Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Early Review: Wicked Lies (Dark Mission #4.5) by Karina Cooper


In this Dark Mission novella, Jonas Stone emerges from the shadows into his own story, and finally allows himself to have the same shot at love he's given his friends.

Jonas Stone has been given his first independent operation: rescue the insurrection leader's imprisoned grandson from the Mission. Getting the job done means more than getting Danny Granger out--it means staying with him while he heals. Staying too close, for way too long. 
Danny is everything Jonas isn't: confident, optimistic, honest--a man to be reckoned with. If only it didn't mean going against everything Jonas has planned. He's kept his secrets for years, hid behind a mask no one could see through...until now. Danny isn't the kind of man Jonas deserves. But he might be exactly the man he needs...
Yep, I did it again... I read out of order. However, it's a novella and sometimes you can do that. It's often used to get readers who have not read a series interested. However, some are inserted right in the middle where you have to have previous knowledge to really "get" the whole scenario. This was a bit of both.

While I had no trouble with the romance within, it was a bit of a head scratcher to get into the world. I didn't get much information, but I did get enough so I wasn't completely lost and it did perk up my interest into what had been going on. So, I do think that was a plus for the author.

The romance was intense. It starts out as a rescue mission where Danny is the victim being tortured and Jonas is the rescuer. Jonas helped Danny keep it together and so he developed a bit of a crush toward Jonas. Jonas was smitten with Danny from the start, but thought that any attraction given from him would be because of the hero complex and would not be true. Also, Jonas was broken. Not just psychologically, but physically as well. The physical really added to his view of himself and what he would accept.

Danny was always looking for "the one". Not always involved romantically, but had the confidence of youth on his side. His biggest worry was pushing it too far, especially if Jonas wasn't gay. I felt that his concern, even while being incredibly and horribly beaten was so sweet. He still could think about Jonas and how he was feeling.

What I enjoyed about this romance was that, although somewhat formula in the plot, it was also sweet. The victim became the one to help heal the one who rescued him. I also liked that although the lust was intense, both realized that the extreme circumstances may have also played a part in their emotions and were willing to slow it down to see if it would last. You don't get a complete ending, but I don't think you could in a novella. I suspect the romance will continue in the background of the other novels in this series.

I give this novella 4 stars. It was so sweet at times I really enjoyed it. It also made me curious about this world and how witches and their opposition play a part. I also liked that the author included a bit about her struggles in a note and made it about the "it gets better" campaign. This novella is set to be published on March 5th.
I received this eARC novella from Edelweiss and Avon and no compensation for my review was given.

15 comments:

  1. ah now you need to read the others!!! It's sometimes complicated I think with novellas, depends on the novella, I've read one and it was difficult to place the world...

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    1. I've read one of her other series books and really enjoyed them, so I thought I'd give it a go. Oh and true... it depends on the novella. :)

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  2. Not a romance or novella fan come to that but I may well have to give this one a try as you make it sound so, well, sweet.

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    1. Well, you might try book 1 first b/c it does take a minute to really get the world. :)

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  3. Hahahaha I love you Melissa. I love that you start in the middle of a series probably what 70% of the time? You just make me happy. This sounds like a sexy and emotional little novella, I'll have to check out the series!!

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    1. :D

      Hey, when you have the opportunity... why not grab it? ;)

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  4. You are certainly a girl who likes to color outside the lines, I admire that... I run with scissors so we will get along. I read out of order too, not too often but the book I picked up last night and read was book four of a series. I like that this has a reference to the It gets better campaign that is nice to see. Now the question is when will you be reading the other books?

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    1. Oh no... running with scissors is sacrilege. One must NOT run unless screaming like a banshee as well. Only then is it acceptable. ;)

      Good question, but it does sound like a series I would love to read. The friendships that suggest in this book also sound outstanding.

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  5. Aw, a sweet rescue! Love when that happens. Novellas can go either way for me but this one sounds like it really works (even when not read in order!).

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  6. Oh yeah, quite often the novella's don't give us a lot of insight into the world. I'm glad you still managed to enjoy this one so much though!

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  7. Sounds like the books set the world for this novella. :) But glad you enjoyed it still.

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  8. I am in serious admiration at your ability to disregard series #'s. Wish I could drop my OCD tendencies and do that more often! This sounds like an amazing novella with a sweet romance. And it's great that the author is raising awareness for "It Gets Better." Great review!

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  9. I, too cannot read out of order. I won't take a second book on NetGalley unless I know I can read the first book in time. But being a novella I guess you didn't have much world to catch up and sounds like you really enjoyed this one. I think it's funny the author wrote, "It Gets Better." I think all authors get better the more they write.
    Hope you'll read more from her!
    Heather

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  10. You crack me up with your out-of-orderness. You are such a rebel :)

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