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cheriea0221's review against another edition
5.0
Addison Cain has an amazing talent to be able have the reader feel the emotions of the characters. This is the second book and it doesn't lack any of the action, feelings and raw sexual energy from the first book. The reader finds themselves having to choose between two men who both want Claire, one that is pure Alpha and the other much softer. There is also the villain that is so well written you hate her from the start! I would recommend this book for anyone who likes the darker erotica!
becca_themoodreader's review against another edition
4.0
It has to be crack because why do I like this series?
tamarig111's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lifeinthebooklane's review
5.0
Book 2 finished and I feel lost for words. Like Claire, lost in a world I do not comprehend nor understand.
Dark, so very bleak and dark. My heart broke so many times for Claire but also for Shepherd. I cried when she found the boy. I cried when she gave Corday the ring. I cried as she left Nola without a goodbye. She sees only her 'failures' where I see unending strength.
Each time Claire fought back it causes her more and more heartache. And perhaps I am as naive and 'foolish' as Claire but I too still have hope.
Shepherd loves her in his own way but as Jules observed he 'lacked the empathy to deal with conventional people'.
Corday would have been perfect for Claire prior to the fall of Tholos but not now. Jules understands her better than Shepherd but I'm still not sure of his agenda. And anyway the pair-bond means Sheppard or nothing.
So back to Maryanne's question. "Do you think Shepherd can change?'. Well isn't that the million dollar question we are all wondering about.
Dark, so very bleak and dark. My heart broke so many times for Claire but also for Shepherd. I cried when she found the boy. I cried when she gave Corday the ring. I cried as she left Nola without a goodbye. She sees only her 'failures' where I see unending strength.
Each time Claire fought back it causes her more and more heartache. And perhaps I am as naive and 'foolish' as Claire but I too still have hope.
Shepherd loves her in his own way but as Jules observed he 'lacked the empathy to deal with conventional people'.
Corday would have been perfect for Claire prior to the fall of Tholos but not now. Jules understands her better than Shepherd but I'm still not sure of his agenda. And anyway the pair-bond means Sheppard or nothing.
So back to Maryanne's question. "Do you think Shepherd can change?'. Well isn't that the million dollar question we are all wondering about.
an_apollinaria's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Shepherd's character is too inconsistent with the first book. In the first book he is this brutish, calculating dictator ready to crush everyone in his way and in book two he's Svana's lapdog, basically. It's pretty obcious that the author was taking the plot in one direction in book one, but scrapped the idea and took it into a completely different direction in book two, but it feels too contrived and just doesn't work. Why do they even need Svana? The keep saying the she has royal blood, but what of it? Just kill her and be done with it, no? What is the purpose of just reinstating monarchy, but from a different dome at that! Shepherd being able to resist Claire's heat for hours (which is supposed to be this animalistic way to make an Alpha go sex-crazy and would take supernatural self-control to fight), but a handy from Svana has him basically soling his pants and he can't resist how she rub his cock? Like how does that make sense? In book one he says to Claire: "Svana is dangerous" to try to explain why he did what he did, meaning he understands what she's like, but in book two Svana being dangerous and self-serving gives him a pikachu face and he gets in his feels. Like huh.
angliareadsx's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
smnthynzr's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I thought this second book was better than the first. There are still a lot of things I don't like, such as the rape and abuse, but holy shit- the writing is and the emotions the author pulled from me are not what I expected.
Seeing Claire become a shell of a person broke me. She was so gone but still trying to help the people which gave me such conflicting emotions.
I also grew to actually like Shepherd a little? I truly don't know how much of him is manipulation and how much is him just not having a basic understanding of human emotions, needs, or even just not knowing how to be a person. He was forged into what he is by his environment, an environment ran on chaos- but it does feel like he is actually trying to be good for Claire. Unfortunately, instead of knowing love and being able to give it, it's like he's reading from a manual to figure it out and can't see/won't listen that there isn't a singular right way to love someone and be a good partner. To make things worse, Claire is absolutely correct in that Svana has been a huge influence on him. He was/is s t a r v e d for human connection, love, compassion- and she took advantage of that. She heard of him, found his weakness (that he doesn't even realize), and has been manipulating him from the start. No part of me believes that she has ever cared about him and I am hoping book 3 pulls Shepherd's head out of her ass.
I truly wonder how he would have been if he hadn't met Svana. I wonder how he would be with Claire had things been different. Again, it feels like he's t r y i n g but he doesn't know how and his ego keeps getting in the way.
I also grew to actually like Shepherd a little? I truly don't know how much of him is manipulation and how much is him just not having a basic understanding of human emotions, needs, or even just not knowing how to be a person. He was forged into what he is by his environment, an environment ran on chaos- but it does feel like he is actually trying to be good for Claire. Unfortunately, instead of knowing love and being able to give it, it's like he's reading from a manual to figure it out and can't see/won't listen that there isn't a singular right way to love someone and be a good partner. To make things worse, Claire is absolutely correct in that Svana has been a huge influence on him. He was/is s t a r v e d for human connection, love, compassion- and she took advantage of that. She heard of him, found his weakness (that he doesn't even realize), and has been manipulating him from the start. No part of me believes that she has ever cared about him and I am hoping book 3 pulls Shepherd's head out of her ass.
I truly wonder how he would have been if he hadn't met Svana. I wonder how he would be with Claire had things been different. Again, it feels like he's t r y i n g but he doesn't know how and his ego keeps getting in the way.