You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I was torn about the rating but ultimately I still enjoy the basic story, even if it's formulaic. The worldbuilding isn't strong and I have a real hard time distinguishing the heroines other than hair color and I wish it spent half as much time building the world of this story as the author spent on her character's wardrobe. All that said, still alpha, still hot, still interested in how this trilogy will end. But I think I'm going to have to give this author a bit of a break for now.
3.5 stars rounded down due to annoying heroine
Quick summary of the series:
Book 1's about a vampire and his human concubine.
Book 2's about a werewolf and his human mate.
Book 3's about a vampire-werewolf hybrid and his human mate.
The three couples are linked by a prophesy that after 2 books, I'm still not entirely clear about. The gist of it is, a war is coming that will either doom the human race to slavery/genocide or unite the mortals and immortals against a common enemy. The male protags in books 1 and 2 are significant to this prophesy due to the fact that both are leaders and the fiercest fighters among their kind. The females are important as well since they have their own gifts, but their role in the prophesy is still murky to me. The part I'm confused about is the fact that book 1 pretty much revealed who the Big Bad was but for some crazy ass reason, said Big Bad was allowed to roam free and cause more havoc in Book 2. Why was this allowed? Because the powers that be, vamp council, deemed it necessary in order for the prophesy to unfold naturally. Cryptic and annoying as hell for me as a reader so I can't even imagine how frustrating it'd be if this shit was real and the male protags had to stand idly by and wait for shit to hit the fan (their women attacked) before they're allowed to act.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about this book. While I'll always choose vamps over weres, I do enjoy reading about the almost always bossy, rough and rugged and sexy as hell weres (Vane Kattalakis, hello). But like their vampire counterparts, weres are done to death. Their social structure/hierarchy, their abilities (heightened senses), their demeanor, their transition/change, and hell even the way they prefer to fuck (doggy style, rough, and sometimes biting/marking their mate on the shoulder) has become boring. And that's the reason why even with Kristen Ashley's amazing talent of creating hot alpha males, this story fell flat for me. Nothing jumped at me and made me say "ooh, that's something I've never read before". Nothing impressed me. And I know I'll probably be spanked by KA fans for saying this, but I skimmed. Often. Mostly to avoid reading about Sonia's, the female protag's, angsty thoughts. She's the only one of KA's heroines that I dislike. I get that she had doubts (getting thrust into an entirely different world can do that to ya) but I didn't like the constant flip flopping. One second she's happy as a clam, the next she's thinking her mate's only with her for nefarious purposes, then that same night she's having mind blowing sex with him. And this continued for most of the book (replace 'nefarious purposes' with 'out of duty', 'lying', 'cheating' and other accusations/misunderstandings that could've easily been cleared up if she freaking acted like a normal human being and actually communicated with him).
The supporting cast were alright. I loved Regan (Cal's mom) and we learned more about Gregory (Sonia's guardian, and someone important who was introduced in book 1). Other than the token jealous ex, everyone loved Sonia including Cal's brother, maids, and all of his subjects. But that too was boring. There were no outside conflicts in this book. The solution to the only real threat the H/h faced (her health) was so glaringly obvious that it only further fueled my frustration with the book. Other issues the H/h had to deal with were ones she, imo, created on her own.
Anyway, the book did have redeeming qualities. Callum, for one, was the perfect KA hero. Every time someone pointed out something he could do to improve his relationship or his mate's happiness, he'd have a moment of alpha possessiveness but then think, "I'm a shit mate. I should've thought of that". Every time his mate was upset, regardless of how jam packed his schedule was or how upset he himself was, he'd find a way to make her happy again. He hurt when she hurt. He watched her every move and loved everything about her. And he stayed awake at night, memorizing every single thing about her, anguishing over the fact that her mortality meant he'd have to spend an eternity without her by his side. Callum saved this book for me.
Quick summary of the series:
Book 1's about a vampire and his human concubine.
Book 2's about a werewolf and his human mate.
Book 3's about a vampire-werewolf hybrid and his human mate.
The three couples are linked by a prophesy that after 2 books, I'm still not entirely clear about. The gist of it is, a war is coming that will either doom the human race to slavery/genocide or unite the mortals and immortals against a common enemy. The male protags in books 1 and 2 are significant to this prophesy due to the fact that both are leaders and the fiercest fighters among their kind. The females are important as well since they have their own gifts, but their role in the prophesy is still murky to me. The part I'm confused about is the fact that book 1 pretty much revealed who the Big Bad was but for some crazy ass reason, said Big Bad was allowed to roam free and cause more havoc in Book 2. Why was this allowed? Because the powers that be, vamp council, deemed it necessary in order for the prophesy to unfold naturally. Cryptic and annoying as hell for me as a reader so I can't even imagine how frustrating it'd be if this shit was real and the male protags had to stand idly by and wait for shit to hit the fan (their women attacked) before they're allowed to act.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about this book. While I'll always choose vamps over weres, I do enjoy reading about the almost always bossy, rough and rugged and sexy as hell weres (Vane Kattalakis, hello). But like their vampire counterparts, weres are done to death. Their social structure/hierarchy, their abilities (heightened senses), their demeanor, their transition/change, and hell even the way they prefer to fuck (doggy style, rough, and sometimes biting/marking their mate on the shoulder) has become boring. And that's the reason why even with Kristen Ashley's amazing talent of creating hot alpha males, this story fell flat for me. Nothing jumped at me and made me say "ooh, that's something I've never read before". Nothing impressed me. And I know I'll probably be spanked by KA fans for saying this, but I skimmed. Often. Mostly to avoid reading about Sonia's, the female protag's, angsty thoughts. She's the only one of KA's heroines that I dislike. I get that she had doubts (getting thrust into an entirely different world can do that to ya) but I didn't like the constant flip flopping. One second she's happy as a clam, the next she's thinking her mate's only with her for nefarious purposes, then that same night she's having mind blowing sex with him. And this continued for most of the book (replace 'nefarious purposes' with 'out of duty', 'lying', 'cheating' and other accusations/misunderstandings that could've easily been cleared up if she freaking acted like a normal human being and actually communicated with him).
The supporting cast were alright. I loved Regan (Cal's mom) and we learned more about Gregory (Sonia's guardian, and someone important who was introduced in book 1). Other than the token jealous ex, everyone loved Sonia including Cal's brother, maids, and all of his subjects. But that too was boring. There were no outside conflicts in this book. The solution to the only real threat the H/h faced (her health) was so glaringly obvious that it only further fueled my frustration with the book. Other issues the H/h had to deal with were ones she, imo, created on her own.
Anyway, the book did have redeeming qualities. Callum, for one, was the perfect KA hero. Every time someone pointed out something he could do to improve his relationship or his mate's happiness, he'd have a moment of alpha possessiveness but then think, "I'm a shit mate. I should've thought of that". Every time his mate was upset, regardless of how jam packed his schedule was or how upset he himself was, he'd find a way to make her happy again. He hurt when she hurt. He watched her every move and loved everything about her. And he stayed awake at night, memorizing every single thing about her, anguishing over the fact that her mortality meant he'd have to spend an eternity without her by his side. Callum saved this book for me.