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kzimm2024's review against another edition
5.0
Another great book, still a slooww crawl into a relationship between Jacky and Heath. This book was about someone trying to kill Jacky and the mayhem that ensues. Interesting how it wrapped back to Liza and it opens the door to Davor possibly not being such a meanie? And the family can find healing.
All this was overshadowed by some editing misses- sorry Kristen! As an employer, it stuck with me in an earlier book that Jacky had spoiled her employees and even bought Oliver a car. I was unable to dismiss the inconsistency in this book where Oliver talks about getting himself a car. So either I mis-read those entries in book 3 (I believe?) or that didn't get caught in editing.
Anyway- it should not stop anyone from enjoying these stories and I really like where the story is going next- the fae!
All this was overshadowed by some editing misses- sorry Kristen! As an employer, it stuck with me in an earlier book that Jacky had spoiled her employees and even bought Oliver a car. I was unable to dismiss the inconsistency in this book where Oliver talks about getting himself a car. So either I mis-read those entries in book 3 (I believe?) or that didn't get caught in editing.
Anyway- it should not stop anyone from enjoying these stories and I really like where the story is going next- the fae!
katyanaish's review
4.0
I love this series and these characters, and I loved this book, but it felt a little bit like a bridge taking us into the next book. Couple things that stand out to me though:
1 - I loooooove seeing Heath and Jacky's relationship continue to evolve, and seeing how stable and supportive it is. These two are the perfect counterbalance for each other.
2 - holy shit I may die of anxiety waiting for the news of them to come out
3 - fuck Davor, he is literally trash
4 -
5 - teen angst bitchy Carey was not my favorite
6 - no seriously, fuck Davor. And I'm mad at the rest of them for letting Davor get away with his shit
7 - except Zuri. I love her, and her scenes with Jacky gave me all the feels. Seriously, the spine of this series is the relationship with Hasan and his children, and I love watching it evolve. Except Davor, fuck him.
8 - the werewolves need to get taken down about 10 pegs, because book after book has made it clear that they feel they are above the law, and their society is a dumpster fire the size of Mt. Saint Helens. They need an epic beatdown, so they stop thinking they can walk all over everyone like they tried to do in the end of this book. I mean a large scale, absolutely epic smackdown that makes them check their ego.
9 - ❤️ Landon and Dirk. #fetch
10 - fuck Davor and his monstrous behavior. The only individual more in need of a beatdown than him is Callahan. But seriously, why hasn't Hasan or Jabari beaten his ass yet?
Gimme the next! *grabby hands*
Re-read April 2023
On this re-read, after Secrets and Ruin, I don't disagree with my original review at all. But I'll say point 8 from the above list is my strongest feeling right now. How are the werewolves not in serious shit, with the whole Tribunal lined up against them, for everything that happened in this book?
1 - I loooooove seeing Heath and Jacky's relationship continue to evolve, and seeing how stable and supportive it is. These two are the perfect counterbalance for each other.
2 - holy shit I may die of anxiety waiting for the news of them to come out
3 - fuck Davor, he is literally trash
4 -
Spoiler
The Liza connection came way out of left field to me. Was this tying up an old loose end so Liza can stop being a boat anchor on Jacky's relationship with her family?5 - teen angst bitchy Carey was not my favorite
6 - no seriously, fuck Davor. And I'm mad at the rest of them for letting Davor get away with his shit
7 - except Zuri. I love her, and her scenes with Jacky gave me all the feels. Seriously, the spine of this series is the relationship with Hasan and his children, and I love watching it evolve. Except Davor, fuck him.
8 - the werewolves need to get taken down about 10 pegs, because book after book has made it clear that they feel they are above the law, and their society is a dumpster fire the size of Mt. Saint Helens. They need an epic beatdown, so they stop thinking they can walk all over everyone like they tried to do in the end of this book. I mean a large scale, absolutely epic smackdown that makes them check their ego.
9 - ❤️ Landon and Dirk. #fetch
10 - fuck Davor and his monstrous behavior. The only individual more in need of a beatdown than him is Callahan. But seriously, why hasn't Hasan or Jabari beaten his ass yet?
Gimme the next! *grabby hands*
Re-read April 2023
On this re-read, after Secrets and Ruin, I don't disagree with my original review at all. But I'll say point 8 from the above list is my strongest feeling right now. How are the werewolves not in serious shit, with the whole Tribunal lined up against them, for everything that happened in this book?
