Gemma and Demitri are my favorites now

Merged review:

Gemma and Demitri are my favorites now

This is now one of my favorite books in this series. Obsidian is now my third favorite hero after Blade and Jasper. Gemma might be my favorite heroine too. Her and Obsidian's story just flowed smoothly, their chemistry was undeniable. I'm looking forward to reading Charlie's story. I would also like to see more of Silas and maybe a more humane X, if that's possible. I just love this world that Bec McMaster has created and she's only disappointed me once with a HEA, Garrett and Perry.

4.5 Stars

⭐️3.5 stars⭐️

You cannot forget your pain without forgetting all the goodness that comes with it.
Pain is what makes the pleasures of life seem so vibrant.
If you didn't know pain or loss, then you would take for granted what had been gifted to you.

There’s something about this author - in terms of catnip and themes in romance, her writing and storytelling definitely hit all my buttons!
👇🏾All Good things, one excessively minor “bad” thing, and one warning ⚠️!

The Goods:
Second chance romance, simmering and explosive fury as they work out the past, badass heroines, non-Alpha assholes, suspense, camaraderie with friends, loyalty and trust and honor... and the steamiest sex scenes are just a given 😜

PLUS, the sequel bait is on point.. damn, I’ve been anticipating Charlie’s story (next book) since he and Lark first came on scene. And then the sequel bait in this book was actually about Malloryn and Adele and.... damn!!

Emotions, emotions, emotions. McMaster writes emotional books - even when I may not be 100% into the characters at first (in about 12 books of hers, that may have happened in 2 books), I’m definitely all in by the end because she works my frickin heart strings!

The Bads
(Really, I’m just being extra)
Who chooses the book covers? There have been a couple of different books lately where I’m scratching my head as to why that was chosen. The people look disproportionate and honestly like they’re contemporary going to a ballet. This is set in 1800s-ish, right?

The Uglys
If you’re triggered by hate sex, this is your warning ⚠️. The first sex scene is raw but I could understand that it could be a turn off for some.

So much action and suspense in this one, even in the last few chapters. I kind of guessed a few moments, but that didn't make them less impactful. I really liked the scenes with Adele, and those involving only Obsidian and Gemma were really well done.

At the same time the plot is revealed, the plot thickens. I love stories involving double and triple agents- never quite sure who is playing whom. This is Gemma’s story- a story about trust, about love, and about pain. We start out with the question of who is most lethal. As with any proper foreshadowing, the moment Malloryn and Gemma say the other’s name at the same time you know the showdown will test the theory. But it’s not so much a test of who’s more lethal, but how deep love has to go to stop one from a pulling the trigger. Anyone can kill, but can they love?

Though they may be thoroughly trained spies, Obsidian, Gemma, and Malloryn are tested to see how deep their hearts truly run. The craving for love, belonging, trust, and redemption is a story with which we can all resonate. And it’s a moment when those characters who truly believed they had no heart- were true loners- are startled to find themselves surrounded my love and loyalty.

Also, neural control technology, attempts to assassinate the Queen, the “master” is unmasked, double-crossings, two explosions, a ruined wedding, and a look at the Queen’s court. But that all drives the characters to discover what is really important to them. It’s time to choose a side. Where do your loyalties lie?