Belle Malory

**This book was given to Celeste by the author,but did not influence the review**

you can also see the review on The Book Hookup

Overall:
LOVED! Fabulous story with a fabulous romance. Win, win, win. Top shelf honors! A lot of you may wonder why I have quite a few 5 star books…when I’m not reading a submission I spend a lot of time picking out books, especially indie books like the ones in this series. When the author is able to make me feel connected to the characters and I end up dreaming about them I know it’s a success. If I personally feel moved, in love, sad, or any emotion that the author is trying to convey, well, then it’s high marks for me. Belle Malory does just that.

This is the 2nd installment in the gypsy series. But these gypsies aren’t like gypsies you are thinking about; they are all stunningly gorgeous and all have special magical talents. They also get reincarnated over and over again, so romances as well as battles continue in each lifetime. There is so much history with these characters!

Initial Thoughts:
As I began the book I wasn’t sure if this was a whole new story because it is told in first person (my favorite), but from a different POV than the first novel, Wanderlove. Well, I didn’t worry for very long since the original characters from the first book linked up fast enough with the new main character, Estelle, and the story from her point of view was perfect!

The Heroine:
Estelle, (Essie) is a great heroine. She has always lived with her gift (curse) so that is nothing new, she just now begins to understand a little bit of the why she has it. She learns more and more as the story goes on, and the pieces start to come together. She has feelings that I too would have and I never felt like I wanted to shake her to come to her senses. I loved her!

The Romance:
The physical chemistry is fabulous and one of the reasons this book is 5 stars. I could just feel the sexual tension oozing out of the pages. I love a naughty bad boy that wants to do the right thing, and that is exactly how to describe Rex. Some of the remarks he made during the story gave me the butterflies myself (or made me blush-and I loved it-I will admit it! lol).

In one part of the book, Rex goes to see Tatiana, his ex-love-of-his-life. Eeek! I have to admit I was crushed and wondering if Essie was Tatiana in a past life. The emotion there was very real, and very believable, which is why I actually felt so let down. See, that is the amazing writing I’m talking about!

The Ending (was there a killer cliffhanger?):
The ending was perfect with just the right amounts of everything; the way the story itself tied up as well as the romance (I’m trying not to spoil here). I can see how the novel could go on to the next book, but if it doesn’t that is OK too. There is no cliffhanger, but I’d love to see more of these gypsies again!

Final thoughts:
Foretell is wonderfully told and so easy to follow, as the layers were built up so naturally. I also loved Part Two of the book, which went back in time and gave me great insight to the characters. This series is a must read, and to top it off the author is super sweet and kind. Stop by her blog (she’s having a signed giveaway!!) or her brand new twitter account and say hi and learn more about these amazing books.

Happy reading!… (mehr)

I don't know what it is about gypsies that just freaks me right out. Maybe it's because my grandma used to threaten to "sell me to the gypsies" when I misbehaved or maybe it's because in every movie ever made about gypsies some idiot messes with one and ends up with some horrible curse. I don't know, but whatever the reason, the whole idea just gives me the willies. So when I came across this self-published love story about gypsies I had my reservations. Luckily for me, the story wasn't all that scary so I was able to read on and actually enjoyed this book!

The story centers around Lola, a gypsy girl on the run from her father who wants to sell her into prostitution (real nice dad!). She ends up at her grandmother's house in Florida where she meets the devastatingly handsome Gabe. She is inexplicably drawn to him and we find out this is because they were lovers in a past life (Lola has no memories of her past lives unlike other gypsies who remember everything). Gabe, remembering the love he has for Lola, tries and tries to get her to be with him again but she is resistant until she finds out that some of her memories could prove dangerous for them both.

Let me start off with what I liked about this book. The story was unique. I haven't read a ton of books about past lives but it is an interesting concept and the way that Malory uses it in this story is charming. Lola's inability to remember anything about her past lives and Gabe's painful realization that she cannot feel the depths of what he does because she has not lived it like he has is truly a heartbreaking concept. I also like that Lola doesn't just drop everything and run headlong into his well-toned arms the second she finds out who he is. It adds a bit of realism to an otherwise fantastic tale. Lola is a very sympathetic character. She is not whiny, helpless or bratty. She is self-reliant and strong but has some depth and vulnerability as well.

Now, onto the not so great parts of the book. The grammar! This is a big one for me. There were times, while reading this, that the grammar was pretty poor. Now, I'm not accusing Malory of having bad grammar throughout the book. On the contrary, most of it was very well-written, which made the parts that were bad puzzling. There was a lot of ending sentences in prepositions, spelling confusion and even some subject-verb agreement issues. Then again, maybe I'm just being a stick in the mud. Another thing I didn't like about this book was that there wasn't a great payoff with the relationship. Without giving anything away, I didn't feel like Lola and Gabe ever had the big, emotional talk or moment that I had been waiting to see. They sort of just went back and forth with the "I love you, but I can't love you" deal for most of the book. Along the same lines, I didn't feel like Malory really explained how the relationship came to be during the past lives. I would have like for her to delve into that a little more. Finally, there was one conversation that really irked me. When Lola finally sees her dad again they have the obligatory conversation about the whole prostitution thing (yeah no big deal). The problem is that instead of a big dramatic confrontation, it plays out like an episode of a mid-90s sitcom. Basically she calls him out on trying to pimp his own daughter and he brushes it off like she's accusing him of leaving the milk out on the counter all night. She should respond by being furious and maybe beating him with a pipe or something. Instead she kind of shrugs her shoulders like "well, that's just dad!" (studio audience applauds, roll credits). I mean come on! We're talking about parental neglect and human trafficking here among other things! Then again, that's just my opinion.

Overall, though, I really did enjoy this book and I will probably read the next one "Fortell" when it comes out. This is a good rainy day book and you do feel connected to the characters. Especially for a first novel, this is a welcome addition to the bookshelf.… (mehr)

Lola and Gabe are two gypsies bound together through time and lives. Here's the catch. Lola cannot remember her past lives. A curse has been placed upon her by a powerful gypsy to make her forget her past.

This book is written in sections. The first section deals with Lola escaping her father and their 'unconventional' lifestyle. She runs to her Grandmother's house, only to find that also staying with her grandmother are two cousins, Dakota and Annika. She meets Gabe, a neighbor, who incidentally had saved her from a raging storm on the night of her arrival. She feels an instant attraction to Gabe, who responds by treating her with insolence and anger. Gabe is engaged to Lola's cousin Annika.
Section two begins with Lola's memories unravelling. She and Gabe were very close in previous incarnations of their lives. Section two explains how they met and how they parted.
Section three brings the entire story together. I won't reveal anything that happens. I will say all three sections are brought together nicely.

Ms Malory is an amazing storyteller. She has found a way to create a new an exciting YA novel. Something original and new.… (mehr)