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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
Unfortunately this was kind of a weak final installment to the series. Overall I liked the series, but I was wanting more with the elemental stuff. I do like Michael, but I think this book suffered for the lack of the rest of the family. They really played a very little role in this book. I wish that she had fleshed out Tyler a little bit more. I guess she could write a book about Tyler next--now that he is a good guy. And perhaps another character.
Good, but not my favorite installment.
Unfortunately this was kind of a weak final installment to the series. Overall I liked the series, but I was wanting more with the elemental stuff. I do like Michael, but I think this book suffered for the lack of the rest of the family. They really played a very little role in this book. I wish that she had fleshed out Tyler a little bit more. I guess she could write a book about Tyler next--now that he is a good guy. And perhaps another character.
Good, but not my favorite installment.
Well, I'm glad to be done with this series. I'll admit it was touch and go for a while there, because I really wanted to DNF this final installment. Honestly, I should have quit at book one, but they were largely weirdly readable. I wouldn't recommend this series particularly, though I hate to say it, given my love for Kemmerer's contemporary novels.
This series is just really weird tbh. There's basically no world building for one thing, so the paranormal elements are entirely unsatisfying. Almost all the romances happen within a matter of weeks, so it's instalove to the max. The final book of the series has adult main characters, even though the rest were all teens. Two of the main characters die, which was shocking but also weird because otherwise very little actually happens in these books from a plot perspective.
Of the six ships, I was invested in precisely one of them, which is not great given that romance was really the true focus here. There are a few needless love triangles, included a truly half-hearted one in this final book.
I give this series a resounding MEH.
This series is just really weird tbh. There's basically no world building for one thing, so the paranormal elements are entirely unsatisfying. Almost all the romances happen within a matter of weeks, so it's instalove to the max. The final book of the series has adult main characters, even though the rest were all teens. Two of the main characters die, which was shocking but also weird because otherwise very little actually happens in these books from a plot perspective.
Of the six ships, I was invested in precisely one of them, which is not great given that romance was really the true focus here. There are a few needless love triangles, included a truly half-hearted one in this final book.
I give this series a resounding MEH.
I've been putting off reading this because I really don't want the series to end!
The tension and the writing are top-notch, as always.
But I wish Michael's brothers had a bit more page time. They were often lumped together as Michael worried for their safety. We got to know them a lot in the previous books and, it is awesome that Michael gets his own book, but I miss the characters I already fell in love with.
My copy has a bonus of Fearless - about Hunter's past.
The tension and the writing are top-notch, as always.
But I wish Michael's brothers had a bit more page time. They were often lumped together as Michael worried for their safety. We got to know them a lot in the previous books and, it is awesome that Michael gets his own book, but I miss the characters I already fell in love with.
My copy has a bonus of Fearless - about Hunter's past.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
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This was seriously such a fun series to read! I loved every moment of it and loved learning more about all of the characters as well as the struggles that they went through.
I read most of the series during a readathon and so I was pretty much captivated and very much invested with everything that was going on. Out of the five books, I probably disliked the third one the most because it featured a guy who wasn’t one of the brothers and it ended on a relatively sad note. I was quite disappointed with that to be honest. I loved the character, Hunter, and thought that the book gave a really great insight in his character and his background. However, the ending was just such a disappointment that at the end, the overall book just felt sad for me.
As for the other four books, I loved them all equally. They all had their own charm and their own obstacles that they had to overcome. I also loved the fact that in the fourth book, the focus wasn’t so much about Nick’s love life but his faith towards his family. That was something that I found really different from the other books and so I think that made the book a little more special for me.
Overall, I loved all of the books and the characters. If I had to pick a favorite character, it might actually be Gabriel just because he comes off as the meanest and toughest guy but in reality, he actually has a soft spot and you can also tell how much he loves his family. The lengths that he would go to for them is insane. I also think I liked him the most because my own personal opinion about him changed the most. In the first book, he seemed like such an ass but then in the second, I was able to learn more about him and understand him more.
At the end of the day, I highly recommend these books!
