Ira

Shades of Sin #6

by Colette Rhodes

Boring. Quiet. Glum.

Meera has been called many things over the years, and for the most, they don’t bother her. She’d rather be boring than draw attention to herself, because she knows exactly how dangerous the wrong attention can be.

But when a ghost from her past pops up to haunt her in her new life, Meera remembers what a powerful tool anger can be.

Sensible. Reliable. Steady.

Verner doesn’t rock the boat, and he always tries to do right by everyone—especially the cautious but kind ex-Hunter he’s trying to befriend.

But when it comes to Meera, Verner doesn’t know how to be sensible. For Meera, he’ll risk everything.

Ira is the sixth book in the Shades of Sin series, featuring humans and their not-quite-so-human partners. For readers 18+

Author’s note: I recommend you read the series in order of release for the best reading experience. Book one is Luxuria.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Monsters, Monster Romance, Paranormal, Friends To Lovers, Slow Burn

282 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2024

About the author

Colette Rhodes is a paranormal romance author from New Zealand. She loves to write about love in all its forms, and adores imperfect heroes and heroines who find perfection in each other. You’ll often find her trying to justify her degree by including ancient history and mythological influences in her work.

If she’s not writing, then you’re almost certain to find her reading—ideally with a cup of tea in hand and a scented candle burning to match the mood.

Keep up with Colette here:

Website: coletterhodes.com
Instagram: @coletterhodes_author

Reviews

[BookishKB · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You are my everything, Meera. You’re my light. You’re my peace. You’re my home. I’m going to be all those things for you too, when you’re ready to let me, and not a single moment earlier.”

✨ The way that Verner is absolute perfection✨

Seriously obsessed with how he respected and cared for Meera from the very beginning! 😍

I loved the slow burn of their love! Normally I’m impatient but it was just exactly the way it needed to happen.

I loved seeing Meera grow in her confidence and stand up for herself!

🎧The audiobook was also amazing! Highly recommend listening to it!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ Cute addition to the series


"You are my everything, Meera. You're my light. You're my peace. You're my home. I'm going to be all those things for you too, when you're ready to let me, and not a single moment earlier."


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ book 6 (standalone)
✨ monster romance
✨ shades x hunters
✨ both MCs are quiet and misunderstood
✨ friends to lovers
✨ slow burn
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ gentle femdom
✨ mates
✨ HEA
✨ TW: grooming (past), attempted sexual assault (past),


My Thoughts:

Okay, Meera and Verner are super cute. Their friendship was soft and sweet and then their romance became super hot and heavy. I think the friends to lovers romance was perfect. Verner is so patient and gentle with shy Meera. So much so that she finally feels comfortable to open up to him, but also feels safe enough to fully embrace herself and grow into a strong, capable, unafraid person.

While I enjoyed the romance and the overall story, I will say that this one didn't really stick with me/wasn't super memorable. But no matter what, don't skip it! I do recommend it if you’re reading the series.

Update: I just listened to the audiobook, which was amazing (I love the narrators), and I realized why this book wasn't my favorite. Meera holding back on Verner and him being okay potentially waiting forever for her to understand/accept her feelings wasn't a dynamic I loved. I did like how Meera was able to find her voice and get her confidence back all while Verner was so supportive, but it just felt like there was an imbalance in the relationship until the end. Verner was such a cinnamon roll and would put aside his own desires for Meera's, and because she was still healing, she didn't do the same for him. I understand Meera and while Verner reacted the way he did, but I didn't necessarily enjoy reading it.

-

Shades of Sin Series + Ratings:

1. Luxuria: 5 ⭐️
2. Superbia: 3 ⭐️
3. Gula: 3 ⭐️
3.5. Tristitia: 4 ⭐️
4. Avaritia: 4 ⭐️
5. Invidia: 3.5 ⭐️
6. Ira: 3 ⭐️
7. Acedia: 4 ⭐️

-

[buket · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay the events getting repetitive as the series kept going but i looooooved the couple

[DIVINITY🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So obsessed with this series

[readabookonce · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love it when the woman takes control in the bedroom !

MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Meera Jaiswal (25) | Verner (?)

