Dirty Angels ~ Karina Halle

Dirty Angels by Karina Halle


COVER REVEAL coming in November!!!




It goes without saying that I will read anything this woman creates.




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Into The Hollow ~ Karina Halle

Into the Hollow by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

6 stars. Of course.

Having just devoured this entire book in one evening, to say that I am feeling a wee bit shell shocked and emotional would be putting it rather mildly.




It is not a secret that I love this series. I have made quite the pest of myself by pimping it out to just about everyone I know. But, I can honestly say that with each book Karina Halle exceeds my expectations. Her talent as an author is just staggering to me. And I'm not just saying that as a gushing fangirl. I am genuinely in awe of this woman. So much so that each time I sit down to attempt to write a review, I feel like a complete ass because I never know the right things to say to convey to someone who hasn't read one of her books, just how amazing they really are.

But...I will keep trying.



Thanks to the insane events leading up to this book... (view spoiler)[Perry's possession and subsequent exorcism in On Demon's Wings, and all the revelations revealed through Dex's POV in The Dex Files (hide spoiler)] my anticipation was through the roof going into this story. And as a result of some of the huge events that have gone down over the last couple of books, the Dex & Perry that we see in Into The Hallow are quite different than the ones we were first introduced to at the beginning of the series. That is both good and bad. Bad in the sense that I sort of miss the Perry from Darkhouse...a slightly awkward & insecure firecracker that I felt a kinship with immediately. But, the Perry Palomino that we have in book 6 has been through some intense shit (talk about an understatement), and she has come out the other side both stronger and more closed off. Which is understandable. But still, there were a few times while reading this that I wanted to shake that girl like a snow globe. More about that in a minute. On the good side of things...we also have the new and improved Dex Foray. Who has gone from a slouchy smoker with a rapist mustache to a (somewhat) clean-leaving badass with a 6 pack and a hell of a lot of new found strength. His transformation is for the most part in the hopes of becoming a better man...good enough for Perry. And I have to say...I love the Dex. Not only is he more confident (though still as pervy as ever, bless his soul), but he is opening himself up to Perry like never before.

Now, here is where my emotions will get the better of me. When Perry shuts down completely after she and Dex have sex again. THAT was when I wanted...NEEDED to shake that girl like there was no tomorrow. Yes...I know how much he hurt her. I know how much pain she was in. But all she was really doing was punishing Dex (and herself!). Giving him a taste of his own medicine, which quite frankly was childish. Especially after he completely ripped himself open and offered his heart to her on a silver platter. And she still walked away. After everything he had done...all the times he saved her, proved that he was trustworthy and truly cared about her...she threw it all back in his face. Even though she regretted it afterward...like she did when she swapped out his meds with placebos as an 'experiment'...it drove me nuts. I'm obviously biased when it comes to Dex, but I love Perry as well. And I hate to see her sabotaging herself. Gah. Okay....done.*steps off soapbox*




Moving on...

The decision to take Perry out of the toxic hell that was her parents house and have her move to Seattle with Dex was an excellent one, though I did miss Little Fifteen something fierce. And having said that, I'm hoping to have much more Ada and much less Douchecaneo Maximus in the future (though I know we are probably far from seeing that last of that ginger bastard unfortunately). The location for most of the story...an isolated cabin in the snowy Canadian mountains...was perfect with it's creepy & claustrophobic feel, and as usual the paranormal aspect of the story worked well.

And a review of this book wouldn't be complete without mentioning the llamas. Oh, Twatwaffle. How I enjoyed our short time together.

And then there was the ending.

It was part


and part


While not a traditional cliffhanger, it definitely left me with a lot of questions as to the future of my favorite fictional couple. really hope that Perry has managed to pull her head out of her ass when it comes to being with Dex. But, I have a feeling that things won't be that simple.
This review is all over the place, and not much more than random thoughts slapped together, but...it's what I'm good at and I am nothing if not consistent. :P

As usual, I leave you with a few of my favorite quotes. Slightly spoilery so read at your own risk! :)




"I was trying to be a better man, Perry. For you."
I shifted in my seat, "Dex..."
"And I'll keep trying," he quickly said, voice low and somber. "Until I get it right."

"You know, we could always make a clothing optional rule around each other. That way we'd always be naked and never have to do laundry."

"Who is it?" I asked teasingly.
"Bigfoot," Dex answered from his room.
"What do you want, Mr Foot."
"Please, just call me Big."
I snorted. "You wish."
"You know."

