The Lost Saint - Bree Despain

Book number 8! I can't wait to hit the double digits!

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven. Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung. stolen from Barnes and Noble

I thought this book was good... maybe a bit slow in the beginning. I was worried that Daniel and Grace were going to follow that road of "we aren't communicating so its going to destroy our relationship but don't worry we will work it out by the end of the book but only for a devastating twist to happen." Well, it did. Except I loved the TWIST AT THE END! VERY GOOD!

Grace really struggled with the wolf in this book. It took me a few times see it in the book but the italics is the wolf trying to lure Grace to the dark side and once I caught on, I saw how manipulative the wolf was being. Mini-spoiler I did think for a moment that Daniel and Grace were going to have a love scene because of the wolf, but it doesn't happen...

I generally feel bad for the Divine family. The mother goes from outrageously, overbearing mother to the catatonic mother and changes each day. A father searching for a son, leaving his other family members behind along with his parish. A baby brother who is scared of his big brother. I do wish Despain would develop James some more. They were perfect. Family dinners. Concerns. Love. Joy. Community service. A real sense of family. And it is ripped away. AND POOR JUDE. I love Jude. He was a lost soul by the end of the first book and he has become more lost since then. He's confused and I just want to make it better for him. Which makes me feel for Grace as she tries to save her brother.

I now have to wait until the next one comes out.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Book 3 down! I'm on fire!

Synopsis -

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

The Dark Divine is in the lead for my favorite book of the year :). I think that Grace is a great character. She is a pastor's kid fully intact with her morals, especially forgiveness, which I think is uncommon among heroes in any kind of story. She is by no means a push-over, but is very compassionate.

As for Daniel, if it isn't clear yet, I love a good bad boy, and Daniel has sins! It took at

least half the book for Daniel's secret to come out. I had an idea about what his secret was,but not confirmation from Despain. It def. kept me reading into the night, because I needed to know and I was not disappointed when the secret's background was described.

Another character, that is key in the story, is Jude, Grace's beautiful, even more warm-hearted than she brother. He's really angry and Daniel and they used to be like brothers, which only led to my curiosity as to what Daniel's secret was. But Jude, well I think you need to read the book, there is something off.