FEATURES
∘ fantasy romance (shade/shadow-esque mmc)
∘ friends to lovers
∘ light femdom
∘ mate bond

REVIEW
I wasn’t really feeling this one at first. It was a slow start. While I’m no stranger to a slowburn, I didn’t feel any anticipation for when they finally got together

Meera had a lot of trauma to work through, so she spent the first half pretty guarded (although open with Verner). Verner was steadfast in his decision to be her friend, and I really loved how he didn’t have any ulterior motives.

About halfway through, Meera had a sudden personality shift and the romance developed QUICKLY. it felt very disconnected to me, even with the explanation. Meera decided she wasn’t hiding herself anymore, and she followed through with almost no hang-ups. It’s like if someone had a New Year’s resolution to go to the gym and then the first day there they bench 300 lbs. It just felt so unrealistic & sudden.

That being said, it’s hard to be mad at because I was bored until that point. So for all my complaints, the novel needed that push into action.

The secondary plot progressed a little more in this one, which honestly needed to happen a lot sooner. I have no idea how the next one is going to have a satisfying conclusion without pushing the couple to the background, but there’s no use in borrowing tomorrow’s problems.

OW/OM DRAMA none
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP none (not officially “together” at this point)
ENDING HEA — few weeks later epilogue

POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3 / 5

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to say but this wasn't great.

I love the world of the shades but the author keeps writing books that kinda don't standalone and don't really advance the overall story in a satisfying way. Once again, we get a book that starts right after the king and Ophelia are mated and includes all sorts of references to the overarching story that is told in the other books without making it make sense for someone that doesn't remember all the details.

It also takes forever to get any plot points going.

I felt like this was such a mediocre book. What a bummer.

[Book Worm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the premise of Ira was fine, but I found the execution lacking. I think there needed to be less focus on past/retelling of events from the previous books (which ironically I liked in Invidia: A Monster Romance) and a faster paced main story. I understand that a slow burn was almost necessary, but it did drag in places. I also think there was such a build up to the return to the human world and then Meera's goals were quite easily achieved. Even the final "challenge" after the return was resolved quite quickly. Here's hoping Acedia: A Monster Romance works better for me.

[Iman’s Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

This was cute. I really liked them as a couple and Verner is a sweetheart! I loved how patient he was with her and was more than willing to be her friend if that’s all she wanted from him. He wasn’t just biding his time in the friend zone until she changed her mind. And he’s a Sub?? 🥵 yes please!

Meera was a little boring. She had a bit of character development by the end but her character still didn’t do much for me if I’m being honest.

The series is getting a little repetitive and not enough is happening with the overall plot, but I’ve gotten this far and I only have one left, so I’m hoping Damen and Iris’ story gives me a little more!

[Moxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved Meera and Verner but Annoyed at Everyone Else

I loved the couple in this book and loved their sexual dynamic, loved the way their relationship slowly built out of friendship. Super annoyed at the external conflicts and meddling by outside parties that I feel really distracted from this book. Made me hate some of previous characters (and the FMC a little bit) at the lack of communication

[Freya Avalon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ It is always such a pleasure returning to this Shade realm Colette has created and seeing my old friends again. This story runs parallel to books 2-5 so we start when they have all arrived in the Shade realm and Meera makes friends with Verner and as weeks and probably months pass, their friendship and feelings deepen. They were two such lovely characters to follow and see them both grow as individuals, finding their inner strength and bravery to stand up for themselves.

I also loved seeing Verity again and of course others, but Verity and her Duke Theon continue being extra special 😂❤️

I cannot believe there is only one book left in the series! I am gonna have such a series hangover letting these friends go 😭

Luxuria - 4.5⭐️ Ophelia ❤️ Allerick
Superbia - 4.5⭐️ Astrid ❤️ Soren
Gula - 5⭐️ Selene ❤️ Austin
Avaritis - 4.5⭐️ Verity ❤️ Theon
Invidia - 4.5⭐️ Tallulah ❤️ Evrin
Ira - 4.5⭐️ Meera ❤️ Verner
Acedia - TBA - maybe Iris ❤️ Damen?

[Ash - chasingwistoragic · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’re already hard,” she said, surprised. “Of course. It’s you.” Meera’s grip seemed to grow a little more sure at that, sending a shudder down my spine. “I don’t really know what I’m doing,” she whispered. “You can do whatever you want with me, Meera.” Suddenly, her perfume was so thick in the air that I could have choked on it. Had that been what she wanted? What she needed for her desire to fully take hold? I had no objections to being Meera’s plaything. I would be the luckiest Shade alive.


