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eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I had more positive things to say because I really like the series. And a part of me wanted to give it more than three stars. But this was such an incomplete book that I can't justify giving it a higher rating.
For those who don't know, each book in the series followed a different couple. But there's still the overarching plot and main villain to contend with, aside from the smaller, book-specific one. And... we've already come to the first problem. This book barely has a plot.
The story, this time around, followed Alistair and Aidan, both of whom we already know. They go on a mission for surveillance and info collecting. They surveil and collect information. There's a minor threat, and some feelings are discussed. There are some revelations, and the book ends. That's not a plot! It's just the set-up for one.
And you might wonder what even went on in the book if there was barely a plot. Because the "romance" certainly didn't take up much space (I'll get back to that one). And the answer is world-building.
I've found the world of this series interesting from the beginning. And in this book, that world expanded quite a bit. It had to do with both the stuff we found out at the end of the previous book, about the other dimension and elves. And about what was going on in this world. There were some pretty drastic changes as well. And I really liked all of that. It's half the reason I'm not giving the book a lower rating, even if some of the revelations came in an info-dumpy way. It was still interesting to read about, and I'm excited about the next book.
Now, coming back to the "romance." And yes, it definitely deserves the quotation marks because the book only sets up the potential for a romance and doesn't even pretend to go farther.
We have Aidan, who we don't know very well, and Alistair, who has reservations about romantic relationships. They're poorly developed reservations (I'll get to that after this), but they exist. Then suddenly, by the (literal) magic of plot convenience, we're just told they're gonna live happily ever after. And it seriously pissed me off. I mean, the romances in the series have never been the best, but at least the last two books tried. This one doesn't even do that. And the lack of a proper plot makes it worse.
About the protagonists... We still don't know Aidan as well as we should, so I'm gonna skip him. Alistair... We knew him as the overdramatic joker of the group, and I was eager to get to know him better. But turns out overdramatic joker's all he is. Except for one, maybe two, scenes, his personality is skin deep. And I was very disappointed by that.
Finally, the reason I enjoyed the book despite all the issues is that it was fun and, once again, interesting. It made me laugh, I enjoyed spending time with the characters, and there were some sweet moments. It just needed more structure in terms of plot and more focus on developing a romance. And it needed balance between all the story elements, something that Masters has struggled with since book 1. Fifty more pages could've fixed so much of that.
Overall, my least favourite installment so far, but not bad. And I'm still holding out hope, if not for the series, then for the author.
For those who don't know, each book in the series followed a different couple. But there's still the overarching plot and main villain to contend with, aside from the smaller, book-specific one. And... we've already come to the first problem. This book barely has a plot.
The story, this time around, followed Alistair and Aidan, both of whom we already know. They go on a mission for surveillance and info collecting. They surveil and collect information. There's a minor threat, and some feelings are discussed. There are some revelations, and the book ends. That's not a plot! It's just the set-up for one.
And you might wonder what even went on in the book if there was barely a plot. Because the "romance" certainly didn't take up much space (I'll get back to that one). And the answer is world-building.
I've found the world of this series interesting from the beginning. And in this book, that world expanded quite a bit. It had to do with both the stuff we found out at the end of the previous book, about the other dimension and elves. And about what was going on in this world. There were some pretty drastic changes as well. And I really liked all of that. It's half the reason I'm not giving the book a lower rating, even if some of the revelations came in an info-dumpy way. It was still interesting to read about, and I'm excited about the next book.
Now, coming back to the "romance." And yes, it definitely deserves the quotation marks because the book only sets up the potential for a romance and doesn't even pretend to go farther.
We have Aidan, who we don't know very well, and Alistair, who has reservations about romantic relationships. They're poorly developed reservations (I'll get to that after this), but they exist. Then suddenly, by the (literal) magic of plot convenience, we're just told they're gonna live happily ever after. And it seriously pissed me off. I mean, the romances in the series have never been the best, but at least the last two books tried. This one doesn't even do that. And the lack of a proper plot makes it worse.
About the protagonists... We still don't know Aidan as well as we should, so I'm gonna skip him. Alistair... We knew him as the overdramatic joker of the group, and I was eager to get to know him better. But turns out overdramatic joker's all he is. Except for one, maybe two, scenes, his personality is skin deep. And I was very disappointed by that.
