Category Archives: Amanda Bonilla
Crave the Darkness by Amanda Bonilla
Shaede Assassin, Book 3
Synopsis: Nothing comes easy for Darian. Her heightened powers make her indispensable to the Shaede Nation, but dangerous missions have driven her lover, Tyler, to his breaking point. Darian must salvage their bond, but a new assignment to protect Anya—a fellow Shaede and the first of their kind to become pregnant in centuries—stands in their way.
It doesn’t help that the two Shaedes are longtime rivals and share nothing besides mutual hatred. But when it becomes clear that someone—or something—is bent on destroying the expectant mother and her unborn child, Darian must put her feelings aside and track down Anya’s would-be assassin.
As she probes into Anya’s past, Darian digs up long-buried secrets—and a connection between Tyler and the mission that could destroy everything between them…
I think Amanda Bonilla has an extraordinary talent when it’s about the feelings of her characters. The Darian’s life is really not simple and the author allows us to fully understand what she feels, whether her sadness, joy or even her doubts. We follow her throughout the novel, hoping that things will improve, but nothing is ever that simple. Indeed, after several months moping in her apartment after the departure of Tyler, our heroine is forced to stand up and face life as it continues its course. I must say that Raif and Xander does not leave her much choice in the matter. Both are very concerned by the behavior of our heroine as they have never seen her like that. They only think about one thing, help her to confront her sadness. Her apartment is a like a battlefield, she spends her days in bed, and only
thinks of her Jinn who is away from her. Of course everyone has his own method and motivations. Raif only wants to help her to have her as energetic as before while Xander has of course a little different idea. Why couldn’t Darian succumb to his charm now that Tyler is no longer there? (Something that I was very curious to see!)Our heroine will live with Xander to complete the mission he has been given her. Indeed, she must monitor and protect Anya who is now the target of a person we don’t know anything about. You can imagine that this is something she will love to do, especially as the two young women hate each other since the beginning of the series. But a mission is a mission and it’s the only thing that can help her to keep her head above water; this new work will allow her to not constantly think about her ex-lover. But she quickly understands that this story is much more complicated than it seems when she meets the person she seeks. And this story could endanger her and all the persons she loves more she would have thought. This quest also allows us to know a little more about Anya, because it is true that we do not know a lot about her past. And while I do not really like her either, I’m starting to understand her little by little. She is still not my favorite character but we see the person she really is.
It is very difficult for Darian in this novel to ignore the fact that Tyler is not there. She only thinks of him, guilty for what happened and questioning herself at every moment. She hopes to see him again, to speak with him and she is sure she will be able to be with him like before. Or at least she hopes it will be possible to do that, more than anything. But it is very rare when everything works out this way and Darian must understand that by herself. So when Tyler returns, a surprise awaits her, something she didn’t expect at all. Of course Xander will do anything to try to put her in his bed, regardless of the way he uses, nothing bothers him. And although it is tempting, Darian needs more, and she is convinced that the feelings he or she may have, aren’t true. It was terrible to witness her doubts, her panic attacks, her guilt, her desires, her fears. We feel everything deep in ourselves and our heart is broken when we see this person so fragile. I do not really know what will happen to her now, because many events occur here, completely shattering her life, but we can only hope for her to be better. Although she does not realize it, many people cares for her. Some new characters are also introduced as Asher and I must say that this is a person that I really enjoyed. I hope to have the opportunity to see him again and learn more about him. A new threat is emerging and we’re really intrigued about it. I’m curious to know what will happen now.
I think you understand now that I am completely and undeniably in love with this series. This book is one of the best I have had the opportunity to read and I think I can say that Amanda Bonilla is a master in the field of Urban Fantasy. Everything is fascinating; either the story, the world, or even the characters. I only have to wait for more now. If you have not yet had the opportunity to discover this series I warmly recommend it!
Crave the Darkness d’Amanda Bonilla (VO)
Shaede Assassin, Tome 3
Résumé (traduction personnelle) : La vie est assez difficile pour Darian. Ses pouvoirs accrus la rendent indispensable à la Nation Shaede, mais ses missions dangereuses ont conduit son amant, Tyler, à son point de non-retour. Darian doit sauver leur lien, mais une nouvelle affectation pour protéger Anya – une autre Shaede et la première du genre à être enceinte au cours des siècles – se met en travers de son chemin.