I’m dead. Deceased. I love this series so much. It’s everything. Meera and Verner were adorable! I loved him letting her grow in her confidence! She’s sweet and shy, he’s gentle and reliable. The friends to lovers aspect was perfect for them and then of course I love all the pining for Meera that Verner did. This is a series that I will be rereading forever! Sweet shadow monsters with 🪢…what more could a girl want.

Tropes.
Gentle FemDom
Shadow-form friskiness
He falls first
Friends to lovers

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meera was an interesting character with a lot of trauma and difficulty opening herself up to trust others. Verner was a good match for her because he met her where she was. She had to wrestle with some demons from the past and I wasn’t the biggest fan of how she went about it. That being said, when rage at past abuse hits, logic doesn’t have the wheel. Verner had to wrestle with his people pleasing tendencies and make some big choices for himself too.

Spice: 3/5

Triggers: grooming and attempted child SA (past), child kicked out of house, parentification, poverty, violence, isolation, references to past kidnapping and captivity of side character, classism, pregnancy (side character)

[Mary Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Verner is my new obsession! He was one of the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful male characters I've ever had the privilege of reading. No matter what Meera did, he was going to be there for her, even if only as a friend. All the side characters acted a fool in this one though, except Verity (and Theon). It was comical how protective I felt of Verner and how mad I got at the King and Captain, and even Ophelia and Astrid, but thankfully, it all worked out. Verner and Meera got their much deserved HEA, and I have a new book boyfriend! <3

[Jamie Stahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting that 2 of the last characters you would attribute anger to are the main characters of this book. Meera is the quiet one, the one silently taking care of everyone else and never asking for anything for herself. Verner, the reliable and honorable guard, who only fights while training.

But sometimes it is the quiet ones whose fire can ignite in rage. And it takes a triggering event for Meera to find her courage, find her voice, and find her love right next to her where he has always been.

This is a slow burn, friends to lovers, monster f-ing romance with found family and finding yourself themes.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, Meera, this book is dull as a box of rocks. This is where the series ends for me, there was just soooo much repetition and negligible forward movement.

[The Tunita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one got boring, and there were some decisions in regards to story-telling that bothered me:

1) Timeline: For the past three books, it seems we've been stuck in time relieving time and time again what happened in the third one. This being one of the biggest issues because it makes things (a) feel repetitive (b) halts the story (c) fails to showcase our main characters and their love story (d) fails to show and so many important events occurs off-page.

2) Kisses: like, come on now. At this point of the story, I feel like shades should have a notion of what kisses are. There are four couples being public about their relationship around the castle where public events are held.

3) Missunderdtandings due to miscommunications: It seems that all books feature this trope and while I understand it can happen one or twice, being a constant theme when they all speak the same languague it's just too much.

For me, the series peaked with Superbia, and all others have felt lackluster. This might be a sign for me to stop. I just don't see any point of me critiquing or commenting the same issues over and over again.

I might read the final one in the series, but I think I'm pretty much done.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-3.75/5 stars ⭐

Unfortunately, this was probably my least favorite of the series ☹️ It may be more of an it's not you, it's me issue. I usually like friends to lovers, but uncommunicative characters like Meera really grate on me and I'm not super into fem-dom (thought it's very light). I felt the chemistry a lot in the beginning, but for some reason it just fizzled out for me. Definitely wanted more on-page romance. I still love the world and the plot was intriguing enough, but overall Luxuria and Verity are still my favorite. Absolutely positively cannot wait for Damen's book though!!

*Spoilers below*
POV: Dual POV, first person, present tense
Romance Type: Slow burn
Series Info: Shades of Sin #6. It explains enough that it technically can be read as a standalone, but I'd recommend reading in order for character and plot backgrounds
Trope(s): Monster romance, strangers to friends to lovers, slow burn, caged off fmc
Ending: HEA
Triggers: Discussions of off-page abuse and criminal activity; family drama and off-page loss
OW/OM: No cheating
Steam: Open door
# of times: 2-3

[Merrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still love this series but individually this book didn’t really work for me.

[Luckylovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the transition from friendship to more than friends was a little bit abrupt

[Angela Plumeria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 A different couple for the series. It was ok just a little too much dragging in the romance arc. Verner was great, Meera finally found her bravery in this one.

[DettaDrake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series so much! I seem to love every one of the characters in all of the books 😆 That said, I did feel like this one focused a bit less on the main characters and their relationship, and more on outside stuff. I prefer when the focus is really on the relationship, so it did feel a bit more rushed to me than previous books in the series. Felt the same way about Meera’s character development, it felt a bit too sudden and I didn’t 100% buy it. I could’ve used more moments with the main characters and less about events from the previous books. This is also another instalment that I wouldn’t recommend as a standalone, you really do need the info and background from the previous books to fully enjoy this one.

While I still loved this one and enjoyed reading it, it isn’t my favourite of the series. (That honour goes to Soren and Astrid 😝).

[Breanna Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ira by Colette Rhodes

What it's About: Meera has always been the ex-Hunter to keep everyone at arms length and never discuss her past. Verner, one of the Guard, befriends her and becomes her safe place.

My Thoughts: ❤️❤️❤️. Not my favorite. It became enjoyable towards the end as we learn more about Meera's past. She does have some good character development but she was not my favorite out of the series. Similar to the other books with a lot of use of the miscommunication trope. One of the couple usually feels unworthy and the other is having some sort of life crisis/big decision to make. If the books weren't interconnected in the series a bit i would have been okay not reading this one.

Spice rating: 🌶🌶🌶. Took awhile to reach any level of spice because these two were holding out as friends.

[✨ Just Another Bookwyrm ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spice - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Relationship - 💕💕💕💕💕
Narration - 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Plot - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hero (MMC) - 🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸
Heroine - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yeah, I gobbled this one up 😍. Once again SO GOOD!! And just the PERFECT amount of tension 😌.

I need this world and shades to become like an Ice Planet Barbarians thing: no end in site, and continual follow ups and spin-offs (all narrated with Will Thorne, of course 🤤). Seriously, I’m DEVASTATED that there’s only one more book and that even that audiobook isn’t out yet 😭😭😭.

What do I even read now????

[Lauren M UK &#x1f1ec;&#x1f1e7; · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only 2 ⭐️ because honestly this book sucked.

The constant re telling of events became extremely repetitive & I found Meera’s character so boring and insufferable.

I found her traumatising story line was out of proportion to the level of sadness / depression her character was displaying - not that her past wasn’t traumatic but I don’t know what I expected but I was underwhelmed to be honest. It was not well executed at all.

My least fave in the series

There was also barely any spice at all!

[Jade Pietrangelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ This one is my favorite of the series so far. I loved Meera’s character and her friendship growing into a relationship with Verner was a nice change of pace. I felt like they actually had a connection before they just started creating energy for the stores (iykyk)

What I didn’t love so much was that the events from the last books all happened as this book was happening, so the plot was kind of messy to follow. I wish this one was longer and stood on its own legs better. It felt like it needed the others in the series too much and didn’t give us enough that was new.

Definitely looking forward to reading the last of the series when it comes out. This has been my guilty pleasure series.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quiet comforting one turned out to be such a baddass with a back story. She turned the leaders of the Hunter organization into the IRS and took down the council. Of course she wouldn’t have had the tools to take them down if it wasn’t for an old Hunter pervert. She was so smart to hide the paper trail as a teenager. Loved her development and he really supported her on her journey - friends to lovers. It pissed me off a little that the other ex-hunters weren’t more supportive when she aired her grievances. However, she also didn’t fully explain to them why this council member was so bad.

[Alison Klie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series so much! Knowing it is coming to an end is both sad and exciting. The way the world has grown with each story has been intriguing and well paced.

I am a big fan of friends to lovers and this book did it so well. The miscommunications weren’t drawn out and the different power dynamic between the pair was refreshing. Give me a woman who takes charge in the bedroom and I’m a happy gal.

[Dr susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good paranormal romantic adventure

The worldbuilding is interesting. Verner's family sucks; his found family is much better. Verity and Theon still make me laugh. There is graphic sex. I'm looking forward to the next couple.

[Salpy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could have used more relationship development, but I enjoyed this one. Looking forward to the last!