Coffee Pot Reviews: Love is Blind and Radiant

 
Welcome to Coffee Pot Reviews! These are short and sweet reviews done in the length of time it takes my coffee pot to brew! I have a few novellas to share with you today..enjoy and stick around for a cup of mocha peppermint coffee! 

Love is Blind
by Elizabeth Cole
Published: SkySpark Books
Publication date: January 21, 2013
Genre: Adult Historical Romance
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon

He was a walking scandal; she was a proper young woman... A rake’s cruel prank leaves the blind Olivia Blake ripe for humiliation on a ballroom dance floor. Then an even more notorious rake sweeps her into his arms. Soon she is seduced by the charm of Adrian Calwell, the scandal-chased Baron of Norbury. Adrian’s only goal in rescuing Olivia was to thwart his rival’s heartless trick. But Olivia is well worth rescuing, and Adrian is eager to put his life as a rake behind him. Can Adrian rise above his sordid past to win Olivia's love? Set against the backdrop of Regency London, Love Is Blind is a sweet and surprising novella that proves innocence and experience can be a perfect match.

Cole's novella Love is Blind offered up a delightful regency romance with bits of humor and a sweet, clean romance. When the notorious rake Adrian Calwell witnesses a young scoundrel cruel prank he steps in to save Olivia Blake from a humiliating situation and the tale that unfolds is sweet, full of humorous moments and likeable characters. I thought it was different that the heroine was blind and I like that she was also strong. Her companion was snarky and made me laugh. With doting parents forbidding them to meet, and a delightful companion helping to aid them I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. I would have liked more back story to all the characters, and of course this cannot always happen with a novella, but I easily consumed this and closed the book with a smile. 

Three cups of Flat White coffee out of five

Radiant
by Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #2.5
Publisher: Harperteen
Publication date: December 4, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon

Clara is desperate to get away—from the memories that haunt her in Wyoming and the visions of a future she isn't ready to face—and spending the summer in Italy with her best friend, Angela, should be the perfect escape. . . . For as long as she can remember, Angela has been told that love is dangerous, that she must always guard her heart. But when she met a mysterious guy in Italy two years ago she was determined to be with him, no matter the costs. Now she must decide whether she can trust Clara with her secret, or if telling her the truth will risk everything she cares about. Alternating between Angela and Clara's perspectives, Radiant chronicles the unforgettable summer that will test the bounds of their friendship and change their lives forever.

I love Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series and from the beginning have said, "I want to know more about Angela." I personally think she wrote Radiant just for me. *nods and winks*  We get to go to Italy for the summer and that in itself is delightful. Remember that boyfriend Angela had in Italy two summers ago, well we finally get the dirt on him and meet him as well. The tale is told in alternating perspectives that change with each chapter. One voice is Clara's and the other Angela's. In typical Hand fashion the tale flows wonderfully and I quickly discovered I had consumed it in a very short time. I do feel like I know Angela better and my suspicions about her have been alleviated. I am anxious to see if Hand folds certain aspects of this into Boundless the third and finally book. Boundless is sitting in my TBR pile and I plan to devour it and share my thoughts with you soon. I am certainly glad that I read this and think fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy it. 

Four Italian Iced coffees out of five

Today's Stops on the Fiery Hot Reads for Ice Cold Nights Hop 

Check out these awesome posts and giveaways! Each day different blogs will be participating so be sure to check in daily for your chance to win and discover new Fiery hot reads!

Christy@Love of Books: Victoria Scott: The Collector

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings:Lauren Morrill: Meant To Be

Ron@Stories of my Life: 

Melissa@Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – Penny Watson:Lumberjack in Love

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Hallowed book two in the Unearthly trilogy, took me on an emotional ride and left me wanting more. This novel picks up a few months after Unearthly ends.  Hand’s writing style is unique and her character driven series is well on its way to becoming one of my favorites.

As the middle novel we do not see a lot of movement but we learn more about angels, black wings and Clara’s lineage. Clara struggles with a new vision and what it might mean. She realizes that someone close to her is going to die and with Christian's help she slowly puts the pieces together. The answer devastates her and she looks for a way to change the outcome. Her raw emotions had me reaching for the tissues. She is still concerned about her purpose and confused by her feelings for Tucker and Christian. The love triangle continues, but Hand has managed to make it difficult to really hate either guy. In this novel, Clara gets to know Christian more and we see her try to come to terms with her feelings for him. He is significant and she feels a strong bond and perhaps she even loves him. She is so in love with Tucker and doesn't want to give him up. Yet at the same time she begins to worry about their differences and the danger she puts him in. Can’t the three of them live happily ever after? Maybe Christian could patiently wait till Tucker’s life ends? (Tucker’s human after all.) We do see character growth in Clara as she deals with loss, and a realization that sometimes; loving someone isn't enough.


