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bookcraft's review against another edition
4.0
Lee and Gideon are definitely my favorite of Harper Fox's recurring characters, and as usual, their adventures don't disappoint. There's a lot to unpack in this book, possibly more than usual, and she handles almost all of it with the deft hand her readers have come to expect. I'm even going to give her a pass on For someone whose work is usually so seamless, that portion of the plot felt like it had uncharacteristic faint sticky authorial fingerprints on it.
(Gleeful sidenote: While reading, I had a Steve Rogers moment "I understood that reference!" Thank you, misspent Wiccan youth.)
Spoiler
the demonization of Elowen over changing her mind (temporarily) about the adoption, because the book is from Gideon's POV and he's justifiably angry with her; I do wish Elowen hadn't come across as such a one-dimensional flake with regard to an issue that is so complex, though.(Gleeful sidenote: While reading, I had a Steve Rogers moment "I understood that reference!" Thank you, misspent Wiccan youth.)
scarletine6's review
3.0
Personally, I found the storyline about the baby problematic. No matter whether Gideon and Lee were the best choice of parents for Tamzin, the way this was written made me feel uncomfortably like Lee's sister had been coerced into handing over her child. Her character was muddy to say the least- on one hand she was an archeologist, intelligent and career driven. While on the other she was described as being promiscuious, flighty and uncaring. I wasn't sure who she was and she seemed more like a handy shoe-in so that Gid and Lee could be parents.
Gideon and Lee are still a gorgeous couple and I do enjoy the mystery/history and Cornish storylines, but the unease the baby story arc made me feel was too prominent to allow me to enjoy this as much as I'd have liked.
Gideon and Lee are still a gorgeous couple and I do enjoy the mystery/history and Cornish storylines, but the unease the baby story arc made me feel was too prominent to allow me to enjoy this as much as I'd have liked.
jessslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
leelah's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Just to be clear- I love Gid and Lee, one of my favorite couples in genre.
I couldn't really put my finger on what irked me about this installment, until I went through my thoughts on previous books of T&F series.
Ok, it's like this: Harper Fox and especially this series became my go-to rec when someone asks me what is good to read in genre: it's quality and it's (unfortunately) still obscure enough to be overlooked. But the main reason is, that there are pretty big chances it would appeal to majority of readers: there is that perfect balance of interesting mystery plot, a strong, beautifully developed romance and just a touch of supernatural. I really liked how this made me feel: I wanted to know 'who's done it', but at the same time I cared about MCs and what was going on between them.
Essentially, I felt like this installment detoured from this structure. Not just that focus was more on Lee's and Gideon's relationship, but I felt like mystery and Lee' clairvoyance was actually in service of developing romance even further. The biggest part of book is dedicated to baby plot(if you read Kitto- last line gives you pretty good hint what was going on). It's sweet and emotional, but totally predictable (which I even understand why- it's comfort thing).
I know this comes down to personal taste, but pouring everything into this for sake of establishing-not happy end- but even happier end for couple would not bother me if it's not on expanse of other parts of plot. I actually really liked the premise: reappearance of Bodmin Beast, superstition around town and especially Gideon's interaction with other people from Dark... The witch, Prowse and Gid's family were a picture of small town mentality and close-knit community. I wanted more of this and less baby stuff. :|
As for supernatural element, it's something I feared would happen after I finished book #3: making Gid "special"; giving him his own power, spiritual role. It wasn't really necessary, since it was more of a just another way for him to connect and understand Lee better. He was already perfect in that way.
And my biggest peeve is this:
This series has a theme: each installment revolves around holiday; festivities. This time it was Guldize, harvest festival typical for Cornwall area. In previous installments, the festivity theme was perfectly incorporated in story. It's actually a pretty big part of each book because it enhances the overall atmosphere: the appeal of Bodmin Beast in first book is due to fact it was happening during Halloween, for example. Here, the mark was missed and Guldize didn't play any role except to describe old pagan ceremony of Crying the Neck which was a nice bit of trivia, but just that.
All in all: another good installment, but not as strong as other in series.
claudia_is_reading's review
5.0
With each of the books of this series the lyrical, atmospheric writing get you more and more deeply into the story. The supernatural permeates everything, sometimes subtly, sometimes not so much, but always there.
Here we have Gideon and Lee, one year into their marriage, learning to be fathers aside from husbands, when something heart-breaking happens. From there the story flows, unravelling the mysteries, introducing new characters while the old ones keep growing and the Bodmin's Beast growls.
I don't want this series end. NEVER.
Here we have Gideon and Lee, one year into their marriage, learning to be fathers aside from husbands, when something heart-breaking happens. From there the story flows, unravelling the mysteries, introducing new characters while the old ones keep growing and the Bodmin's Beast growls.
I don't want this series end. NEVER.
suze_1624's review against another edition
5.0
It is Mr and Mr Tyack-Frayne, what more needs to be said!
I love how Lee and Gid are so much a unit, even before the mind meld stuff they are just a solid couple.
I do enjoy the weaving of folklore and tradions into the tale as well as the good dose of things that go bump - or howl - in the night.
And they get Tamsyn!
Whilst the stories could be read standalone I feel reading in order and living Lee and Gid's life with them gets the biggest reward from this series. Didn't want to put it down but I did have to sleep! More please Ms Fox!
I love how Lee and Gid are so much a unit, even before the mind meld stuff they are just a solid couple.
I do enjoy the weaving of folklore and tradions into the tale as well as the good dose of things that go bump - or howl - in the night.
And they get Tamsyn!
Whilst the stories could be read standalone I feel reading in order and living Lee and Gid's life with them gets the biggest reward from this series. Didn't want to put it down but I did have to sleep! More please Ms Fox!