Helpful Score: 5
Hellbent and Heartfirst was a book I picked up because I enjoyed the author's book Falling Upwards. Both books were published by Tor under Paranormal Romance, but Falling Upwards had more of a contemporary fantasy feel and less emphasis on the romance. Meanwhile, Hellbent and Heartfirst spends much more time on the two main characters and less on the "paranormal". The writing was interesting and intelligent but the plot had some problems. Our protagonists fight paranormal creatures in the South, but these scenes are really short and anti-climactic. Once they were over I was left thinking - "Was that it? That was easy." and there doesn't seem to be a real resolution. I felt unsatisfied. Some things never get explained - like Jacyn's luck. The book really was about was two southerners who meet, fall in love, and hang out with friends and family. But with a dash of killing baddies. The rest of it was this slow meandering courtship without very much conflict amongst bars, barbeques, and house parties. It was like reading about party-kids settling down except there is a supernatural tint to it all. The relationship was very sweetly described and I ended up feeling like the two were meant to be together, but I thought the author kept trying to convince the reader of this after the reader was already sold.
Helpful Score: 1
Very interesting and unusual book. Set in Biloxi after Katrina, and in Nashville. The comparison that came to me is that this book has a "feel" like the TV show "Saving Grace."