Jeffrey struggles with issues and is much darker in this novel. He distances himself from Clara and her Mom. It isn't until the end, that we begin to understand his struggle. We meet other half-bloods and new characters that I found delightful. Angela forms an Angel club and the four of them share information. While we get to know Angela a little better, I still have many questions. I also want to know more about her mystery man. I am also very curious about the black wing. Hand shares some of his back story and I am so intrigued. I am anxious to see how his role develops in the plot.


Hand’s wonderful prose and her first person narrative sent me on an emotional roller coaster and I frequently had to pause and savor her words. She allows things to unfold realistically and for me; it made it all the more poignant.  While I have never been a fan of love triangles, I think Hand may have just written the most beautiful one. 

The Unearthly trilogy is very character driven, and to me they are absolutely beautiful. I applaud Hand and her ability to capture my emotions and hold them hostage. I became Clara in Hallowed; I felt her emotions, her fear, her love and her heartache. I highly recommend this novel to fans of paranormal romances. The next book is yet untitled and is scheduled for release in 2013. Hallowed is currently available in paper and eBook format.

I gave this book 4 coffee cups out of 5.                   Kimba     

Author's website:Cynthia Hand

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Unearthly (Unearthly #1) by Cynthia Hand

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy. Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side. As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny? Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.(synopsis from Goodreads)

I picked Unearthly up sometime in 2011 because I loved the cover. For some reason, it kept getting shuffled around to the back of my TBR pile and after reading a review I almost bought it again.  Unearthly is the first in a trilogy and I will be reviewing book two the Hallowed later this month. This novel is filled with angel mythology, suspense, romance and typical high school drama.

The protagonist is sixteen year old Clara Gardner. Clara is an angel-blood. Her mother was part angel and her father is human. Every angel has a purpose; a task they must perform in their lifetime. When Clara begins to have visions about her purpose, she and her family move from California to Wyoming. Clara’s visions show a young man and a fire. She believes she must save him from it.

In Wyoming, Clara and her younger brother try to fit in at the new high school. Which isn’t easy, since being part angel makes you faster, smarter, and better at almost everything. Clara attempts to get closer to Christian (who she quickly learns is the young man in her vision) and learn her purpose. The school year is filled with typical high school drama. Clara begins to crush on Christian. She makes a few girlfriends. Wendy is the first to friend her. I really liked Wendy; she doesn’t care about the in-crowd and seems to genuinely care about Clara. She has a twin brother named Tucker who teases Clara unmercifully. Clara also befriends Angela.  The friendship between them grows when Angela reveals her secret to Clara. I haven’t made up my mind about Angela. There is something I do not trust about it.

During the summer while Clara waits for Christian to return from a trip, she starts spending time with Tucker. We slowly get to see this romance unfold, and I enjoyed watching Clara come to realization that she loves Tucker. This romance is pure, believable and sweet. Clara’s mother fearing Tucker will distract her from her purpose; grounds Clara and forbids her to see Tucker until her purpose is completed.

Throughout Unearthly there is something sinister lurking and Clara has experiences with it more than once.  As the tales moves towards its conclusion we are again confronted with this evil. We witness a battle between good and evil. After the battle, Clara is suddenly overwhelmed with a vision and realizes the time is now. Her purpose is now. She flies to save Christian. When she arrives she is too early and as she waits she learns someone she loves is in danger. She must choose between fulfilling her purpose and saving someone she loves.  The ending left me with more questions than answers. I am hoping Hand clarifies things more in book two.

I really enjoyed  Unearthly. The pace was nice and it was well written. I am look forward to reading the rest of this trilogy. I recommend this to fans of paranormal romances, angels and young adult urban fantasy. This novel is available in all formats.

I gave this book 3.5 coffee cups out of 5                      Kimba

Author's website: Cynthia Hand

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The eBook version is currently .99 cents at both B&N and Amazon in anticipation of Hallowed's release on January 17, 2012.