4 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 234 pages. Published April 2020 (first published August 19th 2018)
Blurb:
A Gay Paranormal Harem Romance
Sawyer Smith is woefully unprepared for the dangers that come with being part of the supernatural world. As a magical null, he is human and vulnerable, even with the powerful, sexy guardians who have claimed him as their own. When a simple visit turns deadly, Sawyer’s mates take action and whisk him away to the clan of rich and powerful griffins.
As a griffin, Eduard Eastaughffe is considered supernatural royalty, but even with all his wealth and power, his duty as a guardian must come before all else. If he can convince his clan to support his newfound mates and not judge the fact they include a dragon, a vampire, a mage, and–Goddess forbid–a human, the rest of the clans may fall in line without much of a fight.
Danger lurks in close quarters and a new guardian is revealed. If Sawyer hopes to discover the ancient enemy hunting the Chosen One, he must survive the newest tests facing him. Because at the end of the day, when you’re a human among magical creatures, it’s nothing ventured… nothing gained.
Likes:
- So much better than the previous book.
- Got to know the characters better.
- Saeward.
- Hot smut.
- Strong non-romantic plot.
- Finally started to see some of what makes Sawyer special.
- Cecil, Viv, and Ms. Robinson.
- The men are making special connections with each other.
Dislikes:
- Could still use a ton more world building.
- Ends on something of a cliffhanger.
I’m so glad I gave this series another shot. I had a lot of complaints about the first book, and I was worried that it would be more of the same in this one. Thankfully, this book is a lot better. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s head and shoulders above the last.
There was a lot more character building and character growth in this book, and not just because it’s the second book with the same characters. I liked when Draco admitted that, as a shifter who feels things instinctively, he needs to vocalize things more for the two humans. And not just for the humans. It’s important for things to be out in the open for the readers too.
Each man has his own love language. Draco is possessive, carrying his mates around and feeding them. Andvari makes sure everyone is protected. It’s little things like that which made the book more enjoyable, in part because of feelings. The guys didn’t really talk about their feelings much. But they began to show them more. It wasn’t just physical attraction and a lot of sex.
Speaking of sex, there was still a lot, but not in big chunks like the previous book. The sex this time honestly did move the relationships along. It wasn’t just hot, it was necessary to the story. Which is the best kind of sex. I especially liked that the men are starting to create special things between each of them. They’re still polygamous, but there’s something special between each pairing that’s for them and them alone.
The non-romantic plot was really interesting, and it moved at a good pace. Not much of it is mentioned in the blurb, and I was surprised at how much happened in this book. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that I enjoyed meeting Saeward, even if how it happened was less than ideal. Then, at the end of the book, something happens that, while not a true cliffhanger, definitely made me want to hurry and start reading the next book.
There’s still not a ton of world building, which leaves me with so many questions. The thing I’m most curious about is how the gods and deities work. It’s not just the Mother Goddess. Her daughters are also Goddesses, and then there are forgotten deities. Admittedly, part of why I want things explained is because I don’t want to end up feeling like new pieces of information are being dropped just to make the plot work.
Eduard got lots of attention since he took everyone to his family estate. Learning about the griffons and Eduard’s history was nice. It was a little bit of world building, but still not a lot. The clothing try-on scene was fun.
The final thing I noticed was that we’re finally beginning to see why Sawyer’s so special. It’s not enough for the Mother Goddess to say he is. It wasn’t a huge moment, but when Sawyer got Eduard’s dad to open up and accept him, it was really sweet. All the more so because it helped mend the rift between father and son.
I am definitely looking forward to getting to the next book. If the quality is better, that would be great, but even if it’s equal to this one, I’ll be happy.
Be sure to check out the previous books in the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1).
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