Review: Big things happen
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2014
Big things happen in this book. Big. Things.  I am definitely a fan of the Southern Arcana series and this installment entrenched me even deeper into the world. I am more committed than ever. But it wasn’t my favorite installment in the series.  To be clear… It was good, but the romance just didn’t resonate quite as much for me as the last one did.This is Alec’s story, and honestly, he wasn’t even on my radar for a book of his own –at least, not yet. I can see the attraction, though. He is alpha and grunty, and deep down he is licking his wounds from the murder of his wife.  Ripe for a mended heart, right?Carmen is a new doctor at the local supernatural clinic.  She is the daughter of a wolf shifter, but only on her father’s side. She is an empath, but she isn’t a wolf.  Her father and uncle are a bit obsessed with shifter politics and want to drag her into it. They don’t take no for an answer, unfortunately, and target her for a magic attack.  It’s a good thing she caught Alec’s eye when Kat was brought into the clinic.  He swoops in to save the day and the two of them swiftly become tangled up in one another on a primal level.  Of course, later, it turns into something much more.In a lot of ways, this book felt like a turning point for the series.  Yes, there was evidence of a bigger picture in the earlier books, but here, the scope of everything seemed to grow exponentially.  We’re introduced to more characters who will obviously help provide future stories down the road.  And the actions of our main cast change the paradigm in which the New Orleans shifters have been living.It’s significant stuff, and it pushed the romance back a little for me.  Also a factor was the speed in which Carmen and Alec fall in love.  We’re talking, what, two weeks?  I know all the empathic stuff was mitigating, but I had a hard time believing in the evolution of their feelings –at least to the depth in which they surface.  I could also do without the dom/ sub stuff in the bedroom, though it is admittedly mild.I did like both characters, though.  And they do seem to fit. I didn’t feel as connected to Carmen as I did to Alec, but I’ve “known” him longer.  He is definitely sexy with his blunt, dirty talk… his manly beard and his older alpha thing.  I like that he is a little older than the average hero.  –Another plus, the Kat/ Andrew thing is addressed somewhat and I am beyond ready for that book.  It looks to be a doozy.Rating: B