Book Review: Carnage by Shantel Tessier

Title: Carnage

Author: Shantel Tessier

Series/Standalone: L.O.R.D.S. (Book #5)

Genre: Dark Romance, Adult

Pages: 628

Publisher: Indie Published

Year Published: 2023

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"A PUPPET

The men in the secret society known as the Lords think they rule the world. And in a way, they do. Each has sold their soul to the devil at a young age in exchange for power and wealth. Like anything else, they have different levels of success. The more they're willing to serve, the more power they have.

Among them are the Spade brothers, who run Carnage. It's where the Lords who have not held up their oath go to live out the rest of their lives in shackles. Tucked away from the world as if they never existed.

I VOW. YOU VOW.  WE VOW.

I once belonged to a Lord- Saint Beckham Carter. Although nothing was holy about him, I still kneeled as if he could grant me eternity in a world where only evil existed.

At the time, I willingly vowed to be his and allowed him to share me with his "brothers." But things changed. And what I thought couldn't get any better got exceptionally worse. So I did the only thing I could and ran from him, knowing I could never return.

Now he's found me and dragged me back to his hell, where he will make me his pet. The world already thinks I'm dead, so no one will miss me. And I'm just another name on a long list of those who will never know freedom.

What he doesn't know is why I ran from him in the first place. A Lord doesn't listen to reason, so it's not like he'd care anyway. Saint was born a Lord, and he will die as one.

If life has taught me anything, it's that we all pay for our sins. And Saint will never let me forget that my place is at Carnage, serving him on my knees until death is granted."

My Rating:5/5

This was so over-the-top, crazy, and intense, as most of the books in this series are. But if you wanted to see Shantal Tessier take the series to a whole new level, I would highly recommend. Seeing what caused Saint to be the character we see in the first half of the series was super interesting, and then getting more context for the subplot that has run through all the other books so far. I'm looking forward to continuing the series soon.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith

Title: Crown of Horns

Author: Jeff Smith

Series/Standalone: Bone Series (Volume 9)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 232

Publisher: Graphix

Year Published: 2004

Format: Hardcover

"Trapped in the dungeon while the fate of the Valley is decided by two raging armies, Thorn is haunted by the dangerous and mysterious object of power known as the Crown of Horns. Guarded by dragons, the Crown of Horns is the only thing that can stop the Locust and end the war... but how, and at what price? Fone Bone believes he knows the answer, and he must decide where his heart truly lies..."

My Rating: 3/5

This series wasn't all I hoped it would be. I felt that there were too many repetitions, and while I respect it was one of the first very popular graphic novels for young adults that I interacted with it's not the best one I've read. I may still read the prequel if the urge strikes, but I'm not in a huge rush.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Score by Elle Kennedy

Title: The Score

Author: Elle Kennedy

Series/Standalone: Off-Campus Series (Book #3)

Genre: Romance, Sports Romance,  Adult Fiction

Pages: 464

Publisher: Indie

Year Published: 2016

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"He knows how to score, on and off the ice...

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn't have the first clue about what she's going to do after college. To make matters worse, she's nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won't include the king of one-night stands.

It'll take more than flashy moves to win her over...

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grade, girls, recognition, girls.... he's a ladies man, all right, and he's yet to meet a woman who's immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world- and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It's not over until he says it's over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it's time to stop focusing on scoring... and shoot for love."

My Rating: 3.75/5

I enjoyed this volume, but there were a few things that were a miss for me. I find that Elle Kennedy's writing is really fun and great, but the third act conflict/breakup/whatever-the-fuck, is always cleared up too quickly. I feel that if that had happened earlier on by a little bit, then we could have more time to clear up the conflict before getting to the happily-ever-after part. Also, for a story to start out with "kinky" stuff, it seemed to settle down pretty fast (or maybe I've been reading too much dark romance again).

 I am super intrigued by the concept of the next book, and look forward to starting it soon.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny 

Book Review: Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith

Title: Treasure Hunters

Author: Jeff Smith

Series/Standalone: Bone Series (Volume 8)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 144

Publisher: Graphix

Year Published: 2002

Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)

"The Bone cousins, Gran'ma Ben, and Thorn reach the city of Atheia, where they prepare to battle The Lord of Locusts. Meanwhile, Thorn's visions are becoming more threatening, and Phoney Bone is convinced Atheia is rich in gold, and he is determined to find it!"

My Rating: 3/5

While I'm glad I'm finishing this series, some of the content feels repetitive. Phoney Bone is obviously intended to be an unlikeable character, but his repetition of not learning from his own mistakes if frustrating and annoying to read. I like the Thorn plot line, and I look forward to seeing how the series ends.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny