Endless Knight (The Arcana Chronicles Book #2) by Kresley Cole

Book TWO had me feeling on the edge. So many surprises there. The riveting feeling had me hooked till the end of it.

Photo from TheArcanaChronicles.com

In this second book thrilling book of The Arcana Chronicles from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole, Evie struggles to accept her place in the prophecy that will either save the world—or destroy it.

Evie has fully come into her powers as the tarot Empress, and Jack was there to see it all. As one of twenty-two teens given powers following the apocalypse, she now knows a war is brewing, and it’s kill or be killed.

When Evie meets Death, the gorgeous and dangerous Endless Knight, things get even more complicated. Though falling for Jack, she’s drawn to Death as well. Somehow the Empress and Death share a romantic history, one that Evie can’t remember—but Death can’t forget…

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I was finally able to read this book! Now that school is finished and I'm already on summer break, of course there has to be some expected book reviews, right?
I've been longing to read this books in months, and now that I had the chance, I was able to finish it just in one day. Well, I guess you could say I'm a fast-reader, but you see, once I start reading, the main character pulls me in the story! That's why I can't help but keep on reading.

Now, onto my thoughts... (may or may not contain spoiler, just a heads up!)

I liked this sequel so much. One of the best sequels I've read so far (as far as I remember it). Poison Princess finished when Evie encountered Arthur, and stuff happened. Endless Knight started right where book one left off! That's one of the best things I loved about this book. Also, I like how this story is in first-person POV. It's much easier to assess Evie that way.

This time, the story didn't lag and it continued on. I was even surprised with the action scenes, I mean it's apparent that this book would have one. I never really processed before some gory details, but for a YA book? This one was pretty amazing. The love triangle was what I hadn't expected, although I presumed that Death's constant mind torture towards Evie had more to it than meet's the eye, in this case the mind. And ALAS!!! There it was. Death and The Empress had a deeper history. From Death's point of view, their story felt like getting struck by Selena's arrow right through the heart. OUCH. Hurts like a BITCH! BUT!!! Then, thinking about it, I could understand Death's hatred, and even The Empress mentioned that she was trained for that moment that's why she did what she had to do. And plus, being THE Empress, it was in her veins to do so. Although Evie has tried to reason this... which amazes me.

Then... Jack comes to Evie's life. The mysterious Jackson. It may have been lust at first, but I really think that Jack fell for Evie. Then she gave up her V to Jack? Oh gosh, then Death was enraged! My heart sunk! I knew then that Death was more to Evie.

I don't even know who my heart belongs to! Ahem... I feel like I'm also torn between Jack and Death. Help me! :( But... from this book, I would choose Death. (Wow).

Then the cliffhanger... waiting for next year to come.

The cover was hauntingly beautiful.

5 stars for this book.

REVIEW: The Professional Part 1 [The Game Maker Series] by Kresley Cole

Part 1 of The Game Maker series follows a Russian Mafiya enforcer and a Grad student, and their undeniable attraction to each other as they go about their lives. Sounds too cliche, but I won't be saying more until I get to my review. First off is the summary of The Professional by Kresley Cole (credit to author website):

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole comes The Professional—the first scorching installment in her Game Maker series, an erotica collection that has readers asking: How hot is too hot?

He makes the rules . . . Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken . . . PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play? Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…

Review: [MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS]
Are you ready to play?

Truthfully, the first book I've read from Kresley Cole was her YA Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles), and I absolutely loved it. I was hooked by the story and her writing, especially on the romance side. So when I heard about her ebook serial, I was giddy.

For Natalie Porter, finding her biological father was probably what was most important to her. She juggled three jobs, and used most of her money on the DNA test, and was hopeful until she hadn't heard from her investigator. Enter Aleksandr Sevastyan, the mysterious guy, who turned her down at the bar. It was an attraction that Natalie couldn't fathom, but for Sevastyan, as much as he kept denying it, he was far more attracted to her, deeply, and dangerously. AND WHO DOESN'T LOVE DANGER and a menacing look of lust in his eyes that even I, as a reader, could feel the way he looks at Natalie. Which makes me envious of how lucky Natalie is, really...

Sort-of-kidnapping, Russian Mafia, guns, castle, closet inside the wall. We should expect action right? Yes, a lot of action. The tension between Natalya and Sevastyan builds up every turn of the page, and all I could do is continue to the next page as I read what Natalie and Sevastyan were up to, which is very fascinating. In fact, I don't think I can ever look at a cornfield the same way ever again, or closets. He loves to control, especially the girl that drives him crazy lately, and BDSM comes in play.

