Ruined
By Jus Accardo
4.5/5
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About this ebook
Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely... And it's killing him.
After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past-and a guy-she's been trying to forget.
Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone-or, something-followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.
Hell is looking for a way to break loose...
Series order:
Eternal Balance Book 1: Ruined
Eternal Balance Book 2: Embrace
Eternal Balance Book 3: Released
Read more from Jus Accardo
Rules of Survival Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Darker Days Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Bad Wolf Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Darker Past Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Ruined
6 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time I’ve been infatuated with a demon. There seriously has to be some sort of internal moral compass that is being disturbed. I blame Supernatural. “I fucking love Lucifer”, are words that have actually spilled forth from my mouth any time Mark Pellegrino is on screen. And that one time that my mom asked me what was up with Crowley and I told her he is my favorite demon of all time and she looked at me strange for a week or so.That’s how I feel about Jax. Like, he’s obviously a tad evil (he’s got a demon floating around inside him for god sakes), but I couldn’t help but like it. So, with all that said, I have a total book boy crush on the son of Cain.The premise of Ruined is very interesting. I was intrigued the second I read the tidbit about the descendants of Cain. I’m very familiar with the story of Cain and Abel, and I was excited to see how this would all play out.I fell in love immediately. Ruined grabbed my attention like Pinterest grabs my attention when I have a stack of reports on my desk at work. Once I started I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want Sam and Jax’s story to end. I had no problem wrapping up their backstory with the present. They obviously have some built up tension in there and I loved their banter.Sam and Jax reminded me of Perry and Dex from Karina Halle’s Experiment in Terror series. And those books are my shit. So when I started comparing the two not even half way through Ruined, I was okay with where thing were going. They both have that relatable story that is easy to get involved in. (Minus the demons and supernatural shit in both series). Jax is sexy as all hell (pun intended). He is sarcastic. He is a smart-ass. He is adorable. And he is sharing his body with a demon named Azirak. Whom I also grew to love, because basically they’re the same person.Sam, possibly one of the strongest female characters I’ve ever read about, has some serious balls. Not once did I feel like anything she did was strictly for the love of a boy. She saw the greater picture. She’s cool.Chase is this evil, manipulative villain that I really liked to begin with. Maybe I still like him. Don’t ask me. I don’t know. I believe the Flynn brothers really do love each other. They’re the only family either has.Heckle!!! (I couldn’t help but thinking of Hoggle from Labyrinth the entire time). He was a pleasant surprise!Action.Humor.Sexy twin brothers.A family curse with a twist.Did I cover everything?Ruined is awesome! Don’t miss it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Action packed new adult paranormal with a good blend of romance and adventure. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a steamy paranormal read.Opening Sentence: Why?The Review:Jax has a very bad family tree, he is a descendant from the first murderer on earth, Cain. It is said that Cain’s prodigy is cursed and turns out that is true. Jax has had to share his body with a demon his whole life and it has been a struggle to keep control. The demon finds pleasure in the violence and pain of others. The demon fills Jax’s mind full of grotesque images and hateful thoughts. Some of his most violent thoughts have been geared towards the people Jax cares about the most. To keep the demon at bay, Jax left everything he loved behind including the girl he loved more than anything.Sam left her home town and all the pain it held behind to head to college. Months after she left she is attacked and the only place she feels safe is her home town, so she heads back. Sam thought when she left school that she would be safe, but danger has followed her back and the only person that can help her is the man that broke her heart three years ago. Forced together to survive, Jax and Sam have to unravel the mystery of who wants Sam dead while fighting their undeniable attraction.The story alters between Jax and Sam’s POV which is my favorite way to read a story. First up you meet Jax the sexy half demon. His whole life has been a struggle for control. When he was a kid it was easier to ignore the violent urges but the older he got the harder it became. He left to protect those he loved, but it has been a lonely three years. I instantly fell in love with Jax. He has the perfect blend of a bad boy with a golden heart. It’s obvious he’s not perfect, but the fact that he try’s to be good when it’s so hard is very admiring. He is also very sexy, and I pretty much loved everything about him.Sam has had a lot of heartache throughout her life. Her parents were murdered when she was a young girl and their killer was never caught. Then her best friend/love of her life left without saying goodbye, and hasn’t talked to her for three years. To top things off her plans of going to college didn’t really work out either. Sam was a very easy character to connect with and like. She has a very strong voice that never was whiny or annoying (with her situation it could have easily become this way). She lives a little bit in denial, but honestly with all that has happened to her, who could blame her. The more I got to know her the more I liked her, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her in the next book.Ruined was a great paranormal read with the perfect blend of romance, action, and mystery. The characters were engaging and easy to connect with. The romance was full of steamy moments and lots of sexual tension. The story was pretty intense and at times a little gruesome. But I thought that everything was balanced nicely and I honestly flew right through this book. The plot was a little predictable, but overall it was a very entertaining read. The ending wasn’t a huge cliffhanger, but it left me anxiously waiting for the next book to come out. Accardo is a fantastic author and I have enjoyed everything she has written so far, and this was no exception. If you are a fan of her work or are just looking for a good new adult paranormal read, make sure to give this one a try.Notable Scene:The instant our lips met, the watery inside of the car was gone, replaced by a wooded area surrounded by large rocks. Two teenagers–one angry boy and a damaged, but determined, girl stood in the center.It was a memory–one I remembered all too well, but it was different somehow. This was from someone else’s perspective. It took a second, but I realized it was the demon’s memory. The thing was remembering Sam and the kiss we shared the night I left. A rush of emotion hit hard. The soft, warm feel of Sam’s small body crushed to mine. The way her hair smelled like raspberries. Lips. Longing. Need. a moment of absolute peace and perfection in a life full of violence and pain.The memory faded, and Sam pulled away and opened her eyes–then her mouth. The mist bled into the water around us, swirling like colored ink. The dark blue of sadness tainted with regret and mingled with smoky gray fear. The demon was in control, but I felt it all. The sensation was overwhelming. It was pleasure and pain and necessity.A single bubble escaped Sam’s mouth and her eyes closed. I let out a rage-filled roar–or maybe it’d come from the demon. In that moment, we were so tangled up and twisted, I couldn’t tell where I ended and it began.Just when I was sure it would abandon her, it gathered Sam in my arms, shielding her, and crashed through the glass, kicking hard for the surface.FTC Advisory: Entangled: Embrace provided me with a copy of Ruined. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.