I usually only give 5 stars to books I know I’ll re-read and this one is no exception. This is an excellent first book to a series. The first part of the book is devoted to character introduction and world building. Not only are the MCs fully developed; I got to know and like the secondary characters and their unique personalities. I spent a summer working for a traveling carnival when I was young (great way to see the south) and Marie Hall brings Carnivale Diabolique to life. I could see and smell the midway. I fell into the story from page one and didn’t put it down until I finished it really late at night. I loved everything about this story from the plot and characters to the fact that the writing was faultless (to my eyes anyway). The pacing was quick and perfect for the book.

Pandora is one of the strongest paranormal heroines I’ve read in a while. Don’t get me wrong she has her issues to deal with, anyone of her age and having another to share your mind and body would. Pandora also sees herself as weak at times and she’s so far from it.

The mystery/suspense kept me turning the pages. It wasn’t so easy to figure out and it was just enough angst to keep me on the edge, but not so much that it got frustrating. The sex was well done with the right amount of detail that it was very hot and steamy without overwhelming the rest of the book.

I’m impatiently waiting for the story to continue. I recommend this to anyone looking for a well written paranormal that will have you laughing and then tearing up at times this is the one for you.

(Received a copy from author/netgalley for an honest review.)


Darker Passions ( )

**Review written for an originally posted on my blog, Book Bliss. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review**

Review: 4 stars

General: This concept was really unique and entertaining. I have never read anything quite like it and think the world and characters were quirky and everything you would expect from a traveling circus … or how its been described to the world. I loved how something traditional (the sins) was paired with something new and fresh. In a way it reminded me of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld. A similar spin on the use and pairing of the demons and the leads.

I thought the plot itself was a bit too easy in terms of a mystery though and would like to see something a little harder to figure out in future books, because I will certainly read them! Also, in this instance I felt first person harmed the book a little as I would have liked more external narration as well to really see what was going on. I think it was hampered to help with the mystery running through the book but it was an instance when the first person just didn’t do it for me.

Overall I think this was a great first book to a series and can’t wait to see more.

Characters: Pandora: Pandora was a fun character. She wasn’t the typical heroine. She was very strong and handled the life she had been dealt in a fantastic way. Being the demon of lust as a female was enjoyable as normally that is paired with a male and I really liked watching the inner turmoil. ( )

I received this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal)

The real strengths of this book come from the characters and the story. You have to really get involved and get to know both before the book really takes off. There’s a snowball affect here, as the story builds and builds and begins to really take shape it soon takes on a life of its own. A quarter of the way into the book, it sucked me in and I finished the other 75% in one sitting – I just couldn't put it down.

The main character, Pandora, is extremely likable and relatable – even if she is part demon. Her goals, her motivations - she’s someone you want to cheer on. The rest of the cast, from the Carnivale Diabolique and beyond, were also well-rounded and interesting - no cardboard characters here!

The sex elements and scenes were well written with just enough details to keep things hot, while the story itself twists and turns and builds to a breathtaking climax you never see coming. This is the first in the Night series, and after reading this one, I definitely can’t wait to read the next one. ( )

Pandora is a 5,000 year old Nephilim, a person whose daddy was an angel who did things he shouldn’t with a mortal woman. Along with some powers and a long life span, this also comes with a demon resting inside of her – Lust. And Lust must be placated and fed. It’s quite annoying.

But she gets by, she and her small group of Nephilim, trying to the best people that demons can be. Not a little encouraged by mortals who monitor and police the supernatural

But things are getting odd, vampires (nasty, demon created things) are swarming in surprising numbers for creatures near extinct; a Nephilim hunter bothers Pandora but seems disinclined to hunt, and powers unlike anything she’s seen in 5,000 years are involved.



This book was a perfect first book right until the very end. The characters were excellently introduced along with a little information about each of them to give an idea of them without having to derail the main introduction, while at the same time giving a little bit of world building with each one. So we know things like Luc and Pandora’s past that colours their relationship without having to spend a long time on the backstory – while at the same time telling us about Nephilim losing control and going feral. We have a little information about Bubba while at the same time telling us about some of the awful things Nephilim are forced to do for their demons, how they, as a group, try to remain good. We have a little background on Vyxyn and how she doesn’t get on with Pandora – telling us that the group is somewhat forced together and leading nicely in to the Order of Light, the war and the policing of supernaturals.

It’s a really elegant way of including a lot of backstory, interspaced with Pandora’s internal musings and recaps that are very lightly info-dumped, to get a maximum amount of world building, character development and backstory in place with minimal info-dumping and making the whole plot run smoothly.

The plot itself is excellently paced – enough mystery and revelation, enough character development sprinkled with bits of action; shadows of a love triangle but it never developed into one and Pandora firmly in control of what she will and will not tolerate even with various forces pushing against her. It was a fun read with a lot of unknowns – unknowns that continue to be unknown at the end of the book as well – to leave me hooked in for the next book coupled with a whole lot of ominous foreshadowing and some excellently balanced description keeping everything vivid, but moving. We have a really nicely new world – the Nephilim are children of angels (who fell for being naughty and lusting) with their own vice demons possessing them. I like how it links vampires, zombies and other miscellaneous supernaturals back to this original Nephilim presence – creating a very potentially diverse world but still keeping the backstory focused and relevant.


The story balance all falls apart towards the end. We’ve spent all this time setting up the world – and it’s an interesting world. I kind of know what’s going on, we have an adventure, we have a plot that looks pretty good though, I thought, pretty predictable. I was set in to enjoy it – it was fun, it had original elements but wasn’t breaking the mould too much.

And then TWIST! The oh-so-obvious bad guy I was being all smug about recognising as the bad guy wasn’t a bad guy at all! I’d totally been red herringed with tropes – because he wasn’t even set up as a bad guy, it was just obvious to anyone who has read this genre for this long that he clearly would be! Damn that was clever. I applaud. And someone who wasn’t even on my radar as a potential bad guy was actually the evil one after all. I applaud twice

Then she descends to hell and there’s mini demons and pestilence and a mega-arch-demon who is uber-hot despite being Wrath (and really, why would Wrath be hot?) and possible angels and conspiracies and… what just happened?!

I was busy applauding the very very very clever twists and then I’m in complete knots about where we end up. I’m fascinated about where we go from here – but there’s a difference between a twist ending and one that is poorly supported by the rest of the book. More development and foreshadowing is needed.

Our protagonist, Pandora, is a Nephilim which, in this setting, means she has a demon inside her. The demons correspond with the classic 7 deadly sins and Pandora’s sin is lust. This means she has to have sex, the demon inside her compels her to seek out sexual partners and gives her the tools to seduce anyone.

I always find these stories shaky because we usually see a lot of blurring of consent with them – of people using their super sexy powers to enthral lovers and this being presented as ok. In this case there was some dancing around the lines but not nearly as bad as I have seen elsewhere. One of the primary powers of those with lust demons is being able to transform themselves to look like their target’s physical ideal – rather than coercing lust with magic and enthralling them, Pandora simply looks like her chosen prey’s ideal lover which is seduction enough and keeps consent. She also talks about other Nephilim using their powers to rape people by violating their consent but adds expressly how she refuses to do so. We have that emphasis that she does respect consent, she has a line that she does not cross.

Yet when she sees Billy she seems to try to enthral him. She throws her allure at him beyond shapeshifting (in fact, I don’t think she does shapeshift to seduce him) and is both frustrated and outraged that he didn’t respond and managed to resist her. There’s a grey there since it’s not clear whether she was trying to magically force attraction or was just outraged that someone as sexy as she was turned down.

Read More ( )