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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
Mason and Hunter are character that are well fleshed out. It is easy to feel for them, they captured a bit of my heart. There is so much emotion packed into their story. It is very compelling and captivating. I highly recommend this third addition to the Dungeons and Dating series.
I've been intrigued by the character of Mason since the first Dungeons and Dating book and finally, its time for their story. Intelligence Check focuses on Mason, our nonbinary ball of sunshine, and Hunter, their surly coworker who communicates more in a few glances than most people do with a dictionary of words. And the story is well worth the read.
Mason and Hunter work together at Tabletop Tavern. When Mason's car breaks down, Hunter offers to give them a ride to and from work since they live close together. This starts the conversations and really begins to cement the bond between them, one that was already in place. It also helps the crush between our two main characters grow deeper than it already was.
Mason and Hunter are both incredible characters. They provide a great balance for one another with Hunter grounding Mase and Mason providing a lot of light to Hunter. The development of their relationship felt very realistic, though sometimes I wish they would've just communicated a bit better at the beginning. But it made the build up to their first kiss very worth it.
Also I want to commend Katherine McIntyre for how beautifully she handled Mason as a nonbinary character and how beautifully she handled the topics of familial addiction and loss in this book. These are very sensitive topics for some readers (please heed trigger warnings) and can be handled in a lot of graceless ways, but she did not have that problem. Her handling of these sensitive topics was top notch.
Intelligence Check is a dual POV love story and is the third in the Dungeons and Dating series. It can be read as a standalone, though you'll miss a few smaller details by not reading in order. (And the whole series is worth a read so highly recommend.)
** DISCLAIMER: ARC was provided to me by GRR and this is my fair and honest review. **
Mason and Hunter work together at Tabletop Tavern. When Mason's car breaks down, Hunter offers to give them a ride to and from work since they live close together. This starts the conversations and really begins to cement the bond between them, one that was already in place. It also helps the crush between our two main characters grow deeper than it already was.
Mason and Hunter are both incredible characters. They provide a great balance for one another with Hunter grounding Mase and Mason providing a lot of light to Hunter. The development of their relationship felt very realistic, though sometimes I wish they would've just communicated a bit better at the beginning. But it made the build up to their first kiss very worth it.
Also I want to commend Katherine McIntyre for how beautifully she handled Mason as a nonbinary character and how beautifully she handled the topics of familial addiction and loss in this book. These are very sensitive topics for some readers (please heed trigger warnings) and can be handled in a lot of graceless ways, but she did not have that problem. Her handling of these sensitive topics was top notch.
Intelligence Check is a dual POV love story and is the third in the Dungeons and Dating series. It can be read as a standalone, though you'll miss a few smaller details by not reading in order. (And the whole series is worth a read so highly recommend.)
** DISCLAIMER: ARC was provided to me by GRR and this is my fair and honest review. **
Well damn, talk about an emotional ride. This book, for me has quite dark clouds that occasionally drop down on the MCs but the light, that comes in the form of Mason and his sunshine personality and the found family at Tabletop Tavern.
Hunter's character was the one that got to me the most. Mason lives with the pain of his twin sister's death five years ago but Hunter constantly has a negative view of himself and no trust in others due to his childhood living with drug addicted parents. Their friendship is tentative, well, everyone's with Hunter is but Mason is more determined to draw him out. There's attraction between them but a miscommunication had them thinking the other isn't interested until they get another chance. Even then, it's hard for Hunter to trust but Mason's charm, sparkling personality and magnetic draw gives him no chance of denying either of them.
Both of their past come in and threaten to derail their newfound happiness and it takes a huge amount of strength on both the parts to work their way back to each other, along with the support of their friends and TT. Such a great group of people who, especially here, so they are there for each other through everything life can throw at you.
Such a great story and so well written, I enjoyed it from start to finish. I'm very interested to see how the next book turns out as I can see that also having some quite dark moments.
**This book deals with themes of loss (past tense/off page), drug abuse and death by drug use**
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Hunter's character was the one that got to me the most. Mason lives with the pain of his twin sister's death five years ago but Hunter constantly has a negative view of himself and no trust in others due to his childhood living with drug addicted parents. Their friendship is tentative, well, everyone's with Hunter is but Mason is more determined to draw him out. There's attraction between them but a miscommunication had them thinking the other isn't interested until they get another chance. Even then, it's hard for Hunter to trust but Mason's charm, sparkling personality and magnetic draw gives him no chance of denying either of them.
Both of their past come in and threaten to derail their newfound happiness and it takes a huge amount of strength on both the parts to work their way back to each other, along with the support of their friends and TT. Such a great group of people who, especially here, so they are there for each other through everything life can throw at you.
Such a great story and so well written, I enjoyed it from start to finish. I'm very interested to see how the next book turns out as I can see that also having some quite dark moments.
**This book deals with themes of loss (past tense/off page), drug abuse and death by drug use**
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
If you’re even a little bit nerdy or geeky, you will appreciate this book (and series)! The characters have depth and the story shows their growth and acceptance of their struggles perfectly.
Set in San Francisco (and Oakland), I loved seeing how the characters all interacted and supported each other as found family. I’m not a tabletop gamer, but that wasn’t needed for the story, as the games are just the background.
Loved Mason’s gender fluidity, bubbly personality, and growth to stand up for themself. Hunter is a sexy, shy black man who desperately needs love. Seeing them come together wax natural and sweet.
FYI: 3rd person narrative from a they/them was a first in this book, and I loved seeing the enby representation!
Set in San Francisco (and Oakland), I loved seeing how the characters all interacted and supported each other as found family. I’m not a tabletop gamer, but that wasn’t needed for the story, as the games are just the background.
Loved Mason’s gender fluidity, bubbly personality, and growth to stand up for themself. Hunter is a sexy, shy black man who desperately needs love. Seeing them come together wax natural and sweet.
FYI: 3rd person narrative from a they/them was a first in this book, and I loved seeing the enby representation!