Series: Vicious Feast #1
Author: Kate Evangelista
Published: 2013, Crescent Moon Press
Format: Ebook received for review
I’m Dakota Collins, a tough talking, eye patch wearing, workaholic photography student. Why am I important? Well, maybe because I get to spend an entire month with Vicious, only the sickest indie rock band out there.
You see, I needed a subject for my Spring Showcase introspective in order to graduate. During a chance encounter at a club I’d been sent to cover for the Daily Gossip, our ironically named college paper, the features writer I usually teamed up with introduced me to the band—by accident, I might add. It involved a run in with a scary, bald bodyguard. Anyway, long story short, I signed a contract to take pictures of Vicious.
I should have known their handsome yet way too serious for his own good bassist, Luka Visraya, wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself. He’s gorgeous and all, but the way he smiles spelled trouble with a capital L. I’m in for a long month with him around.
Crazy shit happens and then some. So, if you want the skinny on Vicious and the events revolving around my stay at Lunar Manor, read my story.
This book – while I absolutely loved it – is a good reason to watch what you read (and I don't mean the books!). When I decided I wanted to review this book on tour, I looked at the blurb – that sounds awesome. Then I looked at the categories other people had put it in – New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Zombies. Those are just *wrong*. In this particular book there was no mention of Vampires or Zombies. And Paranormal? There was a hint of something at the very end, but even putting it in that genre would be a stretch. I think readers of Taste, also by Kate Evangelista are doing Savor a big disservice. I’m going to direct you to the author’s website if you want the breakdown of why Savor and Taste are different books, even though they have the same characters. You can see that post here: http://kateevangelistarandr.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-genesis-of-savor.html . I’ve never read Taste, so I’m not sure if that changed my experience of Savor or not.
Now, for my review of Savor. I really loved this book! I go pretty light on the New Adult Rock Star romances… I’ve read a few, and I’ve been lucky that they’ve been really good. But I don’t really search them out. The hero in Savor is Luka, and he is the bass player for the band Vicious, which is pretty much popular band on the planet. Luka… he is mysterious, to say the least. It’s hard to get a bead on him at times. He plays a bit of cat and mouse games, and you definitely get the feeling that he’s only letting you see and know what he wants you to. You don’t find out anything by accident about Luka. And of course he is gorgeous, sexy, and talented. I liked him as a character. There were these times you get little sneak peeks into his true self, and those glimpses really shown through like beacons. If I had to pick one word for Luka, it would absolutely be “Intense”
“Even I have things I don’t get, Dakota.”
The way he said it pinched at my heart. So sad. So filled with longing. Across from me sat a complex yet bordering on melancholic man. He seemed to carry his emotion on his tight shoulders. Did Luka ever really just let loose and relax?
Dakota is the heroine in the story, and it’s told through her point of view. Now she is a very interesting character. She wears an eye patch, and to me, it carries off as cool. But to Dakota it’s not just like an eye patch, it’s a safety blanket. She can’t even function without it, fearful of what’s underneath. Something really horrible has happened in her past and you really only get glimpses of it through her nightmares. As a person I found her to be artistic, energetic, loyal, and just very interesting. She’s a photographer, and she scored the gig of a lifetime, spending a month with Vicious to take their pictures for her final project in school. The fact that she is a photographer, a very creative photographer, leads to some really imaginative and beautiful scenes. Every time she set up a new session I felt like it was a little treat for the reader to see what she would come up with.
With his forehead resting on my shoulder, I felt him shake his head instead of saw it. The bolt on his eyebrow dug into my skin. Its cold metal made me shiver. Still, I stayed in his arms. “I don’t want to think about that day.”
I didn’t want to either, but it was the truth. Once my contract was up, I was going back to the real world, taking the secrets of Lunar Manor with me. But, for now, I let Luka’s words erase the looking reality between us. At some point, I couldn’t tell anymore who held whom.
I love how Dakota and Luka are just drawn together. They each try to stay away, and they each find themselves back with the other. They are magnetic in their attraction to each other. And they need each other. I really felt like they gave each other balance, and it was a joy to see them interact.
As for the rest of the story, it was a steady build up to the end, for sure. And yes, there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, but it’s not so huge that you are left screaming and throwing your kindle at the wall. It made me anxious to read the next book, because I know these characters are going to be in it.
The other characters in the book are fabulous too. Dray, Demitri, Yana, And Phoenix are all so very colorful and vibrant. They leapt from the page in each scene. Even the location for the book, Lunar Manor, was something to behold. Kate Evangelista is such an imaginative author that I will definitely be looking for more books from her in the future. And I definitely need to find out what happens to this crew.
Have you read this book, or Taste? How do you think they compare to each other? Is Savor on your reading list, if you haven’t read it yet?
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she lives in the Philippines and writes full time.Find Kate Online
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