“Sofia Ravenwood was once fascinated by vampires—their seductive
power, their inhuman strength, their dark desires. Then one of them attached her family, and she
threw out her goth attire and vowed to keep clear of her enemies. Until she
heard about Ethan Parrish: a sweet,
sizzling-hot former college football player, turned into a vampire against his
will.
“Wandering the deserted streets of Morgan Creek, Wyoming,
Ethan’s sure he’ll be alone forever—a monster like him deserves nothing
else. Then beautiful, complicated Sofia
agrees to meet him, fangs and all. The
need she ignites in him is more than just the pulse of her blood or the scent
of her skin. But he’s not the only
bloodsucker desperate to make her his own…”
Here we are! This is
Ashley’s third and newest installment in her Morgan Creek series. *In the name of full disclosure, I did
receive an advanced copy of this book directly from the author, herself, in
exchange for my honest review.* The book’s
official release date was August 28, 2018 (though the cover of the copy in my possession states it'll be available in September of 2018), but, knowing I review books and have reviewed
her books in the past, Ashley reached out to me and kindly offered to send an
advanced uncorrected proof to me. I, of
course, was happy to read it. I did,
however, first need to read the preceding two books in this series! If you’ve read those recent reviews, then you’ll
know I had some mixed feelings. I liked
some of the characters and really appreciated the uniqueness of the plot
surrounding the location of Morgan Creek, itself, but some things didn’t strike
me as outstanding. I’m definitely
looking forward to seeing what this book has to offer. We were introduced to both Sofia and Ethan in
the second book in the series (Sofia is Micah’s younger sister and Ethan is
Holly’s cousin) – more so Sofia than Ethan.
From what I already know about them, Sofia is a bit of a spitfire and
Ethan has no qualms about giving Saintcrow, his sire, any attitude or lip. I’m looking forward to seeing how Ethan’s
dynamic plays out with the other vampires in Morgan Creek – especially because
he’s always believed in vampires and hated them so much – and I’m really hoping
we continue to see Sofia’s attitude and spunk.
I have felt that the biggest thing this series has been lacking is a
really unique, standout female lead; I’m really hoping Sofia can accomplish
this task.
***
I'm about 75 pages into this book after starting it last night. It's a much easier read and I like the pace of the story; I think Ethan's confusion and frustration coming to terms with his new life as a vampire is well-written. So far, Sofia does seem better developed than the other female leads I've encountered and I hope it continues. It feels like she really does have a life of her own and, while some of her attitudes and behavior is a bit immature, I think it suits her age well (she is, after all, only 19). Ethan has an attitude and a bit of a death wish. I like seeing a change in him when he's around Sofia.
However...Sofia has a feels "her heart swell with love" 31 pages into the story...thirty...one...pages...(Ashley 31). I found it unbelievable and unrealistic, especially because she and Ethan had only met a couple of times at that point. It almost makes me wonder if that was a hiccup in the writing because there haven't been any mentions since then. One other hiccup is the fact that Ethan keeps taking her to bars and out for drinks (she likes tequila sunrises)...but she's only 19. I am not upset over the fact that she's underage-drinking, I just can't quite figure out how it's so easy for her to get a drink absolutely everywhere they go. Ethan hasn't even considered that it might be more difficult to take a 19-year-old out to a bar. Granted, Ethan does most of the ordering, but no fake ID has been mentioned and no one's bothered to card her. It's just a little too easy, almost as if we (conveniently) forgot how old she actually is.
Some moments have felt a bit scattered and contradictory. POTENTIAL SPOILERS: The scene where Mateo uses a human henchman to kidnap Sofia seems a bit random and ill-planned; on top of the fact that I'm not really sure why he had Sofia locked in a basement while he fed on another woman he'd kidnapped. It seemed like a lot of trouble for not a lot of real reason. The biggest issue I've taken thus far is with Ethan's very irrational, mercurial mood in Chapter 10. I get being upset because Sofia hasn't called; however, he'd just had a wonderfully productive planning meeting about the changes he wants to make to Morgan Creek. He seemed to be getting exactly what he wanted. From one sentence to the next, Ethan transforms into a self-loathing, suicidal maniac willing to do whatever it takes to get Saintcrow to come and put him out of his misery. It felt very sudden and I actually had to put the book down and wonder, "What the heck just happened here?" We'll see how this progresses.
