West of Want (Hearts of the Anemoi) (edition 2012)

This second installment of the Anemoi was absolutely wonderful. Zephyros and Ella's story immediately drew me in. I wanted to hug them both and help ease their pain, to soothe both of their savaged hearts and shelter them from the storms of betrayal that they both had to endure. And the sex? Oh yeah...that was some good stuff! I enjoyed the lovely little twist near the end and while the ending was a teensy bit predictable, it was still very satisfying since I do so love my HEAs! I am very much looking forward to the next tale of the Anemoi that Miss Kaye will weave - these Gods are just all so delectable!! ( )

I really liked this book. I love how the gods interact and what their different abilities are. Zeph and Ella were a wonderful couple. They had both been through painful heartbreak and had trust issues and perhaps that's why they worked so well together.

I thought Zeph's history was really interesting. From the last book, I thought he was going to be angrier or more bitter than he actually was. He was more of a lonely lost soul type. I liked him but not as much as Owen from [b:North of Need|12387745|North of Need (Hearts of the Anemoi, #1)|Laura Kaye|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348200498s/12387745.jpg|17368699] who I found utterly delightful.

Naturally I was thrilled to see Owen and Boreas again, but I was most excited about Chrysander. I already love him, which is going to make waiting for the next book that much more difficult.

Overall, this was a really good book with a lot of twists and turns and a few unexpected developments as well. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for [b:South of Surrender|13453574|South of Surrender (Hearts of the Anemoi, #3)|Laura Kaye|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330017982s/13453574.jpg|18980209]. ( )

Stories about gods are hot and West of Want is just that. Just like North of Need, Kaye sucks you into their godly world and holds you there until you finish the book.

I will say that I was surprised with the story line that Kaye presented. I was expecting something along the lines of the first book in the series but I was pleasantly surprised when more drama and action was added.

As for the characters, the problems that they both face made each character multidimensional.

I loved Zeph. He just seemed exactly how I would picture a god to look and act. Zeph is fiercely protective, and rightfully so, of Ella after the pain that he has unintentionally caused her; the storm that ripped apart her boat and then left her injured and then his brother, Eurus, who vowels to hurt Zeph in any way possible. Zeph was so serious at times but was able to let that go and just laugh; which was greatly needed after you learn about his life.

Ella’s character surprised me in the sense that she really thought hard about a certain situation. Normally, writer will make it to where the woman character just complies because she is in love but Ella really thought about what everything meant and how it was affecting those around her (this is after the restaurant scene.) I know that this all sound cryptic but I don’t want to give anything away; so I hope that you all know what I mean when you read the book.
~BookWhisperer Reviewer MC~ ( )

I loved the first book in this series, North of Need (review here) and was so incredibly excited to get my hands on West of Want. When we enter the world of West of Want we are following Zephyros and Ella. Zephyros is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring and has never been lucky when it comes to love. He has been burned numerous times and when we meet him in this book he is in the middle of creating a storm fueled by his grief. His story was heartbreaking and my heart went out to him because of his painful past. Ella was not much better off than him though. Her twin brother just died and she has no real family to speak of. The two of them are so lost and they recognize that in one another. Especially Ella when she says to Zeph:

“Ella twisted her lips and studied him. “I just…when I look into your eyes, I see something there that reminds me of myself.”

While Ella tries to work through her pain, Zeph likes to wallow in his and does not always make it easy for Ella to get through to him. He is talking to Boreas at one point when Boreas says:

“I have never known someone who tormented himself as much as you. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone shoulders them like Atlas carrying around the weight of the world. Not everyone bleeds for them.”

That pretty much sums up how Zeph is acting for quite a bit of this book. He does not give himself credit for anything and does not feel like he deserves to be happy again. He has been broken by his past loves and his brother. Watching him go through the journey of trying to find happiness in this book was very sweet. While trying to decide what she wants Ella slowly brings Zeph back to life and strives to prove to him that not every road leads to betrayal.

Laura excels at writing tender moments. This book is filled with so many of them, but my favorite was this one coming from Zeph:

“There’s just me.” He kissed her ear. “And you.” Her eyelid. “In this moment.” Her nose. “There’s just this lost soul.” His lips lingered over the corner of her mouth. “Who wants the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.”

The romance in this book is intense and it is almost an insta-love, but I thought it worked. These two have such big holes in their hearts and are searching for something to fill that void. They found what they were looking for in one another. There are definitely obstacles in their way and things they have to overcome, but the romance really is the main focus. There was one point towards the end that I thought everything was leading towards a resolution, but Laura did save one final twist and I loved that.

West of Want is a wonderful escape into a enchanted world that I loved being a part of. Laura delivers a heartfelt romance with a touch of magic that had me captivated from beginning to end. I cannot wait for the next book, South of Surrender, because it centers around Chrysander. He is funny, sarcastic and has great banter with the guys. While he is known as the carefree one of the group I am sure he is hiding something and I am eager to get to know him better. I highly recommend checking out this series if you have not already! ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

Hearts of the Anemoi is a new paranormal romance series built around seasonal mythology (gods of winter, spring etc). It’s a great springboard for a series, sadly, WEST OF WANT was a really sub par paranormal romance that included just about everything that I dislike about the genre.

The two lead characters are completely flat and two dimensional. They don’t have personalities or even really distinguishing characteristics. They were each burned by love in the past, but apart from some weepy moments where they unload their woe-is-me histories, it didn’t really matter. As a reader, I had to sit through this twice, once in internal thoughts and then again when spoke up. Very tedious.

The worst thing though was the insta-love. This may be the most glaring example I’ve read in years. He almost drowns her with his I-can’t-control-my-emotions storm, then out of guilt, secretly stalks her in the hospital and follows her home. She wakes and finds him sleeping in her room. That same day, his brother curses her with clumsiness and the only way to remove the curse is with sexy shower time. They are pretty much in love at this point, and start declaring it a few pages later. I have no idea why. They barely spoke about anything significant, and even the attraction came out of nowhere.

WEST OF WANT left me wanting big time. Flat characters, cliched plot, and a DOA romance. Stick with Kenyon, Showalter, and Ione for good paranormal romance. The third book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, SOUTH OF SURRENDER, will be out on December 11, 2012 from Entangled and features Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer.

Sexual Content:
A few graphic sex scenes ( )

WEST OF WANT, by Laura Kaye is the second book in the paranormal romance series, Hearts of the Anemoi, focusing on the mythology of the Anemoi gods. The first book in the series hooked me so I was excited to dive right in to the second.

This book focused on Zephyros, the god of the West Wind and Spring, he accidently puts an innocent human woman in danger and finds himself drawn to her. The relationship between this couple was fast moving but sweet. The gods in this series (at least so far) have compassion for humans and are thus able to really appreciate and protect the women they love. The fact that both of these two had rough pasts made them perfect for each other.

I also liked how this story was not just about the romance. There were more obstacles for this couple to go through involving a dangerous character and I was surprised where Kaye took our characters. I loved how the book ended and I am very much looking forward to the next!