This was seriously such a fun series to read! I loved every moment of it and loved learning more about all of the characters as well as the struggles that they went through.
I read most of the series during a readathon and so I was pretty much captivated and very much invested with everything that was going on. Out of the five books, I probably disliked the third one the most because it featured a guy who wasn’t one of the brothers and it ended on a relatively sad note. I was quite disappointed with that to be honest. I loved the character, Hunter, and thought that the book gave a really great insight in his character and his background. However, the ending was just such a disappointment that at the end, the overall book just felt sad for me.
As for the other four books, I loved them all equally. They all had their own charm and their own obstacles that they had to overcome. I also loved the fact that in the fourth book, the focus wasn’t so much about Nick’s love life but his faith towards his family. That was something that I found really different from the other books and so I think that made the book a little more special for me.
Overall, I loved all of the books and the characters. If I had to pick a favorite character, it might actually be Gabriel just because he comes off as the meanest and toughest guy but in reality, he actually has a soft spot and you can also tell how much he loves his family. The lengths that he would go to for them is insane. I also think I liked him the most because my own personal opinion about him changed the most. In the first book, he seemed like such an ass but then in the second, I was able to learn more about him and understand him more.
At the end of the day, I highly recommend these books!
I received a copy from NetGalley. It does not impact my review.
“There will be blood on the ground tonight…” That is a little over dramatic, maybe a little cheesy, but I LOVE it. I can’t help it. It really sets the tone for the book. Kemmerer isn’t kidding around here. It’s not Secret with all character development and barely any plot movement. There is action propelling the story every page of the way.
That’s not to say there isn’t character development. Sacrifice finally gives us Michal’s POV. Michael has always been my favorite Merrick brother and this book just reinforces my love for him. He manages to be steady and strong and loving even though he’s also confused and terrified much of the time.
We also get his girlfriend Hannah’s POV. I liked her enough in previous books, but she didn’t really endear herself to me in this one. For much of the book she acts very childish towards her father, despite the fact that she has a child of her own. I also didn’t care for the way she acted when Michael hadn’t yet told her he was an Elemental because he was trying to protect her. While she has many good qualities, her childishness and pettiness is what stuck with me the most.
Since the first book, the problem that has centered around the Merrick family is that they are pure Elementals that the Guides want to take out since they have the potential for so much destruction. While they’ve faced a couple throughout the books, they come after the Merricks, Hunter, and Tyler in full force in this book. There’s multiple fires and bombings. There’s destruction and death. And at the center of it all is Michael. The Fire Marshall, who also happens to be Hannah’s father, suspects Michael is the perpetrator and not the victim and one of Michael’s greatest fears regarding his brothers come to fruition.
The plot is fast paced and pretty action filled, though there was still time for some character development for Michael and Hannah. I liked that Tyler and Michael got to work together on almost friendly terms. There were, however, LOTS of things that were left open. They are all spoilery things so if you haven’t read the book yet, you can skip over this part and just scroll to the end for the final rating.
SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS!
-Where the heck is Becca!?! She was always my favorite of all the Merrick Girlfriends and she is not in the book AT ALL. Tyler mentions once that Quinn is staying with Becca and Becca’s dad is keeping them under lock and key until everything is settled. Yeah, that’s nice, but that’s a major character to leave out of the final book! I never liked Quinn, so I don’t care that she’s not around, but some readers might object to it.
-Hunter and Chris are at each other’s throats the whole time. Is this just residual anger left over from the Becca triangle? It seemed like there should have been more to it. It seemed like there was A LOT more going on with Chris that we never find out about.
-Hunter dies!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hunter was never my favorite, sometimes I downright disliked him, but I was not prepared for him to die! And then there was the whole thing with his uncle being alive. He talked about “coming back from the dead” and while I figured it meant metaphorically since everyone thought he was dead, was he able to actually come back from the dead? Can Spirit users do that? Could Hunter come back?
