Review: Damned if I Don’t by Erin Hayes

Posted October 19, 2016 by Lola in Fantasy, Review / 19 Comments

LolaReview

Damned if I Don'tDamned if I Don’t (The Harker Trilogy #2)
by Erin Hayes

Rating: 4 stars

Blurb:
I may be a vampire hunter.
But I’ve single-handedly screwed up big time.

After botching our chance to cure vampirism and the infection that’s killing me, I’m at a loss. My cousin Carl won’t speak to me. The bastard who killed my sister is still alive. And Jude, the amnesiac vampire, says he’s in love with me.

What’s even more shocking is that I love him back.

But the more Jude learns about his past, the more it will tear our relationship and our lives apart. I’m running out of time to find a new successor to become the new Progenitor. Because when I die, it’s game over for all of us.

My Review:
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

This is one of those books that I would easily give a 4 star if I should have read it in a different mood. Because of my mood I wasn’t fully feeling it, it just barely hit that 4 star mark. But overall I did think it was a great read and I did enjoy it, the dark feel just didn’t work too well in my current mood. I had a busy week and didn’t get a lot of reading done, so it felt as if the plot was moving quite slowly at first. I felt like the start was a bit slow, until they got past a certain point and things seemed to speed up a lot after that. I had read the first book a while ago and it took me a bit of time to get back into this world, but there is enough recap to bring the reader up to speed again.

This series is quite dark, it’s sad and it feels a bit depressing and hopeless at times and everything that can go wrong will go wrong. The author pulls these characters through the worst the world has to offer. There is even a bit of a gruesome scene or two. I just couldn’t help but feel for these characters. It was difficult to read at times because of all the bad and sad things that happen.

It’s a bit of a forbidden romance with her being a vampire hunter and him being a vampire and they didn’t have a lot of time together before and they don’t have time now. I do like them together and keep hoping they will get through this and get their happy ending. I like how Edie doesn’t care who Jude was before and she knows he is a good person now. She believes in the best of him and I liked that. Jude is very caring about Eddie and I like how he is always at her side to help her.

There’s this vampire with a plan they want to stop at all costs as it will mean bad things for the world, but it seems he’s always one step before them. This books has twists, lots of bad stuff happening to the characters and those they care about, struggles and then a cliffhanger ending. I am not even sure how the characters will get through this one.

I did enjoy the book for the most part, but it’s also one of those books you will most enjoy in the right mindset. It’s a pretty dark read, the characters are a in a bad spot and even more bad things happen. The tone of the book feels a bit sad, depressed and hopeless at times. It made me wish for a bit of hope, a spot of good, anything to get these characters through it. And there is very little of that. And at times I really wonder if this series will have a happy ending. And after that cliffhanger I can’t even begin to imagine what will happen int he next book. What I do know is that the author sure surprised me with the twists and the direction the story took. And I am very curious about the next book.

This book is written from both Edie and Jude their point of view. We see how they both deal with things and I felt like this approach really worked for the story. Edie is in a bad spot after what happened at the book of book 1, I’ll do my best not to spoil anything for book 1 as it’s quite the twist. I thought the author handled what happened with Edie very realistically, at least it felt realistically and she doesn’t just adapt easily but keeps struggling with it. Tiny scenes or hints at times and some scenes that focus more on it. But appreciated how real it was, even though I did feel so bad for her. We find out who or what Jude was before he lost his memories. And I liked how we get to see both how Jude and Eddie react to that and how different and similar their thoughts are on some points. And what happens with Jude at the end had me feel so bad for him and them and I want to know what will happen next and if they will get through this.

To summarize: even though I wasn’t fully in the right mood for this book I did enjoy it. The tone of the book is quite dark and there is a lot of hardship and difficult things the characters have to got through. There’s a lot of bad things happening, sadness and even a bit of a hopeless feel at times. There are some interesting twists and developments in this book and the books ends on a pretty bad cliffhanger. I was surprised at the direction the story took and I wonder how the characters will get through this. I liked how the dual point of view gave us a good feel for both characters and their personalities and thoughts about what happened. I also like these two together and their romance. There is something that happened to Edie at the end of the previous book and I felt the author write it believable and realistic in this book with how she struggled with it. All in all this was a great read and after that cliffhanger ending I am anxious to know what will happen next.

4-stars-rating

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon

What’s the last book you read with a cliffhanger ending?

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19 responses to “Review: Damned if I Don’t by Erin Hayes

  1. The overall plot looks exciting and I like how the characters both get to narrate so you could know them better.
    Oh yes, I understand what you mean about it not being the book, necessarily, but a mood for something different. I do get the need for reading schedules, but being a mood reader makes it hard to keep a schedule at times.

    The Return of Sir Percival was my last book with a cliffhanger (though granted, it was more a promise of what would come in the next book).
    Sophia Rose recently posted…Wulf and the Bounty Hunter by Gail Koger #ReviewMy Profile

    • It was a great read, I just think in the right mood I would’ve appreciated it even more. I thought I was in the mood for this one, but wasn’t so sure anymore when I started it. Being a mood reader sure is difficult sometimes.

      The plot is a good one and I like how we get to know both characters well. It is definitely one of those books were the dual narration works great.

  2. Now you’re just torturing me lol. Your review has me convinced to try this series, but I still haven’t heard back about the review copies! It hasn’t been quite two weeks yet, more like a week and a half, but I’m guessing if I haven’t heard back by now…

    Cliffhangers are killer sometimes! But hmmm, I don’t even know the last book I read with a legitimate cliffhanger. I guess it’s been a while!

    Anyway, great review, and I’m glad you enjoyed the book, even if it was maybe a bit more hopeless than your usual taste 🙂
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones (Zoraida Grey Book 1) by Sorchia DuBoisMy Profile

  3. There are some books out there that I have to be a in a mood for otherwise I can’t get into them. Then when I go back and revisit them I end up falling in love with them. This book sounds like you would probably enjoy it a lot more once you’re actually in the mood for it. Especially since you still wound up really enjoying it in the end.
    Kristin (Book Sniffers Anonymous) recently posted…Guest Post: The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak [Giveaway]My Profile

    • It was a great read, I just think I would’ve enjoyed it even more in the right mood. It has a very dark feel and if you’re in the mood for that it’s great!

  4. Thanks for the awesome review Lola!! I knew that that book would be the darkest of the trilogy, much like The Empire Strikes Back is the darkest of the original Star Wars Trilogy. 😉 <3 xx

    • You’re welcome! I am glad I got to read this one. And I am hoping we see a bit more light in the next book again ;). Looking forward to book 3!

  5. I’ll keep in mind that I need to be in the right “place” for this one, Lola. But as you know, you already tempted me and I plan to read this series. 🙂 I’m happy you enjoyed this one for the most part. It does seem to have furthered along the overall plot even if it began slowly.
    I don’t mind cliffhangers, really. The latest one I read (listened to, actually) was Sugar Daddy by Sawyer Bennett.
    Hope your week is winding down nicely! <3
    Bookworm Brandee recently posted…#OctobeRecFest Review ~ Hell or High Water ~ Julie Ann WalkerMy Profile

    • I hope you give this series a try! The first book is a bit less dark than this one. It really is a great series. The beginning was a bit slow, but once things got in motion it was really good. I don’t mind cliffhangers too much either. I thought this cliffhanger was a good one or a bad one depending how you look at it. Definitely makes me curious for the next book.

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