Review: Surprised by all the good reviews
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2013
I'm conflicted about this book.  Don't misunderstand me about the surprise on reviews, I do like the book.  However, the continuity and details made it very hard for me to give this a good rating.  Fey have long life expectancy from what the first book states.  Sorry for the spoiler, but I'm stating this because it IS in the first book.  Betina is proof of that.  Although, I think because she is High Priestess and Fey, it makes her life expectancy a tad longer.  But Duncan is also half Fey, and he has a long life too.  Then there is the fact of what Megan is.  I won't spoil it, but the fact it is stated she is mortal: makes no sense!  She should be just as supernatural as the next.  She is what she is: mixed, but that doesn't make her any less supernatural.Aside from that, I sort of like Dante. I was more into Duncan in this one.  From what I could tell his character takes the magic aspect like Allie and Betina did.  My other issue is Duncan not using flashing them to safety.  Uh, what happened to that ability?  Did he lose that yet still conjures up glowing swords?  And the bit about using something as means to get rid of poison?  Why is it in the first book, this was not used?  Silver is just as much a poison to vampires and weres and there was no need for what Duncan says helps rid poison from their body.  It was inconsistent to the first book.  Or maybe just an excuse to have multiple partners, but still make this a book on a couple.  I'm going to say yes it was used just for that.  Which is just plain horrible to use Duncan in this sense.  He was imprisoned and released in the previous book by Allie...yet he is used in this one.  Kinda horrible that he couldn't find happiness in this book especially considering a detail that is found out about a character.  I just think he got short changed BIG TIME.  Then again he deserves better.Megan.  What to say about her.  I liked her, but I didn't love her like I adored Allie.  She is constantly back and forth with feelings.  Let me emphasize.  She makes it very clear she feels something for Dante at some point.  Won't say when.  But right away you can tell B. D'arc is making this only about two of the characters and not a trio.  However, she does throw in the sharing aspect quite a bit.  At which point pisses me off at times.  Inner voices are basically laying down just who that couple should be.  Yet, you wonder about the one character who saves them continuously.  I just don't understand why this couldn't have included Duncan also. Given how close Dante and Duncan are. And don't get me wrong I get being a good friend, but that?  Yeah, that was taking the friendship to an entirely different level.  Sure they were mature about it, but it squeaked me out more than the twin brothers in the first book. I got that, and even excepted it.  This? I don't know, unless at some point she plans to make books about what Duncan's character actually is.  It's stated in the first book that he is a Knight and half Fey.  So maybe a bunch of Knights and half Fey or Knights and Fey get there own set of books aside from this series?  Because it seems to me we won't see Duncan getting his own book anytime soon.  So yeah, he was written in a way that he was used big time.  Aggravated me.  Probably why it's taking me so long to read this.  It's losing my interest.  And probably because I saw better chemistry when all three were together, but hey, just my opinion, I guess.I didn't find this book as hot as the first and I'm not a big fan of twins with the same woman.But I'm not finished and pushing through this book even though I'm not as immersed as I was with the first.  So I will update.Update:The inconsistencies are a big problem for me.  Another is the very fact she discusses not using the backdoor during sex...yet she has done this.  It's like the act is happening for the very first time at every sexual interaction they have.  It's highly annoying.  I'm surprised no one noticed this at all.  Another spoiler from the last book.  Don't read this unless you've read the first.  But my issue is that there is so much emphasis on the fact Dante got rid of a character that is of importance to a family in this one, yet he aided.  It was Allie the Priestess who banished that character whom Dante is being blamed for.  That was a very big pet peeve how that wasn't argued with the bad villains of the story.  They knew what Patrick was up to, yet they don't follow through and assume it's Dante?  Dante helped, along with Duncan, but it was ultimately Allie who banished this Patrick.  This character is the reason behind a revenge vendetta against Dante.  I understand why they think it's him...BUT they are so wrong.  And why when it does get pointed out it wasn't him, it's brushed off.  I get the reasons for going after Dante, because I won't say that spoiler, but seriously they needed to go to the source too.  (maybe this will come up in later books, I hope?)Too many things just weren't consistent with the truth of the first book.  I had a very hard time with a certain joining too.  There was nothing spectacular about it.  Just words spoken of We are one.  Yet, Dante shares a bond with Tim from the first book and even more so with Duncan from the first book and even this book.  I'm going to spoil this right now so read at your own discretion: But given there was sex between Duncan, Megan, and Dante at one point.  To control Dante's urge to feed he bit Duncan.  Um, I've read quite a few vampire bonding books, but this was very very weak.  It would mean that Dante bonded with anyone he slept with.  This one business was, too me, a cop out.  Automatically joining them.  I didn't find it romantic at all.  I found it too convenient so that it was just the two.  As I'm sure it was intended to begin with.  I really wished I did find it romantic and a great joining, but I didn't.  But this book wasn't anywhere in the same caliber as the first of this series.  That joining between Tim/Allie/Rafe was believable.  I kinda want to grab Duncan out of this book and give him something 100 times better than these two.  D'arc definitely throws him to the side, but loves to tell you the reader that he's okay with it.  I wouldn't have been.  I still have an issue that she changed how magic users rid poison.  It just didn't fit.  I still believe it was to add the spice of multiple partners.  Because come on!  How the heck can a poisoned nearly dying vamp manage to have sex????  Yeah I'm not going to totally spill on that scene, but seriously?  It makes you wonder how this technique of ridding poison wasn't used in Lord's of the Were when Duncan shows up.  I'm just stumped how details can change so quickly from each book.  Yes, I'm into details and certain details done jive with the first book.Final Update:I'm hoping this isn't the case with the rest of the Were series because I totally loved the first book!  And now finishing this story...finally, I'm still very much conflicted.  A lot didn't add up to the previous book.  I wonder how the ending will come about if we don't see much of a certain character being tagged by a certain familiar.  The joining between these two Dante and Megan, was kinda cheesy and way too romanticized to be believable at times.  And I'm still smarting about the fact that she needs to be something else.  She is part something, part were, and part human.  She should have long life expectancy, yet I think we are to assume she doesn't, which negates what we read in the first book.  I just don't get that.  Some things with these details just boggled my mind.  I'm sorry I tried to like this story.  A lot of it was telling with some bits of it showing then right back to telling. I don't know some things were contradicting the first story and then this one takes on a new leaf, so to speak.  I get making two characters the be all, but it was overly done. Kinda like without you, we are so dead, it's up to these two. Yet, when it was done for the Lords of the Were, it was tastefully done.  It worked. For these two it was pushed and pushed.  You find yourself really pulling for another trio to come together, but it's NOT going to happen.  Yet, he does MORE heroic and amazing things during this entire book, and he amazed me the most aside from some special characters that came on the scene!  I was not connecting well with Megan or Dante in this story.  I swear even with the first part of the book, I wanted Duncan to find his happiness.  And, at this point, I don't think we will see it any time soon.  Unless of course it's thrown in there in later stories just to conclude his part in all of this.  Rather sad, because I connected so much to him in the first book and this book.No doubt most won't agree with me, but the details killed me.  Given the fact that I'm into details, this was disappointing because I do like Bianca's work.  I hope to enjoy the rest of the series.  I recommend read if you aren't a detail wolf like me (lol), but I am not like the others with their praise for this book.  I failed to review the last book, because I wanted to read this one.  And I don't review every book either.  This one I had to say something.  I was really into Dante in the first book.  This one he literally died in my eyes.  No connection. So yeah, disappointment.  I hope Rocky is better!