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kahime's review against another edition
5.0
I bought the physical copy and also the audio for this series and DAMN.
Okay. WHEW. Greg Boudreaux did an absolutely fabulous job with all the members of this team but blew my mind with Alexei!!!
I reread this series over and over because I absolutely love how everyone just fits together so well. Did I start this audio one first? Yes. Am I going to go grab them all so I can listen to them over and over again? Also yes!
Okay. WHEW. Greg Boudreaux did an absolutely fabulous job with all the members of this team but blew my mind with Alexei!!!
I reread this series over and over because I absolutely love how everyone just fits together so well. Did I start this audio one first? Yes. Am I going to go grab them all so I can listen to them over and over again? Also yes!
kaity_b's review against another edition
5.0
Reread/Relisten #5: November 2023
Love these two, and love this series, but I feel a slump coming on that I need to put this on pause so I don't ruin my love for this series!
Reread/Relisten# 4 January 2022:
ALEXEI ALEXEI!!!
Love these two, and love this series, but I feel a slump coming on that I need to put this on pause so I don't ruin my love for this series!
Reread/Relisten# 4 January 2022:
ALEXEI ALEXEI!!!
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
Re-read Review
This is the third book in the series—none of them are standalones—and it changed things up a bit. The first two mainly follow Jamie and Kyle, with the rest of Alpha Team as side characters. In this one, the main characters are Alexei and Sean. Though they're not replacing the other two as MCs. More like we're getting two more main characters, bringing the total to a four.
We met Alexei in the first book. Kyle's brother, pyrokinetic, Russian, hates paperwork, loves food, funny, badass and a little grumpy when he doesn't get his way.
I love Alexei. He's a great characters who adds levity to every scene he's in and I love the relationship he has with Kyle. Sean, on the other hand, is not someone I immediately warmed up to. He was a spy with the CIA before he got turned into a metahuman. And now he's working with Alpha Team with the Pavluhkin mission. Pavluhkin, who can see the fucking future, even if his power only extends to the next 24 hours or so.
Anyway, Sean's more of a tortured soul. He's used to being alone, on missions and in general, and he's pretty much resigned himself to an unhappy fate. There's no better person than Alexei to brighten up his life. And when one of Sean's missions go sideways and Alexei joins him, the two finally get a chance to be better acquainted. In the midst of a dangerous mission with people who could try to kill them at any moment, but still.
And since I've read the next two book already, I can give this book the title of the last relatively relaxed book in the series. Emphasis on 'relatively' because the amount of people who try to kill our main characters don't actually make for a relaxed book.
But though they're on a mission trying to find out more about the Splice labs, the setting and even the pace is relaxed enough that Sean and Alexei get time to get to know one another better and maybe start something romantic. The two have very different personalities that complement each other's perfectly. Alexei, like I said, brightens up Sean's life while Sean introduces some caution to Alexei's.
The two work really well together. And the relationship building is done simultaneously with the mission instead of between missions, something that bothered me about In the Wreckage, which makes the book more... uniform.
This is a great book. I did feel at times that it could have benefited from another read-through to clean up some sentences and maybe a few typos, but other than that, I really enjoyed it. It has a fact pace that slows down when the story demands it, it's got great characters and I already loved the world that the series is set in.
I'm so ready to reread the next two books in the series. They will feature Jamie, Kyle, Sean and Alexei as the main characters and we'll get a conclusion to the mess with Pavluhkin.
This is the third book in the series—none of them are standalones—and it changed things up a bit. The first two mainly follow Jamie and Kyle, with the rest of Alpha Team as side characters. In this one, the main characters are Alexei and Sean. Though they're not replacing the other two as MCs. More like we're getting two more main characters, bringing the total to a four.
We met Alexei in the first book. Kyle's brother, pyrokinetic, Russian, hates paperwork, loves food, funny, badass and a little grumpy when he doesn't get his way.
I love Alexei. He's a great characters who adds levity to every scene he's in and I love the relationship he has with Kyle. Sean, on the other hand, is not someone I immediately warmed up to. He was a spy with the CIA before he got turned into a metahuman. And now he's working with Alpha Team with the Pavluhkin mission. Pavluhkin, who can see the fucking future, even if his power only extends to the next 24 hours or so.
