Review: Hawt, angst filled UF - ***SOME SPOILERS***
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 25, 2014
In the second installment of the Thieves series, a lot has changed. At the end of Steal the Light, Zoey has come to realize that Daniel was hiding an awful lot about his vampiric life, including the fact that, as his companion, Daniel was more or less addicted to her blood. That fact made Zoey doubt the validity of Daniel's profession of love, given he had been pushing her away for 2 years. She decided to embark on an affair with Dev, even though in the vampire world, she and Daniel are married, to prove she could be attracted to another male, to prove she was desirable, to prove...who knows what. I have to admit, the affair is a real sticking point for me.Neil said it best - "I don't get it, Zoey. I really don't. You have this guy who would do anything for you, who loves you to the bottom of his soul, and you go sleep with Dev." Yeah. What Neil said. So Zoey goes into the whole "it's not love, it's addiction" thing, to which Neil replies - "When I saw you for the first time, I felt my heart open up in a way it never had before...It was Daniel. I felt an echo of what he feels when he looks at you. God, Zoey, you are the sun in his sky..." Again, what Neil said.What didn't work for me - Zoey can't get past the addiction thing, nor can she move past the fact that Daniel left her when he was first turned. We get some insight into that in Steal the Day. So Dev is the good time guy in her attempt to...what? Hurt Daniel? Because that is what she is doing. So when her feelings move from lust into true caring, Daniel is hurt all the more. Zoey and Daniel are kind of stuck. They love each other, they are frickin' married, yet Dev is the one in her bed. I didn't like it. At all. Zoey went out of her way at times to rub Daniel's face in the fact that she was choosing to be with Dev and more importantly, choosing not to be with Daniel. Again, they are stuck in a "you hurt me, so now I am going to hurt you back" paradigm.Zoey really didn't work for me. She is so wishy-washy, and careless with the feelings of both of her lovers. She doesn't let it sink in that by having an affair with Dev, she weakens Daniel's standing - not to mention ripping his heart out. She soothes Dev when she has to spend time with Daniel, but never apologizes to Daniel for her actions with Dev. It's all "oh, now I love Dev, but I love Daniel, but I can't cheat on Dev, whatever will I do???" Grrr. This is the exact reason I very rarely read UF, and even more rarely enjoy it.What worked for me - I like both Daniel and Dev a lot. Dev has some surprising skills Dan puts to good use, and they develop a wary partnership. Dev shows a ton more maturity than either Daniel or Zoey and guides things on a political level, and then onto a more personal level. I like the direction their collective relationship took a lot. Hopefully, Zoey won't mess it up.Daniel has changed a lot since his introduction. He is more laid back, with more personality. He has big, big plans to go along with his once in a millennium vampire talent level. He still keeps secrets, and he still wants more than anything to protect Zoey. Daniel is smart, and ambitious. Even though he isn't thrilled to have Dev as an adviser, he knows it's the right move.Bottom line - I love the way Lexi Blake writes. The story is interesting and fast paced. I love the characters, except for Zoey. I repeat, I love the way Lexi Blake writes. That is the only reason I finished this book. So why did I give it 4 stars? For people who enjoy love triangles and UF, this is an out of the ballpark winner. So well written, great plot twists, good levels of humor, hawt sex...It's a good book, I just had some personal issues with the direction of the conflict, and with the heroine.