Oh...no, nononono....what is that!? It can't be happening to me. It cannot be the end. *hysterical flailing*

And still it is. Till I get down to the final installment. In the meantime, I stop crying so I can make a decent review. *takes a deep breath*. *I can do this.*

"Your heart knows. Your soul remembers."

I happen to be in the front seat of all the non-stop emotion roller-coaster and there's no way out. Not that if I would ever want to get out. I've bought my season ticket :D

I feel the urging need to produce Team Ren shirts ASAP since the boundaries are starting to wearing off between the brother's. Kishan *swooning alert* is so upfront when it comes to his feelings for Kelsey. I'm not blaming him for falling for the same girl like Ren because it's in their DNA apparently. But it doesn't exactly foster family bond, does it? Bro's Code is out of the question obviously. Though we don't read much about their rivalry (I can take some men-in-action scrum;) For what is worth, I'm not siding the opposite seducing-bad-boy side, no matter how alluring Kishan is.

"I was destined to love you and I will belong to you forever."

The plot never leave me laid-back for one second and when I miss Ren at one point bumm! there he goes in the next chapter. Colleen Houck masterfully balances the romance with action, interweaving mythical creatures—the dragons are so cool—plus Indian cuisine and culture. She definitely made me sated. Job well done!

Ren, if I haven't said it enough times, here it is one more time. I love you. *embarrassing beetroot-cheek*

Their love is so good, just pure that is the pinnacle of affection that a girl can imagine...that's how you can tell it exists only in books.

Officially now, Ren is my Number 1 book boyfriend. Lucky him. <3 I have this strong urge to grab him at his collars, pull him out of the pages and drag him home with me. Who needs Kelsey anyway if I am there for him, right? ;)

I get to the point where I can only think about that I need an Indian-tiger-to-be-prince and if I hit a streak of good luck, I may start working in the zoo so as to find a white tiger accidentally needing me to break a hundred-year-old curse having put on him. That would be amaze-balls!

Kishan, I send you a big hug and a big kiss on your delicate lips.

What beats me, that everyone hates love triangles. How super-boring huge vacant hole of space would be the earth without extra amount of skirmish for a girl. Seriously!! What's more, we wouldn't have the privilege of admiring two super-hot virile masterpieces of mundane existence. Snatch at the possibility of being in the company of such adorable cupcakes for hundreds of pages, I suggest!

How I feel now

It left me breathless and yearning for more...more, more.

Rating

5 out of 5

"One day, if you make the most of it, can be moe satisfactory than a lifetime squandered."

One word that describes the final book

???

Cannot describe in one word. But I could list 100 different kind of exaggerated expressions right now and it still wouldn't be enough to declare how I feel.

Before you read it

Sleeping is a big no-no. Get ready for reading it untill your eyes get sore and lock yourself up in your chamber and make sure that the dragon would chase away anybody who gets close enough to speak to you because that special one would not make the light of day after busting your pink-love-Ren-bubble.

How I feel at the start

I. Can't. Bear. It. Anymore. Save me...

Someone should diminish the pain right away because I'm not sure how much of Kelsey's stubborness I can tolerate any longer, which is enough to make the angels weep.
Shoot me.

"Why aren't you with the man you love?"

It's one thing Kelsey and Kishan are together, that I can't get enough of Ren and Kelsey together makes my life truly miserable. But Kelsey having agreed to marry Kishan is another thing entirely. She always needs a guy who pulls her bacon out of the fire. Although she's said to be the choosen one supposedly altering the destiny of entire India, no day rolls by during which at least one of the boys is saving her ass. What if she chooses to be single for this time? Not wishing to spend her lifetime 4ever alone is a crappy excuse. The worst part is that all the boys are always there like little puppies nipping at her heel because she's Miss Perfect. Urgghh...

“Each step that you’ve taken, each foe that you’ve overcome, each hardship that you’ve endured, has led you here, now, to this moment. It is the eve of your destiny, Kahl-see. It is meant to be, because it has always been so."

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

After the series of battles fought after battles, trials of love, the hope for a new lease of life, Kelsey is ready to embrace her destiny and not to waste a moment on mourning those she left behind. She'd better do so because I was ready to reach for her through the pages and shake her until I beat some sense into her. I was wondering if she was also fed up with the obvious that she's capable of bringing mature adult to their knees and making them to fight her battles. Is it even possible to love two boys at the same time? It sounds like it's even a challinge to have a crash on just one. But how would I know? If love is knocking at the door, then it's knocking at the door. Only if she let it in! Good heavens. I'm watching a pot that never boils...

"Not a moment has gone by in the last two years when I wasn’t overwhelmed by my feelings for you."

