Review: Captivating writing filled with action, magic and great romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 24, 2013
Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/WriterRating: 4.5 out of 5 ControllersReviewer: HeatherI might be a Kristin Callihan fangirl. That’s fine, I admit it and display my badge proudly. For those unfamiliar with her work, you can pick up Entwined which is a quick and smoking hot novella … or You can read:FirelightEmberMoonglowWinterblazeI’ll also mention Shadowdance, which is next in my TBR pile, and I’m sure I’ll love it.The Darkest London series caught me from book one. It blends light elements of steampunk and paranormal to create some steamy romance. It’ll make you blush, but then again I blush easily.Back to the book at hand: Entwined.I read this from front to back in under 2 hours. It’s roughly 40 pages and my biggest complaint is that when I hit 85% on the kindle, the book ended. I wanted more, but that’s a common theme with Kristin Callihan’s books.Lies and betrayal are my favorite books, and mirroring reality, we’d have no stories without them. Still I found myself caught off guard by Lady Luella’s dark secret, while Eamon’s is pretty darn obvious from the get-go. Either way it made for some interesting suspense in an otherwise fast paced story that manages to span years without being flippity floppity –ouch.Characters … okay, I’ve got to say it. There aren’t enough ginger haired heroes in fiction. I loved Eamon from the start. Few know it because I dye my hair, but I’m a natural shade of ginger. Sure tones of red headed heroines grace stories, but men get a bad rep if they’re hair’s flaming.Pacing was spot-on too, and I already spoke of the suspenseful plot … so here’s where I get to the parts I wasn’t thrilled with.A) The brother … I understood why he left, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t all that into women. That’s totally fine, and it’s not really a huge deal, but I would rather have read it straightforward then a beat around the bush approach. If he wasn’t really gay and just a commitment phobic then I misread it.B) Length. While sold as novella, this is more of a short story and a stretch as a novella/novelette. I understand the terms have changed with the digital age, but at 40 pages formatted (and I don’t know if this includes front/back matter), I wouldn’t consider it a novella. Maybe that’s just me and my opinion.What I loved:The suspense, romantic pull, and the ending. I wondered as I read along how this sweet and sexy story tied into the rest. Up until this point we’d followed the three sisters and the organization. I won’t give it away, but it made sense at the end, and I totally loved it.I’m still a huge fan of the writing style. No obnoxious overuse of adverbs (cringes) and not afraid to let the steam shine through with action, magic (where applicable), and sexy romance. Kristen never loses you in the plot either and you’re driven forward with each sentence. Like I said, I’m a total fan girl, and if she releases a book I’m certain to read it. I’ve been blessed to read these ARC’s from Netgalley, but I buy them as soon as they become available too.