3.5 Stars

Despite my absolute adoration of Marshals, I’ve always felt Calmes’s brand of OTT crazy works more perfectly for the urban fantasy para/supernatural setting and here, as she incorporates her trademark shenanigans towards the legend and lore of vampires, it simply unfolds quite nicely.

Yes, there’s a beautiful human MC who’s clueless of his own irresistible attraction, whose unassuming charming self lures everyone and anyone to his inner circle and that of course, includes vampires. When he saves an important member of the Prince’s entourage, it sets off a chain of events that cannot be undone.

Ensue the requisite insta lust and love, mate bonds, and always those hateful people who are gonna fucking hate, resulting in some well deserved, though never enough, gory violence. Par for the course a’la Change of Heart vibes, this tosses in some new terms, plenty of kick ass warriors, and gleeful peripheral pairings that made me smirk. Don’t forget the nonsensical convos, claiming alpha posturing, and smexy smex that always make me roll my eyes but nevertheless, still gets me to smile and swoon.

Calmes doesn’t fail her fans here. I look forward to the sequel and hope this is another long running series to be addicted to! ( )

After reading through eight or ten reviews of this novel on Goodreads, I am left both amused and bemused. I give it five stars without hesitation.

This is a supernatural novel.

I state that because it seems to have been missed by too many readers. If you don't know the tropes, you'll miss important cues, such as when in the first scene Jason seemed not merely human. That's a HINT. Or, you know, the most common trope. Plus, he refuses to see it, making him an unreliable narrator. There's your setup. But if you miss those two points, he does seem a lot like Calmes's character Jory, from her contemporary series. (...What is the plural of series?...)

Jason is not Jory at all, fellow readers. They are both impulsive. They are both helpful on a molecular level. But where Jory has a careless disregard for life and limb, Jason has hard-won experience - even as he refuses to think of himself as anything but human. He clings to the contemporary worldview like a burr to fur, which is why Calmes spends almost half the book on his evolution.

The biggest difference I see is this: Jory is just a stubborn human, and thoughtless when he terrifies those who love him. Whereas Jason, as soon as he understands someone loves him, tries not to be yet more trouble. It doesn't work, but he tries. He understands his limits - or he thinks he does.

Calmes did her job very well. If you enjoy supernatural fiction and stubborn characters, this is for you. I am hoping for more stories in this world - the groundwork is there. ( )

This is it. No more Mary Calmes for me :(

The books became indistinguishable. Everyone loves and adores the main character(s) Jin, Jory, Jason. Everybody talks in that signature spaghetti dialog, going in circles, interrupting each other and dumping the unnecessary info.

I had to keep skipping pages so I could get to the angsty bits, but even then I realized that I honestly don't care anymore. I know Jin, Jory or Jason will be saved and coddled and made love to no matter what or where, within an inch of his live. Bad guys will die a horrible death and Jin, Jory or Jason will live happily every after as someone's mate or consort or some such.





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