Okay, before we hop to the review I have to admit, that this is my second review, so please be kind! ;)
Sent away to college in America, Evangeline swore she would never return to England. Anger loses its value when tragedy forces her home to assume ownership of the family's beloved Greco-Roman museum.
Placing a foolish, drunken kiss on a Greek statue in the museum's basement, Evangeline unknowingly frees a Spartan prince from an evil oracle's curse. Suddenly, her lonely life is invaded by the rakish man with knowing emerald green eyes who never eats or sleeps, and seems to know her every thought and feeling.
Falling in love is dangerous, especially when it's with a man who has already been claimed by the bitter oracle, Demona. From the moment of her kiss, Evangeline is swept into Dorien's world of mystery, danger, and passion. The oracle's fury only mounts as they unravel Demona's darkest secrets, but not before Demona finds out about their unborn half-breed immortal twins.
Demona uses her knowledge of the future to manipulate and destroy, but sometimes love has a will, and a heart, of its own.
This review is only for the PART ONE!
I won this book in a bloghop. My version is an e-book format and it's separated for two parts, but you can purchase in paperback -which is contains both part- as well. My friend reviewed this and convinced me, that I must read it. When She told me I won, My reaction was something like this
I started to read on the same day when I received the e-mail from Kristine, but I finished only 1 day ago. Yes, it took me sooo long to read it, but no, not because of the book, only because I had to do a bunch of things and I always got interrupted.
So let's talk about the story!
I have to admit it... This isn't an ordinary story. Really good idea the spartan warrior who was turned into a statue by an evil oracle and released by a girl's kiss. I love every kind of mithology, especially Grecian ones. Excellent storyline!
The beginning of the book is really sad, so if you're a really sentimental person, I suggest to put a box of kleenex close to you!
They told me not to expect so much action, so I sat down, knowing this won't be my usual read. And yes, it isn't. The first half of the book was a little boring to me, though there were parts that I really liked, for example; when Taryn -Evangeline's best friend- turned down the annoying reporter at the beginning. She's an awesome character, but i'm gonna talk about her later. There was one scene, when Evan suddenly meets her ex- (jackass) boyfriend, Andrew and Evan mentally kicked his ass and basically said him "Go to hell!" That guy completely ruined her romantic life for like... forever... at least she thought that...
After several pages we finally meet Prince Dorieus.
When I read his background story I was like this
Why? Because I've never ever heard of him before, and whooaw, that story is awesome! Dorieus was the only other Spartan prince(besides his brother) whose history as a soldier was noted. He was cursed and betrayed on the battlefield by Demona, a crazy Oracle.
And here comes Evan into the scene. She finds him after a party night with Taryn, and enchanted by his beauty, Evan kisses the statue (probably she drank too much plus her love life wasn't a fairy tale either...). And the miracle happens! Dorien a.k.a Prince Dorius turns back into a flash and blood man. An Immortal man, actually. Lucky Evan!! After his transformation, Dorien takes her back into her bed. And here is my (not so big) problem. The love scenes were a little bit rush. At first time in effect we were just told there was something between them, and we skipped the whole thing. Okay, I get it, it's a romance and not an erotic book, but I just wanted a little bit more. Fortunetely I got it, even though not as much as I wanted, but there were parts where I can say "okay, it's pretty good."
The Second half of the book was sooo much more exciting!! Thank God.. oh no wait! Thanks Kristine!! :-)
Oh how I Love the Point of view changes!! If you'll read this, You're gonna LOVE Dorien's POV! I did.
I'm not so romantic type, but seriosly, I LOVE this couple. I Love, that Dorien chose to remain single in his time and now, centuries later, he found...err... I mean SHE found HIM and now Dorien can't live without her touch. She's stronger because of him, finally she found someone who truly loves her. When she finds out her lover is the staute and immortal, she's not so shocked as I expected. Actually she deals with it within one minute. It could seems a little rush, but personally, I liked it. No annoying resistance from her, she just loves him, accepts him as the way he is.
And after several weeks, Demona comes to ruin everything they've build up. What a bitch! She admit, that she tried to kill Evan, not even once. Demona asks Dorien to spend with 10 days separated from Evan and offers him a deal. She forced him to choose the lesser evil. Nope, I won't tell you what are the options. If you want to know, read the book and find out yourself! *evil laugh* Demona also tells him, that he is gonna become a father. Yep! You heard me, she says that Evan will conceieve. Anyways, while Dorien is away, Evan starts to feel sick. When Dorien returns to her, she finds out, that she's pregnant. With twins! Although she doesn't tell Dorien yet and she asks Taryn to cover her.
The end of the book Part One is a big cliff-hangar. Should I tell you what it is? Some Hint? Okay, I think I can give you something. There comes a stranger to Evan's life and it looks like he/she is a threat to her. I won't give you more, want to know who is it? Grab your own copy and find out!
Okay, let's talk about the characters!
Evangeline is a sweet, cute girl, though she has a strong will. She went through the hell in her life, but finally she found the Love of her Life. It makes her stronger. She's smart, as we can see, when she comes up with an idea to save the sponsors for her museums. She is a lovable character.
Dorien a.k.a Prince Dorieus is a spartan warrior. A Prince, actually.
But maybe I could say he is a Grecian GOD! Smart, sexy, he loves Evan so much. It's funny sometimes, when he doesn't know meaning of something. Where in the Hades this guy came from??
Oh sure... he's an ancient Immortal. He can read minds (be careful with your wicked thoughts!!). He can run as fast as Clark Kent, his senses are extraordinary, like Spiderman's... okay not that awesome, but his hearing, sight, touch, etc. are really good. But let's face it... It was only because he was cursed. Not cool!
Taryn is loyal, helpful, funny... in one word she is an awesome secondary character. She's Evan's best friend. She protects Evangeline.
Demona... well, ya she's a crazy biatch! But a really good developed one. I can see in her everything what I want to see in an evil female villain.
Tommy is basically Dorien's new assistant. We're not see him so many times in the book, but when we do, it's definitely worth it. He's cute and funny. I'd love to read more about him, too.
Okay, now here comes the tough part...
The rating!
NOTE: Please, consider, that this isn't my usual type of book! I truly recommend this book to the person who is a sucker for romance! Also, PLEASE keep in mind that SH1 and SH2 are really ONE book split in TWO parts. Both books make up the whole story.
This review is only for the PART ONE!
Now off to read Part Two!! :-)
