Category Archives: 3 Flames

The Rebel
Series: The Moorehouse Legacy #1
Author: Jessica Bird (AKA – JR Ward)
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Source: Personal Purchase
ISBN: 9780373776306

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Nate Walker has never shied away from the hard road. Even when it meant leaving behind his family, wealth, and the fiance who only wanted a rich man. Nothing was going to stop him from opening his own five-star restaurant.
And he was on his way until his car broke down on a dark road in the Adirondacks, leading him right to White Caps Inn and Frankie Moorehouse.


Suddenly Nate has a job he doesn’t really need and an affair that has to end when summer does. Except Frankie has a way about her. She gets under his skin. She even makes him want to do what he never thought he could stay forever.

The Rebel is the fist book in The Moorehouse Legacy series by author Jessica Bird — also known as J.R. Ward.  Instead of paranormal romance, the author ventures into contemporary romance with The Rebel.

While the books summary held promise, I felt that the book was just okay.  It was predictable and at times a little boring.  I felt there were some parts of the book that could have moved a little faster while some parts should have slowed down.  The ending especially was very rushed.  Everything gets solved and the characters get a happily ever after within a matter of pages.

I liked the side story of how Frankie and Joy had to take care of their Grandmother who has dementia.  The character of George had a mental disability, but the author showed a reader how they can work if given patience.  I think those two story points made this book better.

While I loved the character of Nate,  I wasn’t a big fan of Frankie.  She was rude, pushy, and stand-offish.  The author made her character a little too strong and with too much of a backbone.  It made her unlovable in my eyes and I just couldn’t seem to connect with her.

This was a quick read and the sex was tamed down quite a bit.  It didn’t get too graphic unlike other romance books.  It was glossed over and wasn’t taking up pages of the story.  I will definitely try the next book in the series because I am curious to know what happens to the other characters.  Great for a quick fix until you get to your next book.

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

The Reckoning
The Darkest Powers #3
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Personal Purchase
ISBN: 9780061662836

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

My name is Chloe Saunders. I’m fifteen, and I would love to be normal.


But normal is one thing I’m not.


For one thins, I’m having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother – who just happens to be a sorcerer – but, between you and me, I’m leaning toward the werewolf.


Not normal.


My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us – permanently.


Definitely not normal.


And finally, I’m a genetically altered necromancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.


As far away from normal as it gets.

 *possible spoilers*

The Reckoning is the third and final book in The Darkest Powers Trilogy.  When you finish a final book in a series,  a reader comes to expect questions being answered and loose ties to be, well, tied up.  Readers hate having questions still when they finish a series because we know there is not another book on the horizon.

Finishing up this series has left me with more questions than answers.  I was hoping that this book would be the saving grace of this series.  After such let downs with the first two books,  I was hoping that the author was leaving the best for last.  While the action scenes were plentiful and the characters have shown growth and maturity,  I still couldn’t bring myself to rate this book higher than what I have.

These are just a few of the questions I still have even though the series is done.

1.  Why does the necklace that Chloe wears change color?
Did I miss the answer to this question somewhere in the series? I don’t remember reading it and it really bugs me that it was never explained.

2.  Does Tori ever realize who her Father is?  I know this was one of the mysteries of the first two books, and Chloe has her suspicions confirmed in book three, but no one ever tells her who her true father is by the end of the book.

3.  What was Chloe’s Mom trying to tell her and where is she now?  When Chloe pushes spirits back, where do they go?
Now I understand that Chloe’s mother was trying to tell her to run, but she never made it clear why she knew and how she had this information anyway.

4.  After Chloe releases the demi demon, the head honcho demon appears in the room.  He tells Chloe to grow up strong and shows an interest in her.  Why?  Is there some secret in the demon world that they get to have the necromancer souls after death?

As you can see, some of the questions are ones that could be critical to the story.  Also at the end of the book when they are deciding what to do with their lives, why does Chloe just automatically forgive her Aunt Lauren?  I would have been giving her hell for what she had done, but that is just my opinion.

After finishing this series, I can honestly say that this trilogy was a disappointment to me.  I do think the author had a great plot in mind,  but it didn’t feel fleshed out and executed to the full potential.  I am still glad I did finish reading all three books and found some answers in the final book.  I even found myself starting to enjoy Tori in this one.  Will I read the series again in the future? Probably not, but I would read other stories by author Kelley Armstrong.

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

The Awakening
The Darkest Powers #2
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Personal Purchase
ISBN: 9780061662768

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl — someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I’m as far away from normal as it gets. I’m a living science experiment — not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization call the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters. I’m a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.


Now I’m running for my life with three of my supernatural friends – a chaming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch – and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

After finishing the previous book titled The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong,  I made sure to have The Awakening handy to continue on with the story.  The Awakening picks up right were the previous book left off.  Even though the first book wasn’t a favorite book of mine,  I was still interested in seeing where the author would take the characters and what would happen to them next.

While The Awakening still had some slow parts that did become repetitive — ex. hide, run, chased, repeat — the book did have some questions answered and character development that was desperately needed.  I can see Tori starting to open up a little more.  Derek is lightning up and showing a softer side.  Simon is still Simon and some small details are brought to light about him.  Liz finally accepts what has happened to her. Chloe is getting stronger and her powers are also getting powerful.

Again there is a bunch of repeat actions and loose ends as well.  I am a little disappointed that the questions are starting to out weigh the answers, but I guess that is a good thing to keep the reader interested until the final book.  Obviously, everything can’t be revealed before then, but I do wish some things would start clearing up.  The gang is also still looking for the boys’ Father in the hopes of him answering their questions.

I will keep reading the series in the hopes that the final book will finally answer my questions.  While this is not one of my favorite series,  I still have high hopes for it.

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

The Summoning
Darkest Powers #1
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Personal Purchase
ISBN: 9780061450549

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, and meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home. 


At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

The Summoning is the first book in the Darkest Powers Trilogy.  I have heard reviews range from bad all the way up to amazing.  So when I picked up the trilogy to read, I didn’t really know what to expect.  I knew it was about a group of kids that had been genetically altered and have special supernatural powers, but I wasn’t sure about what kinds of powers they would have.

This book started out pretty good.  I was liking the plot twists and how Chloe is put into the Lyle House.  Unfortunately, after she arrives at Lyle House, the book really starts to slow down.  Yes, there are some interesting and exciting scenes, but they are far and few.  The pace was not constant.  It would be pretty slow for a few chapters and then we would have one exciting scene.  They would only happen once every couple of chapters. This wouldn’t have been such a bad thing, but the parts that didn’t have the action were just drawn out and not much to get worked up over.  I wouldn’t say those slow scenes were boring, but they did drag the book down.  It felt like it was more of filler pages to lengthen the book.

I found the plot premise to be an interesting one though and continued on in the story.  I am curious to know what Derek could be — even if I have a good idea what it is — and how this will effect the outcome of the final book.  I also enjoyed how the author used a mixture of supernatural elements instead of sticking to just one type.  With Chloe having the power of necromancer, Liz and Tori having different powers that could be either witch-like or poltergeist, and Simon having his own mystical powers, it could bring a whole new plot upon the reader before finishing the series.

While the series left me with more questions than answers, I wouldn’t say it was horrible.  I would say that I am still intrigued enough to finish the series, but nothing really stood out as noteworthy yet.  I am hoping the books following The Summoning will improve and keep me invested in the final outcome.

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!