-The book ended so abruptly! Part of that is probably because of the sneaky ARC that I had – My Nook told me it was 432 pages and it ended on page 282. (The rest were the novellas from the series.) I had not mentally or emotionally prepared myself for the end! Plus, Michael doesn’t have custody back yet of his brothers! His landscaping business files are still missing. A new Elemental character is introduced that used to be a Guide and let’s Michael know there are people who want things to change, but there’s still a GIANT threat out there that hasn’t been dealt with. How can this possibly be the last book!?
SPOILER OVER * SPOILER OVER * SPOILER OVER
Overall, I did really like this book. I enjoyed it right up until the last page when I realized it was over. While some things were satisfying, I felt like it left things way too open to be an actual series finale. There has to be another book, right? Please Kemmerer!
Rating (out of 5):
Plot: 3.5
Characters: 4
Readability: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Overall Rating: 3.875 Stars
“There will be blood on the ground tonight…” That is a little over dramatic, maybe a little cheesy, but I LOVE it. I can’t help it. It really sets the tone for the book. Kemmerer isn’t kidding around here. It’s not Secret with all character development and barely any plot movement. There is action propelling the story every page of the way.
That’s not to say there isn’t character development. Sacrifice finally gives us Michal’s POV. Michael has always been my favorite Merrick brother and this book just reinforces my love for him. He manages to be steady and strong and loving even though he’s also confused and terrified much of the time.
We also get his girlfriend Hannah’s POV. I liked her enough in previous books, but she didn’t really endear herself to me in this one. For much of the book she acts very childish towards her father, despite the fact that she has a child of her own. I also didn’t care for the way she acted when Michael hadn’t yet told her he was an Elemental because he was trying to protect her. While she has many good qualities, her childishness and pettiness is what stuck with me the most.
Since the first book, the problem that has centered around the Merrick family is that they are pure Elementals that the Guides want to take out since they have the potential for so much destruction. While they’ve faced a couple throughout the books, they come after the Merricks, Hunter, and Tyler in full force in this book. There’s multiple fires and bombings. There’s destruction and death. And at the center of it all is Michael. The Fire Marshall, who also happens to be Hannah’s father, suspects Michael is the perpetrator and not the victim and one of Michael’s greatest fears regarding his brothers come to fruition.
The plot is fast paced and pretty action filled, though there was still time for some character development for Michael and Hannah. I liked that Tyler and Michael got to work together on almost friendly terms. There were, however, LOTS of things that were left open. They are all spoilery things so if you haven’t read the book yet, you can skip over this part and just scroll to the end for the final rating.
SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS!
-Where the heck is Becca!?! She was always my favorite of all the Merrick Girlfriends and she is not in the book AT ALL. Tyler mentions once that Quinn is staying with Becca and Becca’s dad is keeping them under lock and key until everything is settled. Yeah, that’s nice, but that’s a major character to leave out of the final book! I never liked Quinn, so I don’t care that she’s not around, but some readers might object to it.
-Hunter and Chris are at each other’s throats the whole time. Is this just residual anger left over from the Becca triangle? It seemed like there should have been more to it. It seemed like there was A LOT more going on with Chris that we never find out about.
-Hunter dies!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hunter was never my favorite, sometimes I downright disliked him, but I was not prepared for him to die! And then there was the whole thing with his uncle being alive. He talked about “coming back from the dead” and while I figured it meant metaphorically since everyone thought he was dead, was he able to actually come back from the dead? Can Spirit users do that? Could Hunter come back?
-The book ended so abruptly! Part of that is probably because of the sneaky ARC that I had – My Nook told me it was 432 pages and it ended on page 282. (The rest were the novellas from the series.) I had not mentally or emotionally prepared myself for the end! Plus, Michael doesn’t have custody back yet of his brothers! His landscaping business files are still missing. A new Elemental character is introduced that used to be a Guide and let’s Michael know there are people who want things to change, but there’s still a GIANT threat out there that hasn’t been dealt with. How can this possibly be the last book!?
SPOILER OVER * SPOILER OVER * SPOILER OVER
Overall, I did really like this book. I enjoyed it right up until the last page when I realized it was over. While some things were satisfying, I felt like it left things way too open to be an actual series finale. There has to be another book, right? Please Kemmerer!