Cela n’aide pas de savoir que les deux Shaedes sont deux rivales de longue date et ne partagent que leur haine mutuelle. Mais quand il devient clair que quelqu’un – ou quelque chose – est déterminé à détruire cette femme enceinte et son enfant à naître, Darian doit mettre ses sentiments de côté et traquer le soit disant assassin d’Anya.Comme elle plonge dans le passé d’Anya, Darian déterre des secrets enfouis depuis longtemps – et une connexion entre Tyler et la mission qui pourrait tout détruire entre eux …
Notre héroïne va s’installer chez Xander afin de compléter la mission qui lui a été donnée. En effet, elle doit surveiller et protéger Anya qui est à présent la cible d’une personne dont on ne connait pas l’existence. Vous vous doutez que c’est quelque chose qu’elle va adorer, surtout que les deux jeunes femmes se détestent depuis le début de la série. Mais une mission est une mission, et la seule chose qui peut l’aider à garder la tête hors de l’eau c’est ce nouveau travail qui lui permet de ne pas penser constamment à son ex-amant. Mais elle comprend très vite que cette histoire est bien plus compliquée qu’il n’y parait quand elle rencontre la personne qu’elle recherche. Et tout cela pourrait bien la mettre en péril et tous ceux qu’elle aime. Cette quête nous permet aussi d’en connaitre un peu plus par rapport à Anya, car il est vrai que nous ne connaissions pas son passé. Et alors que je ne l’aimais pas vraiment non plus, je commence à la comprendre petit à petit. Ce n’est toujours pas mon personnage préféré mais on entrevoit la personne qu’elle est réellement.
Stacking the Shelves #38
Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.
Thirty years ago, when the sultry and headstrong Cait left Logan Paige, the Alpha cougar shapeshifter of his Montana pride, his entire world came crashing down. He couldn’t explain where he’d been the previous night or why there was a strange woman in his bed…because he had no memory of the night before. Wounded and betrayed, Cait refused to listen to Logan’s excuses and walked straight out of his life…determined to exact her revenge on the sexy cougar who had crushed her heart. With a little help from her influential father, she made sure that Logan’s business, as well as his life, crumbled into ruins. Hell hath no fury, indeed.
But now it’s thirty years later and two of Montana’s most powerful cougar prides are on the brink of war. A tenuous peace is reached, but it’s dependent on Cait and Logan marrying on All Hallow’s Eve. Spitfire Cait has her own plans of revenge…using her feminine wiles to turn Logan into a purring kitty lapping cream at her feet. And Logan has his schemes to regain control and dominate like the Alpha he is…
When they realize that the erotic passion between them is still so intense, Logan and Cait will have to decide if dwelling in the past is worth sacrificing the future…
What’s a vampire to do when the werewolf she craves is playing hard to bite?
Mouse’s un-life has been hell ever since the vampire who turned her tortured her and removed her vocal chords. Mute, broken, and living as a house guard under the protection of New York’s most powerful vampire, she never thought she’d be able to open up to someone again.
Christoph comes from a werewolf pack that has hated and hunted vampires from the beginning. All the stories he’s ever heard have led him to believe that they are nothing more than savage, conniving demons.
And now he belongs to them.
Finding himself in the hands of a beautiful, heartsick vampire wasn’t on his to-do list when he came to New York. His mistakes have led him and some other pack members into indentured servitude, and it’s up to him to figure out how they can all escape. The question is—-does he really want to leave?
Tara Collins just wants to be normal. Everyone else wants her dead.
Tara’s eccentric aunt raised her to be fearful of the world and follow the rules. But after her aunt’s death, Tara is ready to take control and experience life for the first time. But she quickly discovers that everything she’s been told is a web of lies. Determined to solve the mystery of who she is truly, she hires private investigator to help her uncover the truth.
Christian Roth is more than your average PI. A vampire and ex-demon hunter, Christian lives among the humans, trying to be “normal.” But recently, things seem to be falling apart. There’s a crazed demon hell-bent on revenge hunting him down, and a fae assassin on the loose with an unknown target. And the Order he abandoned desperately needs his help.
As the secrets of Tara’s past collide with the problems in Christian’s present, she finds herself fighting her attraction to the dark and mysterious investigator. Falling in love does not fit into her plans at all, but Tara soon learns that some rules are meant to be broken.
Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, 1) – Gail Carriger
Sophronia Temminnick at 14 is a great trial more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners — and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Her poor mother, desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady, enrolls the lively tomboy in Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But young ladies learn to finish…everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage — in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year’s education.
Ancestral (Rebecca Kean, 4) – Cassandra O’Donnell
Malgré mon inquiétude et une situation plus que critique, je me dois d organiser la défense de notre territoire. Et croyez-moi, il va falloir la jouer serré !
Lost to the Gray by Amanda Bonilla
Synopsis: Did he do the right thing?No one loves Darian like Tyler does. Not her friends. Not her fellow Shaedes. Not the Shaede king who wants her for himself. Tyler is the only one who sees beyond the swagger and swordplay that make her the most fearsome Shaede assassin in the world—the only one who recognizes her loyal heart and vulnerability. But her evolving powers and compulsion to finish every job no matter the stakes fills him with fear. For he knows it’s only a matter of time before he loses her.
When that moment nearly comes—and Tyler discovers a trail of deceit that prevented him from protecting Darian—he snaps. He breaks. And he leaves.
Now he must learn to live without her, even as they remain bound to one another. And when a friend of Darian’s faces an unknown threat, Tyler must find a way to enter the fray without crossing paths with Darian.
