Bargains and Betrayals

13 TO LIFE has been one of my favorite YA paranormal romance series since the first book. Its one of the few series I could turn to and say 'Risks! Author took risks!' because Delany does take some risks. None of her characters are what you'd consider to be stand up role models much of the time--half of the first two books Jessie is either plotting ways to keep Pietr from his girlfriend or helping to break into highly secure government facilities. The Rusakovas, despite being the right most of the time, were part of the Russian mafia. Alexi lied so much it hurts the brain to think, Max is (at best) a terrible flirt and at worst a womanizer.

This isn't to say none of that was for a good reason--some of it was beyond their control, some show more of it was in service of a higher purpose (saving their mother for instance) and some of it was just lack of foresight or logical thinking. They weren't bad people. And most of what happens to Jessie can be blamed squarely on her inability to recognize what is right in front of her. A lot. Not a little bit. Not a tiny bit. But a lot. By the end of Book 2 I sincerely doubted her ability to discern the difference between a wise action and an impulsive one.

So going into Book 3 I was a bit apprehensive. The end of Book 2 was...upsetting to say the least. Not only because I realized Jessie came by her inability to see the obvious genetically (from her father, who I lost some respect for honestly). And the end of this book is just as upsetting, though differently. In a lot of ways this felt like it was the build up to the fourth book, which has earmarks of making up for lost action time in this book.

Seeing Jessie and Pietr apart, truly apart, for a good chunk of book made me really look at them as individuals. Most of their thoughts were consumed with each other, but without having the other so close by it made them seem more lost and disjointed. Without Alexi's viewpoint (the book cycles between Jessie and Alexi) I would have missed a lot simply because he has an outsider's view. His sole purpose is to protect his siblings and he is a very dedicated individual. Despite how they treat him (rightly or otherwise), despite the difficulties they present (hard to corral a bunch of teen werewolves when you're just human) and despite the impending danger. The younger Rusakovas are very impetuous. They come up with a plan and that's all there is to it. The plan will work because they will MAKE it work. Alexi meanwhile tries to get them to understand they can't just rush off, force doesn't always win the day.

While I'm enjoying the deepening of the plot and the edge its begun to take, I'm wistful for the first book where the main problems revolved around Jessie being a dope and too trusting and Pietr attempting to just be as normal as possible. As we go further into the series they're beginning to seem less like teenagers and more like adults and I mourn the loss (even if they still manage to hold onto the angst). show less

The third book in the "13 to Life" series, "Bargains and Betrayals", did not disappoint (except for the awfully small font in my paperback copy, talk about eye strain!). This entire series is so much more than I initially thought it was going to be. It is not just a "werewolf" story, it is so much more. There are several paranormal aspects/people in this story, including zombies!!! Yes-- I said ZOMBIES! I can't even tell you how delighted I was by this. There's also the mafia, scientists and a secret government agency. Not to mention the author is single-handedly teaching me Russian, due to the amount of the character's usage of the language in the book. I totally dig it! Russian is sexy. ;)

In this book, in addition to the story being show more told from Jessica's POV, we have Alexi's POV as well. At first, I was slightly annoyed by this only because I felt like things were too back and forth, and unsteady. But eventually it grew on me and I got over it. I see now why his perspective was necessary to the story, and I developed more of a liking for his character. In addition to Alexi, Amy's character was more involved in this book. I liked her from the beginning and I love how good of a friend she is to Jessica.

Pietr's character definitely progresses in this book and he matures while having to make some tough decisions for the sake of Jessica and his family. He is definitely one of my favorite male characters of all time. I like the way Shannon Delany portrays him-- from the many ways she describes his piercing blue eyes to the description of his Russian accent. I also like the dynamic between him and Jessica. This is a couple I want things to work out for. On a side note, let me just say that whoa buddy was there a lot of sexual tension between them in this book! It almost made me uncomfortable......almost. Haha.

I found that this book had some more mature situations in it than the previous ones did. While there were still several funny and sarcastic moments present (which I love, because Jessica's character is quite amusing), this third installment of "13 to Life" provides some pretty serious and sometimes awful situations.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and I am quite excited for the next one. I think that we are going to get to see a lot more of Sophie's character next time around and I look forward to it, because she is awesome! I can only imagine what's going to happen in the next book after reading the dramatic ending of this one. =) show less

Upon picking up my ARC I didn’t immediately recall that we had left Jessie in such a tenuous place and I wasn’t quite ready to be thrown into the fray. However, Shannon Delany backtracks a little bit in the timeline to give us a chance to get up to speed. Of course, once you’re caught up, it’s impossible to put down.