Rating (out of 5):
Plot: 3.5
Characters: 4
Readability: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Overall Rating: 3.875 Stars
It has a name!
Sacrifice...
I like it!
***
My Review:
*eARC kindly provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley*
*Review can be found here.
I've been excited but also nervous about reading this book. This has been one of my favorite series, and after pretty much binge-reading the first four books last year, the wait for this had been killing me. I didn't want to let go of these characters, but I also didn't want to be disappointed with the conclusion. And I sort of am.
Rating: 3.5 Sacrificial Stars!
It pains me to say this. Hell, it pains me to even think this way. Because I thought for sure this was going to be a 5 star read. But this one, and Secret, were my least favorite books in the series. And I think Sacrifice takes first place in that regard. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I just was hoping for something a bit more epic. The ending left me feeling happy and okay, but it didn't meet my high expectations (which really isn't fair). But, like I said, this has been one of my favorite series. So it kills me to say that this conclusion was a disappointment. And no one is more upset by this news than me.
I was so excited to finally get Michael's POV. Though I never warmed up to him as much as his brothers, which was probably on the account that Michael acted like their dad and so they resented him for being their father figure instead of their sibling, I still loved his character. He's strong, stoic, a man who gave up his dreams and his future plans to take care of his little brothers when their parents died. It takes a real special person to do that. Someone who is selfless and caring, even if a bit rough around the edges. But in this novel, we see the strong facade crack just a bit. We see a guy who only wants to protect his little brothers and who feels like he's not doing his job right. It's a constant line that he balances, being a father figure and a sibling, and Michael had to learn that sometimes it's okay to lean on others and that his brothers can take care of themselves. And with Hannah, Michael has someone that he can lean on, someone who will have his back and share the burdens.
I don't think I ever truly warmed up to Hannah. It's not like there was anything wrong with her character. She's sweet, caring, and a wonderful mother to her son, James. She is struggling with balancing her job as a firefighter, being a single mom, and dating a man who keeps a lot of secrets and who pushes her away because he's trying to protect her. But Hannah is not okay with people telling her what she can and can't do. She's tired of the judgment she feels from her father and the looks she gets when she drops James off at school. Sure, she's built a life for herself while still living with her parents, but she can't seem to shake off the feeling of not being good enough, of not doing anything right. Honestly, whenever the book switched POVs, I found myself eager to get back inside Michael's head. I don't know what it is, but I never grew to love Hannah. I think her preconceived notions and the fact that she was constantly wondering if people were judging her, were factors in that. And I just felt that, without Michael, she didn't have much of a story.
Their romance definitely took a backseat in this book, because it focused more on what was happening with the Guides and the constant action. Don't get me wrong, I loved the action-packed and intense scenes that left me worried and terrified of the outcomes until they were over. But, because of that, I think Hannah's and Michael's relationship was a bit underdeveloped.
The ones between his brothers and Hunter, however, were definitely not. Even though the girls (besides Hannah) were not a part of this book, I didn't mind. Brigid Kemmerer is SO GOOD at developing her characters! And she is equally good at creating and maintaining or strengthening the bonds between them. Some of the scenes in this book were intense, and then there were those quiet moments, the ones that left me crying and laughing all on the same page. I love the relationships between Michael and his brothers, and how each of them have developed throughout the books. And the addition of Hunter was so brilliantly written, and I adored that he became one of them. Those moments between all of them were my favorite parts of the book. My favorite parts of the whole series, actually. I just love these Merrick brothers and Hunter so much (Gabriel will always be my favorite, though).
The suspense and sense of danger never wavered throughout the story; it was always looming in the background, leading me to believe that there would be an epic showdown between the Merricks and the Guides. Throughout the book, Micheal is trying to figure out who is behind everything while dodging close calls with death. Whoever is doing this doesn't care about the collateral damage and how many people get hurt in their quest for taking down the Merricks. It was a surprising and shocking revelation that I wish had been more talked about. The "epic showdown" felt rushed and hurried, which left me feeling out of sorts at the end especially considering the magnitude of what happened. Without giving anything away, I just have to say that I wished there was more closure.
