Today someone adopted my 6 months old dog, Little Star. I had put her and her sister up for adoption because we don’t have enough space for them. And now I can’t stop thinking about her.
All the while I carried her away from home, she was trembling like a leaf and looking at me with sad, desperate eyes. She knew she wouldn’t see her family again. I felt like a monster for putting her through this.
I’ll miss you, my Little Star!
Well, hello friends. It’s been a while since I updated my blog. My only excuse is real life, but, let’s be honest, I’m simply a procrastinator. *cough cough*
I’m back with a review of J. Vaughn’s new book, The Valjevo Encounter. Those of you who’ve browsed through my posts surely already know I’ve got a weak spot for J., but, please don’t dismiss this simply by considering it too subjective because of my friendship with the author. I’m gonna be honest with you. If I don’t like a book I’m not gonna trash it to pieces. There’s always something good about any book, not matter how bad it is, believe it or not. But, at the same time, I won’t sing its praises either.
So, the only reason I’m giving Jay’s book five stars, it’s because I honestly believe she deserves it. Now, all reviews are fundamentally subjective, so you might end up not loving the book as much as I did, but at least give it a chance. Read an excerpt, an interview, read the author’s blog etc. before deciding whether to buy it or not.
That being said, let’s move on to the review (you can find this review both here and on my Goodreads account, Blogspot account and Facebook account – links on the main page).
This is the actual review:
Oh, this was a book I’ve been waiting for. Firstly, because it’s written by Jay (:P) and, secondly, because I was getting sick and tired of shiny vampires. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against them, but I miss those books where vampires are evil impersonated. That’s exactly what this book is about and that’s why I loved it. It’s so much different than what’s out there right now in the M/M world. It’s original, it’s fresh.
But that’s not its only good point. The best point of The Valjevo Encounter is the characterization. It is amazing how much connection the reader feels with this characters. Well, I didn’t expect otherwise from Jay Vaughn, but for those of you who haven’t read her Rough Boys series, it might come as a pleasant surprise how much you’ll fall in love with her characters.
On one hand, you have this strong alpha male named Guy (real name Salvatore) who’s gone through so much hardship in his life, he’s not afraid of anything, but becomes vulnerable as all hell when he meets Melvin and instantly falls in love. Yes, the whole story is mostly insta-love, but it’s one of the few plots that worked for me. They didn’t mate like animals in heat though they both felt the unstoppable, palpable attraction. They didn’t declare undying love for each other or called each other silly endearments. On the contrary, both characters had pride and an underlying fear that wouldn’t allow them to act on their attraction, which made the plot all the more captivating.
On the other hand, you have Melvin-cute, tiny and angelic virgin whose world turns upside down when he discovers vampires and other monsters are very real and very deadly. I loved this character because he’s so proud and so strong on the inside. At the beginning of the book, he goes by the nickname “Tigger” only to give it up at the end by asking his best friend to start calling him Mel. I liked this metaphor for growing up, for becoming someone new. Not sure if anyone will see it like I did, but I tend to see subtle metaphors in anything, really, and I strongly believe J. Vaughn is a master of veiled messages.
But I also loved the supporting characters—Ed, Consuela and, most of all, Mel’s best friend, Jon—all strong, brave, exceptional characters that will make your reading experience even richer. I honestly hope Jay will prepare a sequel with Jon as main character because he was amazing!
For those of you who’ve read Rough Boys and enjoyed it, you’ll be happy to know J.’s writing is still as fantastic as ever and I’m sure you all can’t wait to read this book.
For those of you who couldn’t finish Rough Boys because of the dark subjects, I’m happy to announce you will certainly be able to stomach The Valjevo Encounter. It’s much lighter in comparison to the Rough Boys series, and focuses a lot more on the romance between characters rather than the dark theme of vampires. Although not completely lacking dark moments, The Valjevo Encounter will not make you uncomfortable, will not make you cry rivers of tears. The whole purpose of it is a beautiful love story with just a bit of adventurous angst.
I’m sure everyone will enjoy this book immensely.
Shayla Mist 