Author: Piper Shelly
Publisher: Piper Shelly
Published: January 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 300 (pdf)
Genre: NA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: ARC provided for blog tour
★★★★✩ (4.5/5) Stars!
Julian is drop-dead gorgeous, annoyingly provocative, and he’s fast becoming her best friend. But he also has a secret that makes the little hairs on her arms stand on end…
My name is Jona Montiniere, and that’s pretty much the only good thing to say about me.
I’m seventeen, I’m snarky, and I’m a crap-load of trouble. Or so they say. But what did they expect from me really, when they dumped me in an orphanage at age five? That I’d grow up to become the new first lady? Nah, I think it’s much more fun to raid Camden Market in London with my friend, Debby. She’s cool. She lives on the street. I learned so much from her.
The only thing she missed to teach me was how to tend to a vineyard. And yeah, that’s what I’m going to do for the next 6 weeks, courtesy to this darn judge, who sent me off to France after I was caught stealing again. Fair enough, the vineyards are okay, and so are my aunt and uncle, who I haven’t met up ‘til now. What isn’t okay, and I mean it, is that I have to live in the same house with my mother, that god-awful dragon, who spurned when I was only a child. And now she wants me back? Demands my forgiveness? Why, because she’s about to die of cancer? Uh-uh. Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen. I want no contact with that woman, thanks.
But what’s Julian got to do with all of this? About my age, he’s too young to be my mother’s lover. So why doesn’t he leave her side? Ever. He’s different, as in the paranormal kind of different, but he’s sa-woon-worthy gorgeous. He obviously has secrets, but he’s also get-under-my-skin charming. In short, he’s a riddle to me. But he likes me, and that’s scaring the shit out of me. I sure won’t let anyone come too close.
So now I’m wondering only two things: How did he manage to hold me in his arms after only three days? And how the hell do you keep an angel earth bound?
My name is Jona Montiniere, and that’s pretty much the only good thing to say about me.
I’m seventeen, I’m snarky, and I’m a crap-load of trouble. Or so they say. But what did they expect from me really, when they dumped me in an orphanage at age five? That I’d grow up to become the new first lady? Nah, I think it’s much more fun to raid Camden Market in London with my friend, Debby. She’s cool. She lives on the street. I learned so much from her.
The only thing she missed to teach me was how to tend to a vineyard. And yeah, that’s what I’m going to do for the next 6 weeks, courtesy to this darn judge, who sent me off to France after I was caught stealing again. Fair enough, the vineyards are okay, and so are my aunt and uncle, who I haven’t met up ‘til now. What isn’t okay, and I mean it, is that I have to live in the same house with my mother, that god-awful dragon, who spurned when I was only a child. And now she wants me back? Demands my forgiveness? Why, because she’s about to die of cancer? Uh-uh. Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen. I want no contact with that woman, thanks.
But what’s Julian got to do with all of this? About my age, he’s too young to be my mother’s lover. So why doesn’t he leave her side? Ever. He’s different, as in the paranormal kind of different, but he’s sa-woon-worthy gorgeous. He obviously has secrets, but he’s also get-under-my-skin charming. In short, he’s a riddle to me. But he likes me, and that’s scaring the shit out of me. I sure won’t let anyone come too close.
So now I’m wondering only two things: How did he manage to hold me in his arms after only three days? And how the hell do you keep an angel earth bound?
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am such a sucker for a good book/series with angels in them. This one was perfect in the fact that if you take the angel out of the equation there was still this amazingly bittersweet story at the core. Just that part of the story line alone, made it worth reading, the angel part was just a nice bonus. The relationship between Jona and her mother had my heart in a vice grip and I was literally aching for the two of them. Jona had been so wronged by her mother and had such a terrible childhood that you almost had to wonder if it was ever going to be possible to come back from that, even with her mother on her death bed. I was torn between wanting her to attempt to mend things before it was too late and feeling she was totally justified in her anger and resentment. I teared up on more than one occasion.