As always, I love Brigid's writing and how she draws me into her stories so effortlessly. Even though it's written in 3rd person (which is what I prefer), I can still connect with the characters. It has been so easy for me to get lost in the Merricks' story, and I'm so incredibly sad to be saying goodbye to them. Though Sacrifice didn't leave me with the same uber happy feels that the last four did, I still enjoyed the book. And oh, how I love my Merrick boys and Hunter Garrity. <3
Sacrifice...
I like it!
***
My Review:
*eARC kindly provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley*
*Review can be found here.
I've been excited but also nervous about reading this book. This has been one of my favorite series, and after pretty much binge-reading the first four books last year, the wait for this had been killing me. I didn't want to let go of these characters, but I also didn't want to be disappointed with the conclusion. And I sort of am.
Rating: 3.5 Sacrificial Stars!
It pains me to say this. Hell, it pains me to even think this way. Because I thought for sure this was going to be a 5 star read. But this one, and Secret, were my least favorite books in the series. And I think Sacrifice takes first place in that regard. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I just was hoping for something a bit more epic. The ending left me feeling happy and okay, but it didn't meet my high expectations (which really isn't fair). But, like I said, this has been one of my favorite series. So it kills me to say that this conclusion was a disappointment. And no one is more upset by this news than me.
I was so excited to finally get Michael's POV. Though I never warmed up to him as much as his brothers, which was probably on the account that Michael acted like their dad and so they resented him for being their father figure instead of their sibling, I still loved his character. He's strong, stoic, a man who gave up his dreams and his future plans to take care of his little brothers when their parents died. It takes a real special person to do that. Someone who is selfless and caring, even if a bit rough around the edges. But in this novel, we see the strong facade crack just a bit. We see a guy who only wants to protect his little brothers and who feels like he's not doing his job right. It's a constant line that he balances, being a father figure and a sibling, and Michael had to learn that sometimes it's okay to lean on others and that his brothers can take care of themselves. And with Hannah, Michael has someone that he can lean on, someone who will have his back and share the burdens.
I don't think I ever truly warmed up to Hannah. It's not like there was anything wrong with her character. She's sweet, caring, and a wonderful mother to her son, James. She is struggling with balancing her job as a firefighter, being a single mom, and dating a man who keeps a lot of secrets and who pushes her away because he's trying to protect her. But Hannah is not okay with people telling her what she can and can't do. She's tired of the judgment she feels from her father and the looks she gets when she drops James off at school. Sure, she's built a life for herself while still living with her parents, but she can't seem to shake off the feeling of not being good enough, of not doing anything right. Honestly, whenever the book switched POVs, I found myself eager to get back inside Michael's head. I don't know what it is, but I never grew to love Hannah. I think her preconceived notions and the fact that she was constantly wondering if people were judging her, were factors in that. And I just felt that, without Michael, she didn't have much of a story.
Their romance definitely took a backseat in this book, because it focused more on what was happening with the Guides and the constant action. Don't get me wrong, I loved the action-packed and intense scenes that left me worried and terrified of the outcomes until they were over. But, because of that, I think Hannah's and Michael's relationship was a bit underdeveloped.
The ones between his brothers and Hunter, however, were definitely not. Even though the girls (besides Hannah) were not a part of this book, I didn't mind. Brigid Kemmerer is SO GOOD at developing her characters! And she is equally good at creating and maintaining or strengthening the bonds between them. Some of the scenes in this book were intense, and then there were those quiet moments, the ones that left me crying and laughing all on the same page. I love the relationships between Michael and his brothers, and how each of them have developed throughout the books. And the addition of Hunter was so brilliantly written, and I adored that he became one of them. Those moments between all of them were my favorite parts of the book. My favorite parts of the whole series, actually. I just love these Merrick brothers and Hunter so much (Gabriel will always be my favorite, though).