Spoiler
The werewolves murdered one of Hasan's children. Tried to murder another. And also exposed their whole species to humans! I don't care that it was one dickhead alpha and not the whole lot of them, the werewolves should have lost a LOT of power in the supernatural community over this. They're toying with war by murdering Hasan's children. And the threat of exposing other species? Fucking intolerable. I can't believe the entire supernatural community hasn't turned on them to DEMAND they clean house and get their fucking people in line. First Russia and now this? And the way Callahan and his shitbag alpha boys act like they don't have to respect the Tribunal Law when they show up at the end of this book? Inexcusable. I want to see everyone band together against the werewolves so that Corissa has to step in and lay down the law, like she did over Russia.mkoehn's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gypsydawn's review
5.0
Have you ever read an Urban Fantasy series that sucks you in, each and every time? That is Jacky Leon to me, well - the entire Tribunal Universe (As I am a heavy fan of Kaylia). This series is growing more complex with each installment, with superb character growth, revelations, and action - not to mention a forbidden romance that both titillates and charms.
Unfortunately, many Supes live long and have equally long memories - and those memories breed emotions that have only stewed and grown as the years have gone by. Jacky, as the youngest of Hasan's children, is arguably the most vulnerable, a fact that is well known in the Supernatural community. That facet, along with the build-up from previous novels, sets the stage for this explosive installment, one that not only shakes the foundation of Jacky's Werecat life but exposes secrets EVERYONE would rather remain hidden.
Honestly, this is a great addition to the series. Heath and Hacky's relationship grows closer (and more dangerous), while the inner dynamics of Jacky's werecat family is showcased a bit more - along with several secrets that could shake the family's future. The past comes crawling back, and the humans - those pesky, intrusive humans - make a play that devastates even as it sets the stage for the books in the series.
All in all, it's a must-read in this Universe - exciting, action-packed, hot, and a bit sad. I loved it.
First Person, Single POV
Continuation
Adult
M/F
Adult
This expanding Universe just keeps getting better. Jacky and Heath are two amazing characters with a dynamic that works, despite the challenges placed in their way. The world is lush and the side characters don't act like side characters, as each is equally flush and faceted. A great read in a great series
Unfortunately, many Supes live long and have equally long memories - and those memories breed emotions that have only stewed and grown as the years have gone by. Jacky, as the youngest of Hasan's children, is arguably the most vulnerable, a fact that is well known in the Supernatural community. That facet, along with the build-up from previous novels, sets the stage for this explosive installment, one that not only shakes the foundation of Jacky's Werecat life but exposes secrets EVERYONE would rather remain hidden.
Honestly, this is a great addition to the series. Heath and Hacky's relationship grows closer (and more dangerous), while the inner dynamics of Jacky's werecat family is showcased a bit more - along with several secrets that could shake the family's future. The past comes crawling back, and the humans - those pesky, intrusive humans - make a play that devastates even as it sets the stage for the books in the series.
All in all, it's a must-read in this Universe - exciting, action-packed, hot, and a bit sad. I loved it.
Perspective:
First Person, Single POV
Ending Type:
Continuation
Rating:
Adult
Romantic Dynamic:
M/F
Character Age Range:
Adult
My Final Verdict on Shades of Hate:
This expanding Universe just keeps getting better. Jacky and Heath are two amazing characters with a dynamic that works, despite the challenges placed in their way. The world is lush and the side characters don't act like side characters, as each is equally flush and faceted. A great read in a great series
tessisreading2's review against another edition
3.0
The pacing of these books never fails to confuse me. Literal chapters devoted to , and then the suspenseful, paranormal showdown at the end is like half a page.
Spoiler
who is going to talk to Casey about the start of her periodstarlitbooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome
I think this world and the characters that live in it are so interesting! I can’t wait to see what happens next!!
I think this world and the characters that live in it are so interesting! I can’t wait to see what happens next!!
riahlynn66's review
5.0
Such a good series and this book was perfect. I love the relationship between Heath and Jacky. I love how Jacky stands up for what she believes in and i l also love how the relationship with her family is getting better and better. Can’t wait for book 6!!
sammipants08's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
smitch29's review
3.0
3.6
I really couldn't decide whether to round the rating up or down for this book. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there was never a moment where I was thinking "I really like this book", so alas, it gets rounded-down. To be fair, I thought this story was an improvement over that last book (regardless of their similar ratings). This story delved into how the politics of the US government interacts with the politics of the supernaturals. There was also more development of Jacky and Heath's relationship, they even reveal themselves to a couple other characters in this story.