One other little plot hole I feel the need to mention: Earlier in this review, I state that Ethan always hated vampires. This statement stemmed from Holly's statement in book two that, when Ethan was a child, he always used to carry around objects to ward off vampires. Last night when I was reading, Ethan indicated that he'd never really believed in vampires. Hm.
***
I finished this book just over a week ago; however, I was in an airport on my way out of state (sans computer), so I didn’t get a chance to finish my review on this until this morning. I ended up liking Ethan a good amount and I liked Sophia more than I’ve liked other female leads in this series. I particularly liked the conflict between Ethan and Sophia’s older, rightfully-protective brother (and vampire), Micah.
Happy reading!
***
I'm about 75 pages into this book after starting it last night. It's a much easier read and I like the pace of the story; I think Ethan's confusion and frustration coming to terms with his new life as a vampire is well-written. So far, Sofia does seem better developed than the other female leads I've encountered and I hope it continues. It feels like she really does have a life of her own and, while some of her attitudes and behavior is a bit immature, I think it suits her age well (she is, after all, only 19). Ethan has an attitude and a bit of a death wish. I like seeing a change in him when he's around Sofia.
However...Sofia has a feels "her heart swell with love" 31 pages into the story...thirty...one...pages...(Ashley 31). I found it unbelievable and unrealistic, especially because she and Ethan had only met a couple of times at that point. It almost makes me wonder if that was a hiccup in the writing because there haven't been any mentions since then. One other hiccup is the fact that Ethan keeps taking her to bars and out for drinks (she likes tequila sunrises)...but she's only 19. I am not upset over the fact that she's underage-drinking, I just can't quite figure out how it's so easy for her to get a drink absolutely everywhere they go. Ethan hasn't even considered that it might be more difficult to take a 19-year-old out to a bar. Granted, Ethan does most of the ordering, but no fake ID has been mentioned and no one's bothered to card her. It's just a little too easy, almost as if we (conveniently) forgot how old she actually is.
Some moments have felt a bit scattered and contradictory. POTENTIAL SPOILERS: The scene where Mateo uses a human henchman to kidnap Sofia seems a bit random and ill-planned; on top of the fact that I'm not really sure why he had Sofia locked in a basement while he fed on another woman he'd kidnapped. It seemed like a lot of trouble for not a lot of real reason. The biggest issue I've taken thus far is with Ethan's very irrational, mercurial mood in Chapter 10. I get being upset because Sofia hasn't called; however, he'd just had a wonderfully productive planning meeting about the changes he wants to make to Morgan Creek. He seemed to be getting exactly what he wanted. From one sentence to the next, Ethan transforms into a self-loathing, suicidal maniac willing to do whatever it takes to get Saintcrow to come and put him out of his misery. It felt very sudden and I actually had to put the book down and wonder, "What the heck just happened here?" We'll see how this progresses.
One other little plot hole I feel the need to mention: Earlier in this review, I state that Ethan always hated vampires. This statement stemmed from Holly's statement in book two that, when Ethan was a child, he always used to carry around objects to ward off vampires. Last night when I was reading, Ethan indicated that he'd never really believed in vampires. Hm.
***
I finished this book just over a week ago; however, I was in an airport on my way out of state (sans computer), so I didn’t get a chance to finish my review on this until this morning. I ended up liking Ethan a good amount and I liked Sophia more than I’ve liked other female leads in this series. I particularly liked the conflict between Ethan and Sophia’s older, rightfully-protective brother (and vampire), Micah.
I do have to say that I found the romance to be a bit
hasty. (***Minor spoiler: I found the marriage between Ethan and Sophia
to be pretty rushed. I get excitement
and all that, but it was borderline unbelievable. I found their attraction to feel more natural
than their actual love, if that makes any sense.***) However, I liked their banter and the sparks
between them. I think their romance felt
the most realistic to me of all of the three books I’ve read in this series.
There was a decent villain in this book in the form of a
vampire who wanted to bring Morgan Creek back to its “glory days” when
wandering humans were kept captive by a coven of vampires. However, I kept waiting for more like-minded
vampires to join in the fight and give Ethan and Saintcrow a better run for
their money (on top of the fact that I expected Saintcrow to call upon Micah
when the proverbial shit really hit the fan and Kadie went missing. It felt strange that a vampire so in love
with his mate wouldn’t call upon every single resource at his disposal when it
came down to it. Who cares of Micah and
Holly were on what would technically be their second honeymoon (they went to
New York first at the end of their book)?
