Scarlet Hyacinth

I wish that I was a better writer or that Goodreads was a site in my native language so that I could better convey what a utter pile of shite this book was. Seriously, I beg to whoever might read this review to NOT waste your money or your time with this so called book. JUST DON'T BUY IT, PLEASE!

I don't even know how to begin expressing my distaste.

The basic idea behind this story is usually a sure fire winner with me: bastard prince left in some far-off place where he is mistreated and told show more he will have to "marry" his tormentor, but a chance meeting brings the love of his life and an opportunity of happiness if only they can overcome all the obstacles on their way. I mean, not exactly refreshing but it's a classic plot and one that I love, so where could the author go wrong?


Hmm, let's see:

a) Character development - there's none
b) the bad guys are so forced they end cartoonish
c) the writing style is confusing
d) there are Grand-Canyon-sized holes in the story
e) the intrigues of the story are forgotten and them brought up again and at some point there it seems you're reading two books at the same time
f) explanations are cut off in the narration or simply not given
g) although the characters are alien races they speak like the basic American teenager and even use Internet/texting slang
h) the story ends abruptly and the epilogue is not really an epilogue
i) there are several issues not solved and worked out by the end of the story
j) ad æternum

I made a point to read this to the end just so to be able to say: yeah, it really sucks and now I shall ask Amazon for a refund.

All the editors and people involved in producing this book at Siren should be ashamed of themselves and be fired for putting this thing for sale. show less

Really good, unique in the often cliched world of shifters, complex, and it just got better the further into the book I got. And I cannot wait to find out who the prince's mate is going to be. That little bit at the end made it ambiguous after I thought I knew...

The characters developed well, and beyond just the two MC's--for it would have been more boring if it had focused completely on them rather than the imminent interspecies war and a select few other characters--I grew attached to all show more who had POV's in this book.

I loved the levels of this world and the horror (though not explicit, sadly it is PG where it could have been graphic in violence) of its history. This is a really solid and well-done first for a series. It laid out the foundation, was multi-faceted, and left many windows open for the future books linking with the over-arching plot and the romantic subplots. It will be fascinating to see where it goes.

Highly recommended. show less

This fourth book in the series is as interesting as the other three and focuses on building the overall story further. I really liked that the somewhat mysterious dragon shifters get to play a bigger role. With the addition of vampires, most of the mythical beings I can think of have now made an appearance. The stage seems set for a grand finale...

Jared is the werewolf (Loren and Flame's younger brother). He was happy to find his mate at the end of book #3, but is now devastated because the show more dragon shifter returns to China - and doesn't come back to him. Jared feels betrayed and when he is finally attracted to another man, he pulls back. The combination of past hurts and the idea that a werewolf only has one mate (even though that was shown to be wrong by Loren) holds him back.

Zongxian is the dragon shifter who wants nothing more than to be with Jared. But his sense of honor requires him to return to China. His punishment is so severe, it made me cry out at the injustice of it. There is a lot wrong with a society that has laws as strict as the dragons'. The potential for more drama as that group sorts out its internal differences and advances to a more just way of handling things is enormous.

Tomas, a vampire who starts out as an assassin, grows the most in this book. He changes from someone who follows orders to thinking for himself (motivated by having found his mates) and, in many ways, is the key to normalizing Jared and Zongxian's relationship. The way he and the vampire nation are portrayed isn't very flattering (initially), much like the snakes and dragon shifters used to be.

So far, each of the books has not only contributed its piece to the overall story, but has also added depth and understanding of each of the 'bad guy' races. Seen through the eyes of the main characters and their developing relationships, Scarlet takes us on a journey of discovery that is more than 'just' a love story. The examination of prejudice adds yet another layer to this multi-faceted world. I can't wait for the next book! show less

Just as much fun as the first book, and with events and magical beings just as unlikely, the second volume tells the story of a pixie named Larue, and his mate, the scientist Victor Frankenstein. Victor is cursed though, and turns into a cat during the day, so their most important task is to try to get rid of this "affliction" of his. The quest that follows includes Kirril, the former dragon slayer, and Dini, his now pregnant dragon shifter mate. Of course the "Rainbow Brick Road" plays a show more role, as do several new characters more or less familiar from the fairy tales I read as a child – except they're all slightly different in this land of Camelot.

Larue is a pixie, a tiny creature of natural magic who likes to read, dreams of true love, and is determined to one day find the man he is destined to share his life with. None of the pixies he has met so far fit the bill, but Larue won't give up. Then his best friends (a dragon shifter and a rabbit shifter) get him involved in an adventure that leads him to his mate, Victor, a cursed scientist of normal human size. But Larue isn’t discouraged, he is convinced there is a way to make him human-sized and lift Victor's cures while they're at it. It turns out both are possible, but there is a price attached – isn’t there always? Not to be deterred, Larue pushes ahead and what he discovers turns out to be a much larger magical plot than he suspected.

Victor loves science, and has made several interesting inventions. One of them is m-mail (magical mail) which made me laugh. His background in science means he believes the solution to making Larue human-sized is in some machine he can construct, but when he finds out that magic may be needed, he doesn’t hesitate. After all, he has been cursed for years, so he is quite used to its presence. He is also totally devoted to his mate, never mind the difference in size, and will do anything so they can be together.

If you like the funny side of fairy tales with a strong dollop of paranormal thrown in for good measure, if you enjoy reading about mates who need to overcome some major obstacles before they can physically be together, and if you're looking for an entertaining read that might make you laugh, then you will probably like this novella. I'm already looking forward to the next one.


NOTE: This book was provided by Siren Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less