Review and Giveaway: Cursed by Destiny

Cursed by Destiny (Weird Girls - Book 3) by Cecy Robson

Publication Date: 01/07/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Signet Eclipse
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
ISBN-10: 0451416759
ISBN-13: 978-0451416759

(Received for an honest review from Signet Eclipse)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Cecy Robson on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Sealed With a Curse (2012), A Cursed Embrace (2013), Cursed by Destiny (2014)

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Cursed by Destiny, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, weird…

Celia’s a girl in trouble.  Her heart is bound to Aric, but he is a pureblood were who must deny her or risk condemning his species to extinction.  And that’s just her love life. She’s also been called to take down a group of demon terrorists looking to overthrow the paranormal world. (No pressure.)

In order to bring them down, Celia must ally herself to Misha, the master vampire who has made no secret of his desire for her.

And if that weren’t enough misfortune for one girl, a clairvoyant’s prediction could destroy Celia and Aric’s love for good. The only way to protect the world from unbridled supernatural terrorism is for Celia to bind herself to her destined mate. And that doesn’t appear to be Aric…

Thoughts:

Cursed by Destiny is the third book in Cecy Robson's Weird Girl series. It is a mix of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance that will entice readers of both genres. With plenty of supernatural elements and a romantic twist, this book is at turns dark and light. Robson uses humor well in this book to lighten the somewhat evil machinations of the Elder. Fans of the series will be rooting for Celia to find get her happy ending, but there is a ton of were politics and a sexy vampire standing in the way. Another great book about a group of sisters, cursed with unique abilities.

What I liked:

This is a great urban fantasy series and If you haven't started reading it yet, you are missing out. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but I think readers would be missing a great deal of background and essential story set up to make them as enjoyable as when they are read together. The first two books set up the romantic story line featuring Aric and Celia and how their love is being undermined by pack dynamics and politics. Aric is a pureblood were, who is expected to marry another pureblood, which Celia obviously is not. I think readers will miss a lot of the nuances and reasons for the struggle Celia is facing without having read these two novels before reading this one. 

In Cursed by Destiny, Aric has made his choice and is expected to marry Barbara a pureblood were. He has basically left Celia in the dust. But he hasn't quite let her go. He is furious that she is living with Misha, the vampire Master and that she may have ties to a new character, Tye, who has been prophesied to have children with Celia, who will save the world. Not a love triangle, but a love quadrangle. Now that's ambitious for an author to pull off, but it works for this book. Readers may be getting a little frustrated with Celia and Aric's tormented love and may need something of someone else to latch on to. Who will she choose? It's so up in the air!

I liked the way that Robson has no fear in her writing. She isn't afraid to place her characters in mortal danger. Her villain is so dark that he makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. This is true urban fantasy writing, where the darkness takes you right to edge before good wins out. You get that feeling of this may go the other way. The bad guys just might win. Is that possible? It could be in this series, Robson gets you that wound up. A hallmark of a great writer. 

I have to devote to some time to Misha in this review. He is a vampire, a master, who makes no secret about his attraction to Celia. But he is still a vampire. A dark character in his own right. I think he is the most versatile character in the series. He can shift between good and evil so easily he will make you wonder exactly where his loyalties lie. He has a sexy vibe about him that makes him practically irresistible. Now how is Celia going to choose anybody else over that?

What I didn't like:

There is just soooo much going on in this book. Celia and Aric's tragic love story. Celia and Misha's connection. A new possible love interest in Tye and that's just Celia'a love life. The other issues with the Elder and saving the world and being on the outs with the were's and how her sisters fit into this and what the possible outcome could be. It's dizzying at times. There was enough here for more than one book. A little bit slower pace might have been more enjoyable.

It's been three books. Celia and Aric need to settle this thing. Either they need to get together and stay together or they need to split and stay split. It's exhausting trying to keep up with where these are in their love story, or if they really even have one. 

Bottom Line:

This is a great series, but this book had way too much going on. I loved the relationship between Celia and Misha and even the introduction of Tye, but this thing with Aric needs to be resolved in one way or another. How does one woman deserve all this attention? I'm not quite sure Celia pulls it off. A good book to be sure, but maybe not my favorite of the series so far.

Cursed by Destiny is available NOW from your favorite bookseller. 

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Cecy Robson is a full-time writer, registered nurse, wife, and mother living in the Great Northwest. A member of Romance Writers of America, she attributes her passion for storytelling to the rough New Jersey neighborhood in which she was raised. As a child, she was rarely allowed to leave the safety of her house and passed her time fantasizing about flying, fairies, and things that go bump in the night.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Cursed by Destiny by Cecy Robson.

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~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, January 29th.

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