The characters came to life on the page. By the end of the first chapter, I was already a little in love with Micah and Ella both. I would be hard pressed to say which one I liked better. The chemistry between the two of them was smoking; seriously tingle worthy.“I wasn’t human, not anymore. But I wasn’t fully a vampire either.”“I, Ella Grey, Shadow Hunter, was now the thing I’d been raised to kill.”Ella is a feisty, living vampire. Her attitude endeared her to me from the very beginning. Ella was raised a Shadow Hunter, people who are sworn to protect the world from Otherworldly creatures. In her youth, she fell in love with a vampire, Julian. He ended up changing her into a half human-half vampire while trying to save her life. Ella has fangs but can go out in the sunlight and live without blood. She makes a vow to the Shadow Agency that she will not drink blood, even though she craves it. Ella is another one of those kick ass girls I love, but she is also feminine. She gets angry when she should, cries when it hurts or if it will make her feel better, and is fiercely loyal to those she loves.Micah starts off as sarcastic, 'think I’m better than you', and oh so smug. Micah is a human, or so he thinks. He is a Shadow Hunter as well. Ella is intensely attracted to him but thinks that he would never really want her because she is a vampire. They fight a lot and the vibes they put off are sexual frustration. Micah comes out to be this fiercely loving, protective and possessive man who will make you swoon, or feel hot all over.Ella, “One more word and I’ll bite you.”Micah, “Try it and I’ll shove a stake through your heart.”Julian is Ella’s sire. He is a 400-year-old vampire. He is sick, twisted, and evil in a completely hot, bad boy way. He is one of those characters you love to hate. He wants Ella, but Ella is bound to Micah and despises Julian. Ella and Julian have this twisted sire bond that causes all kinds of havoc.Ella and Micah do not sound like star-crossed lovers but throw in a Succubus and mix it all around, and you get beautiful chaos.A four-day “retreat” that they barely remember. Blood soaked sheets and startling, bright blue eyes--changes that will rock the foundation of their very world.A prophecy foretold their union. They are soul-mates that cannot be unbound. The Vampire Queen vows that Ella will be destroyed. Nothing, or nobody, will get in her way.I do not want to say anymore because if I do it will be nothing but spoilers but I do want to mention her other characters. Madeline created not just a world for Micah and Ella, but for their family and friends. Her character development is very thorough. She put up a beautiful cast of people who you will fall in love with as well, and you can tell they have own stories to tell in time.This book was action-packed suspense. It was romantic, steamy, and at times it was laugh-out-loud hilarious. I would highly recommend reading this book.