The Romanceaholic

Expected Release Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Signet
Author’s Website: http://www.amandabonilla.com
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Shaede Assassin Series
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

Official Blurb:

In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind—an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin. 

When Darian’s next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she’s taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished…

Utterly alone in the world, assassin Darian is a Shaede — a being who can dissolve into shadows, move with unbelievable speed, and who cannot be killed.  Having been created and later abandoned by the man who rescued her from an abusive marriage almost a hundred years prior, she has learned to rely only on herself, reinventing herself as a notorious assassin known for avoiding innocent targets.

However, her next mark will cause her to question everything she has accepted as truth, and in accepting the job, sets her along a path that will change her life forever.

What Worked For Me:

• The world-building was absolutely fantastic. It’s so refreshing to read an UF with no werewolves or vampires as major players, and the Shaedes themselves are incredibly fascinating with both their lifestyles and their history.
• I really enjoyed the first person POV. I think in this particular book, it was necessary because Darian is kept in the dark and lied to for the majority of her life, and the first person point of view allows the reader to remain just as frustrated and ignorant as she herself is.
• I loved the little details that helped to round out Darian as a character. Her dislike of the cold, for example, as well as her tendency to get others, astripped up by her own arrogance.
• The fact that Darian used to be an abused wife also endeared her to me.  It was sad to see her accept her abuse as “normal”, though in the time period it occurred in, the social mores of the time would certainly have agreed with her.   Her abuse, coupled with the abandonment by the lover who rescued her, helped to shape her into the woman she is today — a loner, keeping herself apart from those who would otherwise have the power to hurt her.
• Oh Tyler. *swoons* I won’t say  more, as it would be a spoiler, but I adored Tyler with a fierceness.
• Xander was delicious as well.  Arrogant, as any king should be, but also fair, he had a tendency to keep Darian in the dark “for her own protection”, which made me want to strangle him on many occasions.  However, that exact alpha protectiveness is what made him so irresistable, and the tension between him and Darian was fantastic.
• I was so thankful that while there was a love triangle that certainly added quite a bit of drama to the story, it wasn’t long and drawn out, and it was fairly well established by the end of the novel which man Darian chose.  Granted, the next book could completely blow that out of the water, but in this one, it was a definite relief.
• I can’t be more specific because it would be a spoiler, but I was glad that Darian chose the man she did.
• I loved the twist towards the end, even though I did figure it out long before Darian did.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

• While I definitely understand that this is the first book in a series, and as such it couldn’t give away all of the world’s secrets, it was a bit frustrating to realize that the villain’s true motivation was never given, but was instead painted in broader strokes, never really giving the details I craved.
• The mere fact that Darian, and as an extension, the reader, is constantly lied to and misled and kept in the dark about pretty much everything of importance became quite frustrating after a while.  While it certainly added tension to the story and helped to keep this reader’s attention, there comes a point when such frustration crosses the line from tension-building into plain annoyance.

I originally heard about this book on another blogger’s Waiting On Wednesday, which is a meme that highlights upcoming books that bloggers are excited about.  I was lucky enough to snag an advanced reader copy, and let me tell you, I was absolutely blown away. I, quite literally, could not put this book down. I read it in line at the grocery store, I read it while I was cooking dinner, I read it while folding laundry, I read it propped up in bed that night. In fact, there was quite a bit of angst for me at the end when I realized that I would have to wait until July for the next installment in the series, despite the solid feeling of resolution at the end.

While not without faults, Darian’s character and the world as a whole sucked me in and refused to let me go.  The first person point of view allowed the reader to experience first-hand the frustration, loneliness, heartbreak, and love that Darian went through over the course of the novel, and the high level of action and intrigue kept my attention from the very beginning.

Darian is a badass, no doubt about it, but her arrogance that served her so well in the past suddenly becomes a huge liability, and she has to learn to rely on others, as well as to sift through truths and lies in order to discover just what it will mean for her to become part of the Shaede community.

The world that Ms. Bonilla created is utterly fascinating, and the two main love interests, Tyler and Xander, were able to hold their own even against Darian’s oft-overbearing presence.

Recommended for fans of fast-paced, original Urban Fantasy, of strong heroines suddenly thrown completely out of their element, and of a sweet, albeit complicated, love story.  A delightfully solid 5/5 Stars.

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