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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🌶️🌶️/5
I beg authors, editors, publishers, their team or whoever is in charge to please stop using this kind of cover. I almost didn’t read it because the cover is so “Fabio” coded it made me not even want to glance at the blurb.
But I ended up liking the book. The writing as a whole worked for me (the smut was just meh). The plot was strong, and I surprisingly liked the pacing and progression. Normally, stories that take place over just two to four weeks feel rushed to me, but this one didn’t. Knowing it’s a standalone made me a little more forgiving, but honestly it didn’t feel rushed or dragged out at all, except toward the end where it started to feel like a never ending epilogue.
I loved Thea and Conall. They were well written and complemented each other in a way that felt natural. Their compatibility and chemistry were definitely there. My main issue isthe whole “they love each other so much” angle, which felt unearned. Both the MMC and FMC kept waxing poetic about someone they literally just met last week, and the fact they were Mates didn’t quite convince me that they could already be that in love.
Another thing that bugged me wasthe Fae reveal. It felt thrown in without proper setup, aside from her being allergic to iron. It didn’t feel necessary, and it pulled me out of the story a bit.
Still despite those issues, I really enjoyed the book.
I beg authors, editors, publishers, their team or whoever is in charge to please stop using this kind of cover. I almost didn’t read it because the cover is so “Fabio” coded it made me not even want to glance at the blurb.
But I ended up liking the book. The writing as a whole worked for me (the smut was just meh). The plot was strong, and I surprisingly liked the pacing and progression. Normally, stories that take place over just two to four weeks feel rushed to me, but this one didn’t. Knowing it’s a standalone made me a little more forgiving, but honestly it didn’t feel rushed or dragged out at all, except toward the end where it started to feel like a never ending epilogue.
I loved Thea and Conall. They were well written and complemented each other in a way that felt natural. Their compatibility and chemistry were definitely there. My main issue is
Another thing that bugged me was
Still despite those issues, I really enjoyed the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Torture, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
FMC: Thea Quinn, unknown supernatural
MMC: Connell MacLennan, werewolf alpha
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Pages: 447
Tropes: Paranormal Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Heroine on the Run, Bodyguard Romance, Fated Mates
Setting: Scottish Highlands; Europe
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. From the enemies to lovers vibe in the first half to the true mates and mysteries being revealed in the second half, this book kept me intrigued from start to finish. I’ve real many other books by Samantha Young, but this was the first paranormal romance I’ve read by her and it stood up to all the expectations I had. There was a lot of mystery surrounding Thea and I enjoyed the world building with her at the center. Connell was a fantastic character. He may have chosen the wrong person the trust in the beginning, but he never doubted Thea after she trusted him with her story. I loved Connell the protector and Connell the hunter. He was devoted to his pack and his family but I appreciated the way his mate came first in his mind. But the fact that Thea would never ask him to put her above all else made it even easier to see they were the perfect match. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this series.
3.5-4 stars. The writing and editing left a lot to be desired, with many words slightly misused and some unoriginal dialogue and plot “twists”. Overall though, this book was a pleasant surprise.
The plot and world-building was pretty good, as the connection and slow burn romance between the two main characters as he realizes he’d misjudged her. I enjoyed Thea’s character growth especially, and the well-fleshed out secondary characters. While I probably won’t ever re-read this, it was a good read.
The plot and world-building was pretty good, as the connection and slow burn romance between the two main characters as he realizes he’d misjudged her. I enjoyed Thea’s character growth especially, and the well-fleshed out secondary characters. While I probably won’t ever re-read this, it was a good read.
Has a potentially promising storyline, but "super powerful hot petite hot woman who doesn't know WHY she's powerful and is being hunted and needs a male to help" is a trope that's done to death and this one doesn't especially stand out from the crowd. The prose was a little choppy for my taste, especially in the beginning of the book (which is just a style preference thing and, to be fair, potentially an editor-issue thing as opposed to an author) and felt like the world building around the supernaturals was done hastily once the book got around to dedicating itself to that task, but it's part of a series and it's possible that that's just a flaw that comes from how the author chose to launch the series. It does a really good job avoiding instalove and doesn't patronize the reader by trying to pretend that the reveal can't be seen coming way in advance. Totally recommend this for a beach read type thing, but if you're looking for something with layers and detail and intrigue, this is probably not it.
Spoiler
mates
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a FUN read!!! I was hooked from the beginning, the hunt was incredibly entertaining. The yearning! The spice! Loved the FMC
“Death and I are old friends.”
If you’ve been around for any length of time, you know I ride hard for Samantha Young. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to start her PNR series (under S. Young)!! Sam has a unique way of making these characters so much more than just their paranormal elements. She gave them very unique and deep backstories that I could have kept reading about them! I also loved that Scotland was still important to this story even if it wasn’t where the majority of the book took place.
I am excited to continue this interconnected series and see what is next!
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed the spin on the faerie lore in this story.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Does this objectively deserve four stars? Probably not. However, I had a great time reading this and thought there some really fun tropes involved. It is a good length for a medium stakes paranormal romance and I liked the characters. Honestly, this also felt quite nostalgic to me - which made it extra fun.
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