How hot is too hot, really? A question that I probably wouldn't be able to answer until I finish the third part of the story.

I enjoyed reading this book, and giving this 5 cups of tea, to relax me a bit. Because what I read was intense. Intensely creative, intensely brilliant, and intensely erotic. ;)

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This is only available as an ebook, and available on
Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, iTunes, and Kobo
for $1.99.

Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles Book 1) by Kresley Cole

 Kresley Cole's #1 debut in the Young Adult world is a rave for months now! I stumbled upon Cole's Poison Princess in a poll for whom the award for Best Young Adult Book 2012 will be given too. May contain spoilers, so be warned.

It was Christmas break (2012) when I decided to read this book. Okay, before I delve into the wonders and mystique of this book, let me first share you what it is about: (taken from Kresley Cole's website)

22 Arcana cards. 22 Chosen Teens. Let the cards fall where they may. Sixteen-year-old Evie Greene’s horrific hallucinations predicted the apocalypse, and the end of the world brought her all sorts of new powers. With the earth scorched and few survivors, Evie teams up with handsome and dangerous Jack Deveaux in a race to find answers. They discover that that an ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of teens have been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side…

Evie, the protagonist in the story gets these apocalyptic visions. With no one to talk to she decides to draw them. She can't even tell her own mother because she spent a good summer in an institution! What a way for the popular girl in school to spend summer, so it stayed a secret. She then meets Jackson Deveaux. Am I the only one who loves repeating his last name? Deveaux. Anyway, Evie calls him Jack. And as always... Jack is the bad boy. Like seriously THE bad boy! No doubt about that after reading the book! Wait, why did I even put as always there? Because I must have fallen in love with Jack. Ahh... figures. You guys! You gotta read the book before continuing on this post!!! But if not... then go ahead...

The story about their high school life went on for several chapters. Literally! I was ready to give up because I really thought there would be apocalyptic things, but alas... half-way through the book, it finally happened. I was thinking, why would the author drag on the story for that long, and only to get rid of A LOT of characters in the end. When I finished the book, I thought the first half did make sense, the series is a chronicle, so they have to document pretty much every thing that happens, right? Makes me think that Evie's best friend and ex-boyfriend are alive, but that's impossible now isn't it?

I saw Evie as an annoying brat throughout the first half of the book. She was just an annoying character to begin with. I don't know if it's just me or I have something against popular kids (that just means I was unpopular to begin with in the real world) but seriously though, why didn't she do anything about her visions? Well, it was part of the story so I had to trek through the cornfield and kept on reading. Then it happened. One thing you would want to know about me is that I really reading action scenes. I love it when authors find the perfect descriptive words for a scene.

I'm going to fast forward a bit...

I'm telling you, I didn't expect any of the events and things that happened in the story at all. Well, maybe for the part about Jack coming back for Evie, and his accent. Zombies... or aliens?? I'm not really sure. I'm always up for anything when it comes to zombies. In a way, her visions did give her an advantage. They eventually led her to the other characters in the Arcana. The Tarot Cards. This is the first book I've encountered which evolves around the Tarot Cards. I am not an expert when it comes to tarot cards, because I've only known those cards in the occult (blame all the horror films I've seen throughout my childhood, but kept me interested). So in the Arcana Chronicles, the author is using the Major Arcana (the Trump cards), which consists of 22 cards, hence 22 teens. In Poison Princess, they already introduced four of them. Jack believed that Evie has some kind of powers and more than what she is now. But, what's going to happen when he eventually witnesses how powerful Evie is?

And for that... we have to wait for book two!

So, about Jack. I hate how he acts so bad but deep inside he's actually this strong and sensible guy who speaks Cajun. That night when they celebrated Evie's party, they had a moment there and the scene really pulled me in the book. Then he tries to make Evie jealous right after he failed to make her his that night in the pool. I also hate how he's such an asshole, a jerk, and all a bad-boy could ever be described to Evie! Although he's like that, I am betting he has fallen in love with Evie. Seriously!

Evie's character really build up throughout the story. I really like the ending part of this book. I was blown away by the originality of the story.

Overall I give the book 4 out of 5 star ratings. Taking one out because of that pre-apocalyptic episode in Evie's life. It was too long for me. The rest is all greatness could ever be! Can't wait for book 2!

Any comments or questions, let me know! You might want to ask a specific question because I tend to be a confuzzled (confused and puzzling) person when blogging about something. Everything just pours in. :D