"You can talk the talk, but you can't walk the walk."
His eyes narrowed in challenge. "Oh, I can walk the walk. I can walk the walk so hard you'll be sore for days."

"Within your light, I lose the madness."
"You," He said slowly. "You're the light. You're my light."

The Dex Files ~ Karina Halle

The Dex-Files by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I honestly thought it was impossible for me to love the snarky, complicated asshat that is Dex Foray any more than I already did. And then I read this novella, and realized how wrong I was.




Holy...smokes.

Now, it will come as no surprise to anyone who has been following my updates and reviews lately to know that am a HUGE fan of the EIT series. So, my expectations going into this novella were high to begin with. But once again, Karina Halle blew all my expectations out of the water.

Warning: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD.

Dex has been a mystery to fans of the series from the beginning, so having the chance to get a peek inside that twisted, pervy head of his?! Sooo damn gratifying. Getting to see his take on some of the key scenes from the series to date was eye-opening to say the least. For example, finding out that Dex was already having feelings for Perry before the end of their first adventure...made my inner Dex/Perry-shipping fangirl want to do wind sprints around the yard.



Of course getting a glimpse inside Dex's head was eye-opening for many reasons. Least of which was seeing just how much of a pervy weirdo he really is. And I will stand here and proclaim for all the world to hear: I APPROVE!!! :P



"I wondered if she'd let me grab her thick, dark mane and hold it like a pair of reins, if i could make her come with my girth alone or if I'd need to reach down and stroke her until she literally dripped on the carpet."



Um...yeah. I will freely admit I thought that entire chapter, Big Dumb Sex would put me in my grave. I will never listen to that Soundgarden song the same way again, let me tell you! But despite my hormonal overload while reading certain parts of this novella, the main thing I truly loved about The Dex Files was getting to see not only how vulnerable and conflicted Dex was most of the time...but how fiercely protective and loyal he was with Perry right from the beginning. Even when he seemed cold and pushing her away, he was struggling with his feelings for her, and the need to protect himself from letting his guard down and ending up with his heart being ripped apart again.

There was something so vulnerable and restrained about Perry, something that made me want to do stupid, ridiculous things to keep her safe. At the same time, I wanted to draw her out and make her strong, like a diamond from coal.
Without even realizing it, I found myself gazing deep into those blue eyes, totally fucking lost in them. My heart did a little flip. Christ, this was not a good idea. My heart of all hearts did not need to be flipping.




Okay. I know what you're thinking; I need to get a hold of myself here. Every time I write a review for one of the books in this series I come off sounding like some smitten fangirl. Well...that's because I AM a smitten fangirl. My love for this series and these characters is ridiculous. And that kind of makes it impossible for me to sound professional when writing about them. So, if that's wrong...so be it!!



So, I will continue to pimp these books out to my friends, and anyone willing to listen. Because they deserve a bigger audience.
Karina Halle is a badass force to be reckoned with, and I am so effing glad I allowed myself to get sucked into this incredible series that has been consuming my life for the last few weeks.


She was mine. For the sake of appearances, she was my wife, but she was mine anyway. She didn't know it yet, but I did. It was wrong and it made no sense, but she belonged with me. No one else, not anyone else.

Lying Season ~ Karina Halle

Lying Season by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

6 mind blowing stars


Where do I even begin with this review?!?



WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

I finished Lying Season in the wee hours of the morning (sleep? Who needs sleep?!), and now several hours later, I am still finding it difficult to put my thoughts together in order to write this review. It has been stated by several people that this series only gets better and better with each book, and that is definitely true.

Karina Halle's skill at creating a story that grabs you from the first page and forces you to ignore every aspect of your day to day life until you have reached the end of another mind-fuck of a roller coaster ride, knows no bounds. Seriously...I think she might be a witch.

I have been an avid reader since I was a child, and I can not remember ever being this obsessed with a series of books in my life. After finishing the previous book in the series, Dead Sky Morning, I decided to take a break from the EIT-verse and read something by another one of my favorite authors. I got about 10 pages into the book and could. not. get Dex and Perry out of my head long enough to concentrate on anything else. So, I gave up the fight and dove into this book with wild abandon.

In Lying Season we definitely have the creep factor that this series is known for. This time out Dex & Perry are poking around inside a partially abandoned mental hospital. And considering both Dex & Perry's history of emotional problems, it was bound to be an intense aspect of the book. And it definitely worked very well. However, unlike the previous books in the series, this time around the main focus of the story was on the characters and their secrets. The underlying theme throughout the book is lies and how each one, little or massive, has consequences. To say that this book was a turning point in the series is putting it mildly. It was a complete game changer.

