The Core

Ellie has been David Kelley's assistant and accountant for the past two years, yet barely knows him. After finding him covered in blood one morning, she decides to shadow him, to try to learn who he really is. When she finds him in her house, asking why she is following him, he is surprisingly not upset... instead, he seems to want Ellie to learn about him, inviting her into his secret world.

The Core is a very interesting book, a mixture of the magical and the mundane. There are enough twists that we are still learning about the characters at the end of the book... in fact, the characters are still learning about themselves. It's nice that Ellie is not a simpering heroine either, but in fact is strong enough to want to find the truth instead of just blindly going along with the crowd. All of the characters introduced have their own individual personalities and their own places in the plot, giving depth to a story that could be relatively simple otherwise. This story is more of an introduction, though, leading us to a spot where we know that events will be happening in the next book, without leaving us at a cliffhanger.

Overall, I'm happy with this book and plan to continue receiving the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are battles constantly being waged that mortals rarely ever know about. They go about their daily lives never knowing how close they are to utter destruction and mayhem. They have no clue as to how the balance between good and evil in their world is kept in place, or that such a reality actually exists. They simply go about their lives as if nothing will ever change. Mortals are so clueless and so wrong.

Ellie has nursed a crush on David Kelly forever, well at least since she started working for him about two years ago. What’s not to be attracted to? The guy is wealthy, handsome, sexy and very mysterious… maybe too mysterious. Even though Ellie is his assistant, even she doesn’t really know where his wealth comes from or even what the company she works for truly does. Too many mysteries and not enough answers.

Matters come to a head when Ellie sees David covered in blood, obviously not his. He doesn’t appear harmed, but she is making sure that David has no clue she has seen him in this state. She convinces her twin brother to help her stalk David, follow him around to see what he really does – because now she’s not only still attracted to him, but a bit afraid of him as well.

What she learns will change her life – forever.

Paranormal stories have always been my first reading love. I love when romance is involved, but it does not have to be the main focus of the story. In The Core, there is attraction – not a full blown romance, yet. This is the first introductory story into the Equilibrium five novel series. Here we are being given the basic background which the rest of the series will stand on – so see this short, fast paced story at just that.. the very beginning to so much more to come.

I definitely enjoyed this new world that is being built. It has its own rules and players, and is a bit different than many paranormal stories. The characters are engaging if somewhat still in their early stages of development as far as the purpose within the story is concerned. That does not mean that the people of this world are not well created, they certainly are – it means only that knowing this is a longer series leaves the characters room to grow into what they will become within the series. And I enjoy that type of development. I am looking forward to reading the coming books in this series as it has the potential to be an exceptional world.

If you love paranormal, if you enjoy being in on the beginning of something special, if you can emerge yourself in an alternative reality and if you enjoy waiting for the true love romance to build then you would completely enjoy The Core. I recommend this one without hesitation, mainly because I can see what might be an amazing series and I love to be in on the start of that discovery.

Equilibrium series = 1.) The Core 2.) The Light 3.) The Future 4.) The Past 5.) The Darkness

*I received an e-ARC of The Core from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Ellie has been an accountant for David Kelley for 2 years with no idea what the company really does. And, she is becoming attracted to him day by day. One day she sees him covered in blood in his office, with him seemingly unaware she sees him. Wanting to find out what is up with her boss, she and her twin Jacob follow him around. This, strangely enough, leads her to a business trip to LA the next day where he promises to give her answers, even if the answers are more than she can believe. What she finds out startles her and makes her realize there is a lot more to this world than she ever knew. How does he make his money? How did he know they were following him around? And, most of all, how can she believe she is going to help keep the world in balance?

I went into this book not really sure what to expect. Was he a vampire? A werewolf? I am always a little disappointed when the book tries to build up suspense when most of the plot is listed in the description. Please, publishers, give the author a chance! But, I wasn’t at all disappointed in the book. There were well-drawn characters, a satisfying plot, the romance between Ellie and David was sweet, and it was a fast read. There wasn’t any sex, so be warned, but don’t be disappointed as it was still a great romance without it. Sure there were things that drove me a little crazy but not too crazy. At times, I really wanted to slap Ellie for being a little dense. Maybe I would do the same things she did, but when you see those things over and over, you have to realize something’s going on. And the cliffhanger ending! I turned the page (or flicked the page) and it was the end! But well-played, Ms. Thomas, I’m about the get the other ones. Do yourself a favor and get this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Good Tales Book Tours for the chance to read this book. This review will also be posted on Goodreads.

I received a ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
Really enjoyable read there's so many twists and turns that right when I thought I was on it, another twist happened and the suspense throughout kept me gripped. Ellie and David have a very a slow burn relationship and I was disappointed when it ended as it did as I was rooting for them and needed more, so I'm patiently waiting for the next book. I really enjoyed it and will defiantly read more by this author.