Review: OH NO! WHAT HAPPENED?!
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2011
NO SPOILERS or plot summaries. Recommendations included.HIGH LEVEL: Book 1 of a paranormal romance series that focuses on Norse gods in modern America. Not a good read: awesome concept, blundered execution. I'm a fan of Dana Marie Bell's work. Her "Gray Court" series is my favorite. This, however, was a TERRIBLE example of her work. Awkward and confusing, this story never really evens out and pulls you in. You're left wondering what on earth is going on and how on earth such childish people could be GODS. Please don't judge this author's work by this book!STYLE: In typical Bell fashion, the atmosphere was light and fun and the story is relatively SHORT. Trouble is this DID NOT WORK for this concept, though. Norse mythology has an imposing cast of characters and implies nobility and power- yet it was thrown at you all at once, liberally sprinkled with trite humor. Not only did you have to figure out which god was which, but then you had to remember what their modern names were- who was related to who- who had what power- what they all had to do with our story! It was a mess. Truly a mess. It was MUCH better suited for a more serious book- a longer story where it could have unfolded better.CHARACTERS: Undeveloped and silly. These were supposed to be Norse gods, but they somehow all came across as the cast of a bad tv series. There was no depth. Their actions felt forced because they weren't given room to develop and they were almost all interchangeable. I couldn't tell them apart except by checking which name was mentioned and then assigning the dark hair to one and the light hair to the other and giving up on the supporting characters. Also, given all of the various relationships it seemed vaguely incestuous...BOTTOM LINE: Not worth the time. Perhaps if you are a fan of this author and find this concept interesting, you might want to go ahead just to see if the series improves. If you haven't read anything from this author before- DON'T start here. She's really very talented! I'm not sure I'll bother with the next book. I just didn't grow to LIKE these people.RECOMMENDATIONS:1. R.G. Alexander's steamy vampire/were/witch romance series:Regina in the Sun (Children of the Goddess)2. R.G. Alexander's threesome themed para-eroticaWicked Sexy: Wicked, Book 1- very simple stories, but I wasn't impressed by book 23. Vivian Arend'sTidal Wave: Forces of Nature, Book 1- with frolicking dolphins and alsoStormchild: Pacific Passion, Book 1- with multiple seaside creature shifters. Both VERY SHORT.4. Anya Bast'sWitch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1)- romance with a little more substance5. Dana Marie Bell'sDare to Believe (The Gray Court)- sexy, humorous para-romance with all manner of fae: Sidhe, dragons, leprechauns, vampires and more.6. For fans of manage... Marie Harte'sRachel's Totem- lighter, less developed para-erotica featuring a variety of shifters in a quirky little town. Also,Roane (Circe's Recruits 1)- para-erotica around genetically engineered shifters who bond through sexual connections7. Sherrilyn Kenyon'sFantasy Lover- Dark Hunter series with shifters, vamps and Greek gods. The first book is not as good as the rest- it just gets better and better.8. Sydney Somers' gargoyle spin on romance:Primal Hunger: Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 1and her less-adventurous witch-centric "Spellbound" series Say You're Mine