Customer Reviews

I Thought It Was You: Grimm's Circle, Book 2.5

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Originally posted at: [...].

The Grimm: a group of guardian angels here to protect mankind from the demons of the netherworld. Many are the basis for what the Brothers Grimm later recorded as fictional tales, but they actually lived, if not quite the way they were portrayed. These are not bright and shiny angels, they are darker and trained to do what needs doing in times of crisis. These are not your childhood fairy tales: they are much more fun.

Shiloh Walker has created a dark world where characters from our favorite tales are not quite what they seem. This short story is a bridge of sorts: it is a way for Elle (from No Prince Charming, book two of the Grimm series) to tie up loose ends and say her own goodbye to Ren and have her happy ever after with Michael. But her goodbye is one very hot ménage and worth the brief time it takes to read it. Ren is such a hot hero, but his fate is yet to be determined. Elle and Michael belong together, and this brings closure to all concerned.

If you like your fairy tales a bit dark, the Grimm series is for you, and this snippet of a short story is a great lead in to the next book in the series: Ren's story. But I recommend that you get his along with the book that follows, for a fantastic reading experience.

~* 3.5 Stars *~
Ren is still hurting from losing his best friend and century-long occasional lover, Elle, after she and the man she loved, Michael, reunited. That pain is adding stress to the pressure of the darkness that is never far from his mind lately. Leave it to their boss (for lack of a better term) Will to send him back to Elle and Michael to wait for another task that the three Grimm must handle.

Seeing Elle is like salt in a grievous wound, and even her kindness causes pain. As an empath, he knows she feels his pain. As Elle, he knows she'll try to ease it. What surprises him, almost unmans him, is that Michael is surprisingly amenable. And the truth, the one that neither Ren nor Elle can escape, is that both still bear wounds not yet healed, and each needs the other for the love of their friendship and the hope of some peace.

For those unfamiliar with Shiloh Walker's Grimm's Circle series, this is not the place to start to become familiar. This short story is more of a coda on the end of the second book in the series, No Prince Charming, and should in no way be considered a self-contained short story. There almost no explanation of the events in the book preceding it, and little exposition on the world in which it occurs. For those who haven't read that second book, this short story could seem little more than a salacious bit of gratuitous erotica.

In truth, though, it's closure for two people who desperately needed it, and though the focus is on Ren, whose story is up next in the series (yay!), the events are just as important to Elle. Her death was such that it scarred her in ways that aren't important to list here, but with this little tale, those scars were tenderly addressed.

I'm not entirely convinced it was necessary to be handled in this format, though, and I was disappointed that the sole focus was on the sexual scene. The "job" Will sent them on was completely ignored except in passing. It did make this little piece of fiction seem a bit unnecessary and salacious, even to me, who is a fan of this dark and unique series. It wasn't bad, but it isn't enough to draw in new readers - may in fact give them the wrong impression of the series, and it isn't quite enough to entertain beyond the sexuality for those who are familiar. I'd recommend it only for those who are Grimm's Circle fans.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

This book was disappointing. It could be so much better - especially the love scene. The characters were flat and unrealistic. Thus I did not buy the prequal to this story. Walker could have done a better job to entice reader to the story.

This is a snippet of a story about angels or fairy tale characters (I couldn't really tell what they were or what actual powers they had, other than one of them was an "empath") who perform unspecified tasks to fight evil. The lack of context was a real problem in getting into this story. I understand that it was meant to be a bridge between books one and two in a series, but maybe a more detailed preface explaining who these people are or what sort of powers they have would help those of us who haven't read the first book.

Instead, all we got was a preface explaining that Ren wasn't going to have a happy ending in this story - a rather unnecessary spoiler, I thought.

Anyway, Ren is very jealous of his ex-girlfriend or ex-something's happiness (the nature of their relationship wasn't clear - I couldn't tell if they'd been having sex for the last hundred years or if they'd had sex once in a hundred years of unrequited love) so he goes to her house and has a threesome with her and her new boyfriend. And that is pretty much it.

All other action (they fight demons or something?) takes place out of sight. Weak characters, unnecessary amounts of angst, too much pointless moodiness, and unclear setting make this one that I wouldn't recommend.

I am not sure if I like the fallen angel idea for romance so the jury is still out on that one. If this snippet was designed to get me interested enough to purchase the book ... it did not. I never learned to share some things well so the double bro-mance is definately off my list things to read. (ICK!)

People who are turned into angels, but keep acting like people with sexual drives, who would take part in a ménage à trois. Basically, this was the story--nothing else. If someone is going to play with the ideal of angels, the author could at least have presented some background to establish common ground with the reader.

I have been trying different authors on my Kindle. This was a free short story so I wanted to read this author. I won't be buying any of her work. I understand that it is a short story, but there was no plot. I do not believe sex is a plot. The character development was poor. It was a story about three Angles having sex, one of them hurt, angry, and depressed. It was pity bang, the female allowing a male one last sexual encounter. Her current lover joins in. I would not recommend the author to a friend.

I'm trying to get into these freebies but they always say cheap isn't better. The book preview said it's not Ren's ever after but you have to read another book for that this book is just for the lose ends. As short as it is I didn't get into it I was not impressed. I do give the freebie books a chance because it gives me a chance to get to know new authors and see their style of work. This book was not for me it felt like a left over of something, I think most authors who gives us these freebie short novella should realize some books does not stand alone because without reading the series some readers would be lost, but then again that's how they introduce you to their work and series. I need to read a real good book quick because I feel like I'm in a funk or maybe I should give the freebies a break now.




**********************************

In the author's defense, this was one of those "bridge" short stories. However, if the idea was to get me hooked to buy and read more... I just felt too in the dark and didn't make enough connection with any of the characters. After reading other's reviews it sounds like if I'd read the other books, I wouldn't feel this way. Don't know if I'll ever find out. Sex was hot, but even that felt a bit ridiculous to me --"I'm jealous, but I'm not really and it is ok this time because you won't do it again, so go ahead and say goodbye" (I don't always get men sharing a woman, so read this with that in mind)

This book begins where the one before and the one after begins. Ren is a troubled angel warring with his dark side because he has loved and lost. He feels adrift and heartbroken even though he knows he wasn't enough for Elle. Michael takes pity on him knowing how it is to be adrift when Ren is sent to Michael and Elle by the Grimm boss. This book is all raw feelings, and raw sex .If you like your books with steamy hot sex this book is for you. It also contains a well written fairytale come to life, but I warn you this book is addictive you'll want to read all the others in this series and love them.Even if I hadn't gotten this free I would have bought it.This was an exceptionally good read.