Of Blood and Bone Blog Tour: review
We are hosting the Of Blood and Bone Blog Tour today. This tour is presented by Kismet Book Touring and we're glad you stopped by. Fans of Courtney Cole will be glad to know she is now writing adult books. Here is her first.
Of Blood and Bone (The Minaldi Legacy, Book 1) by Courtney Cole
Women’s Contemporary/Dark Romance *ebook (226 pages)*Published by Lakehouse Press (first published September 16, 2012)
Love is dangerous…
“I’m a monster, Eva. There is no saving a monster. But I love that you want to try.”
My heart constricts at the expression on his face. He has no hope for himself, so I have to hope for him.
“You’re not a monster,” I argue softly. “You’re a man, Luca. A man like any other, you’re made of blood and bone.”
As a little boy, Luca Minaldi was told he was a monster.
As an adult, he knows it is true.
He lives in Malta, a fairytale-like place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best kept of them all.
Eva Talbot is spending the summer in Malta to finish up her doctoral dissertation. When she meets Luca, a mysterious and handsome shipping tycoon, there is an instant attraction, a disturbing and beautiful energy that she has never felt before. But she senses the darkness that lives within him.
Eva is hired to care for his mother, who suffers from dementia, but it is Luca who Eva will eventually risk everything to save. Her life becomes a swirling chaos of darkness and romance, of secrets and mystery. And the question that emerges will become the most important answer of all.
Can she save Luca from the darkness that plagues him without losing herself?
The answer is a matter of life or death.
Review:
Of Blood and Bone is a novel that will keep readers on their toes. From the romantic looking cover, I had easily pegged this as a typical paranormal romance. I was wrong. Though the story did have some predictable parts, overall I was pleasantly surprised. Told from the first person perspectives of Eva, Luca and a third party, I was able to create a clear picture of these characters. This is Courtney Cole's first adult novel and I'm glad it's a series so I can read more. She has this ability to draw deeply into her characters and have them show things in a strong, descriptive manner. She also did a wonderful job describing the setting of Malta I would visit it in a heartbeat.
The first book in The Minaldi Legacy is an intriguing read blending romance, mystery with likable characters and an unforgettable setting. There were times Eva became too emotional for my tastes but her relationship with Luca as well as his mystery kept me reading. This is an adult novel and does have some violent scenes so remember this. Cole has created an interesting world, characters and situations I want to continue reading and learning about.
Rating: 3.5
Favorite excerpt:
“Evangeline,” he says softly, his dark eyes glued to mine. “I’m so sorry about the other night. I wish I could remember. I wish I could take it back.”
“I don’t,” I tell him honestly. “I really don’t.”
He gazes out the window for a scant moment more, seemingly deep in thought, before he crosses the room to me. He kneels in front of me and looks into my eyes. In this moment, he is as vulnerable as I’ve ever seen him, as I’ve ever seen anyone. He’s completely open to me, hiding nothing.
I want so desperately to kiss him.
“I can’t,” I tell his dark eyes, praying that I don’t fall into them. “I want to kiss you right now. But I can’t. You’re my patient. There are ethics…”
Luca shakes his head, his hands on my knees and his gaze upon mine. “You aren’t my doctor, Evangeline. You’re my friend. I’m simply talking to a friend who wants to help me tonight. You’re not licensed to practice medicine in Malta, remember? So where does that leave your ethics?”
“Evangeline,” he says softly, his dark eyes glued to mine. “I’m so sorry about the other night. I wish I could remember. I wish I could take it back.”
“I don’t,” I tell him honestly. “I really don’t.”
He gazes out the window for a scant moment more, seemingly deep in thought, before he crosses the room to me. He kneels in front of me and looks into my eyes. In this moment, he is as vulnerable as I’ve ever seen him, as I’ve ever seen anyone. He’s completely open to me, hiding nothing.
I want so desperately to kiss him.
“I can’t,” I tell his dark eyes, praying that I don’t fall into them. “I want to kiss you right now. But I can’t. You’re my patient. There are ethics…”
Luca shakes his head, his hands on my knees and his gaze upon mine. “You aren’t my doctor, Evangeline. You’re my friend. I’m simply talking to a friend who wants to help me tonight. You’re not licensed to practice medicine in Malta, remember? So where does that leave your ethics?”
Cover comment: I liked the first two covers and I like this one, though with this pose, the emphasis on romance is strong and may be overdone to a degree.
Book source: I received a promotional e-ARC in return for my honest review during a blog tour.
About the author:
Courtney Cole
Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could.
She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. Every Last Kiss is her debut novel and she followed it with the rest of The Bloodstone Saga (Every Last Kiss, Fated, With My Last Breath and My Tattered Bonds). Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
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