Insatiable by Darcy Burke
Phoenix Club #8

Saying goodbye at the end of a series is never easy and as Lucien, the person who The Phoenix Club centers around, was a book I have been waiting to read. I had hoped, in book one, that he and Evie would get together but sadly…that did not happen as Evie found her partner in a previous book. In this book a chance was given to see all the previous characters in the series and find out how they were doing, and that was nice as all are doing well.

This book finally explains why his Lucien’s father has treated him differently than his siblings, provides a romantic partner-wife for him, deals with the silent partner that co-owns The Phoenix Club, and uncovers a treasonous spy in the midst of the group. Lucien must deal with stress from the co-owners demands, club issues, his father, and the woman that starts to occupy his mind.

Katherine ‘Kat’ Shaughnessy is Ruark’s half-sister in London to get away from a scandal that occurred at home. She has some quirky behaviors, is outspoken, very curious, interested in mating rituals of mammals that has extended most recently to humans. She is different from her sisters and perhaps not understood well by her mother. Staing with Ruark and his wife Cass seems to be a good situation for her.

I had trouble understanding why Rourke was drawn to Kat but maybe it was because she was true to herself, open, honest, willing to put herself out there, pheromones were high, or something else. She seemed rather naïve for such a worldly world-traveled man but perhaps that, too, appealed to him. For whatever reason, he seemed to understand her and they were well suited and seemed to work well together being able to meet one another’s needs verbally, physically, and emotionally if not quite socially since he was an extrovert and she was seemed to be overwhelmed in large gatherings.

I enjoy this authors book, have enjoyed this series, and look forward to reading what she writes next even though this book was perhaps my least favorite in this series.

Thank you to the author for the ARC- This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars ( )

Lucien and Kat's story blends romance, humour and intrigue.
Kat cleverly confides in Lucien about her research, which makes his mind spin with the idea that she might actually experiment with a man who isn't him. Once they kiss their attraction to one another can't be denied and this leads to a few steamy scenes in clandestine locations. For me, there were too many scenes like this but I know lots of readers who actively seek it out and it's easy to skim past if you don't.
Kat appears to be on the autistic spectrum and I thought that the author represented it quite sympathetically. As they say, if you know one artistic person you know one autistic person. Kat's unique and latest obsession is researching mating rituals which leads her to yummy Lucien. She also has trouble with crowded places but has some coping mechanisms despite not being allowed to stim in public. I enjoyed the humour she brought and how Lucien appreciated her way of thinking.
The mystery had me intrigued and guessing to the end. ( )