{"id":1231,"date":"2018-05-17T08:00:05","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=1231"},"modified":"2019-04-03T09:31:52","modified_gmt":"2019-04-03T13:31:52","slug":"review-damned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-damned\/","title":{"rendered":"Review – Damned"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Damned<\/em><\/a><\/h2>\n

by\u00a0Alexandrea Weis and\u00a0Lucas Astor<\/p>\n

\"Damned\"Series:\u00a0<\/strong>Magnus Blackwell, Book 1
\nGenres:<\/strong>\u00a0Adult,\u00a0Supernatural
\nRelease Date:<\/strong>\u00a0October 3, 2017
\nPages:\u00a0<\/strong>426
\nPurchase from:<\/strong> Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Barnes & Noble<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo<\/a> |\u00a0iBooks<\/a>
\nMy Rating:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/p>\n

Over a hundred years after the death of Magnus Blackwell, Altmover Manor sits abandoned.<\/p>\n

Lexie Arden and her fianc\u00e9, Will Bennet, are determined to rescue the neglected Mount Desert Island landmark. They want to make Altmover Manor their home. But Magnus has other plans.<\/p>\n

A spirit bound to his former residence, Magnus finds himself inexplicably drawn to the young woman. She has a supernatural gift; a gift Magnus wants to exploit.<\/p>\n

As Lexie and Will settle in, secrets from Magnus\u2019s past begin to surface. Compelled to learn all she can about the former owner, Lexie becomes immersed in a world of voodoo, curses, and the whereabouts of a mysterious dragon cane.<\/p>\n

Magnus\u2019s crimes won\u2019t be so easily forgotten, and what Lexie unearths is going to change the future \u2026 for everyone.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Review<\/h2>\n

I don’t typically read books about ghosts and voodoo, but I’m really glad I gave\u00a0Damned<\/em> a chance.<\/p>\n

From the beginning, you’re given hints that not all is as it seems with the various characters. I’d really like to know the whole story behind Magnus, Jacob, Frances, and Katherine. I’m guessing it’s in the prequel, so I’ll have to check it out when I have some extra reading time.<\/p>\n

Will confused me. We’re never given the reason he so desperately wanted to buy Altmover Manor, so I can’t easily justify his seeming lack of emotion at losing the house. For the first half of the book, he puts up a huge fuss, to the point of being insensitive, about Lexie’s abilities, but then easily accepts them and her new life once he gets to New Orleans. And, while I understand that there are events that can change your opinion of a person, his complete 180 in his opinion of Magnus doesn’t seem to fit. I would have expected a bit of soul-searching first.<\/p>\n

Lexie is much easier to follow. Although her feelings about her abilities and surroundings tend to go back and forth a bit, they seem to follow a much more realistic and understandable progression. I enjoyed following her journey.<\/p>\n

I have to give the authors credit for making Magnus’ character arc believable. It was rather extreme, but was executed masterfully, such that I didn’t question his changes.<\/p>\n

There were a couple of odd patches where I was sure the book was ending, only to swipe to the next page and find that there was still quite a bit more.\u00a0Damned<\/em> could have easily been broken up into two books and done just fine, although I don’t really see this as a problem, it’s just something worth commenting on.<\/p>\n

I’d like to mention that there were quite a few typos and errors in the copy I received. However, I don’t know if those exist in the final edition available for purchase, because I received a digital ARC copy, and it clearly states that it may contain errors.<\/p>\n

Overall, I enjoyed\u00a0Damned<\/em> and I look forward to reading\u00a0Blackwell<\/em> and\u00a0Bound<\/em>. I hope the identity of Lexie’s mysterious ghostly helpers is confirmed in\u00a0Bound<\/em>. We’re given some solid clues as to who they are, but I’d like to know for certain.<\/p>\n

\n

About the Authors<\/h2>\n

\"Lucas<\/a>Lucas Astor\u00a0<\/b>is from New York, has resided in Central\u00a0America and the Middle East, and traveled through Europe. He lives a\u00a0very private, virtually reclusive lifestyle,\u00a0preferring to spend time\u00a0with a close-knit group of friends than be in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

He is an author and poet with a penchant for\u00a0telling stories that delve into the dark side of the human psyche. He\u00a0likes to explore the evil that exists, not just in the world,\u00a0but right\u00a0next door behind a smiling face.<\/p>\n

Photography, making wine, and helping endangered\u00a0species are just some of his interests. Lucas is an expert archer and\u00a0enjoys jazz, blues, and classical music.<\/p>\n

One of his favorite quotes is: \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s better to be silent than be a fool.\u201d \u00a0~Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)<\/p>\n

\"Alexandrea<\/a>Alexandrea Weis<\/b>\u00a0is an advanced practice registered nurse who was\u00a0born and raised in New Orleans.\u00a0Having been brought up in the motion\u00a0picture industry, she learned\u00a0to tell stories from a different\u00a0perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich\u00a0tapestry of her hometown into her award-winning novels, she believes\u00a0that\u00a0creating vivid characters makes a story memorable. A\u00a0permitted\/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and\u00a0Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured\u00a0wildlife. She lives with\u00a0her husband and pets in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Author links:\u00a0Website<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Goodreads<\/a>\u00a0| Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Disclaimer: This review is based on a complimentary eBook I received from Xpresso Book Tours. The complimentary receipt of this book has in no way affected my review or rating.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Xpresso<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damned by\u00a0Alexandrea Weis and\u00a0Lucas Astor Series:\u00a0Magnus Blackwell, Book 1 Genres:\u00a0Adult,\u00a0Supernatural Release Date:\u00a0October 3, 2017 Pages:\u00a0426 Purchase from: Amazon\u00a0|\u00a0Barnes & Noble\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo |\u00a0iBooks My Rating:\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606 Over a<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingReview – Damned<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[87,105,71,39,141,145,80],"class_list":["post-1231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-blogger","tag-4star","tag-adult","tag-book-review","tag-books","tag-occult","tag-supernatural","tag-xpresso-book-tours","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-jR","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1243,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-bound\/","url_meta":{"origin":1231,"position":0},"title":"Review – Bound","author":"Rachel","date":"May 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Bound by\u00a0Alexandrea Weis and\u00a0Lucas Astor Series:\u00a0Magnus Blackwell, Book 2 Genres:\u00a0Adult,\u00a0Supernatural, Ghosts, Occult, Voodoo Release Date:\u00a0April 17, 2018 Pages:\u00a0360 Purchase from: Amazon\u00a0|\u00a0Barnes & Noble My Rating:\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606 Magnus Blackwell\u2019s past is about to catch up with him. 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