We are introduced to some new characters in this book, and chief among them is Jenn. Dex's seemingly perfect girlfriend.



Up until this point Jenn has been this shadowy figure, mentioned in passing and those of us who ship Dex/Perry already didn't like her to begin with despite knowing next to nothing about her. Well, here we see Jenn in all her bitchy, obnoxious glory and it is not a pretty picture.



Now, it's obviously no secret that I am a huge fan of our favorite Ghost Hunters, but there were times when I was reading this book where I seriously wanted to throttle Perry. She has a habit of making bad decisions, but something that she did here just went beyond the pale for me. Switching out Dex's medication with placebos as an 'experiment'. Yes, I know that she regretted it, and knew that she did the wrong thing, but for me this was a huge breach of trust. Not only that, but the potential hazards to Dex's already fragile emotional state and physical well-being were enormous. It was just an incredibly cruel and selfish thing to do on her part.


After getting that out of my system, I guess it's time for me to get down to the nitty gritty. Something fans of the series have been waiting for since the first book... Dex & Perry finally have sex. And it's hot as hell.

"The things I want to do to you..." he whispered roughly.
I...brought his ear down to my mouth.
"Do them," I breathed back.




But...of course things couldn't be that simple. Nope. Not in Dex & Perry's world. And even as I was squeeing myself into fangirl oblivion, I knew that things were going to get ugly before too long. And...they did, Damnit.




To sum up my thoughts - despite the emotional ass-beating I took while reading this book, allow me to continue sounding like a broken record. The EIT series continues to blow me away in every way imaginable. 4 1/2 books in and I have yet to give anything less than a 5+ star rating. I have never come close to doing that before.Karina Halle in a very short time has officially become my favorite author.

"I want you to stay with me," he said. "And that's the problem. Every time you leave me, I need you a little bit more."

"If you could see the way his face lights up when he talks about you, when he looks at you, and compare that to Jenn. Oh, darling, no comparison."

"Dex has a heart. He just doesn't know how to use it."

"It's not magic, Perry. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known and before you say anything, you've always been that way to me."

"You're the light in all this madness. You're my light. I should have been with you..." The thought hit him as his face crumpled in amazement. "Oh God, why am I not with you?"
"Because you're an idiot." I said.
And then i kissed him.




Read more of my reviews at my blog: http://ravingbookaddict.blogspot.com

Dead Sky Morning ~ Karina Halle

Dead Sky Morning by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

6 mind-blowing stars

An Open Letter To Karina Halle,



Hi!

I think your books are hazardous to my health.
There. I said it.

*glances over at the clock and confirms that it's nearly 3am.*

I need my sleep. I really, really do. But ever since I started reading your Experiment in Terror series a few days ago, I have been a woman on a mission. And it seems my mission is to read your books as fast as possible. I feel like some kind of drug addict, unable to kick the habit. I keep telling myself that I'm going to pace myself...slow down and make the books last. That I can stop anytime I want to. But no. I find myself sitting on my couch at 2am...again...unable to put my Kindle down because I *have* to know what happens next. I don't know why I'm surprised. I haven't made it to bed before 3am since the night I started Darkhouse.

Well played Ms Halle. Well played.

Dead Sky Morning was of course completely and utterly brilliant. On every level. I could sit here and go on and on about all the little things I loved about it. The truly creepy...no, downright frightening atmosphere of the setting (an abandoned island that used to be a leper colony), the insane tension that built throughout the book. The chemistry between Dex and Perry that almost burned my fingers right off my Kindle(corny, but come on...it's 3am. Cut me some slack), the truly terrifying images that are forever embedded in my brain... (view spoiler)[(the shoe with a foot still inside...and the baby. The freaking baby with it's skin peeling off.... (hide spoiler)]



Oh wait. I guess I did just sit here and go on and on about all of that. Silly me.

But you know what the craziest part about all of this is? Even though I am exhausted and feeling more than a little loopy right now. And even though I will spend another day in zombie-mode at work tomorrow. Despite all that, you know what?



Yeah. It was worth it.

So thank you, Ms Halle. Thank you for making me stay up most of the night reading your fan-freaking-tastic books. Thank you for creating the crazy, twisted world that encompasses the EIT universe. And thank you most of all for dreaming up Dex Foray & Perry Palomino (okay, maybe a little bit of an extra thank you for Dex. :P). I can't think of two better fictional characters to spend a few sleepless nights with.

