Sometimes playing cat
and mouse is no game...Play? "Right." My Pride is under fire from all
sides, my father's authority is in question and my lover is in exile.
Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And
with a new mother "and" an I-know-everything teenager under my
protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him
again.
Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever. |
“You think he left a big flashing arrow pointing to a filing cabinet labeled 'Evidence Here!'? He's a Stray, Ethan, not Wile E. Coyote!”
It's rated 4 stars, like the others in the series, but it's the best of the first four. Maybe I should be more careful with rating books in the future.
My other reviews show that I never liked Faythe much - she's abrasive, bitchy, vindictive, and kind of cocky, all turn offs. Here she tones it down some and I felt more heart than horror, which helped me read the plot through her point of view. I couldn't care much about the rekindling emphasis with Mark, but the main story is fascinating - they have to investigate why Mark has gone missing and who is doing a certain big-bad to strays in the area. Behind all that there's the convoluted politics her father and family keep fighting as they feel the power slipping through their paws.
There's an uber sad scene in this one which surprised me. I admit some tears leaked out as life did. Didn't see it coming and the character was one of the best the series offered. The writer also decides, during the fourth book, to introduce a potential love triangle, which is usually done earlier on in a series. I'm not in the mood for a love triangle but considering the circumstances it's kind of forgivable right now.
I couldn't imagine a shifter urban fantasy series that wasn't violent when violence is shown - the same can be said for this one. Vincent doesn't shy away from the carnage, well done action sequence fighting, and gory stuff when sadness splatters on page. There's not much tension but there's a sense of mystery and wondering what's going to pop up next. She's good at keeping the story going where you never know exactly where things will lead, throwing small plot wrenches into the story to keep it shaken up.
I'm glad I stuck with this series. It's not perfect, I'm not star-struck by the main player, and shifters are one of my lesser liked paranormal buddies - but this is worth a read for the political infighting, surprised story-lines, and emotional slaps in the head.
Book Quotes:
“Brutal death shouldn’t be so easily accepted. It should still be an occasion for tears and hysteria and, at the very least, an interruption of daily life. Routine should not continue in the face of such a loss. It should be shattered like silence before gunfire. It should shake everyone it touches, and we should demand an end to it.”
Author Extras:
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