Customer Reviews

Dare to Believe: The Gray Court, Book 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

NO SPOILERS or plot summaries. Recommendations included.

HIGH LEVEL: Book 1 of an erotic, paranormal romance series that boasts a wide variety of fae creatures from Sidhe to vampires to leprechauns and dragons. Stories are fun and light, while also full of magic and heavily lusty sex. There is some lighter bondage and toy play. This is a short book, quick read, not quite completely satisfying, but definitely an intriguing start to a series that could be a TON of fun. (I've read book 2 and it's even better!)

PLOT: Nice pacing with plenty of tension, but abruptly resolved. The plot managed to encompass not only the central couple, but also their family and introduced us to the greater politics of the magical world. I notice other reviewers thought there was too much plot for this to be erotica- I can't agree. I can't enjoy something that doesn't offer stakes greater than the central romance. This book offers both nicely. It was resolved too fast, though. It also suffered BIG TIME from First Book Syndrome where it spends too many of its short pages setting future books.

CHARACTERS & ROMANCE: Leo and Ruby were both good characters and it was a sweet romance. Ruby was definitely the stronger of the two- it was nice to have a girl who was a more natural shape. I loved her smart mouth. Leo wasn't really developed enough, but still sexy. Their attraction was a little too fast, but still satisfying. The scene using the toys was a bit surprising though- not as well done as I've seen in other books. It kinda came out of left field, so I can see why other reviewers weren't thrilled with it. That kind of thing can be highly erotic when done properly, but it was a bit clumsy here. Aside from that, though, this was a strong romance- I really wanted these two to stay together. The plot worked nicely around them.

BOTTOM LINE: Strong opening to a series. It gives a little bit of everything- sweet romance, funny characters, rich magical world, lusty sex, and plenty of action. It might have been better as a longer story, but overall I really enjoyed it.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. R.G. Alexander's steamy vampire/were/witch romance series: Regina in the Sun (Children of the Goddess)
2. Vivian Arend's Tidal Wave: Forces of Nature, Book 1- a light, lusty read with frolicking dolphins
3. Anya Bast's Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1) - sweet, sexy para-romance with witches, demons and more
4. Kresley Cole's adventurous and intricate magical romance series (never mind the ridiculous title): A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark, Book 1)
5. Jacquelyn Frank's Jacob (The Nightwalkers, Book 1) - demons, were, vamps and other fae finding their better halves in races that should be the enemy
6. Larissa Ione's Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1) - demon centric romance series that sets up a demon-run hospital under a human city. Not as well written as the others.
7. Sherrilyn Kenyon's Fantasy Lover - Dark Hunter series with shifters, vamps and Greek gods. The first book is not as good as the rest- it just gets better and better.
8. Renee Michaels' sexually adventurous, but basic werewolf romance Her Chosen Wolf: The Were Chronicles, Book 1
9. J.R. Ward's Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 1) - darker, more violent and incredibly intense vampire romance series. Vampires protect the world from evil. Vivid glimpses into the evil perspective as well.
10. Lara Adrian's Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) - also darker, more violent, but incredibly intense. Vampires protect the world from their evil brethren.

For a good portion of his nearly century-long existence, Leo Dunne has been waiting and hoping to catch that one elusive scent that would bring love and joy to his life, the scent of the one person born just for him. When he caught scent of Ruby Halloway, saw her bent over a file cabinet in his company, he knew he wanted her desperately and thought she may be the one. Ruby, who has had a crush on Leo for ages, did what any shy girl would do when the object of her deepest desire focused on them...she ran away and hid.

For a year she's avoided him. For a year he's watched her and tried to get close. Finally, with the help of her best friend and all the charm he can muster, the alleged playboy gets Ruby right where he wants her, and when he tastes her lips for the first time he knows he was right. She's his. And there will be no more hiding or running.

Unfortunately, just finding his true mate isn't enough. He's still got to tell her he's fae, explain to her his Sidhe mother and leprechaun father. Gently introduce her into a world she couldn't possibly even dream about and explain the benefits and consequences. Before he can even get close to approaching that daunting task, however, his father calls with somber news. A rival family has kidnapped his brother and is holding him ransom. Leo doesn't need to ask what ransom they're asking for his brother's release. He already knows.

