I have been instructed by Mr Manview to apologise in advance that there is no snark and no authors' feelings were hurt in the writing of this review. Also would like to point out, this is a first for Mr Manview. His first 5 star review. Congratulations, Juliette! I think you set a new standard for romance with Steve since your book was a romance AND paranormal. If you're wondering why I'm saying this, read Steve's Manview Bias here.
Forged In Fire (The Vessel
Trilogy #1) by Juliette
Cross
Purchase link: Amazon
My rating:
Heat rating:
Purchase link: Amazon
My rating:
Heat rating:
Juliette Cross is a new to you author. What did
you think of her writing? Will you read her again?
Juliette
is a superior writer to others I have experienced when reading romance
and for the most part, when reading any genre. She is an excellent
writer and story teller. I appreciated her descriptive style and
analogies.
(Deanna) Psst Juliette!! Steve said he likes your writing so much, he wishes you wrote boy books, like the thrillers he likes to read!
(Deanna) Psst Juliette!! Steve said he likes your writing so much, he wishes you wrote boy books, like the thrillers he likes to read!
Another first for you, Forged In Fire is paranormal with demons and demon hunters. What did you think of the paranormal aspects of the story?
I
did not think it was possible for me to like a paranormal anything, yet
alone, romance. However, Ms. Cross made it plausible, even real, for
me. The intersection of the human and demon worlds actually worked. I
was prepared to hate this book, but ended up liking it immensely.
What did you think of the world building for this paranormal world Juliette has created?
Maybe
because I am new to this, I could have actually benefitted from more
back-story. I am usually critical when a writer spends too much time on
back-story, but I would have benefitted from a bit more description of
the demonic world and how it evolved through history in the beginning
of the novel. However, I was able to pick up enough which is
maybe just right! I also thought Juliette did a great job of melding
the demon world with factual human history which really impressed me.
Did you think the story was intense or emotionally charged?
Not
really. There was tension and some longing to see how a scene would
turn out, but I did not feel the story was intense nor emotionally
charged. I felt it was sexually charged with the interplay of
Genevieve and Jude and Genevieve and Dante though. For pure
sex
scenes, except for some kissing and touching, there were no sex scenes
in the book! I was waiting for Jude and Genevieve to ‘do it’ around the
50%-read mark, but it did not happen. Yet, I gave it 3 flames because
of the sexual tension and unrequited passion that existed between the
two main characters. In terms of actual sex scenes, it was a 1.5-flame
rating. I am hoping to find Book 2 in the series being a real 4-flamer!
What did you think of the story overall?
I quite liked it. I really
liked the characters – not just Jude and Genevieve, but all of them,
even the demons.
What did you think of Jude and Genevieve?
I
liked them both very much. Neither was pathetic or stupid
which
seems to be the pattern in a lot of romance novels before somehow they
‘land’ each other at the book’s end! I really liked that
Juliette
made them smart, sophisticated, successful, and likable. Both also had
some ego combined with self-awareness and even humility. In
most
romance novels I read, I usually cannot stand at least one if not both
of the protagonists, but in this case, I really liked and admired both
Jude and Genevieve.
Since this book is the
first in a trilogy, do you think you would want to read the rest of the
series?
Yes.
What's next on your reading list?
America’s First Daughter
which is about the daughter of Thomas Jefferson. I am a huge fan of
Jefferson and historical romance, so looking forward to it.
View all my reviews
About the author
Juliette Cross: Website - Amazon Author Page - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Goodreads - Newsletter
About the reviewer
Steve Shipley: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Amazon
Find Deanna around SOCIAL MEDIA:
Wow. So I'm blushing a little. I have a fear of men reading my writing simply bc the genre is often considered "silly fantasy." I do my best to create compelling characters in a compelling world. Even still, I know my target audience is typically women. So I'm quite relieved to get your seal of approval, Steve. Thank you so much for the read and review. :)
ReplyDeleteTold you you had nothing to worry about. :-p
DeleteYes, ma'am. You sure did. ;)
DeleteWOW Steve great review although I don't read a lot of paranormals you may have tempted me :)
ReplyDeleteHave Fun
Helen
If you are going to read paranormal, Juliette is one I'd definitely recommend.
DeleteI enjoy reality, plausibility and character competence and this novel had all three. Most romance novels lack at least one, if not more IMHO.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Juliette brings all three to her writing. She's very consistent from book to book when it comes to those three elements.
Delete