We follow, unlike the other volumes, Tyler, the Jinn we have discovered in the first volumes. I admit, I read book 3 before this one which is placed between the second and third installment but it wasn’t a problem at all. I even think that I preferred to do it that way, it allowed me to highlight certain passages in Crave the Darkness. However, I didn’t really expect that the novel would feature this part of the story, therefore, everything was a big surprise. I thought we would have some answers to the questions I had at the end of Volume 3. But this is actually not the case and I am even more curious now. After the end of Blood Before Sunrise, Tyler left Darian to give her some time to think and to be able to attend the inner conflict that exists in him. I enjoyed this story, it allows us to understand our Jinn and how he became the man he is now, as his choice. I still do not believe that the choice he made was good, but now I understand what motivated him. We discover the events following the departure of Tyler who finds himself swept into a terrible story to save Levy. But that’s not all, we can also attend some flashback, including his first meeting with Darian or the first time he was bounded to her. It was beautiful and very interesting. I loved to learn so much more. It is a story full of small discoveries.
A new sublime novel, Amanda Bonilla is a must read!!
Lost to the Gray d’Amanda Bonilla (VO)
Résumé (traduction personnelle) : A-t-il fait le bon choix?Personne n’aime Darian comme Tyler. Pas ses amis. Pas ses collègues Shaedes. Pas le roi Shaede qui la veut pour lui. Tyler est le seul qui voit au-delà de l’arrogance et du maniement de l’épée qui font d’elle l’assassin Shaede le plus redoutable au monde, le seul qui reconnaît son cœur loyal et sa vulnérabilité. Mais ses pouvoirs en évolution et son obsession à vouloir terminer tous les emplois peu importe l’enjeu le remplit de crainte. Car il sait que ce n’est qu’une question de temps avant qu’il ne la perde.Alors que ce moment approche – et que Tyler découvre quelque chose qui l’empêche de protéger Darian – il rompt. Il brise. Et il s’en va.Maintenant, il doit apprendre à vivre sans elle, même s’ils restent liés l’un à l’autre. Et quand un ami de Darian est confronté à une menace inconnue, Tyler doit trouver un moyen d’entrer dans la mêlée sans croiser le chemin de Darian.
Stacking the Shelves #36
Did he do the right thing?
No one loves Darian like Tyler does. Not her friends. Not her fellow Shaedes. Not the Shaede king who wants her for himself. Tyler is the only one who sees beyond the swagger and swordplay that make her the most fearsome Shaede assassin in the world—the only one who recognizes her loyal heart and vulnerability. But her evolving powers and compulsion to finish every job no matter the stakes fills him with fear. For he knows it’s only a matter of time before he loses her.
When that moment nearly comes—and Tyler discovers a trail of deceit that prevented him from protecting Darian—he snaps. He breaks. And he leaves.
Now he must learn to live without her, even as they remain bound to one another. And when a friend of Darian’s faces an unknown threat, Tyler must find a way to enter the fray without crossing paths with Darian.
Vivian Maylor can’t sleep. Maybe it’s because she just broke up with her boyfriend and moved to a new town, or it could be the stress of her new job at the hospital. But perhaps it’s because her dreams have started to bleed through into her waking hours.
All of her life Vivian has rejected her mother’s insane ramblings about Dreamworlds for concrete science and fact, until an emergency room patient ranting about dragons spontaneously combusts before her eyes—forcing Viv to consider the idea that her visions of mythical beasts might be real.
And when a chance encounter leads her to a man she knows only from her dreams, Vivian finds herself falling into a world that seems strange and familiar all at once—a world where the line between dream and reality is hard to determine, and hard to control…
Unladylike Behavior
Frances Hadley has managed her family’s estate for years. So why can’t she request her own dowry? She’ll have to go to London herself and knock some sense into the men interfering in her life. With the nonsense she’s dealt with lately, though, there’s no way she’s going as a woman. A pair of breeches and a quick chop of her red curls, and she’ll have much less to worry about…
Jack Valentine, third son of the famous Duchess of Love, is through being pursued by pushy young ladies. One particularly determined miss has run him out of his own house party. Luckily the inn has one bed left—Jack just has to share with a rather entertaining red-headed youth. Perhaps the two of them should ride to London together. It will make a pleasant escape from his mother’s matchmaking melodrama!
16 Lunes (Caster Chronicles, 1) – Kami Garcla / Margaret Sthol
J’ai longtemps rêvé de cette fille. Elle apparaissait dans un cauchemar où, malgré tous mes efforts, elle tombait sans que je ne puisse la sauver. Je me savais lié à elle d’une façon particulière. Et puis un jour, elle est arrivée en chair et en os au lycée de Gatlin, notre petite bourgade du Sud des Etats-Unis. Elle était belle et mystérieuse. Si j’avais su qu’en même temps que cette fille surgirait aussi une malédiction… J’étais éperdument amoureux, mais cet amour était perdu d’avance.
Blood-C (Blood-C, 1) de Ranmaru Kotone