They want him.

Dana Marie Bell has kicked off this new series with a lot of potential and the backbone of an intriguing world and fun mythos, populating it with personable characters and a couple of neat plot twists. I've long been a fan of Bell and have read and enjoyed her Halle Pumas and Halle Shifters (looking for more of that one!) series, and am familiar with her writing style and characterizations. I particularly enjoy the humor that she injects and how adeptly she partners humor with stressful, sometimes threatening situations, to the benefit of the story as a whole.

She's done that here in Dare to Believe: The Gray Court, Book 1. I enjoyed Leo and was charmed by Ruby, who, despite her shyness and some issues with body image, was an appealingly silver-tongued quipster who was good for a cute, humorous line. Some of Bell's greatest strengths as an author lay in her abilities to write fun, bantering dialogue and provide appealing and individual character definition around a solid story concept or idea.

The depth and breadth of the plot suffers, though, by this book's shorter length. The narrative doesn't do much to flesh out the developing story and too much of it remains bare-boned to the point of emaciation. The pacing is disjointed, coming in forced fits and starts, not always clearly defined and suffering from several awkward transitions. Creating the world for the series, then stuffing a satisfying romance and a dangerous family threat together is a good idea in theory, but that's a lot of story and there just wasn't room to tell it all fully - to the detriment of the whole thing. Bell has the skill to tell a fully developed story that satisfies on all levels. She's done it before. Had she taken another 100 or so pages to fill out this story, she could have done so here.

Unfortunately, as it stands, the romantic couple comes together far too quickly for my personal tastes, Ruby accepts her new world and gets over a lifetime of insecurities far too quickly for my tastes, and the kidnapping plot thread starts, and ends, with far too little development and depth. What's most disappointing is that with the appeal of the characters, I wanted much more of them and was doubly disappointed for not getting it.

And then there's the sex.

I vacillated on how to classify the genre of this book. Technically, there's too much plot and story development for me to consider it erotica in the manner in which I normally make that determination. There are also, however, sex scenes far too graphic and unconventional to fit into a mainstream paranormal romance - or even an edgy paranormal romance. I don't mind that - I like erotica. The problem is, though, that in this book there is a sex scene that is so egregiously out of place and disparate from the tone of the romantic relationship, the character development, and the plot at the point it was introduced, that I found it jarring and distasteful when read in context.

~* WARNING! THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD!! *~

Consider the following: Ruby is very, very shy and sexually inexperienced. Leo has convinced her to go with him across the country because his brother has been kidnapped and he needs to be with his family. He's desperate for her as his mate but desperate to help his brother. He's nervous about telling Ruby he's not human and knows he still needs to do that. Ruby gets to his parent's house and not only is completely overwhelmed by the choices she made to get her to that point, but nearly has a fit when his parents put her in the same room with Leo. She's accosted by the family who kidnapped his brother and Leo bonds with her. The bonding knocks her out for two days and Leo is terrified for her. When she finally wakes up Leo is so relieved that he...grabs the small, sex toy-filled suitcase he brought with him (packing sex toys is, of course, the first thing I think about when I learn my brother has been kidnapped and know it's because of me), unpacks an alarming number of them, blindfolds and handcuffs Ruby to the bed, uses a feather duster, rabbit ear vibrator, and anal plug on her, then proceeds to introduce her to...enthusiastic anal sex in concert with the other toys.

Um...yeah...that didn't really work for me. On any level. At all.

Had it been a different couple, in a different scenario, at a different time, with a different story going on around them, it would have been a sexy good time had by all. Bell writes sizzling fun sex scenes. There were just way too many things that made that scene inappropriate for this book. When I combine that with the anemic plot development and disjointed pacing of the narrative, the potential of the book went unrealized and I ended up not caring for it. I liked the characters very much...but unfortunately it wasn't quite enough.

Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

Could not rate this book higher than a 3. Too much sex (including bondage and anal) to be a romance and yet too much romance to be a strictly erotic story. Tries to straddle both and in the end fails at both.

