4 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 158 pages. Published May 3rd 2018
Blurb:
Devon Murphy has been back in Rowan Harbor for three months. He’s taken on a host of new responsibilities, and is in a serious relationship for the first time in his life. He loves the town and its inhabitants, but it’s starting to feel like too much for the former drifter.
Now there’s a storm on the horizon, and it doesn’t seem like things are going to slow down and let him catch his breath. A blizzard is brewing, and three people have gone missing in the woods south of town. Devon needs to find them before time runs out.
This book is the fourth of nine in The Rowan Harbor Cycle, not a standalone. Devon and Wade will return in book seven for their HEA.
Likes:
- Good smut.
- Not everything is perfect.
- Good hook.
- Set up future books well.
- More supernatural creatures.
- Some surprises.
- Great side characters.
Dislikes:
- Started slow.
- Tension faded.
- Not as interesting as the others.
There was a lot to like about this book. But strangely, it wasn’t as interesting as the previous three. I think a big part of that was because this book was trying really hard to set up the next few books. Devon might have been dealing with his own troubles, but those troubles were sent by the next bad guy.
The other thing that I think made the story drag a little was Devon’s waffling about his feelings. He’s not used to staying put in one place, especially when he knows bad things are coming. The urge to just pack up and drive away makes him question what he wants. Not to mention his freak-out when Wade says the L word.
Despite the fact that I think Devon’s inner turmoil slowed the story down a bit, I liked that he was worried. The situation he’s in is completely new to him. It’s natural to be unsure. It showed maturity, both that he was facing his feelings and that he stayed. Devon isn’t perfect, and his life isn’t all sunshine and roses just because he’s finally found a place he can call home. That’s realistic, and it was nice to see.
I was glad to get more smut in this story. In fact, there was smut right in the first chapter. That did mean that the hook came a little later, but I liked the hook. The fact that Devon had been seeing threatening clouds for a week when everyone else had been seeing blue skies was unnerving.
This book had several surprises in it. I didn’t expect there to be a whole new villain and threat to the town. But it makes sense, what with the series broken up into trilogies. I also didn’t expect the death of a resident. And it was someone whose absence will have an impact in later books.
As always, the side characters are amazing. Vera was awesome, and I liked that she didn’t feel like she was broken and needed fixing, despite not having a perfect life. She was a new type of supernatural creature, and her backstory was both tragic and unique. Akiyama also gets a shout out.
Out of the three main characters, Devon is the least capable of doing physical things. He’s not a fighter. That’s not to say that his fey abilities are useless. They definitely saved lives in this book. But they’re not as flashy. The time spent stuck in the cave, while necessary to the story, let the tension fade.
I am looking forward to the next book. Especially when the events of this books will definitely have an impact.
Check out my rave reviews for the rest of the series Blackbird in the Reeds (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #1), Wolf and the Holly (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #2), Fox and Birch (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #3), Succubus and the City (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #4.5), Stag and the Ash (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #5), Adder and Willow (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #6), Eagle in the Hawthorn (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #7), as well as Sam Burns’s collaboration with W.M. Fawkes on Poisonwood (Poisonwood & Lyric #1).
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