Friday, April 10, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: "Beautiful Monster" by Jeanne Bannon

Book Description: 

Lev Baronovsky, a soulless creature of the night, has a problem. Carly, the love of his life has just died in an accident and in three days will pass to the other side. Without a soul, he cannot cross over with her and the thought of spending eternity without his beloved is unbearable. Is seventy-two hours enough time to find a way?

With the help of his brother, Alexei, they must face the vilest creature of all, Boris, an ancient one with selfish motivations of his own.

Excerpt:

Lev moved swiftly through the hallways, darting in and out and around what, to him, were slowly moving nurses and orderlies—those unfortunates working the midnight shift. Faster than any human eye was capable of detecting, he made it to Carly’s room in a flash. In fact, he made it there just in time, nostrils plucking the acrid scents from the air better than any dog’s.

He sat on the bed beside her in the dimly lit room and noticed, thankfully, she had no roommate. The bed beside Carly was recently vacated. The scent of death still lingered heavily and sadly.

Taking her delicate hand in his, Lev noticed a monitor clipped on an index finger. It seemed it measured her pulse and heartbeat. He noticed too that her heart was beating slowly, though he didn’t need a monitor for that. He heard its throb, and it made him think of a dying battery.

However, relief settled on him as he realized he was the first to arrive after the accident that had left her comatose. Carly’s family was nowhere near yet. It would take hours for them to get here from the other coast. He had time, plenty of it. Stealthily, Lev glanced into the hallway from his perch in the darkened hospital room. The occasional nurse strode past, but it was late, or perhaps the better term was early. In the wee hours of the morning, there would be fewer staff than during the day.

With a sigh, he took Carly in. Her blonde hair was matted and dirty, even though it looked as if someone had tried to clean her up, perhaps finger combing her thick mane and tucking it behind her head. Her face was still perfect. Not a single scratch had sullied her beauty.

A knot twisted in his belly. Why hadn’t he known? He could have saved her if only he’d known. But even Lev couldn’t know everything. It was his brother, Alexei, who’d given him the news moments ago.

“Brother,” he’d said, “there’s been an accident. Go now to the hospital or you’ll never see your precious Carly again.”

He hadn’t asked the how, the why, the when. Alexei had dropped his mental barriers. Lev felt them fall like a drawbridge. His brother had let him in. It was easier than speaking—Lev was able to glean whatever information he needed in an instant. But with the simple facts of Carly’s accident came the realization his brother was happy for the turmoil. A hint of a smile had curled Alexei’s full lips, and his eyes were bright. Lev was not surprised.

He pulled his thoughts from Alexei and looked down at his beloved’s hand in his. The pallor of it matched his own. He listened to the slow rush of blood through her veins, willing it to grow stronger.

Bio:

I've been a part of the publishing industry for over twenty years, working first as a freelance journalist, then as an in-house editor for LexisNexis Canada. I currently work as a freelance editor and writer. I’m represented by the Serendipity Literary Agency.

My debut novel, Invisible, a young adult paranormal romance, has been optioned for film. Invisible is an Amazon bestseller both domestically and internationally.

Another of my novels, Nowhere to Run, tells the story of Lily Valier, a woman of substance and beauty, and her dilemma when she falls in love with a man whose mission it is to bring her down.

Currently, I'm finishing up work on Dark Angel, a paranormal thriller.

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My Review: Vampires. My lifelong obsession and love. And the more violent the vampire story is, the more I love it. Rarely, nowadays, can a vampire story be both beautiful and brutal. Usually, you must sacrifice one for the other, but not with Ms. Bannon's latest novella! The story is dark, brooding, beautiful and very vicious. Two vampiric brothers, each as different as night from day. Lev is more human, he falls in love and never kills. Alexei is dark, murderous, but harboring a deep secret fear. The plot is very fast-paced. No lingering gazes or drawn-out confrontations here! Just blood, death and loss. Alexei is my favorite of the brothers (don't ask why; I always fall for the a**holes), and he is so wicked, it's very refreshing. Lev is sweet, until he has to be strong and bitter. He constantly surprised me throughout the story. Alexei did as well, but not in the same way. You'll see. The story was wonderful, all violence with an undertone of love and loss. It's not too violent, I think anyone could read it, but it's not so sweet that men will scoff at it. It's one of the few books that could entertain anyone who loves vampires, no matter of they prefer 'Salem's Lot or Twilight. A great, wonderful book. It left me craving more! 5/5--read this. Now.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you very much for your kind words and for hosting me :)

    ReplyDelete