Descent (Kissed by Death) by Tara Fuller – a Review

Descent (Kissed by Death) by Tara Fuller – a Review

 

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Description:
Easton doesn’t believe in love. He believes in Death. Darkness. Sin. As a reaper for Hell, it’s all he’s known for over four hundred years. When he gets slapped with the job of training the boss’s daughter, an angel who knows nothing but joy, he knows he’s in for a world of trouble.

Though he’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with her outside of work, Gwen would do anything to get closer to the dark and wounded reaper—even taint her angelic image and join the ranks of her father’s team of reapers. But in all her planning, she forgot to factor in one thing—how far the demons Easton doomed to hell would go to get revenge.

When the dangers of the Hell threaten Gwen, Easton will do whatever it takes to save her. But as the darkness closes in on them both, will he be able to save himself?

 

Review:

Easton has finally arrived…and resides in my heart. He stays, goes nowhere – I’ve waited too long! I have been dying for Easton’s book, Ms. Fuller can attest to several pleading emails, lol. The enigmatic, dark horse reaper for hell is uncomfortable in the spotlight, but he’s made himself too irresistible to hang back any longer. I was swept anew thanks to the layered world building and amazing character developments. Descent was well worth the wait!

A reaping gone wrong introduces Easton to Gwen. A yellow card for interference, but to whom exactly?! Easton’s the ultimate soul reaper, cold and detached, ready to collect his charge, but for heavenly Gwen, Easton intercepts one of her “projects”.

“I should have felt guilty, but that would require feeling. I didn’t do feeling. Not anymore.”

Regardless of claim or purpose, the unflappable Easton is shaken to the core. From that unexpected moment on, Gwen’s brief observation of Easton (and the error they inadvertently contributed to) catapults her to shake off expectations and explore the darker side she’s never been privy to. With such foundations breaking, someone higher up, or below, is bound to notice.

“You’ve been requesting a replacement for Anaya for months. Here she is. Your job is to train her. If you don’t think you can handle the task, I’m sure I can find a more suitable assignment.”

So now big, bad Balthazar (his boss) considers Easton management material? Could Balthazar simply be setting up Easton for failure? Gwen is his daughter after all! I know, how very intriguing! The mounting tension and desire was too impossible to deny; Easton is helpless to reject the offer. Lucky for us, Ms. Fuller doesn’t deprive us of the swoon-worthy. Moreover, we again are shown a different side to Balthazar. His dynamic as the big bad coupled with being a father is a unique story begging to be told.

I have to say Gwen was too chipper for me to start. She’s an angel, it’s par for the course, but her beatific, angelic outlook was off-putting. She was on a personal, irreversible mission of “salvation” whether Easton wanted her help or not.

“I felt too much. I wanted too much…I needed a new challenge. Whatever the reason, I felt an unquenchable need to bring this reaper joy.”

Again, it’s in her angel nature. I just took umbrage at Easton being her objective; I’d gladly take Easton as is!

It was Gwen’s acceptance of Easton’s rough edges that shattered my impression, however. Angel or no, Gwen is no pushover; especially when she realizes she would love Easton by her eternal side. For the time being, she’ll settle for his help to fix the huge reaping mistake. Who wouldn’t fight for this guy?!

Will their collaboration on the “pointless rescue mission” be a success? Will Easton’s tour of hell scare the curiosity out of Gwen? Someone’s getting fired…one way or the other.

A descent implies downward movement, but I could not have been more uplifted. I really recommend you begin at Inbetween, the introduction to the Kissed by Death series. The terminology will not only clarify this complex world, but it sets the mood for tremendous developments and heart. When you arrive at Descent, though, prepare for a fabulous read centered on Easton, the ever enthralling character, and Gwen, one outstanding woman in her own right, as well as his worthy counterpart. Love, love, looooooooved this book!!!

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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Blurred by Tara Fuller – a Review

Blurred by Tara Fuller – a Review

Blurred

Links to order Blurred: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Review:

I was excited to write this review because the sooner it was posted, the faster word would spread about this terrific world created by Tara Fuller.    In Fuller’s first book of her Kissed by Death series, Inbetween, we learn from the title of the introductory novel, is a “holding pen” and a primary setting for our supernatural characters:

“You might think of it as a sort of purgatory.  A type of limbo for souls who don’t quite belong in Heaven or Hell yet.”   

Blurred (the sequel) begins at a pivotal fire scene at the conclusion of Inbetween involving Cash and Anaya, the best friends of the original couple.  Cheesy?  After layers of the story are revealed, you will let out a resounding NO in response.   

Anaya is a soul reaper.  A spirit herself (as a result of good intentions), she is charged with freeing souls from the recently departed destined for heaven.  When Cash’s life is about to end, instead of performing her customary act of reaping, Anaya receives a contradictory order from Balthazar, the keeper of the afterlife:

“Not this one, Anaya.  This one is special.  No matter what, you will ensure that he stays in his flesh.”

As a result of the interference, Cash is suddenly exposed to the spirit world and it’s far from beautiful.  Black, nefarious shadows stalk and surround Cash with a deadly purpose.  Unbeknownst to Cash, these “shadow demons” recognize a kindred spirit.

“You’re balancing on this tightrope between life and death, a side effect of putting you back in your body at the fire.  These shadows are attracted to the scent of death and the emotions that accompany it.  The closer you get to death, the more appealing you seem.”      

Against her will (and more interesting wishes she TRIES to ignore), Anaya realizes her compliance in Balthazar’s plan is slowly killing Cash.

“I realized that I was giving something back to this boy, but it didn’t feel like it.  It felt like I was taking everything away.”

And in the exploration of those feelings (we did see Anaya surreptitiously sneak longing glances at Cash in the first book), Anaya can no longer deny a deep attraction.  Talk about spectacular revelations! 

This was a lovely story about surrendering to love, but I must admit it didn’t grab me as much as Finn and Emma from Inbetween.  While a bit of a scandal makes up their story, there was an undeniable draw to each other that made rule-breaking acceptable…and I’m a mom!  😀  Cash and Anaya have a rather special connection, even more profound than the original couple’s, but it developed rather slowly and with a bit of an “ick” factor FOR ME:  Anaya’s a 1,000 year old spirit and Cash is a 17 year old boy.  I am leaving out the particulars of what makes their relationship unique because I am not a spoiler, but because they’re rather significant, maybe it’s just MY own quirk?  I did mention the revelation was spectacular, right?  You decide. 

A tug of war back story keeps Cash’s life on the proverbial fence; where his desire to live or die begins to blur.  He’s living in an expired body and his options are running out:  Side with Balthazar (and Anaya) or join the underworld…embracing his role as a shadow walker? 

I really don’t want this to be over!  Ms. Fuller impressed me with Inbetween and Blurred, but there’s just so much more to discover.  Not only do I believe Balthazar’s story is begging to be told, but Easton, a secondary character, fellow reaper, and total badass, is quietly stealing hearts in the background.  Ms. Fuller’s voice was a breath of fresh air in a climate of stale YA.  I loved how she was able to weave in Finn and Emma without having them take over the story.    Ms. Fuller writes about enduring love stories…love stories that last several lifetimes…*winks*  I recommend this to everyone, but do start at the beginning…to get the full effect. 😉

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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Cover Reveals-January 24, 2013

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