The suspense and sense of danger never wavered throughout the story; it was always looming in the background, leading me to believe that there would be an epic showdown between the Merricks and the Guides. Throughout the book, Micheal is trying to figure out who is behind everything while dodging close calls with death. Whoever is doing this doesn't care about the collateral damage and how many people get hurt in their quest for taking down the Merricks. It was a surprising and shocking revelation that I wish had been more talked about. The "epic showdown" felt rushed and hurried, which left me feeling out of sorts at the end especially considering the magnitude of what happened. Without giving anything away, I just have to say that I wished there was more closure.
As always, I love Brigid's writing and how she draws me into her stories so effortlessly. Even though it's written in 3rd person (which is what I prefer), I can still connect with the characters. It has been so easy for me to get lost in the Merricks' story, and I'm so incredibly sad to be saying goodbye to them. Though Sacrifice didn't leave me with the same uber happy feels that the last four did, I still enjoyed the book. And oh, how I love my Merrick boys and Hunter Garrity. <3
Find the original review here at This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
If you don't already know that this is one of my favourite series than you're not doing a very good job stalking me. I'm pretty sure I find a way to mention The Elemental Series in at least one post a week. I even did a giveaway for some of the books. Because it is the best! *hugs all the books* Sacrifice was one of my most anticipated releases of 2014. Right up there with Heir of Fire. So you should know what that means. And it's Michael's book to boot. Michael is kind of a mysterious guy. You know that he's a rock for his brothers. He's way more responsible and mature than should be expected at his age. But until Sacrifice we weren't privy to his thoughts and emotions. His life. Now we finally do! Gabriel will always have my heart, but Michael, poor Michael, will have a totally separate and different spot in my heart. Ah, guys! This book! It broke my heart. But I loved it. So so much.
To say Michael has a lot on his plate is not even close to the scope of his responsibilities. A guy in his early twenties should be at college and having fun. Well as we know, that's not Michael's life. He has three younger brothers to take care of, a house to run and a landscaping company to keep in business. But these days it doesn't stop there. The Merricks' now have the Elemental Guides out for them. Michael has to figure out a way to keep his brothers safe will getting the Guides off their ass. Shit gets real.
As like the previous books in the series, we get dual POV's, so in Sacrifice we get to know Hannah, Michael's girlfriend a little better. Hannah is a tough girl. She's worked hard to become a firefighter and is still working even harder to get more from her job. She's also got a five year old son. Well she lives with her parents and her mom helps her out, her relationship with her father has been strained since she told him she was pregnant at seventeen. Hannah's life is hectic and dangerous, but she has a lot of responsibility and that's why she finds herself attracted to Michael. He understands her life. But Michael has secrets he's keeping and she's finding it hard to communicate with him. She's also walking on egg shells with her dad and trying to show the guys at work that she's as strong as them.
I honestly can't say to much about the plot because of spoilers. And I am not ruining this book for anyone. It's freakin' good. The previous books are pretty fast paced and full of action, but that's nothing on Sacrifice. It's explosive. It's the shortest book in the series, but it packs a huge gut punch. Poor Michael does not catch one single break. From page one he's still on edge from what the ending of Secret brought the Merricks way. It's been a few days and he knows the Guides are out there watching. Right off Michael is thrown into having to protect his brothers and it doesn't stop. The guy is on the brink of death at least three times throughout the book. His brothers are threatened and taken away from him. And he's having to find trust in people he's always considered against his family.
I absolutely adore Michael. Take away the Elemental world and I still couldn't imagine having his life. He's so young, and had to grow up in a day to take responsibility of his younger brothers, the house, the bills, the families landscaping company. He's a dad. His wants and life goals got taken away from him. But he never resents his brothers for it. It's why I love him. There was never a second thought that he wouldn't be the one taking care of them. He stepped right up. Clearly his brothers are a handful and he's got child services watching up his ass. But my God is a good parental figure for them. Michael has this hard appearance. He can kind of come across as a jerk. That's for good reason. He's just so protective and a good guy. His brothers are his life. My heart broke for him so much. Every other page it was poor Michael. If it's not one thing, it's another. Getting shot, thrown in jail, their house burning down, bombs going off, Elemental Guides after them, and child services taking his brothers away from him when he needs to be with them the most(that's not even close to everything Michael goes through). Michael always puts on a strong face, so when he broke down I broke down. Seriously, there were quite a few heart breaking moments.