Anyway, Sean's more of a tortured soul. He's used to being alone, on missions and in general, and he's pretty much resigned himself to an unhappy fate. There's no better person than Alexei to brighten up his life. And when one of Sean's missions go sideways and Alexei joins him, the two finally get a chance to be better acquainted. In the midst of a dangerous mission with people who could try to kill them at any moment, but still.
And since I've read the next two book already, I can give this book the title of the last relatively relaxed book in the series. Emphasis on 'relatively' because the amount of people who try to kill our main characters don't actually make for a relaxed book.
But though they're on a mission trying to find out more about the Splice labs, the setting and even the pace is relaxed enough that Sean and Alexei get time to get to know one another better and maybe start something romantic. The two have very different personalities that complement each other's perfectly. Alexei, like I said, brightens up Sean's life while Sean introduces some caution to Alexei's.
The two work really well together. And the relationship building is done simultaneously with the mission instead of between missions, something that bothered me about In the Wreckage, which makes the book more... uniform.
This is a great book. I did feel at times that it could have benefited from another read-through to clean up some sentences and maybe a few typos, but other than that, I really enjoyed it. It has a fact pace that slows down when the story demands it, it's got great characters and I already loved the world that the series is set in.
I'm so ready to reread the next two books in the series. They will feature Jamie, Kyle, Sean and Alexei as the main characters and we'll get a conclusion to the mess with Pavluhkin.
rellimreads's review against another edition
5.0
7/31/2021 - In the Shadows is the third book of Hailey Turner’s Metahuman Files series. Events in this book build on those from the first two and while a complete story, there are ongoing story arcs so you’ll definitely want to listen to them all & in order. As such, there may be spoilers to previous books in my review.
I enjoyed this one even more that the first two (which I already praised highly). I think partially because the world building is established and Turner has given us some characters and story arcs to really sink into and get to know even better. I already liked Sean & Alexei, but them getting together was a wonderful experience. Plus, Turner has this great mix of suspense/thriller, romance, and a little bit of humor. The action scenes were unstoppable.
I’m really looking forward to In The Blood.
Narration:
Greg Boudreaux continues to be wonderful. And this is a chance to really enjoy his Russian accent skills. I also like that character voices from previous books are consistent. Makes this series absolutely bingeworthy.
7/27/2021 - Will write more soon. I didn’t think I could enjoy anyone more than Jamie & Kyle. I was wrong. Alexie & Sean were amazing. I loved the balance of action & romance in this one more as well. Could.not.put.it.down.
As usual - Boudreaux was fantastic.
I enjoyed this one even more that the first two (which I already praised highly). I think partially because the world building is established and Turner has given us some characters and story arcs to really sink into and get to know even better. I already liked Sean & Alexei, but them getting together was a wonderful experience. Plus, Turner has this great mix of suspense/thriller, romance, and a little bit of humor. The action scenes were unstoppable.
I’m really looking forward to In The Blood.
Narration:
Greg Boudreaux continues to be wonderful. And this is a chance to really enjoy his Russian accent skills. I also like that character voices from previous books are consistent. Makes this series absolutely bingeworthy.
7/27/2021 - Will write more soon. I didn’t think I could enjoy anyone more than Jamie & Kyle. I was wrong. Alexie & Sean were amazing. I loved the balance of action & romance in this one more as well. Could.not.put.it.down.
As usual - Boudreaux was fantastic.
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
My favorite of the series so far!
Who woulda thunk that Alexei would impress me so much with his bad assery along with his gentle caring side that didn’t take no for an answer and was all growly possessive? He definitely pulled out all the stops in wooing Sean in his own gruff bossy way, and I was easily won over. This was a fast, fun, intense, sexy ride all set in a post-apocalyptic alternate future where the terrorism has now moved onto home soil.
The long game is smartly complex and extremely high stakes. Seriously, I’m beginning to realize that nobody does action suspense like Turner, and she’s not too shabby when it comes to writing about the bedroom either. *wink*
My favorite of the series so far!