Match made in heaven—Till death do as apart

I've been watching a pot that never boils since it felt like forever to see them getting married. On the other hand, it's been a crazy-head-spinning-train that I never wanted to get off. I'll need another novel of their after-marriage even if there wouldn't be parallel universes, magical creatures and I would definitely not be crying after the nutcracker boogey Lokesh man. Their relationship single-handedly is outstanding, heartwarming, mind-blowing and a twenty different kinds of awesome!

Observation: Oddly enough, I was deeply hurt when Kishan had said goodbye to Kelsey. Such a sweet guy, yet unfortunately they were never meant to be. Poor thing.

At least it was a clean break.

How I feel after

I died a few times and couldn't see through the veil of my tears. Don't you dare miss such a staggering-turn-the-whole-world-inside-out love story that sets the world on Fire.

Rating

I can't confine it into a spectrum of five friggin' numbers. You. Cannot. Make. Me.

“You are everything to me, Kelsey Hayes. Every moment with you shines brighter than the last.”

P.S.

Dear Ren,

I would like to thank you for being with me during this entire four book journey which has raised me in cloud nine and I dreamed rainbow and unicorn because of you. That I loved you since your first “Hello, Kelsey. It’s me, Ren.” till your last “You can’t escape my clutches, Mrs. Rajaram". That you invaded my waking thoughts and made me myself scribble your name in red hearts and just being a shot of pure good straight into the heart. I'll remember you. Always. <3

Xoxo

Hardcore fangirl

How I came across my book lover

It's the second book of The tiger's curse series. Of course, I had to read it! Letting it go was out of question.

Regrets

I'd only have regrets if I would have missed it reading. That'd have been a huge mistake. Believe me.

The show keeps rolling

Kelsey returns her plain life. And everything seems gray without Ren. I can only imagine. How obstinate that woman is! Calling him is a non-starter and denying her feelings makes it worse.

So what's her next step? Dating with other guys yep! They must be superheros to uproot the memory of Ren. Lee, however, is quite a gentleman and I'd give everything if I could see their sweaty fight scene on the mat of his wushu studio...
But don't lie to ourselves his only problem is that he's not Ren. End of the story.

Though she still longs for him she doesn't let her stubborn heart to waver. What a self-destructive human being. It costs her happiness. Silly girl...

The perfecr Christmas gift

"I was restless, a wild animal without . . . without his mate."

But ladies and ladies, the day has come when Ren's got back! I can't be mad at him despite the fact that it took too long he made up his mind and set out to fly after Kelsey, not to mention that I needed to wait tens of pages until he got back in the games. I wouldn't wish this kind of consuming suffering for my worst enemies.

In the next chapter of their scorching affair Ren is expected to fight for the girl he loves just because Kelsey refuses to jump on him and beg him to stay with her forever. Nice.

Kelsey is a hell of a double agent because even if she plays the unapproachable, she can't hide the obvious that she'd rather escape to Las Vegas to secretly marry him. The wall built around her is effectively pulled down by hús charm once and for all. Cheers!

The recipe of Ren's charm (how he makes girls fall to his feet)

Look like a bronze-skinned blue-eyed semi-god descending directly from heaven.

Step 1

Say things like:

"You were on the other side of the world, but I often woke with the scent of you surrounding me. I ached for you, Kells."

"I’d dream of you and reach out to
touch you, but you were always just out of reach."

Step 2

Hide written notes at your place to convince you're in live with him:

"You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back."

Step 3

Make the girl beg for a kiss. Deities don't give it free, you see.

The mix of aching-craving ingredients and voilà! Triple chocolate meltdown à la Ren.

Duty calls

Just as my head feels a complete buzz of pinky wing-fluttering butterflies then Bumm! The Eye has found them and I'm sorry to announce...Ren has been kidnapped. Parallel to Kell's emotions, I feel as devastated as she must be. But! The other golden-eyed kit-cat steps into his brother's shoes. What he hasn't suspected is that they're too big to full in. Mission impossible.

Frenzy with fear for Ren, she's resolute to find the other gift of Durga and in the meantime, she doesn't try hard to keep Kishan's impetuous endeavors at bay for my taste. No offense but Kishan falls behind Ren by a long shot even if he's a really good guy.

May I represent you myself as the Captain of Team Ren boat. Feel free to join the booklong cruise of heart-warming Ren-poems and Ren-flowers-of-speech and dedicated-to-Kelsey songs composed by Ren. Buck up since we're already pretty crowded on the deck.

Observation: I love to jump back into Indian traditions. A real culture shock and I don't even need to leave the country's borders. How convenient.