I'm not always as enamored with the ladies POV's in this series. It's not because I don't like them. It's just because I don't want to be away from whatever Merrick brother's POV I'm getting. Which I'm sure Kemmerer understands. That being said, Hannah has definitely been my favourite lady from this series. She's a sassy tough women. Hell, she got Michael to fall for her and spend some of his precious spare time with her. That means she's gotta be worth it. Knowing she's a firefighter would already give you clues into a bit of her personality. She can keep up with any of the guys at her station. Add in how hard she tries to be there and be a good mom to her young son, and she's also quite endearing under that uniform. She's just got a great work ethic. Hannah also doesn't put up with a lot of shit. She knows Michael is hiding something from her when she pulls him out of his burning house pretty much on deaths door step.The problem is that Michael isn't talking to her about it. It's his protectiveness. But that isn't going to stop her. She cares for him and wants to help him in any way she can. Again, endearing. I was really happy with Hannah's attitude change towards her father. They're quite alike and I think that's what caused their rift back when she got pregnant. Neither of them were being fair, and they failed to communicate their feelings, so they both just assumed this is the way their relationship would be now. Those damn assumptions, never quite what you thought.
There were a few things that I would have like done a little differently. And I definitely would have loved for the book to be a longer(obviously). But I have no qualms big enough to take away from my love for Sacrifice. Although my biggest bitter sweet moment was the ending. It's an open one, guys. It doesn't leave you unsatisfied and without answers. Kemmerer just left it open enough that she's given me very, very high hopes that we will see another Merrick brothers book in the(nearish) future. There has to be another one. Just has to.
Sacrifice doesn't disappoint on any level. It's got Kemmerer's snappy, sassy and hilarious writing. The action is on every page. The heart break is on every other page. I honestly was surprised with some of the plot twists. There was definitely one huge "WTF?" moment that I was like, "nope, why did you do that to me?". Ah!
Just read Sacrifice or start the series if you haven't(and what have you been doing with your life?) because it is gold. And the Merrick's. Those are some brothers that I wouldn't mind knowing on a personal level. *sigh*
If you don't already know that this is one of my favourite series than you're not doing a very good job stalking me. I'm pretty sure I find a way to mention The Elemental Series in at least one post a week. I even did a giveaway for some of the books. Because it is the best! *hugs all the books* Sacrifice was one of my most anticipated releases of 2014. Right up there with Heir of Fire. So you should know what that means. And it's Michael's book to boot. Michael is kind of a mysterious guy. You know that he's a rock for his brothers. He's way more responsible and mature than should be expected at his age. But until Sacrifice we weren't privy to his thoughts and emotions. His life. Now we finally do! Gabriel will always have my heart, but Michael, poor Michael, will have a totally separate and different spot in my heart. Ah, guys! This book! It broke my heart. But I loved it. So so much.
To say Michael has a lot on his plate is not even close to the scope of his responsibilities. A guy in his early twenties should be at college and having fun. Well as we know, that's not Michael's life. He has three younger brothers to take care of, a house to run and a landscaping company to keep in business. But these days it doesn't stop there. The Merricks' now have the Elemental Guides out for them. Michael has to figure out a way to keep his brothers safe will getting the Guides off their ass. Shit gets real.
As like the previous books in the series, we get dual POV's, so in Sacrifice we get to know Hannah, Michael's girlfriend a little better. Hannah is a tough girl. She's worked hard to become a firefighter and is still working even harder to get more from her job. She's also got a five year old son. Well she lives with her parents and her mom helps her out, her relationship with her father has been strained since she told him she was pregnant at seventeen. Hannah's life is hectic and dangerous, but she has a lot of responsibility and that's why she finds herself attracted to Michael. He understands her life. But Michael has secrets he's keeping and she's finding it hard to communicate with him. She's also walking on egg shells with her dad and trying to show the guys at work that she's as strong as them.
