Release Date: January, 2013
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 teaching 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 me 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?
The story follows a 17-year-old girl named Jona. She has been raised in an orphanage in London and is nothing but trouble. The police have apprehended her more times than she can count and she knows that, when she gets caught one more time, she is afraid that the punishment will be extreme. However, when she gets to the courtroom, she’s shocked to see the mother who abandoned her there. She’s even more shocked when the judge declares that she’s being sent to France to live with her dying mother and an aunt and uncle she never knew. As far as Jona is concerned, this punishment is far worse than any she ever imagined.
But when Jona gets to France, she finds herself forming emotional attachments (something she swore she would never do) – both to her aunt and to her mother’s mysterious caretaker, Julian. Jona can tell that something is off about Julian, but she can’t quite figure out what his secret is – or why she’s so drawn to him.
- Light on the paranormal. This book didn’t really feel like a paranormal novel most of the time. While there were definitely some “strange” things happening that Jona was puzzled about, there were really only hints of paranormal until you got pretty far into the book (and it wasn’t until close to the end that you saw anything definitively otherworldly). If you love your books to be full of lots of paranormal action, this probably isn’t the book for you. But, if you enjoy a good contemporary romance with a paranormal twist, then you’ll probably really enjoy this book.
- Jona. At the beginning of the book, I really wasn’t sure I was going to like Jona at all – her snarky attitude and 20 mile rap sheet didn’t do much for her. And I found it a bit unrealistic that her best friend in London was a cop. I just wasn’t 100% sure at first why he would have bonded with her the way he did. But, as the book went on, I quickly realized that Jona’s snark and bad attitude were masking some pretty serious self-worth issues. Being abandoned as a child, Jona learned quickly that emotional attachments were a liability. It was easier to push everyone away than to risk being hurt again. This book was a journey for Jona – a journey toward forgiveness and toward love – neither of which she would have thought she was capable of before she was sent to France.
- Julian. Julian was a perfect, dreamy, swoon-worthy book boyfriend. He was sensitive and sweet, but he didn’t let Jona get away with acting like an idiot – he totally called her on it every time. He knew what she needed before she did. I fell in love with him right along with Jona!
- The emotional journey. Like I said, this book really sent Jona on an emotional journey and her character grew incredibly throughout the book. But, it didn’t happen magically or overnight – it was a gradual process and one she sometimes fought against. I really enjoyed taking the journey with her – sometimes I wanted to slap her and sometimes my heart broke for her. Her journey made me laugh, swoon and cry!
- Standalone. Yay! It was kind of refreshing to read a book that didn’t end on a cliff-hanger and where everything actually got resolved. I love series, but sometimes it’s nice to just read a book and have the satisfaction of finishing the story all at once!
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| Piper Shelly |
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