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nikkihrose's review
4.0
Allison Brennan is one of my must-buy authors. Every book. I’ll get it as an ARC (if I can) and then buy a copy to have it as part of my never-ending Brennan collection.
That all being said, this book – novella, specially – was number 17.5 in her Lucy Kincaid series. Yes, you read that correctly. 17.5. And that does not mean there are only 18 books total in this series – there are many more, as there are various novellas that fill some of the mysteries between the main texts.
Anyway, this one jumped out at me more than other novellas in the past for this series. In the past, I realized that while I do enjoy all of the novellas, the series will make sense without them. But this one? Not quite the same. Instead, it feels not only necessary but desperately needed. This novella focuses on Sean and Lucy – and specifically what happens to them after the last novel where Sean had been kidnapped and tortured. For most of the series, while they face tragedy in every novel, the two of them have always been solid and nearly untouchable – no matter how hard anyone tries to break them apart. But this book shows them as human. It shows them as struggling, fighting to come to terms with their own weaknesses and fears, and doubting whether or not they’re able to overcome these in order to be there for one another. This is powerful – and incredibly relatable for so many readers.
For those of you who are reading this and thinking: A 17-book series‽‽ Let me also say that while they are rich and powerful in succession, they can also be read as stand alone if you’re more into that.
That all being said, this book – novella, specially – was number 17.5 in her Lucy Kincaid series. Yes, you read that correctly. 17.5. And that does not mean there are only 18 books total in this series – there are many more, as there are various novellas that fill some of the mysteries between the main texts.
Anyway, this one jumped out at me more than other novellas in the past for this series. In the past, I realized that while I do enjoy all of the novellas, the series will make sense without them. But this one? Not quite the same. Instead, it feels not only necessary but desperately needed. This novella focuses on Sean and Lucy – and specifically what happens to them after the last novel where Sean had been kidnapped and tortured. For most of the series, while they face tragedy in every novel, the two of them have always been solid and nearly untouchable – no matter how hard anyone tries to break them apart. But this book shows them as human. It shows them as struggling, fighting to come to terms with their own weaknesses and fears, and doubting whether or not they’re able to overcome these in order to be there for one another. This is powerful – and incredibly relatable for so many readers.
For those of you who are reading this and thinking: A 17-book series‽‽ Let me also say that while they are rich and powerful in succession, they can also be read as stand alone if you’re more into that.
clak5686's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This novella was just perfect. Lucy Kincaid and her husband, Sean Rogan, go to a crime seminar in Sacramento. Lucy is hopeful that the trip will help Sean who is recovering emotionally from the events in the last book. It is so difficult to see Sean struggle. He is usually the strong one. But, he isn't talking about what happened to Lucy or anyone else. When he lies about where he is going and doesn't come home one night, Lucy is hurt and worried. When he returns, Lucy is embroiled in a case helping the local PD try to figure out what happened to a woman who was supposed to give a presentation at the conference. She's found beaten in a dumpster. Sean is helping with the case as well. He and Lucy talk and the case is solved. I want to say that I think the author portrayed the aftermath of trauma very well as it relates to the individual and those who love them.
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