Friday, March 26, 2010

Review! Velvet Haven by Sophie Renwick


Velvet Haven
The Immortals of Annwyn: Book 1
Sophie Renwick
NAL Trade 
March 2, 2010
ISBN-10: 0451229185
ISBN-13: 978-0451229182

The first in a brand new series about a world of shapeshifters, from the author of Hot in Here. 
Hidden from mortals for eternity, Annwyn, the Otherworld, is home to shapeshifters, wraiths and dragons. On the border with the mortal realm stands a nightclub called Velvet Haven. The shapeshifter king of Sidhe, Bran, comes there searching for his brother, Carden, who's ensnared in a centuries-old curse.
He looks to Mairi, a mortal woman with an unusual aura, for help. He usually just uses humans for sexual pleasure in order to restore his magic energy, but Mairi's lush curves and teasing caresses inflame him like no Sidhe ever has. He has no idea that the woman he's falling for holds the key to his destruction-or his salvation.
Bran is the king of the Sidhe and he's about to die. For a long time he's had visions of his death but hasn't been able to see who kills him until now. All he knows is that it's a woman and she'll stab him in the back. To complicate things further, Bran's people are being hideously murdered in black magic rituals so before he can focus on his own problem, he has to find the murderer. But it's not that easy, he would have to cross the veil into our plane and be around humans yet he despises them but he has no choice. When crossing from his Sidhe world into ours, the door is in a goth club named Velvet Haven and there, he meets Mairi. 

Mairi MacAuley is not very interested in the opposite sex. She'd rather read ancient tomes than have to deal with the highs and lows of dating. That is, until she meets Bran. Her friend Rowan scored VIP passes to the hottest club in town and there, she sees the most beautiful man she's ever laid eyes on. Bran immediately wants Mairi but unlike every other human female he's had before, he actually likes her. Due to this, he doesn't think it's cool to use her as his personal magical battery. He wants to just be with her for pleasure's sake, to enjoy each other.

Soon enough, Mairi and Bran become incredibly attracted to each other, but before they can explore their feelings, Bran has to find this killer. But that's not all, when his most hated enemy, the witch who cursed him, tries to bring him down, Mairi is in the crossfire and he'll do anything to keep her save. However, will Mairi be the one who kills him or saves him?

Velvet Haven is the first paranormal romance by Ms. Renwick and I'm afraid I wasn't one bit impressed. She tries so hard to make Velvet Haven larger than life but unfortunately, the writing just falls short. I felt at times Bran was just a huge jerk. First of all, because he's cursed, the only way to keep his magic going is by sleeping with human females and yet he totally hates them. He's all superior Sidhe, and having to bed lowly human women just galled him. I was highly annoyed by the characters than anything. It was all very cliche, Mairi is the epitome of a nice girl, Bran's the gorgeous, bad boy. Cue yawn.  However, if you like this type of formulaic romance then perhaps you'll enjoy Velvet Haven, I didn't care for it. Unfortunately, Velvet Haven just lacks originality and the characters were flat, I can't say I enjoyed it. 

Lush Rating: 2!

4 comments:

Sophia (FV) said...

Well poo. I don't care for jerky protags. Not one bit. I'll have to look around for other reviews on this for comparison. Sorry it was a miss for you.

Patti (@TheLoveJunkee) said...

I'd read Hot In Here by Ms. Renwick and enjoyed it (and LOVED Addicted by her alias Charlotte Featherstone), but couldn't decide if this one would really be for me. Sounds like maybe it's not.

The Queen B said...

Sorry this one didn't do it for you, babe. I'll probably be passing on this one

Anonymous said...

Service : Customer assistance had been helpful. Guy on the phone possessed a delightful approach as well as My wife and i have been given funding speedy.
Value :I personally gained a tremendous value due to the fact fast cash loan costs were definitely particularly low cost.
AAA Vancouver Payday Loans 310-4088 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2X8 (778) 785-2087 payday loans vancouver
AAA Calgary Payday Loans 1014 Macleod Trail Southeast, Calgary, AB T2G 2M7 (403) 614-4637 payday loans calgary
AAA Ottawa Payday Loans 503 Avenue Gladstone, Ottawa, ON K1R 5N9 (343) 883-1422 payday loans ottawa
AAA Edmonton Payday Loans 10223 97 Street Northwest, Edmonton, AB T5J 0L5 (780) 669-1284 payday loans edmonton

He can Chapter-32 me anytime!

Bones is Mine