That felt a bit odd to me.) These
like-minded vampires were hinted at and I kept waiting for something to happen
with them, but it never did. The greater
threat came into play with the introduction of another supernatural being: a witch.
There were a couple of them in this book and I would say (from my
relatively limited knowledge) that they were pretty “purist” as well, which
sticks nicely with the rest of Ashley’s writing. Even though there was more tension in this
book with the variety of conflicts and some decent “bad guys,” I still found
myself longing for the big knock-down, drag-out battle scene. I know if I were Saintcrow, I’d want revenge
in the worst way. Nothing would be able
to stop my desire for blood; my own safety be damned. The way this was handled made him seem a bit
more fragile than one would expect from a master vampire. I feel like I’m spending quite a bit of time
on Saintcrow in this review and he’s not even the male lead. I think this is because the series really
does revolve around him. Another reason
is probably because I like him more now than I did in even his own book. I feel like I really got to see the charm,
wit, and acerbic sense of humor/sarcasm that I didn’t quite get to experience
earlier. I love it when characters develop
and Saintcrow has done so. ***Minor
spoiler: Also, the whole walking in
sunlight thing was VERY convenient and I’m not too sure I cared for it. The rest of Ashley’s vampires are very
“purist” and that’s something I truly respect, so perhaps this is what rubbed
me the wrong way. I may have forgiven it
for Saintcrow, but as soon as Ethan was allowed to do so, that killed it for
me. What goes hand-in-hand with this is
my opinion that Saintcrow seemed overly generous with his master vampire
mojo. He let Micah drink from him,
thereby instilling in him heightened powers; he drained Ethan again and let him
drink, affording him additional powers and abilities (like walking in
sunlight). I feel like these were things
that he should have kept very close to the chest, regardless of circumstances
or who the other vampires were. These
abilities are what allow him to be so powerful, to lord his strengths over
other vampires and maintain control over his domain. Eternity is a long time and, should Micah or
Ethan ever decide to turn their backs on him, they would now present a greater
threat. Something to think about.
***
Overall, I think this book was my favorite of the
series. Ethan gives Micha a run for my
favorite male lead in the series. I
think Micah has a better sense of humor, but Ethan has a much better “tortured,
angst-ridden, moody male” vibe about him.
I liked Ethan’s head-butting with Saintcrow, but (as previously
mentioned) some of the interactions felt a bit forced or nonsensical (as in,
they weren’t quite what I was expecting or they didn’t quite fit with Ethan’s
emotional state). I enjoyed the
development of Saintcrow, but this proves how the series really does focus on
the male leads. Kadie and Holly really
fell to the wayside in this book. I
expected a lot more from Holly as a secondary character, especially because she
was the one who helped hook up Ethan and Sophia. Instead, when it came time for Ethan and
Micah to meet, she really took a big leap into the background. I thought her rapport with Sophia (and as a
calming, rational person in Micah’s life…or death, if you’re a stickler for
semantics) would go a long way toward developing the plot and conflict, but it
didn’t really. I’m curious to see if
other vampires from Morgan Creek will crop up in future books. Jokes were made that the rest of Micah and
Sophia’s family should be turned into vampires since they’ve already gotten a
good start, but I don’t know if I expect this to be an actual hint to future
stories.
I’m honored that Ashley chose to send me an advanced copy of
this book to review. I’m always thrilled
whenever an author reaches out to me and I’m more than happy to contribute my
own (tiny) voice to the conversation. I
recommend this book to vampire romance purists out there. While the romance is a bit tamer than I’m
used to, I think this presents a good alternative to those who find other
authors a bit too “raunchy.” There is
romance; there are quality classic vampires.
If this is what you’re looking for, then Ashley’s writing is right up
your alley. I had my criticisms for each
of the books in this series, but I tend to write much more in-depth reviews
when I know an author will see it. I
would want the breadth and depth from anyone who was reviewing my own writing,
so I feel like I’m doing a service to the writing community. I found aspects which could have been
expanded upon and some things I felt worked well. The underlying plot of Morgan Creek is
unique, interesting, and creative. There
is a ton of potential here for even more books in the series.
Happy reading!
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