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language_loving_amateur's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Miscarriage and Misogyny
wardenred's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You need to run, Temp. You need to run far, fast, and right now.
This was even better than I expected, and I have to say I had some pretty high expectations! The romance was lovely, with all the best parts of enemies to lovers, second chance romance, and reunited childhood friends/sweethearts blended into one, complete with an awesome rendition of the "only one bad" thrown in. Susan is such a genuinely awesome character: strong, smart, stubborn, practical, hiding her vulnerabilities even from herself. I loved getting into her head and being exposed to the way she sees the world. And Templeton/James's journey that was half redemption and half figuring out who he is? Chef's kiss.
It was also awesome to see all the familiar faces, though I regret that while I met both Jerry and Alec again, I never got to see them together. I mean, maybe it's a good thing, because those two would totally steal the show for me and I would probably just focus on a one-paragraph interaction so much that I would forget about the actual novel's plot... but I still regret not getting to see them together, okay. They're my absolute favorite couple, across all K.J. Charles's works and maybe ever.
I also enjoyed how deeply ingrained this book is in the rest of the series. The personal arcs stem straight from Any Old Diamonds, and the external plot is rooted in The Rat-Catcher's Daughter. And let's not forget how this entire series is basically a sequel to that one book from the earlier Sins of the Cities series that I really need to re-read one of these days.
I also just need to scream for a moment about K.J. Charles's writing. The dialogue! The brief description that pain such big pictures! The emotion! The mood-setting! I want to write like that when I grow up. (Yeah, yeah, all grown up already... who cares if I don't feel like it? :D)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Miscarriage, and Murder
Minor: Blood and Physical abuse
littlewishling's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A super fun mystery bringing back some great characters. Captivating from the get go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Blood
ticktock's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage, Death, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Sexism
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