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tiggerreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
It was so nice to get back to the Shadowlands. It's been so long that I had only slightly remembered Ghost. I did learn to love him, though. I did like Valerie and her learning that she needed to take care of herself. Valeria and Ghost fell into a lovely relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the couples involved in this one. It felt like the original group of couples. The Shadowkittens and their Masters are there to help, guide, and support the new couple. There to make friends and fold them into their found family. I was very glad that they all jumped in to figure out what was going wrong under the new manager and to fix things, as well as help Master Z to set things to rights.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Violence, and Racial slurs
serukis's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
4.0
Reading a Shadowlands book is always like coming home to old friends. This is the fourteenth book in the series, and so obviously there a lot of previous characters to catch up with, and I think Cherise Sinclair does it quite well without it overshadowing the new relationship being set up.
The main relationship in this book is between Valerie, a fifty-year-old university professor, and Ghost (Finn), an ex-special forces widower who is also a university professor. I loved reading a relationship between older people, especially with both of them coming out of previous relationships (though Ghost was much further along in that process than Valerie was). I also loved Valerie as a character, and my heart broke at how shattered her self-esteem was.
There was also a minor relationship in this book between Olivia and Natalia, who had their own storyline going on. This could maybe distract from the main relationship, which some people would find annoying, but it didn't bother me at all.
There was also a subplot about the club, because Z has been away for a while and the other Masters/Mistresses have been super busy, so the club has been left in the hands of a hired manager - Wrecker. You can probably tell this was a terrible idea from his 'scene name'. The club is no longer the nice, friendly place it has been in previous books and is in a little bit of disrepair. So the subplot is trying to get the Shadowlands back to the best it can be. I liked this subplot too, though I did question why Z, normally a good judge of charater, hired the literal *worse* person ever.
A solid entry into the Shadowlands series. Not my favourite, but I really enjoyed it. I'm hoping for a Saxon book next. :D
The main relationship in this book is between Valerie, a fifty-year-old university professor, and Ghost (Finn), an ex-special forces widower who is also a university professor. I loved reading a relationship between older people, especially with both of them coming out of previous relationships (though Ghost was much further along in that process than Valerie was). I also loved Valerie as a character, and my heart broke at how shattered her self-esteem was.
There was also a minor relationship in this book between Olivia and Natalia, who had their own storyline going on. This could maybe distract from the main relationship, which some people would find annoying, but it didn't bother me at all.
There was also a subplot about the club, because Z has been away for a while and the other Masters/Mistresses have been super busy, so the club has been left in the hands of a hired manager - Wrecker. You can probably tell this was a terrible idea from his 'scene name'. The club is no longer the nice, friendly place it has been in previous books and is in a little bit of disrepair. So the subplot is trying to get the Shadowlands back to the best it can be. I liked this subplot too, though I did question why Z, normally a good judge of charater, hired the literal *worse* person ever.
A solid entry into the Shadowlands series. Not my favourite, but I really enjoyed it. I'm hoping for a Saxon book next. :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
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