Hush Hush (Giveaway Points Post)

Hush Hush
by Becca Fitzpatrick
pub: Oct 2009
400 pages

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Synopsis: For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

A book that lives up to all the pre-released hype. I loved it!

Actually, the moment I finished the last sentence of the book I immediately went back to the beginning and started rereading. I couldn't get enough. Let me rephrase - I can't get enough of this book. Patch is wonderful! He's sexy, confident, sexy, cunning, sexy, sly, sexy, cocky, sexy, arrogant, sexy, dark, sexy, dangerous, sexy, deliciously masculine...and did I mention he's sexy? He's the kind of character that makes girls go weak at the knees.

And Nora -- our heroine!-- isn't a complete and total airhead! Soooo happy with that one. I've read reviews that say she's a little boring. I disagree, Nora just isn't an emotional mess. Instead Nora's smart, independent and rational which I think makes her perfect for dealing with Patch. She's attracted to Patch (who wouldn't be?) and at the same time repulsed by him (his controversial personality is part of the charm). Sure Nora has her slip ups, but if she didn't, she wouldn't be human and therefore she wouldn't be believable.

Hush, Hush is clean but definitely much, much sexier than Twilight ever was - and I loved Twilight - but, again, it was clean so it's ok for younger YA readers. On the Twilight note, I see some similarities between the two books. Forbidden romance is a common element. Also, like Edward, Patch has conflicting emotions for Nora, who, like Bella, is willing to sacrifice herself for the ones she loves.

Every now and then the plot slows, but it more than makes up for it with character in my opinion. Also, the prologue that had me questioning it's relevance for most of the book, at the end it ties in wonderously!! Hush, Hush is one of those books that pays off in a big way if you stick with it.

The majority of the mysteries are solved by the end, and I'm okay being left with a few questions -- they just set me up for the sequel.One problem I had with the book is that the tagline for Hush, Hush is "A secret oath. A fallen angel. A forbidden love." It seems fairly obvious who the fallen angel is in this forbidden romance, but Nora doesn't figure it out until the last third of the book. It's not because Nora is missing obvious clues, it's just the way the story runs. Irritating? Just a bit.

I've read some reviews that thought Patch was abusive toward Nora (emotional not physical). So I went back through the book and without giving away any spoilers, there's a shift within Patch and afterward his behavior toward Nora changes. Subtle but it is there. Again, another similarity to Twilight and Edward's initial cold behavior toward Bella.

What I haven't seen mentioned, which is a major problem I have with the book, is the behavior of Nora's best friend, Vee, near the end of the story. Nora is physically attacked and Vee completely blows off the incident and actually defends Nora's attacker! While Vee came off as rather ditzy I would never have expected her to do anything, but support her best friend and want to see the jerk in jail! This was a big "Whoa!" moment for me because throughout the book Vee is warning Nora to stay away from Patch because he's dangerous, and then suddenly it's ok for someone else to attack Nora? Um, no. Didn't track at all, at all.

Another issue (not huge) is that Fitzpatrick creates a wonderful relationship between Nora and her mom. It's warm and open, and they are very close. But when things go wrong I was taken out of the moment by the fact that Nora was not more inclined to go to her mother for help. The author does explain this somewhat, but when things became seriously dangerous, I thought Nora would, and should have confided in her mom. Not about the whole fallen angel thing, but just the basic human evil coming at her.

I've read other negative reviews that thought Hush, Hush was going to be more concentrated on the "ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen." I was expecting a paranormal romance not a battle royale so I wasn't disappointed.

I think readers looking for a hot paranormal romance will be thrilled with Fitzpatrick's creation.

I'm dying because the sequel, Crescendo, isn't coming out until fall of 2010. When I read that on her site I glared at the release date for a minute hoping it would laugh and say "Ha just kidding!" and rearrange into Coming Spring of 2010 (or Next Week!). That would have lifted the anvil of dismayal off my chest a smidgen.

The Cover: Absolutely gorgeous! A work of art!! The image is dramatic, but having it in black and white with just a few red feathers adds a great amount of depth and captures the essence of the book. I love this cover so much I'm putting in to win a poster of the cover here. FallenArchangel.com is hosting Hush, Hush Cover Week providing us with interviews with everyone responsible for bringing Patch to life! Plus the poster contest.

We have a copy of Hush Hush in the MegaBook Giveaway that will have 23 winners so far. Go to the contest post if you'd like to enter!