We are wandering among fairies and mythological creatures. My wildest dreams come to true as I can day-dream all day. Even if I actually miss sleep at night because I can't put my new BFF down ;)

Rating

11 out of 5

'Ah Kelsey. Where do I begin? There's so much I need to tell you, but I don't even know where to start.'

And yes it is hard to grasp and highlight the essence of the story because it is not that is all about in the first place. It's highly probable that I'm going to flabber about the enchanting relationship of the main characters rather than go into the details of the plot which is excessively action-packed and never-ever gets boring or dull which is quite cool. I wish it was to be interpreted to a movie. It's gonna be awesome. But in this very moment I'm interested in their blooming romance and I leave action to be discussed later.

Entwined

I was forced. Literally. My four-hundred-page edition was scarry. I couldn't get down to it for a very long time.

My lover

Definitely!

The tiger and his prey

Kelsey and Ren set off on a beautiful, emotional and passionate path of eternal love that of every second has significance and influences the entire future of India. It is already outstanding and magical when Kelsey feels a tangible connection between her AND the tiger. It is like she attracted to him before she knew what he really was. A cursed royalty. Like she could look into the core of the tiger's heart. I love that part. Who wouldn't? God, she even reads poem to the tiger. I mean who does that? Romeo and Juliet is not exactly a piece of smoky meat.
And here comes the principals of dumb ever-repeating sentences: appearance is not everything, eyes are the mirror of the soul blablah...and now they prove to be true! Big surprise. Sometimes it feels good when something you judged so easily turnes out to be the opposite. Sometimes.

Beginnings

Kelsey seems to be an ordinary girl from and ordinary family with ordinary outlook and simply everything is unEXTRAordinary (at least she said that, I'm not saying it because I'm jealous of her and the GreenMonster is hanging above my head. Not. At. All! ) So the point is beside her plainness somehow she got mingled up in an extraordinary adventure with Ren the tiger and (if you ask me the semi-god) they head for India from the ordinary Oregon (okay I won't say the word ordinary again I promise) to seek the golden fruit, posession of Indian goddess Durga in the hope of gaining Ren's freedom.

Her parents died in a car accident and she mourns ever since. She is isolated and doesn't let form bonds with people. It's a big step forward since she shares personal stories with Ren and gives a sneak-peak how lonely she feels continually. Actually animals dont't talk back which helps a lot I guess.

Ren

'His eyes were what riveted me the most. They were my tiger’s eyes, the same deep cobalt blue.
Reaching out a hand, he spoke. “Hello, Kelsey. It’s me, Ren.'

Not a girl in the whole big bright universe would ever feel lonely if she posessed the most precious pearl of the Indian crowd. How could on earth a smooth bronze-skinned angel with perfect cobalt blue eyes and glossy black hair landed on our planet of dust, muddle and lifelong suffering, and stepped in our mundane life? I have NO idea. Ren. Is. Gorgeous. Obviously.
I may not exaggerate if I say he is the kind of guy that every single absent and not absent-minded, young and not so young, with or without brace girls tend to fall for and who is able to 'send the girls off into wistful daydreams'. And they are absolutely RIGHT! '

'He’s so . . . attractive, charming, magnetic, compelling . . . captivating. Women would follow him over a cliff.'

Let's put the part of his super-masculine features aside (however that is not less worthy to look at and which you definitely cannot ignore). It is most likely that if I got the chance to stay with him in a tiny room with a large soft bed, I would swallow the key if you know what I mean...anyway, he not only fits Kelsey but he is made for her. Designed in the heaven by little blonde chubby-fingered cherubs if you will. Ren is the most unselfish human being of the most unselfish human beings (exept Peeta, right?) becuse it's the safety of Kelsey which comes first. So lucky!

Beside the fact that he is Alagan Dhiren Rajaram, heir of the Mujulaain Empire strucked by a curse doomed to suffer at least a three-hundred-year of captivity in the form of a tiger wandering from circus to circus until Kelsey wished him to be free and their adventure of liberating Ren started in a magical world, he knows really well what he wants from life. Money? you might ask. No, he has more than he needs. House? He owns one already overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Fancy new car? Nope. He desires love after all of those years of solitude and loneliness. And guess who embodies all he wishes for?...3...2...1. Yep. Jackpot! You have just won three million dollars, a luxury house on the Bahamas and a never fading memory of an-80-days-around-the-world-journey. It is Kelsey.

'We have to stay together, remember? I won’t leave you, Kelsey. I’ll never leave you.'

The story turns upside down and the time has come when the favored one of the mighty Indian goddess Durga who is arriving to the prince's aid. Now that I think about it I would say this is the kissing-the-slimy-but-cute-frog-to-turn-into-a-handsome-prince case. Typical. I wish I had a greenish gross froggy and I would not miss to kiss it either you bet. If it was necessary...or rather forced...okay I would only kiss it if I were in the middle of the dessert starving and aching for a drop of water while foxes are heading toward me threating to gobble me up. However, I must admit those girls always live happily ever after. Why? Why???