Yours truly (and deliriously),
Holly


Read more of my reviews at my blog: http://ravingbookaddict.blogspot.com

Red Fox (EIT #2) & The Benson (EIT #2.5) ~ Karina Halle

Red Fox by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*sniff*

The end of this book actually made me teary. WTF? That was totally unexpected.

It's 2am and I'm exhausted from my marathon reading session tonight, so I will keep this short and sweet.

I feel like I know Perry and Dex so much better now. And I especially loved seeing the more vulnerable side of Dex this time around. Yes, there were times when I thought Perry made some dumb decisions and I wanted to shake some sense into her. But more often than not, I felt empathy for what she was going through. Not just with the crazy circumstances surrounding the mystery they were investigating in New Mexico, but for the emotional roller coaster she has been on since the minute she met Dex Foray. Lord knows that much like he's done with Perry, that man has cast some kind of spell over me as well. If only he weren't a fictional character. And if only i had a dollar for every time I've had that thought! :P

Anyway, it's late and I'm more than a little sleep deprived. So, I will end this short review by stating that I love the EIT series, and I loved the crazy journey that this book took me on.

"Dex," I whispered. "I hope you never stop feeling alive."
I could have sworn his heart skipped a few beats. He tensed. Then relaxed.
"As long as you're around," he said softly, "I'll be alive."




The Benson by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fan-freaking-tastic Perry & Dex adventure!

This time out, the duo are investigating a haunted hotel, and even though this is only a short novella, Karina Halle manages to convey some truly creepy moments. It goes without saying, but I really would have loved to have seen a full blown book centered around The Benson, since I have a feeling Halle would have been able to come up with many more frightening scenarios for our favorite pair of ghost hunters at that hotel.

I feel like I am starting to sound like a broken record, but honestly...Karina Halle is just blowing my mind. She is such a talented storyteller, and I haven't been this excited about a series of books in a long time.

Darkhouse ~ Karina Halle

Darkhouse by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 stars

Every once in a while I stumble across an author that just completely takes me by surprise in a wonderful, squee-inducing way. This time, it was Karina Halle.



I had heard some amazing things about her Experiment in Terror series, and have been meaning to check it out for quite a while. And after only reading the first few pages of Darkhouse, I knew this was something special.

22 yr old Perry Palomino has been haunted by bizarre dreams that have a habit of coming true. While on a weekend getaway with her family, she decides to explore an abandoned lighthouse on her uncle's property.

A lighthouse that is rumored to be haunted.


While there, Perry not only gets the bejesus scared out of her, but she stumbles across one Mr Dex Foray. Filmmaker and wannabe ghost hunter. The two form an unlikely alliance as Dex convinces Perry to help him make a 'demo' ghost hunting documentary for a website he works for.



Perry...oh how I loved this spunky little spit-fire. And I could relate to her on so many levels which only added to my love of this book. She's snarky, and insecure. Just trying to find her way in life & she sees Dex and his plan of becoming ghost hunters as a way out of her dull life.


And speaking of Mr Foray. He's mysterious and sexy...a smartass to Perry one minute, and fiercely loyal to her the next. He can be a little scary, and a lot vulnerable. He's a hipster with a porn 'stache, and probably more than a little crazy. He is all those things and more, and I love him to pieces.




The creep factor in this book was impressive. I don't spook easily, but there were definitely times when this book made me feel unsettled. And don't get me started on Crazy Clown Lady...



Some of my favorite highlights:

"Now wait a minute," I started, "how do I know that this is legitimate? I mean, you could still be a bald-headed meth addict hobo I stumbled upon in the lighthouse."
"I'm not bald yet."

"If we head into that lighthouse and see a bunch of weird whatnots and such and such, it's not going to make any sense unless we know the how, the why and when."

"We should probably have a safety word too," he said.
"A safety word? Like in S&M?"
His smile flashed, animated and bright.
"The safety word is 'Jell-O'."
God help me if I ever had to say 'Jell-O' for any reason.

"How come you aren't afraid?"
"Because I find life scarier than death."




With just the right mix of chills, snark-tastic banter among two fantastic characters & a plot that kept me entertained from page one, Darkhouse is a great start to a series I'm anxious to dive back into.

DARKHOUSE IS STILL FREE ON AMAZON. NO REASON TO DELAY...CLICK HERE AND GRAB THIS BOOK NOW!!