It's hard to gather up my thoughts on this sequel because overall, I've been left with a feeling of being unfinished, or unfulfilled. This is a sequel and part of (I assume) what will be an ongoing series, so I understand that not everything can be resolved. But, there was just TOO much left up in the air and unresolved to the point where this felt like a filler.
But let's start from the beginning. Werewolf David, vampire Trajan and uhhh Something Else Connor are living together as a throuple. They aren't good at communication, at all. Trajan and Connor have serious history (he faked his death and the first book was about Trajan finding out he was actually alive), and David is a little lost and unsure what he wants to do with his life (having been severed from his wolf pack at the end of the previous book). There's trust issues and secrets and insecurities. (However, they all do seem to get along in bed fabulously, so there's that, at least.)
Connor has been pulled into solving a series of supernatural murders, with David along to help. He's also been tasked with finding an elven princess by the Elites, his former employers (and why he faked his death). He does not tell Trajan about being back with the Elites. Trajan has to deal with this vampire master telling him to kill Connor for a mysterious reason. Trajan doesn't want Connor to know that, obviously. Both Trajan and Connor want David to hitch his wagon to their career stars (crime-solving with Connor and restauranteur-ing or BDSM with Trajan), and David is torn between supporting his dudes.
At the end of the book, only the mystery of the murders is solved, and it was kind of a lame conclusion -- with the culprit being pretty obvious (to me, at least). The elven princess? Still up in the air. Connor's many-great grandmother's maneuvering? Still a mystery. Trajan's vampire master? Gone but still a problem without a step toward a solution to his order to kill Connor. The communication issues between the three guys? Still there, with some improvement, but not much because their heart-to-heart only addressed the immediate concerns and not the systemic issues. David's career choice? I think he wants to help Connor's sleuthing and become a baby Dom under Trajan's wing (but even Connor's hangup about that aren't explored or confronted. Which was frustrating).
I remember the first book having a lot of emotional punch and a strong plot line pushing me through. There wasn't the same high emotions and there were plot lines, but with so many of them left to be resolved at a future date, I felt like I wasted my time getting invested in them.
I will say the best improvement was David. In the first book, he was almost a caricature. Here, he feels more realized, while maintaining his fashion flair in a more grounded, everyday way. I still feel like a true explanation of what Connor is would be helpful. I would also have liked a greater exploration of Trajan's BDSM tendencies (he owns a club and does participate in scenes, but it was more a driveby sort of scene).
The book is well-written, with good dialogue and editing. I just wish this didn't feel so much like a filler between the first book and the next.
| I received an ARC, and this is my honest, freely given review. |