I loved this book, excellent read, very hot and sexy. I cannot wait for the next book.

Ruby Halloway has it bad for the CEO of her company, Leo Dunne. Real bad. She does everything to avoid him until her best friend helps trip her up at the company masquerade party. The evening ends with Ruby spending an amazing night in Leo's bed. From then on, things just keep getting weirder.

Leo Dunne has known for quite some time that Ruby is his destined mate. Now that he has her right where he wants her, he's not letting her out of his sight. He insists that she go with him to his family home after he receives a call that his brother, Shane, is missing. Besides, he can better protect the woman he loves if she is with him. The only trouble is will she be able to accept the truth about who and what he is?

When author Dana Marie Bell put together a spunky, adorable heroine (who's a wee bit insecure for good reason) with a tender-hearted, Alpha male (who's somewhat needy in his time of trouble), I was anticipating a storyline strictly revolving around their relationship. Well, Ruby and Leo get their share of ups and downs, mainly from loads of outside craziness (and crazies). Along with a cast of kick-butt characters (my personal favorite being A-Rogue-From-Literature-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless), I appreciated the idea behind the Gray Court; it's fresh and filled with interesting potential.

The sex is graphically described and racy, while the dialogue is mostly pink hearts and rose petals with a splash of spiciness thrown in. The overall appeal for me was the humor, which is sometimes snarky, other times wonderfully over the top, and mainly tongue-in-cheek. No matter which direction the narrative turns, it's sheer fun! Of course, the lovely cover will wring sighs of longing (or envy) from readers, too.

Dare to Believe in love because this story is pure magic and romance at its sweetest.


Patrice
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The story had some great concepts and magic. Steamy moments too. I'll have to find book two now and see what happens next.

So if you are looking for good romance/erotica then Dana Marie Bell is right at the top of list of authors to buy. All of the books I have read of hers have been really good to down right wonderful. Dare to Believe is one of my favorite books of hers along with the second book in the series, Nobel Blood (which is a mmf menage). Amazon description as well as the other reviewers give a good outline of the book so I wont go into it but I will say that the character development as well as the description of the plot line was wonderful. The female role was wonderful. She was strong and sexy, so cute, just what a leading lady should be. Not to mention our hero, Leo was just so amazing. I found myself wishing the book was longer. That was probably the only downside to this book was that it was only 9 chapters long. the author has to put a lot of description into a short book but it was done so well that it made up for it. this series is really good and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series to come out. So good!

I loved all the novels in the HALLE Series so tried Bell's TRUE DESTINY novels and hated those so I skipped The Gray Court series because of some of the negative ratings believing that it was more on the line with the series that I did not enjoy - but I was wrong - so very, very wrong.

While the pull of Ruby to Leo did feel weak at first - really did not feel the lust/love that was supposely happening at that time - the book does get better.

PROS:
Characterization gets better
World building complete where I had no trouble visualizing the scenes in my mind
Character development that actually pulled in to care about what happens
Steamy love scenes
Fast paced action scenes
HEA

CONS:
The introduction of Leo & Ruby fell flat - if I had just downloaded a sample - probably would not have purchased the book.

Overall, I'm glad that I finally took a chance on this book because I did enjoy it and even turned around and purchased the next two books in the series.

This is a good start to the series. Make it though this book and the second one is much better. One sex scene worked well; the other one, as other reviewers have noted comes out of left field. My brother's kidnapped and missing, and I think enough not only to pack sex toy, but find a way to use them in my parents house?!? Maybe in another setting it would have worked, but not here. All in all, it introduces us to some characters that are interesting. You come to be engaged in all their lives.

As with the authors's other books, this one is an engaging and entertaining read. I too would have liked a bit longer tale, but there is plenty enough to feel you get your money's worth. Can't wait for the next book in the series! In response to some of the other reviewer's comments, I seriously hope Dana keeps up the heat. It is so rare to find a great plot and scorching love scenes together that it would be a bummer if she backed off. The bookstore is chock full of middle of the road offerings, so I say keep up the good work!!