3.5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 394 pages. Published October 4th 2019 by SJ Himes
Blurb:
Guilt-ridden after the massacre of his family, Isaac Salvatore turned to binge drinking to escape the pain. Now twenty-four years old, Isaac is a recovering alcoholic woefully out of practice in the magical arts, leaving his fire affinity hanging on the edge of disaster. After a month of rehab, he returns to Beacon Hill and his family, determined to remain sober, learn to control his magic, and figure out a plan for his life that doesn’t involve drinking.
Constantine Batiste is the oldest, most powerful vampire in the city. Born in ancient Gaul, the bastard son of a Celtic king, his long life has been shrouded in tragedy and horrors. Recent mistakes have left him wary and determined to guard his clan from all foes. When two of his clan members fall victim to an ancient evil, he summons the Necromancer of Boston for aid. Accompanying his older brother to the Tower is the handsome young fire mage once wounded by Constantine’s arrogance, and their encounter reignites an attraction that burns within both Constantine and Isaac.
The answer to who is targeting the vampires of Boston is buried in the dark, early days of Constantine’s transition to an immortal life. Isaac finds himself saddled with a painful insight into the evil cutting a swath through the supernatural population of Boston. While his brother, Angel, takes over the hunt to find and stop the threat to the city, Isaac struggles to find a balance between helping his brother and finding his own purpose and place in the world, free from his brother’s shadow.
Falling in love wasn’t part of his plan, but mastering the flames that burn between him and Constantine soon becomes the most important thing in his life, even as an ancient evil seeks to destroy them.
Likes:
- Isaac finally gets his own story.
- How much Isaac struggled, even after he left rehab.
- Interesting non-romantic plot.
- Isaac is working to get himself better.
- Constantine and Simeon are family now.
- Good smut.
- Isaac was allowed to be the hero.
Dislikes:
- Isaac and Constantine didn’t interact until the 23% mark.
- So many other things going on besides the romance.
- Constantine’s backstory didn’t need to be so long or show up at the beginning of the book.
- Romance feels rushed.
- Angel is a douche.
I have been looking forward to this story ever since Batiste and Isaac kissed. I dove right into the book, eager to see the younger Salvatore brother and the sexy City Master meet again. Then I waited. And waited. Wondered why a part of Constantine’s backstory was placed so early in the book. Then waited some more.
Isaac and Constantine don’t interact until 23% into the book. That’s right. Almost a fourth of the book passes with no romance. And honestly, very little plot. It was mostly about Isaac getting out of rehab and trying to find his place in the world, which I appreciated since it was necessary to his character development, and part of Constantine’s backstory, which I thought was really boring.
Constantine’s personal history does end up being important to the non-romantic plot. But it didn’t need to be so long and it didn’t need to show up so early in the book. I came to this book for one thing – the romance between Isaac and Constantine. Being forced to wait for it wasn’t enjoyable.
And while I see the point in letting Isaac adjust to sober life before throwing him into a romance, especially since this adjustment made him realize that he was bored, it made me feel like Isaac would have been better served if Daniel’s book had come before his. Yes, that would have screwed up the timeline. I don’t care.
The romance between Isaac and Constantine felt rushed. There were so many other things going on in the book. The blood mage problem, Isaac’s recovery, the fight with Angel, making sure Daniel is safe with Rory, multiple attacks, Isaac relearning magic, therapy sessions, Constantine’s backstory. Oh, yeah, and romance that has to be squeezed in around all that.
Credit where it’s due, I enjoyed the book so much more after about the 50% mark. That was when Isaac asked Constantine on a real date and their romance really took off. I do think the men were super sweet together. I simply wanted more. More time for them to get to know each other. More time for their bond to form. As it is, how much time did they really spend together? It felt rushed, similar to werewolf stories where two people turn out to be mates and boom! Everything’s great and they love each other.
I think my favorite thing about the book was that Isaac was allowed to be the hero in the end. Seeing things from his point of view made me realize that Angel could be a huge douche. There were so many times he treated Isaac like a child who couldn’t take care of himself, and the fight they got into was entirely Angel’s fault.
Isaac was working hard to better himself, and this book really reflects that. I wish Isaac got another book or two, the way Angel did. Isaac is going to keep growing and evolving into the man he wants to be and I wish we got to see that. It would also help my feeling of being shortchanged with the romance. Honestly, Isaac should have gotten his own spinoff trilogy.
Simeon’s comment of “Our family” at the end gave me the feels. Constantine and Simeon are connected in many ways, but they’re family now, and I thought that was great. I was also glad that my prediction from A History of Trouble turned out to be true. Not sure how that will come into play in future books, but I’m sure it will.
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