I honestly can't say to much about the plot because of spoilers. And I am not ruining this book for anyone. It's freakin' good. The previous books are pretty fast paced and full of action, but that's nothing on Sacrifice. It's explosive. It's the shortest book in the series, but it packs a huge gut punch. Poor Michael does not catch one single break. From page one he's still on edge from what the ending of Secret brought the Merricks way. It's been a few days and he knows the Guides are out there watching. Right off Michael is thrown into having to protect his brothers and it doesn't stop. The guy is on the brink of death at least three times throughout the book. His brothers are threatened and taken away from him. And he's having to find trust in people he's always considered against his family.
I absolutely adore Michael. Take away the Elemental world and I still couldn't imagine having his life. He's so young, and had to grow up in a day to take responsibility of his younger brothers, the house, the bills, the families landscaping company. He's a dad. His wants and life goals got taken away from him. But he never resents his brothers for it. It's why I love him. There was never a second thought that he wouldn't be the one taking care of them. He stepped right up. Clearly his brothers are a handful and he's got child services watching up his ass. But my God is a good parental figure for them. Michael has this hard appearance. He can kind of come across as a jerk. That's for good reason. He's just so protective and a good guy. His brothers are his life. My heart broke for him so much. Every other page it was poor Michael. If it's not one thing, it's another. Getting shot, thrown in jail, their house burning down, bombs going off, Elemental Guides after them, and child services taking his brothers away from him when he needs to be with them the most(that's not even close to everything Michael goes through). Michael always puts on a strong face, so when he broke down I broke down. Seriously, there were quite a few heart breaking moments.
I'm not always as enamored with the ladies POV's in this series. It's not because I don't like them. It's just because I don't want to be away from whatever Merrick brother's POV I'm getting. Which I'm sure Kemmerer understands. That being said, Hannah has definitely been my favourite lady from this series. She's a sassy tough women. Hell, she got Michael to fall for her and spend some of his precious spare time with her. That means she's gotta be worth it. Knowing she's a firefighter would already give you clues into a bit of her personality. She can keep up with any of the guys at her station. Add in how hard she tries to be there and be a good mom to her young son, and she's also quite endearing under that uniform. She's just got a great work ethic. Hannah also doesn't put up with a lot of shit. She knows Michael is hiding something from her when she pulls him out of his burning house pretty much on deaths door step.The problem is that Michael isn't talking to her about it. It's his protectiveness. But that isn't going to stop her. She cares for him and wants to help him in any way she can. Again, endearing. I was really happy with Hannah's attitude change towards her father. They're quite alike and I think that's what caused their rift back when she got pregnant. Neither of them were being fair, and they failed to communicate their feelings, so they both just assumed this is the way their relationship would be now. Those damn assumptions, never quite what you thought.
There were a few things that I would have like done a little differently. And I definitely would have loved for the book to be a longer(obviously). But I have no qualms big enough to take away from my love for Sacrifice. Although my biggest bitter sweet moment was the ending. It's an open one, guys. It doesn't leave you unsatisfied and without answers. Kemmerer just left it open enough that she's given me very, very high hopes that we will see another Merrick brothers book in the(nearish) future. There has to be another one. Just has to.
Sacrifice doesn't disappoint on any level. It's got Kemmerer's snappy, sassy and hilarious writing. The action is on every page. The heart break is on every other page. I honestly was surprised with some of the plot twists. There was definitely one huge "WTF?" moment that I was like, "nope, why did you do that to me?". Ah!
Just read Sacrifice or start the series if you haven't(and what have you been doing with your life?) because it is gold. And the Merrick's. Those are some brothers that I wouldn't mind knowing on a personal level. *sigh*
I love this series. Secret is still far and away my favourite, but Sacrifice is a fitting end to a wonderful saga.