Jona was spunky and lost and a bit jaded by life. There was a lot of anger inside her which, for the most part, was very understandable once you got into her background. She was frustrating at times because she was so hard headed but all in all she was fun to read and I laughed and I cried watching her go from a snarky, angry, closed off girl in the beginning, to a girl who learned how to open herself up to life's possibilities and to love and letting people in and taking risks.
And then there was Julian. Ohhh Julian. I was swooning over this guy through the whole thing! I think even if I hadn't read the summary above before starting this book I still would have easily figured out his big secret, what he was, but there was still plenty of mystery left about him, like his purpose and such. I felt like he struggled quite a bit through this book, between his duties and his growing feelings for Jona.
There was also a really good group of supporting characters that each added their own little bit to the book. My favorite of which was Quinn. Quinn was basically a cop who was behind numerous of Jona's arrests over the past year. He saw past the 17 year old delinquent in her and knew there was something more to her. He became sort of a big brother/best friend sort of figure in her life. The interactions between the two of them were some of my favorite moments and I loved that he never gave up hope or wanting to help her.
The best thing about this book was the fact that you have this beautiful love story that wasn't lust fueled. There was no jumping into bed, sure there were some great kissing scenes but that was it. The focus remained on the characters and the story and I didn't want it to end.
About the author:
The quick-and-dirty:
I’m a cool girl with a passion for writing.
The genres you’ll find me hanging out at are contemporary and paranormal YA, but I’m also snooping into some adult paranormal right now. All of them romances…of course.
The nitty-gritty:
I’m an Austrian lass—totally uncomplicated and up to anything fun.
I grew up in Vienna, not by free will but because my parents decided to move there when I was only 4 years old. I. Hated. The. City. Everything about it. So right after graduation I moved back to Upper Austria, where I settled down with a nice husband and an awesome laptop.
I’ve been a storyteller all my life. Already in kindergarten, I came up with the most exotic fantasies and tales. My teacher would call me a liar. I call it the cornerstone of my writing career.
People always told me you can’t make a living with being an author. So when my first novella PLAY WITH ME came out and shot straight to the stars within the first week, I was totally dumbstruck. Took me a while to realize what was happening, LOL.
And the personal stuff:
At the (awesome) age of seventeen, I met the love of my life. But he was a playboy, and I was so not going to be his next trophy. It took him another four years of fighting for me until I finally decided to give that “couple-thing” with him a shot. I’m now married to this man. ;-)
We have an eleven-year-old son, and together we travel a lot…although I sometimes wish the trips were shorter because I can’t wait to get back to my laptop and my many stories. Unless we’re in Disneyland. No stress to go home then…
If you still want to know more about me, my FAQ page is the right address for you. ;-)
http://pipershelly.com/faq/
The quick-and-dirty:
I’m a cool girl with a passion for writing.
The genres you’ll find me hanging out at are contemporary and paranormal YA, but I’m also snooping into some adult paranormal right now. All of them romances…of course.
The nitty-gritty:
I’m an Austrian lass—totally uncomplicated and up to anything fun.
I grew up in Vienna, not by free will but because my parents decided to move there when I was only 4 years old. I. Hated. The. City. Everything about it. So right after graduation I moved back to Upper Austria, where I settled down with a nice husband and an awesome laptop.
I’ve been a storyteller all my life. Already in kindergarten, I came up with the most exotic fantasies and tales. My teacher would call me a liar. I call it the cornerstone of my writing career.
People always told me you can’t make a living with being an author. So when my first novella PLAY WITH ME came out and shot straight to the stars within the first week, I was totally dumbstruck. Took me a while to realize what was happening, LOL.
And the personal stuff:
At the (awesome) age of seventeen, I met the love of my life. But he was a playboy, and I was so not going to be his next trophy. It took him another four years of fighting for me until I finally decided to give that “couple-thing” with him a shot. I’m now married to this man. ;-)
We have an eleven-year-old son, and together we travel a lot…although I sometimes wish the trips were shorter because I can’t wait to get back to my laptop and my many stories. Unless we’re in Disneyland. No stress to go home then…
If you still want to know more about me, my FAQ page is the right address for you. ;-)
http://pipershelly.com/faq/
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