There was a lot of plot crammed into this book, with plenty of action and interpersonal drama. And while it made for an action-filled book with few slow moments, it also meant that plenty of things (interpersonal issues, the moral implications of some of Wes's actions, information about side characters) went unaddressed or were quickly glossed over. The book was quick to jump from scene to scene without leaving much space for introspection, and the conflicts between Wes and the other characters were not really built up and resolved in a way that felt meaningful or emotionally satisfying to me. And while there was more focus on the romance in the last third of the book, I felt that it suffered a bit from not building it up more in the first two-thirds – the emotional impact just wasn't there for me. There was a lot of interesting worldbuilding in this book, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to get me interested in picking up the last book in the series.

3.5 Stars I'm rounding up after sitting with this one for awhile. I remember it stronger than I expected to.

This book wasn't my favorite of this series. I liked it, but it didn't have quite the grab for me as the first book did. I was getting really annoyed with Wes and his secret keeping in this one. I really felt like we'd gotten past some of these issues in the first book and I wanted to see him reach out to his friends in this one. Everyone proved they'd be there for him and I didn't like him thinking that they'd all abandon him if too much of how he had changed came to light.

That being said I did enjoy finding out exactly what has changed for Wes. He and Hudson are a great pairing and I do want them to find the balance with each other. As always I really enjoy their group of friends as well, and hated seeing any of them get hurt.

I enjoyed the mystery for the most part, but I expected the final decision to hit me with a little more emotional impact than it did. I liked it, but it didn't have quite the emotional hit to my heart as I expected it to. Still I'm looking forward to continuing this series and these characters story.

Merged review:

3.5 Stars I'm rounding up after sitting with this one for awhile. I remember it stronger than I expected to.

This book wasn't my favorite of this series. I liked it, but it didn't have quite the grab for me as the first book did. I was getting really annoyed with Wes and his secret keeping in this one. I really felt like we'd gotten past some of these issues in the first book and I wanted to see him reach out to his friends in this one. Everyone proved they'd be there for him and I didn't like him thinking that they'd all abandon him if too much of how he had changed came to light.

That being said I did enjoy finding out exactly what has changed for Wes. He and Hudson are a great pairing and I do want them to find the balance with each other. As always I really enjoy their group of friends as well, and hated seeing any of them get hurt.

I enjoyed the mystery for the most part, but I expected the final decision to hit me with a little more emotional impact than it did. I liked it, but it didn't have quite the emotional hit to my heart as I expected it to. Still I'm looking forward to continuing this series and these characters story.

Like 2.25? The mystery element was interesting but the character and relationship arcs were awful.
MC Wes is so full of magic he accidentally mind wipes his friend’s homophobic brother in law. And then tries to intentionally mind wipe another friend who knows he’s extra magic now, which is a wild ass violation.
Everyone is mad for like a week and then like “Communication is important. I’m disappointed in you for trying to fry your friend’s brain” and they are fine.

Then they have a big circle talking about how much they believe in him at the end.

Our favourite vampire/non-dead non-ghost duo, is back and after the fight with the Demon from book 1, things have changed, some good - Hudson, Iskander, and Wes have opened their PI agency, Evan is settling into his vampiric nature, And some not so good changes – the result of defeating the Demon has left Wes with his magic a bit wonky, he is barely able to contain it, which has some disastrous consequences, so he selfishly keeps quiet about it, which worked about as well as you can imagine! This in turn put his relationships with everyone else in jeopardy.
There is also a lot of ghostly goings-on, with a blast from Wes’ past popping in and out, but are they here to help or hinder. Wes has a monumental decision to make but has he changed enough to make the right choice.
I love this series, it is full of complex characters, that are well written, which I hope to read more about as Hudson and Wes move forward in their business partnership and their personal relationship.
I totally recommend that all those who are paranormal books read this series.

I'm loving these two so much!

Sure I was a bit peeved by Wes keeping secrets but I could understand why he was scared.

I loved the plot and the romance.
I loved Wes and Hudson's romance and their relationship with Evan.

I also loved how Evan's depression amd Wes' sexuality were handled. Subtle yet there.

1.5 Liked this even less than the first one.
Willful miscommunication (aka lying) used as the main conflict.
The steam is still nowhere near where it would need to be to make up for that.
I have even more questions about the paranormal aspect than I did in the first book somehow.
Am I still going to finish this series? Yes, I am glutton for punishment.

Dealing with the fall out of Wes's powers, starting up a PI business and the paranormal all stress Wes & Hudson's relationship and their friendships. Especially when a ghost hunter keeps bringing demons beyond the veil. A great paranormal mystery that continues world building and expanding the secondary characters.

Things are heating up between Wes and Hudson and this book has a lot more drama than the first. So that isn’t my thing but I get it lots of secrets and half-truths. But it does get all worked out.

Lots of action too, this book also gives us more about Wes and Hudson’s past, what happened to Hudson after he was turned.

We also get more of the side characters I want to see baby vamp get someone. And I like the new business.

It all very interesting and will keep you wanting more.
Again the narration was perfect for this book. I am on to the next.

Wow okay SO much better than the first book. The plot is interesting with twists and turns that I couldn't guess outright. I love the dynamics and conflicts between Wes and his friends/family. And most importantly I love that this book focuses on Wes and his issues (HELL YEAH)