Ms. Delany has done something different with this book by switching viewpoints between Alexi and Jessie. It's as if she were giving you pages out of their journals, each one labeled so there is no confusion. It was an interesting approach and I think it worked well for this installment of the 13 to Life series. Not once did I groan that she was changing view points because each change furthered the story.

Because show more Jessie is so mature in some ways, it is hard to remember she’s still a teen and therefore some naïveté is to be expected; Jessie is doing her Nancy Drew style investigating while being locked up but is not cynical after all she’s been through. I admit to being frustrated with Alexi in this book for letting Pietr shoulder the burden. As their guardian it should have been his responsibility to find a solution, instead, Alexi is relieved to step aside and let Pietr handle things.

Things have heated up for the characters -on all fronts. Some fairly serious topics are broached in this book. The teens have moral dilemmas that would make a grown-ups head spin, but they don't drown in them; they learn and grow along the way. Nothing is glossed over so the seriousness of situations is not lost. I think Ms. Delany does a fantastic job giving the reader details without giving too much details.
I hoped I knew where the story was heading but I certainly wasn't sure. Nothing is a sure thing in this series, and I love that about Ms. Delany's writing. Even though Jessie and Pietr seem destined to be, maybe they won't make it. How much is too much for a relationship to endure? I'm glad, after three books, Shannon Delany can keep me on the edge of my seat.

Though the ending is far from neat and tidy, it was not the cliff hanger that Secrets and Shadows was, and for that I'm grateful. I was weeping and cheering at the end, but I won't spoil it for you by mentioning more than that. I have grown to love all of the Jessie's friends and family, and I can't wait to see where Ms. Delany takes us next. I think Bargains and Betrayals is her best book yet.

http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/2011/08/jenns-review-bargains-and-betrayals... show less

Shannon Delany has been one of my favorite authors since I discovered her 13 to Life series. I mean, it's a love story that involves Russian werewolves! Come one, who wouldn't fall head over heels for that?! It's two of my favorite things put together. Needless to say, I love this series. I hopelessly waited for the release of the newest installment, Bargains and Betrayals. I knew it was going to be amazing, but I just didn't realize how much.

If you've read the first two installments, you know that the werewolves of Junction have a certain problem with time. There's simply not enough. They need to save their Mother before time runs out. It's literally a race against the clock. So many groups of people seem to be against Jessie and the show more Rusakova's. And all they wait is the people they love safe and happy.

Well, the third installment really broke me up inside. It's hard to watch (read?) characters you love going through so much, being held back, and getting all these mixed up signals. I definitely have got to say that the beginning just made me want to jump into this book and beat the crap out of those people at Pecan Place. BLAH! Jessie's a fighter, though. She fights for herself, for the Rusakova's, for her family, and for Pietr. Ah, Pietr. Will he ever stop being so breathtakingly amazing? (insert fan-girl sigh here)

Jessie and Pietr. Well, their relationship really went through some majors things in this book. REALLY MAJOR. And now I shall not say anymore. I know! Don't you hate me?

Just to clarify, if you hadn't already guessed, this book was amazing. It had its sad moments, crazy moments, lovey-dovey moments, and those always-famous-OMG-DID-THAT-JUST-HAPPEN moments. You know the moments I'm talking about. And do I have to mention that I seriously cannot wait for the next installment in this wonder, crazy series? I think not. show less

Am I going to give every book in this series three stars? This was another good one. This series has been a lot of fun so far. Although with an abusive boyfriend in the last book and someone getting raped in this one, it’s getting pretty serious. Though I will admit that I think it was handled a bit better in this one.

It’s getting to the point where I just don’t know what to say in these reviews because I’m coming out of each book thinking the same thing. It was a good read and was really funny. Max is the best. I can’t wait to pick up the next one to see what happens. That is pretty much it. Sometimes three star books are the hardest to review. They are good books, but since they aren’t amazing I don’t really have show more anything to gush about. If they were two stars or less I would have more to complain about. However, they are three stars. They are good books. I guess I will just pick up the next book, Destiny and Deception, and see if this series continues to be good. show less

The 13 to Life series has never been the best YA paranormal out there, but it's always been a notch above the crowd thanks to likeable characters and a winking sense of its own absurdity. Bargains and Betrayals is therefore a disappointment of the highest caliber. It's a pity, too, because the problem with the first two books -- namely, that not much happened during them -- has finally been overcome. It its place, however, we have a new, more serious problem, one that destroys any potential in the story.

Read the full review at http://luplun.blogspot.com

I was heavily annoyed with formatting of the book so that drew me out of the story. It was a fairly good plot, but ugh, don't break up paragraphs and such like that. it's dumb.