Finally, the reason I enjoyed the book despite all the issues is that it was fun and, once again, interesting. It made me laugh, I enjoyed spending time with the characters, and there were some sweet moments. It just needed more structure in terms of plot and more focus on developing a romance. And it needed balance between all the story elements, something that Masters has struggled with since book 1. Fifty more pages could've fixed so much of that.
Overall, my least favourite installment so far, but not bad. And I'm still holding out hope, if not for the series, then for the author.
sus_would_rather_be_reading's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 stars
I loved almost every part of this book. Almost.
Alistair's light bulb moment was way too easy. He literally has been hanging onto this trauma/grudge for 150 years and after brief conversations with Aiden and Sam and a night of poptarts, he's suddenly totally over it. Fortunately the rest of the book redeemed itself and did a great job of moving the overarching series plot forward by leaps and bounds.
Honestly if i was rating this book completely on its own, I may have rated it lower but looking at it as a part of the series as a whole, it worked well and fit in nicely with the other novels.
I loved almost every part of this book. Almost.
Alistair's light bulb moment was way too easy. He literally has been hanging onto this trauma/grudge for 150 years and after brief conversations with Aiden and Sam and a night of poptarts, he's suddenly totally over it. Fortunately the rest of the book redeemed itself and did a great job of moving the overarching series plot forward by leaps and bounds.
Honestly if i was rating this book completely on its own, I may have rated it lower but looking at it as a part of the series as a whole, it worked well and fit in nicely with the other novels.
a_reader_obsessed's review
4.0
4 Stars
No one is more surprised than me that this series went from an average but entertaining read to something with actual depth. On the surface this may be a paranormal romcom but deep down within its many layers, is an impressive, subtly complex, magical creation theory, along with the evil baddies hell bent on destroying the foundational system the universe relies upon. Because of such a logical set up with an equally believable conflict, this 3rd installment gained the points it deserves.
Surrounding this serious core is still a healthy coating of silly ridiculousness that takes the edge off of the entire doom and gloom situation the cast is trying to defeat. Bring in alternate dimensions, the dire consequences of time travel, a couple species on the brink of extinction - all intermixed with no holds barred hellhound Alister finally realizing being open to a relationship has some major benefits and shifter leader Aidan who has room for some more fun in his life filled with important responsibility.
Overall, this consistently has VRC and THIRDS vibes, and I’m happy to say that this series just gets better with each book as we expand our exposure to the large cast. Though still light on epic romance, this delivers consistently with the smexy and humor, easily keeping one's interest in the various pairings and ongoing conflict!
No one is more surprised than me that this series went from an average but entertaining read to something with actual depth. On the surface this may be a paranormal romcom but deep down within its many layers, is an impressive, subtly complex, magical creation theory, along with the evil baddies hell bent on destroying the foundational system the universe relies upon. Because of such a logical set up with an equally believable conflict, this 3rd installment gained the points it deserves.
Surrounding this serious core is still a healthy coating of silly ridiculousness that takes the edge off of the entire doom and gloom situation the cast is trying to defeat. Bring in alternate dimensions, the dire consequences of time travel, a couple species on the brink of extinction - all intermixed with no holds barred hellhound Alister finally realizing being open to a relationship has some major benefits and shifter leader Aidan who has room for some more fun in his life filled with important responsibility.
Overall, this consistently has VRC and THIRDS vibes, and I’m happy to say that this series just gets better with each book as we expand our exposure to the large cast. Though still light on epic romance, this delivers consistently with the smexy and humor, easily keeping one's interest in the various pairings and ongoing conflict!
sunnysideup's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
love_bookswillbetheendofme's review against another edition
4.5
I was so excited to get Alistair's pov! He's hilarious, and I love him with my whole heart!
tinkcourtney's review
5.0
This was both action-packed and hilarious. I was giggling and highlighting the whole way through. I loved the first two in the series, but this is my favorite yet. Alistair is adorably quirky (though don’t tell him that), and he and Aidan are very compatible both in and out of bed.
There were several surprises in the overall series plot, and I am SUPER excited to see how it all resolves. The next book will be EPIC.
There were several surprises in the overall series plot, and I am SUPER excited to see how it all resolves. The next book will be EPIC.
sickler13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0