What makes me cry and crazy

Their flourishing romance is heating up gradually because Ren is able to change human for a few minutes which makes their short conversations and staring-at-eachother intensively even hotter and I keep on getting more and more excited. I am nearly scraping the wall while I am waiting them to kiss each other finally. And what do I get after a few hundreds of pages (at least it feels like a thousand years) ? Ren asks (and I repeat ASK) permission for a kiss. And that's it. Simple. Romantic. Chivalrous.
But she said NO! How dare you? Can't you see what's in front of your eyes? What the hell? I mean all I'm saying is that you'd better grab the sugar cube while you can little girl.

Her perpetual turning down Ren annoys me a lot, to say the least.

If only I were in her shoes!

What makes me feel high over hills

Their first kiss. Oh. My. God. It makes my heart skipping. Good job.

More animal alert

To make things more complicated Kishan Ren's brother shows up on the scene. Ladies and ladies the dinner is ready! The golden-eyed prince god. Is it a bit unequal, isn't it? A way too much testosterone if you ask me. But who cares? If that was a girl's only joy in life I wouldn't mind ;) He turns down the offer to join the crusade (for God's sake) because he wants to remain a tiger. Man, you must be crazy. Although you're not in your right mind, I feel sorry for you. You betrayed your brother, sold him to an evil, vicious, shrewd wizard who craved worldpower, took his fiancée and caused all of the tiger-trouble. Poor thing. No wonder you fight so gallantly for redemption.

Things get out of control

Ren and Kelsey set out boldly on their complex mission to Kishkinda where the tension rises. She feels safe next to her cobalt blue-eyed tiger who's become her best friend. But what about the flesh and blood masculinity who remains in his human form in the magical world twentyfour-seven? He makes her nervous, out of place, uncomfortable in her own skin. She could do that? She could open her heart and let it devoured by a millionare prince? What if he leaves her like her parents? What if she's not good enough for him? What if he wakes up and realises he needs a change? What then? If he could get any woman on the planet why would he bother? Maybe he's lonely or maybe she is the only girl handy. From that heartbreak she'd never become whole again.

The list of worries and lack of confidence is extremely long. Kelsey has no faith consequently she pushes him further and further away until he is out of reach. Congratulations. You've just condemned yourself to a miserable unhappiness for the rest of your life.

It's a wordly wisdom that you're a speck of dust in the ever-changing universe. But it doesn't matter until you find that special someone with whom you're breaking through time and space reaching the stars passing the outmost boundaries of earthly realm and in the explosion of all matters amidst the tiny molecules of your newly-created universe there will be him. And he's not going anywhere. He'll stand there till the end of days waiting for her to come. But she tends to lie even to herself and she's not ready yet. Kelsey is terrified of the power of the life altering first love.

On the contrary, Ren uses every tool to gain his well-deserved trophy. He's waited so many years already and he's determined not to let his sparkling diamond out of his hands. He's willing to wait like a predator for his prey. He's even tempting her with Shakespeare and nicknames in his mother tounge.

Here's the list:

Rajkumari - princess
Sundari - most beautiful
Iadala - darling
Pria - my beloved
Priytama - my sweetheart

Not a sensible girl would be able to resist for sure.
When Kelsey's dying after a magical creature bit her Ren feels an unbearable fear. The words he tells Kelsey that he could not live without her would never be said out loud in real life by any guy. And it's extremely unfortunate.

That's why I'm still single.

Endings

Kelsey leaves Ren behind in peaces but returning to Oregon doesn't bring end to her suffering either. Well done!

How I feel now

Desperate. I demand Ren to come back right away!

To sum up

I can't wait the next book!

Starring

Taylor Lautner just fits to the character of the golden-eyed brother Kishan perfectly. He's definitely improving in acting and to add to that he looks on bigscreen hot. As for Ren I don't even try to imagine his face. He's too pure to replace him with an actor. No one is that flawless in real life.

Songs recommended

Swedish House Mafia - Don't you worry child
When Ren tells Kelsey the story of his past.
https://youtu.be/1y6smkh6c-0

Here's a cover which is pretty cool.

Demi Lovato - Heart attack
It reflects the complex feelings of Kelsey just perfectly when she decides she's leaving Ren.
https://youtu.be/AByfaYcOm4A

Coldplay - Magic
This song should be the background music when Ren changes human for the first time.
https://youtu.be/1PvBc2TOpE4

Raiting
6 of 5