To really understand my opinion on this book, there needs to be some baseline knowledge. This is a Kindle Unlimited series, so I do not expect it to be superb, and I will even admit this series is much better than a lot of UF books I've read from the KU collection. The first couple of books were the best, probably because they have the interesting world-building. There were clearly a few issues with the writing and the developing, but they were easily forgiven. As series progress it is isn't uncommon for them to improve in quality, since most of the exposition is done and authors can really up the intrigue and the nuance. This series seems to be suffering from the opposite. There is some improvement in the nuances of the world, but the weak points that existed in the first novels feel more exacerbated in this later books.
For instance, for the majority of the time reading this book, I frequently felt confusion for character's words and motivations. I am not skilled enough to fully understand what has gone wrong, but it doesn't feel seamless like most of my favorite, well-written stories do. By the end of this novel, I can admit I was back to intrigued and I was ready for the next book in the series to be published already. Looking back, I think my problem with it was that the author had an idea of where the book would start (because that is more or less where the plot left off in the previous novel) and where the book should end. I can even believe there was an idea of where to take the story throughout bits of the middle of the plot, but really the author just tried to flesh out the story to force it into the envisioned ending. It either wasn't fully fleshed out or was too forced, I can't quite say. The ultimate bad guy for this plot used minions to cover for him. The timing of his minions entering the story was never explained supposedly the big bad sent them at the time to sabotage Jacky's dealing with the US government, but they showed up awfully early for the big bad to have known that it was good timing. Perhaps I missed it, and the timing is easily explained. Perhaps, the author didn't elaborate on this point. Perhaps, the author forced this point. I can't really be sure, especially without re-reading, and I won't likely do that until the next book releases. But this is just an example where it felt like crucial parts were haphazard.
On a side note, this book also saw more of how terrible Jacky is at keeping secrets. How can anyone trust her when every secret she has tried to keep (i.e. her pack magics and who gave it to her, her relationship with Heath, her werecat status), she has let slip, usually in the wrong company.
Overall, I still enjoy this series and will continue with it when the next one releases.
I really couldn't decide whether to round the rating up or down for this book. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there was never a moment where I was thinking "I really like this book", so alas, it gets rounded-down. To be fair, I thought this story was an improvement over that last book (regardless of their similar ratings). This story delved into how the politics of the US government interacts with the politics of the supernaturals. There was also more development of Jacky and Heath's relationship, they even reveal themselves to a couple other characters in this story.
To really understand my opinion on this book, there needs to be some baseline knowledge. This is a Kindle Unlimited series, so I do not expect it to be superb, and I will even admit this series is much better than a lot of UF books I've read from the KU collection. The first couple of books were the best, probably because they have the interesting world-building. There were clearly a few issues with the writing and the developing, but they were easily forgiven. As series progress it is isn't uncommon for them to improve in quality, since most of the exposition is done and authors can really up the intrigue and the nuance. This series seems to be suffering from the opposite. There is some improvement in the nuances of the world, but the weak points that existed in the first novels feel more exacerbated in this later books.
For instance, for the majority of the time reading this book, I frequently felt confusion for character's words and motivations. I am not skilled enough to fully understand what has gone wrong, but it doesn't feel seamless like most of my favorite, well-written stories do. By the end of this novel, I can admit I was back to intrigued and I was ready for the next book in the series to be published already. Looking back, I think my problem with it was that the author had an idea of where the book would start (because that is more or less where the plot left off in the previous novel) and where the book should end. I can even believe there was an idea of where to take the story throughout bits of the middle of the plot, but really the author just tried to flesh out the story to force it into the envisioned ending. It either wasn't fully fleshed out or was too forced, I can't quite say. The ultimate bad guy for this plot used minions to cover for him. The timing of his minions entering the story was never explained supposedly the big bad sent them at the time to sabotage Jacky's dealing with the US government, but they showed up awfully early for the big bad to have known that it was good timing. Perhaps I missed it, and the timing is easily explained. Perhaps, the author didn't elaborate on this point. Perhaps, the author forced this point. I can't really be sure, especially without re-reading, and I won't likely do that until the next book releases. But this is just an example where it felt like crucial parts were haphazard.
On a side note, this book also saw more of how terrible Jacky is at keeping secrets. How can anyone trust her when every secret she has tried to keep (i.e. her pack magics and who gave it to her, her relationship with Heath, her werecat status), she has let slip, usually in the wrong company.
Overall, I still enjoy this series and will continue with it when the next one releases.