Reviews

Fated by Indra Vaughn

lezreadalot's review

3.0

Give me time, he wanted to say. Give me time to put this house and this town behind me, and then I will come for you and lay you down and love you.

3.5 stars. This didn't really play out in the ways that I expected it to, and was a bit disappointing in a couple ways, but it captivated me enough that I think I'll continue the series. This is an m/m romantic thriller/suspense that follows a cop in a small mountain town, trying to track down a killer with seemingly supernatural abilities. The possibility of a speculative bent isn't really a spoiler, because I guess it's hinted at in the blurb, but it was still a surprise to me. Even more surprising was the fact that this was a love triangle. That is far from my favourite trope in romance; call me boring, but in most cases I prefer to know right off the bat who's the love interest. Luckily, that didn't end up impeding my enjoyment much. I loved both love interests a lot (though I was definitely rooting for one over the other).

The plot is interesting, if a little generic. Hart's father dies, and when he goes to the next town over to settle his affairs, a new assault takes place that might be connected to his case, so he settles in to work it from this town and this angle. Something about the way the case/the murders were mapped out just didn't click for me. It might be because we come into the case halfway through, after Hart has already investigated a few murders in his town. The way in which the reader is given that info/is brought up to speed was kind of clumsy, and none of the details ever really stuck in my mind. Like, if the reader is meant to be following along with the detectives, then we should have a clear picture of the victims and the peculiarities of their cases and at least a vague idea of how they differ. Certain details were mentioned once, and then never brought up again, and it might just be me, but it made it really tough to follow imo. The writing was also a little frustrating because I feel like we didn't get all the emotion we needed from certain scenes. The writing style wasn't exactly stark, because there were a couple passages now and again that touched me or spoke about the characters in ways that I loved, but I felt like we could have gotten so much more depth out of these characters.

The romance was pretty good; as I said, I liked both love interests. Toby is a flirty, older doctor that Hart meets in the new town; Isaac is the younger college student who's been crushing on Hart for years. I have to admit, things really picked up for me in the later half when a certain character began getting more page time, and I really really enjoyed the relationship. That's pretty much what upped the rating for me. I love pining so much! I also liked the speculative reveals; even though it kinda feels like this doesn't fit in with this story, it's an interesting concept.

A lot of the events in the end didn't make a lot of sense to me, and seemed a little rushed and all over the place. However, I'm sufficiently invested enough in the plot and romance that I'll continue it some day. Bit annoyed that I read the blurb for the second book; unlike the blurb for this one, it gives away way too much imo. :/

missawn's review

5.0

Wow! This book was perfect ...

I loved everything about this book ... the mystery was engaging, the characters were intensely interesting, and the chemistry off-the-charts amazing. I loved the setting ... the mountain, the house, the small town ... all extremely vivid and lovely. The book is fast paced ... the second half more so than the first. The characters are fleshed out nicely and just so charming ... and the story is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster (but still so good)! The book ends with a giant cliffhanger ... well, actually kind of ends in the middle of the MCs story so book two is really the second half of the first? Which makes me nervous about reading book two (next!), because book three (is there a third book?) is not yet out and nothing I hate more than a cliffhanger and a long wait for the next book an addictive series. Still the writing and the craftmanship merits it and so I will buy the next book which I would have done anyway ...

This is the first book that I have read by [a:Indra Vaughn|7132113|Indra Vaughn|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1371070665p2/7132113.jpg] and it certainly will not be my last. The author's writing style reminded me a lot of [a:Josh Lanyon|359194|Josh Lanyon|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1289326144p2/359194.jpg] whom I adore! This is a very good book ... if you are thinking about reading it, do not hesitate ... just do it! It is well worth it ...

rain_97's review

emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Really good mystery/crime and very light on the romance. 

gabi90's review

4.0

This is a sad and gloomy book. Imagine me sitting in an armchair curled up under a blanket while heavy rain pelts the window and everything is quiet. That kind of sad.

Hart, our main character just lost his father, so he goes to his hometown to bury him. His thoughts are circling around his relationship with him, since they lost touch after he left town after high school. Regrets are piling up on him. Meanwhile he is trying to find a serial killer.

I really enjoyed the mystery, and for the most part that's thanks to the stellar writing. I am usually bored with the investigations but I this time I was excited and couldn't stop reading. The paranormal stuff is not heavy, in fact things get only revealed in the second half.

I would not call this a romance book though. Let's just say there are plenty of romantic scenes and hot sex scenes... and just leave it at that. If the next book will offer more in that regard, I can only hope so. I also hope we get to know Isaac better, because he didn't get nearly enough page time so the reader - or the main character for that matter - could connect with him. Because despite being said that Hart and Isaac known each other long and had deep feelings for each other (which they repressed until now), I didn't feel their connection.

Hart is not a very likeable person, though I liked him just fine. But he made mistakes in his personal and professional life, which I took as a realistic representation. I don't want to read about perfect characters all the time.

I feel like I should mention a third character, because he deserves it, but this will be somewhat of a spoiler.

Spoiler

The author introduced another love interest besides Isaac. Toby got loads more page time. He is sweet and mature and very much likeable. He fit with Hart. He has a significant enough role and that's all I'm gonna say. Also, It's not a love triangle.

Some things I already figured out that will happen in book 2, though the main character does not know it yet, and it will hurt. I expect the same melancholic vibe there. I'm going to save it for a rainy day. ;)

kerahs's review

3.0

To paraphrase Hart himself: he's fucking up left, right and down.
So many mistakes.
I don't know if I'll read the next book but I hope he feels very guilty.
Also, we don't get to know his first name?

claudia_is_reading's review

5.0

OMG! This was fantastic!

The whole concept is great, the permanent sense of unease, of not knowing who can be trusted and who can't, the underlying theme of loss and death... so well written!

Hart is a wonderful main character: complex, broken but nor defeated, dealing with a terrible case and his dad's death, and with his past as a whole.

And Freddie! God, I love Freddy and I wish that we'll see more of her in the next book. Because I'm going to go looking for that book. Right. Now!

sarab's review

3.0

3.5 stars.

I had a hard time getting into it but after about 30%, it picked up for me.