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Obres de Tracey Sinclair

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First, I received a copy of this book from the author to review for free in July of this year.

I loved this book! It's a great, fun, & fast read & was the perfect curl up in the sun & enjoy a good book read.

The first few pages were good - not great, but good - as the book got going, & then the rest of it I greatly enjoyed. There were a few holes in the plot that I wish were developed more, but I greatly suspect that there will be more in future books & left open on purpose.

One thing that did bug me throughout the book is that Cass seems like such a doormat sometimes when it comes to Cain. I get that when you have feelings for someone, love can often be blind, but some of the things she put up with when it comes to him made me cringe.
… (més)
 
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anastaciaknits | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Oct 29, 2016 |
Cassandra Bick runs a supernatural dating agency and between her business, her relationship with both a grounded Angel (Cain) and one of the most powerful vampires in London (Laclos), you would think that this makes Cassandra an old hat at dealing with supernatural problems but you'd be wrong. When a fledgling enters her office issuing a threat to Laclos's safety because quite uncharacteristically, he has gone on a slaughtering spree thanks to ingesting Cain's blood, Cassandra cannot overlook the threat, no matter how much she would like to. With a vampire war looming, Cassandra has a lot to deal with and it's all made worse with the arrival of Cain's wife and the angels who have determined that Cain broke the law when he shared blood with Laclos.

Despite everything that she has been through, Cassie hasn't really grown as a person. Cassie feels driven to size up the women she interacts with as some competition. Cassie has to break down what her so-called competition is wearing and how it all rates against what she has or can afford, making her internal monologue irritating at times. It's almost a relief when she's told to give it a rest, considering that both Laclos and Cain the two supernaturals who are arguably the most attractive in the city have been battling over her. With everything that's happening in Angel Falls, Cassie's continual competition with the women around her is absolutely tedious to read and made we want to scream just grow up already. On a positive note, she's still willing to do what she had to do to survive and to take care of the little supernatural family she has managed to assemble.

Cassie's little supernatural family has grown even tighter in Angel Falls. We were introduced to another mortal who owes a favor to Cain and the Valkyrie, Cain's wife returned for the big battle. Everyone has competing motivations but they all manage to work together to save Laclos. I love that Medea will now be a full partner in Dark Dates because this further elevates her status. I want to see these characters continue to grow and become the ultimate Scooby team. I found myself particularly drawn to the changing relationship between Cain and Laclos. Laclos has experienced many changes after drinking Cain's blood and at times we are told that it has created a profound bond (yes, a Supernatural reference) but Sinclair works hard to show that the bond is more than supernatural and that these men have developed a history which results in a certain amount of regard.

By about the third book, I normally feel as though I have sense about the world but Sinclair showed me exactly how much I had assumed about the Cassandra Bick Chronicles by the ways she expanded the world and added so much nuance to her characters. Until Angel Falls, though we knew that angels existed and are powerful beings, we knew very little about them. We learned that Angels don't conform to modernist models of gender identity and that once they love someone, they love forever. I must admit to finding this fascinating. The angels touch upon LGBT themes and are a notable parallel between genderqueer/non-binary/genderfluid people. That being said, it's not entirely inaccurate to include Cain as one of them; however, as a member of a species that can ALL change body/shape/gender/sex at will and generally as an alien being, the analogy isn't perfect and there are marked differences between this angel's experience/representation and a genderqueer/fluid/trans human's experience etc.

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… (més)
½
 
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FangsfortheFantasy | Mar 21, 2016 |
I would say that any fan of earlier Anita Blake or Darynda Jones is going to love it. This pure joyful digging at ridiculous cliches of vampire culture... Anne Rice, LKH, mentions of Supernatural ad Buffy, - it was so much fun!

Cassandra, the main character, is more Sookie than Anita. She is a Londoner through and through, who helps newbie vampires find dates. She even organises speed-dating between them and their meals.

Her secretary and best friend, Medea, is a witch and her lover strongly reminds me of Edward (not Cullen, for God's sake! I'm talking about Ted Forrester here). Cain is a sociopatic hunter of monsters who doesn't approve of Cassandra's business but who keeps popping in her life for infrequent bouts of sex.

Then there is Laclos... Pale, dark long hair, gorgeous body, leather trousers. He is like Jean-Claude but with a healthy sense of humour. He is pompous and narcissistic, but at the same time doesn't forget that this is all for show, that he plays on cliches.

The plot is very straightforward, with a villain who is killing all the young modern vamps in London using magic and demons, while Cass and her friends are trying to stop him. On the other hand, Cass's love life is a right mess and so is her business, but she is funny and downright normal in her reactions like a young overworked slobby professional woman who lives on takeaways and has a cat, and I do not question her integrity. As a character she is familiar to all of us. There are no Mary Sues in this novel.

Male characters are a bit messier. Cain is pragmatic. That's why he doesn't want normal relationship with Cass. With his occupation and other differences including differences of opinion, he leaves her a chance to find someone normal. However, I don't think it's healthy for the woman herself.

Laclos is awkward as in I can't quite grasp his character yet, so I'll have to wait for another book to decide if he is developed properly or not.

Medea and her girlfriend are charming sidekicks, especially because Medea's girl is an NHS nurse with a huge grudge against the bankers and cuts NHS has to suffer because of the recession.

Overall this is a steady book plot-wise, but it definitely wins you over with plenty of charm and humour. I would love to read book #2 when it comes out!
… (més)
 
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kara-karina | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Nov 20, 2015 |
Fun all the way! It took me a few awkward sentences to get back into Tracey's quirky writing style, but once I did I really enjoyed it, snickering and snorting all the way through her short novella.

I am also warming up to Laclos, he is becoming more and more humanized and cheeky. He actually came up with the best one-liners in this read especially at the end.

Again Tracey made fun of vampire cultural cliches, Buffy, Twilight and Supernatural, and it turned this novella into a lighthearted, lightning-fast read. Really recommended. Especially because it's currently free on Amazon. :)… (més)
 
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kara-karina | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | Nov 20, 2015 |

Estadístiques

Obres
10
Membres
50
Popularitat
#316,248
Valoració
4.1
Ressenyes
16
ISBN
7

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