4.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 195 pages. Published May 22nd 2015 by N.R. Walker

Blurb:

History isn’t always what it seems.

With the battle of Egypt behind them, Alec and Cronin are enjoying the thrill of new love. Though fate doesn’t wait long before throwing them back into the world of weird.

They know Alec’s blood is special, though its true purpose still eludes them. And given Alec’s inability to be changed into a vampire, Cronin is free to drink from him at will. But the ramifications of drinking such powerful blood starts a ripple effect.

With the help of Jorge, a disturbing vampire-child with the gift of foresight, Alec and Cronin face a new kind of war. This time their investigations lead them to the borders of China and Mongolia—but it’s not what lies in the pits beneath that worries Alec.

It’s the creator behind it all.

In the underground depths of China, amidst a war with the Terracotta Army, they will find out just what the Key is, and what Alec means to the vampire world. 

Likes:

• The continuation of Alec and Cronin’s story.
• There’s smut this time!
• New mysteries, both big and small.
• The introduction of new characters.
• The Terracotta soldiers.
• The new bad guy.
• Good ending.
• Excited for the next book.

Dislikes:

• The new bad guy didn’t get much page time.
• The confrontation with the bad guy was over disappointingly fast.
• I felt bad for Jorge.
• I didn’t get as into the history research as the first book.
• I’m curious how vampires have been able to stay hidden with all the shenanigans.

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I jumped right into this book after reading the first, eager to find out what was going on with Alec and why he couldn’t be turned. The hook of his time as the key not being over definitely worked on me. Plus, I really enjoyed Alec and Cronin’s dynamic and wanted more.

Now that they know Alec can’t be turned yet, there’s a ton more smut in this book than the last. It got a tiny bit tiresome, but at the same time, it was understandable. Cronin’s been waiting for Alec for centuries. Not to mention they’re fated. However, since Alec and Cronin are in a good place relationship-wise, it did feel a bit like there was sex instead of relationship development.

I enjoyed the mystery and world-ending threat in the last book, and was looking forward to another one. And on this count, book one definitely did it better. I’m not really sure why, but I was just more invested in the researching and fact gathering portion of book one more. Maybe it was because I had more faith this time that the gang would be able to handle whatever this new threat would bring.

I will say, the thing with the Terracotta soldiers was really cool. They added a nice element of uncertainty to the story, as well as being recognizable historical objects. But with evidence of the Terracotta soldiers being more than statues, I did end up wondering how humans were still in the dark about vampires and the supernatural. I know that there was a quip about how humans thought it was aliens, but that didn’t seem like enough of an explanation.

Alongside the big mystery of who was behind this new threat, I enjoyed the smaller mysteries of what Alec’s blood was doing to Cronin and why Alec had to remain human. Alec was really the only vulnerable one of the group, so for him to still be human, and unable to be changed, put him at risk. Cronin’s possessiveness and both men’s inability to be apart for long made things harder for everyone, and also kept me hooked.

There was some more world building in this book, including more information on things that had ties to vampires, like the Great Wall of China, as well as the introduction of some new characters. Kennard got introduced in person, and I was glad that I liked him, since the fourth book is his story. I felt bad for Jorge, even though he was a little creepy.

My biggest complaint about the book is the ending in regards to the bad guy. Now, I loved who the bad guy turned out to be, but he barely got any page time. The whole thing with the bad guy was over super-fast, and felt like a big letdown considering how much buildup there had been. I know there were more pressing things going on, like saving Alec’s life, but I would have liked at least a little more fighting.

As for the actual ending, I loved it! The heroes got their happy ending, and the epilogue was super sweet. But, I’m still glad there’s going to be one more book with Cronin and Alec as the main characters. Not that I think their relationship needs another book, but I am curious to see what more will happen, given the changes they’ve gone through.

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Be sure to check out the review for the first book, Cronin’s Key (Cronin’s Key #1).