Who woulda thunk that Alexei would impress me so much with his bad assery along with his gentle caring side that didn’t take no for an answer and was all growly possessive? He definitely pulled out all the stops in wooing Sean in his own gruff bossy way, and I was easily won over. This was a fast, fun, intense, sexy ride all set in a post-apocalyptic alternate future where the terrorism has now moved onto home soil.
The long game is smartly complex and extremely high stakes. Seriously, I’m beginning to realize that nobody does action suspense like Turner, and she’s not too shabby when it comes to writing about the bedroom either. *wink*
tinkcourtney's review against another edition
5.0
Another action-packed ride!
This series is SO FUN. This time we get Sean and Alexei’s POV, which, much as I love Kyle and Jamie, I’d really been looking forward to. There’s very little angst about them being together, which I appreciated. The focus was more on the events happening around them, and we got to see both characters use their powers extensively.
Their way of relating to each other, both in and out of bed, is different than Jamie and Kyle, but still wonderful and full of emotion. Alexei’s possessive streak tickles me. On to book four!
This series is SO FUN. This time we get Sean and Alexei’s POV, which, much as I love Kyle and Jamie, I’d really been looking forward to. There’s very little angst about them being together, which I appreciated. The focus was more on the events happening around them, and we got to see both characters use their powers extensively.
Their way of relating to each other, both in and out of bed, is different than Jamie and Kyle, but still wonderful and full of emotion. Alexei’s possessive streak tickles me. On to book four!
cl3ncx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
heabooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
IN THE SHADOWS continues Alpha Team's mission to stop several terrorist groups from joining forces to create their own metahumans. But this time readers follow along with Alexei and Sean and I loved watching their relationship develop. I missed seeing more of Kyle and Jamie but Alexei and Sean brought something different to the story.
Alexei is Kyle's adoptive brother and I loved his gruff personality and his touch-him-and-die protective streak when it came to Sean. Alexei might seem intimidating to those who don't know him but he's a bit of a softy under it all and I adored the way he would tease Sean. Beneath Sean's walls he's a sweet, generous, and lonely man. I found myself constantly wanting to hug Sean; he's so used to being on his own from his CIA days and he's never really had a team he could trust.
While Sean and Alexei were plenty sexy together its in a more tender and gentle way than we had with Jamie and Kyle. Sean isn't used to really thinking about his own desires or being with someone who wants the real him and not his cover persona. So I adored the way Alexei always made sure to address consent with Sean and the way he would check in so that they could truly build trust together.
This series has quickly become a favorite and I can't wait to read the rest and follow both of these couples' journeys.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
“Should duck,” Alexei said as he turned to palm open the door.
“You keep saying that. I know how to duck.”
“Face say otherwise.”
- - - - -
The thought of walking around with Alexei’s claim on him made him hot under the skin. Sean hadn’t ever felt like this before—wanted for himself and not an identity that wasn’t real.
Alexei is Kyle's adoptive brother and I loved his gruff personality and his touch-him-and-die protective streak when it came to Sean. Alexei might seem intimidating to those who don't know him but he's a bit of a softy under it all and I adored the way he would tease Sean. Beneath Sean's walls he's a sweet, generous, and lonely man. I found myself constantly wanting to hug Sean; he's so used to being on his own from his CIA days and he's never really had a team he could trust.
While Sean and Alexei were plenty sexy together its in a more tender and gentle way than we had with Jamie and Kyle. Sean isn't used to really thinking about his own desires or being with someone who wants the real him and not his cover persona. So I adored the way Alexei always made sure to address consent with Sean and the way he would check in so that they could truly build trust together.
This series has quickly become a favorite and I can't wait to read the rest and follow both of these couples' journeys.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
“Should duck,” Alexei said as he turned to palm open the door.
“You keep saying that. I know how to duck.”
“Face say otherwise.”
- - - - -
The thought of walking around with Alexei’s claim on him made him hot under the skin. Sean hadn’t ever felt like this before—wanted for himself and not an identity that wasn’t real.
layla87's review against another edition
4.0
Relisten #2
Alexei using Russian petnames for Sean is still *chef's kiss*.
Also the steam.... DUDE!
Alexei using Russian petnames for Sean is still *chef's kiss*.
Also the steam.... DUDE!