Charade Review & Cole Spotlight

Charade
Heven & Hell Series, #2
by Cambria Hebert
First Published May 18, 2012
Format Reviewed: eBook (purchased)


Synopsis:
The second novel in the Heven and Hell series.
Dying at the hands of a psycho was a shock. Having my life returned to me by an angel was incredible. Being named a Supernatural Treasure and being given Sam as my guard was pretty darn awesome. Acquiring a debt for it all—well, I should have seen it coming.
Now here we are, fighting demons from Hell, caring for a boy that I just don’t trust, and traveling to faraway places to return a treasure to its rightful place. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone wears a mask; everyone puts on a charade. It’s up to us to separate the truth from the lies and reality from fiction. A hard task when my new reality involves fallen angels, witches and dragons… and did I mention Hell?
Anchoring me down through it all is Sam. Sam, who must face tragedies of his own and is put to the test again and again.
If we fail in our task, life as we know it—life as you know it—will end. Forever.

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My Thoughts:

In Masquerade we find out that everyone is hiding behind a mask; everyone has something to hide. In Charade we find out how good some of those masks were at hiding the truth, and that nothing is ever as it seems. Heven and Sam are tasked with travelling to Rome to return the scroll that China had taken, but getting there is proving to be more difficult than they imagined. Hell is literally breaking loose and demons are finding their way to Heven  to stop her. Thankfully she has Sam who is able to obliterate the demons to dust. He is her guardian, her protector and he will never let anything happen to Heven as long as he is alive. Unfortunately for the duo, demons are not their only problem. Kimber blames Heven for stealing Cole and is determined to make her pay. 

Charade is full of twists and revelations that kept my head spinning. Cambria is one of the few authors that have given me literary whiplash! I can usually work out the general outline of what is going to happen or get the gist of plot, but dang, Cambria has woven her work so tight that no stray thread is ever sticking out! Even Grandma is hiding something! I love that we get to see more of the supernatural world in Charade. There are new species added to the roster and many of them will surprise you. When I first started reading the series I thought that this would be mainly speculative fiction with a twist, but it is truly paranormal and it is written beautifully. 

I love that Heven continues to mature from the once scarred girl to a young woman who is fully embracing her new found powers. I love the relationship between her and Sam; it is a pure, selfless love that makes my heart soar. The "breakup" of Kimber and Heven's friendship was something that I saw coming - but not for the reasons you think. Cole's true identity is a complete surprise, and I am interested in seeing how that will play out later. The new character Gemma, a fallen angel, is somewhat of an enigma. What is she really there for and why did she fall? And then there is Logan, Sam's brother. I am never sure what is going on with him and if he is going to become a real problem for Sam and Heven or if he will just be a nuisance. 

Charade takes you from Portland to Rome, from Grandma's farm to the catacombs, from the halls of school to the depths of Hell in this exciting, adventure and romance filled novel. This is by far my favorite book in the series so far! The battle between good and evil, light and dark is highlighted throughout the book. The message that emanates throughout is that there are always consequences to any action and those actions will always affect someone other than yourself. Heven and Sam have to keep asking themselves when there is a choice, should you take the easy road or should you take a stand? 

I can't wait for Tirade to be released! Bewitched, the next novella, will have to do to tide me over until then. Just when you think that there can't possibly be more twists Cambria goes and introduces new characters and species. And the ending...definitely a cliffhanger, but is done so that I am anxiously awaiting the next book in a somewhat patient manner. I hope that we will find out more about Heven's mother and why she acts the way she does. I am also hoping that Logan won't get in the way of Heven and Sam and that we will finally get some concrete answers! Cambria Hebert is an amazing and talented writer and has created a must read series for all ages!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Book Trailer:

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Character Spotlight:

Cole

I can't say too much about Cole without giving away some secrets, but what I will say is that he is a sweet and caring guy. If you want to know more about him then read Charade, his true colors are revealed and you get to see a side of him that is unexpected. Is he your favorite guy? Are you Team Cole? If you are you can visit Cambria's site and get the button I have featured below and post your allegiance proudly!

Cole: 

Cole is 16. He’s popular, a star football player and dating the most stylish girl in school, Kimber. Never mind the fact that they fight every five minutes and he feels an intense need to watch out for Heven. Cole doesn’t know it yet but his life is about to be turned upside down in more ways than one. 

STATS: 

Eye color: Blue

Drives: blue pick –up truck

Employment status: works at a grocery store

Favorite food: Pizza

Hobby: Play football

Favorite Quotes from Cole:

“I just feel like something is going on; I don’t understand it. I can’t help but feel like I need to protect you.” ~ Cole

“This was my favorite shirt,” he muttered, and in one swift movement, he pulled it up over his head and tossed it at his feet. I averted my gaze, but not before I noted how wide his shoulders were and how toned his muscles had gotten from playing football. ~Cole

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After I finished reading Masquerade I stalked Cambria's site waiting for information on when the new books were going to come out. I watched the countdown for Between and then I watched the countdown for Charade. I was completely obsessed with this series and it is a major reason as to why I got into blogging in the first place. Once I did, I found Tell Me Something Tuesdays and then became a proud member of Team Heven and Hell. Whenever a new book comes out I do a little happy dance - you should see the looks I get from my husband - and I know that I am not the only one. So I am going to share a video of Cambria doing her version of Meet the Author/Cribs/Release Day WooHoo! Now you can all be crazy stalkers like me!