Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Judgement: FIRST MATE {You, fine piece, are my right hand. I cannot live without you, and neither can this ship. Thank you so much for your beautiful existence. You cannot leave this ship, no can do. }
Synopsis:
"In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series THE DARK ELEMENTS, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.
Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything...right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.
And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again..."
My First Thoughts:
At first...
But then after I read it...
Now, let me explain with words what I mean. I LOVE Jennifer Armentrout. Like, I have read every book of hers and loved them and want them all for my loot. BUT! Yes, you guessed it, there is a big "but" here. It's the new adult genre. I, too, fall into the age group of new adult and at the start, I gobbled up any and all book in the genre. And then I got a bit sad, because almost every book ended up having a very similar story line. And then I was even more sad because I realized this genre is kind of limited in its creativity and it'll die out. BUT! Yes, you didn't guess this "but". But, Jennifer Armentrout has now expanded and revived the category by introducing this series. I'm so very happy with this book. It went beyond the sexual tension and abusive themes that were too common place in new adult fiction and balance the new adult aspect with a paranormal aspect. I was wary at the the beginning (you could tell) because I was a bit apprehensive of how this mix would come about. But (another one!) Ms. Jennifer has truly outdone herself with this series. What an absolute awesome possum start!
Captain's Log on Bitter Sweet Love: Wow, so my first book review...kinda nervous now *heh heh* I will try my best lads and lassies! Anywhooo, when I'd met Dez, he
"stood before me, taller and broader than I remembered. He was the same in so many ways, but so much had changed. His hair was a deep auburn and when he’d been younger, it had been cropped short on the sides, the middle a spiky Mohawk. Not anymore. Now his hair fell in soft waves, barely brushing his shoulders. His eyes were the same—pale blue framed by heavy, thick lashes. The lack of the Mohawk wasn’t the only change. The rest of him? Nothing of the young man who’d left three years ago remained in the face that was both a stranger’s and familiar.
The round boyishness of his face had been smoothed away in the last three years and replaced with hard lines. His jaw was cut, cheekbones broad and high. There was a slight hook in his nose, as if it had been broken and not set correctly. His brows formed graceful arches over his eyes and his lips appeared fuller than before. A traitorous thought seeped in: Were his lips as firm as they looked?"
I likey. A LOT. Which made me sad that this is only a novella and not the main story but then again, I thought over it: they both are important enough to deserve a novella of their own. And strategically, this was a well planned series. Unconventionally, the novella, 0.5, was released before the first book and served as a tour guide into the world of wardens and demons. It, so to speak, set the stage so the first book doesn't need to go into toooo much detail. That said, I am looking forward to the next book very much as I fell in love with Layla and Zayne (yes, I'm going to have my heart broken, I can tell) through the little glimpse I got of them.
Now, on to actually talking about Bitter Sweet Love. Sorry mates, I'm too excited about this series and can't concentrate my thoughts at all. *clears throat* Okay, serious-ish time. Hmm, what lured me in was the original idea of wardens. I've read about, let's see, ZERO books on gargoyles and this certainly provided a beautiful and artistic spin on those horrific yet protective statues. I'll admit I had a bit difficulty imagining the gargoyle form of the characters in the book, but iz all cool.
I've spoken about Dez but Jasmine...she's interesting. At the start, I understood her and her reasons for staying away from Dez but also internally screamed at her over and over again when her thoughts were traitorous a wee bit too soon. I understand she needs to fall in love with him and etc but her "oh hey sexy" thoughts came on a bit too soon. But then again, this is a novella, so things were a bit fast paced. I think that was my only problem with the book, thus only 4 doubloons, not 5. It's a pet peeve of my generally, when a girl falls too hard too quickly for a guy. Not love-at-first-sight fast but faster-than-the-speed-of-light-I-want-your-clothes-off-NOW fast. It ruins the love aspect and turns it into a lust story. Wanted to fist-bump the girl for using Dez to achieve her freedom and then dump him though. Smart move. Gotta respect the girl for trying to defy the norm and live her life to the fullest.
All in all, this was a really sweet story. There was enough smexy to do justice to the sex god that is Dez but enough sweet to make me go "aww" every five seconds. I started to read this book as soon as I got it and didn't stop till I finished it. That's how engrossed I was in Dez and Jasmine's romance. Just beautiful. I was so happy the innocence of their childhood romance transitioned nicely to their new, romantic relationship. Dez (yes, I can't stop gushing about him) was such a sweet guy throughout the book. Jasmine, guuuurl, how the heck did you resist that man-candy for as long as you did?! Give her a medal or something!
*A side note* Um, so I'm suffering from something called second-male-lead-team syndrome. It's where I KNOW that the guy will be rejected/friendzoned but still can't stop my heart from loving him so. And the case applies to Zayne. I KNOW, you KNOW, we all KNOW that Zayne will be rejected for Roth and it's killing me
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| I WILL FIGHT ON!!! |
But before I forget...WELCOME ABOARD the Jolly Anne, Bitter Sweet Love!
-Captain Kaelyn
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