3.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 156 pages. Published January 26th 2019 by Amazon Digital Services

Blurb:

Kennard and Stas have been enjoying being newly bonded mates, hidden away for the last six months in Stas’ cabin, deep in the forests of Northern Russia. When they get a visit from Alec, Cronin, Eiji, and Jodis, Kennard and Stas decide to return to London where they get news of a supernatural disturbance in India.

Excited for a new adventure, the band of friends embark on a journey like they’ve never seen before. Following a trail of snakes and serpents, they slip through gates into timeless dimensions all over the world, leaving them without their vampire powers. Even Alec is powerless as they follow a trail of gates and doorways to their final destination.

But the bad guy isn’t who they think it is, and Kennard will need to draw on his past to save their future. Because history is never what it seems…

Likes:

• Kennard and Staz.
• Kennard doesn’t have a vampire power.
• Enji’s driving.
• Lots of ancient temples.
• Great scenery.
• Historical figures who were vampires.

Dislikes:

• Kennard may be the POV character, but the story’s not really about him.
• Kennard and Staz feel like they’re just along for another Alec and Cronin adventure.
• This book felt completely formulaic.
• Alec is still the main focus.

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I came to this book fully expecting something noticeably different from the first three books in the series, and boy was I disappointed. Yes, Kennard is the point of view character, but he’s not the main focus of the story. Which makes the title feel like false advertising.

A big part of why I’m so disappointed is the fact that I like Kennard and wanted to get to see him and Staz build a life together. And there was plenty of material to work with. The men are so different that I was looking forward to some personality and culture clashes. After all, Staz has spent centuries living alone in a cabin in Lithuania because his mind reading ability is impossible to control, whereas Kennard is a rich, stylish city vampire who is an elder of his coven.

At least one of these issues could be dealt with, because Alec can shield Staz’s mind, which meant that Staz could be around other people. I was looking forward to Staz learning about the modern era. There were a lot of technological advances he didn’t know about.

But we didn’t get any of that. Instead, there was yet another ancient vampire hell bent on world domination, which meant that Alec, Cronin, Enji, and Jodis took the lead to save the day. Kennard and Staz felt like they were just along for the ride. It wasn’t until the 59% mark that there was even a hint that Kennard might have a unique role to play in defeating the bad guy. Luckily, that hint turned out to be true, and Kennard did play a role that no one else could have.

Of all the books in the series, this one felt the most formulaic. Only this time, no one has much information on who they’re up against. That should have made the stakes feel higher, but once again, I wasn’t worried that anyone would get seriously hurt. Even when everyone was temporarily cut off from their unique vampiric powers, I wasn’t worried. I mean, there were six strong, healthy vampires who all knew how to fight.

While the plot itself felt formulaic, I did like the scenery the group passed through. The temples were well described, and the whole portal thing was cool. The historical figures mentioned were on par with the other books, and I honestly think I would have liked this book much more if it wasn’t so structurally similar to the first three. I was especially unhappy to realize that the villain was specifically after Alec, because I genuinely expected this book to be about Kennard.

Overall, I think I would have been less disappointed if I hadn’t expected Kennard and Staz’s relationship and life together to take such a central role. So that’s on me. I still feel like the title was false advertising, and am disappointed that Staz never got point of view sections of his own. But I am glad that the first six months of them together and doing nothing but having sex in a cabin was omitted. And that we finally saw Alec make good on his promise to teach his friends how to drive. Enji’s driving made me laugh.

This book wasn’t a bad ending for the series. There were comments about how it was likely that more evil vampires would pop up in the future, but that none would appear for a few hundred years. So everyone would have plenty of time to relax.

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Be sure to check out the review for the other books in the series, Cronin’s Key (Cronin’s Key #1) and Cronin’s Key II (Cronin’s Key #2), and Cronin’s Key III (Cronin’s Key #3).

4.5 out of 5 stars

 E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 175 pages. Published September 18th 2015 by BlueHeart Press 

Blurb:

History isn’t always what it seems…

Twelve months after his change, Alec MacAidan is still getting used to his many vampire talents. While most vampires would give anything to have more than one supernatural power, Alec craves nothing more than peace and time alone with Cronin. But when Alec meets entities from outside this realm, he’s left powerless in their presence.

Zoan are half-lycan, half-dragon creatures that have slipped through time and reality, seemingly undetected by man and vampire. Or have they? They bear an uncanny resemblance to gargoyles, leaving Alec’s view on all things weird to get a whole lot weirder.

This new quest leads Alec, Cronin, and their band of friends to Paris, Rome, and Moscow, where they learn that gargoyles aren’t simply statues on walls. In the underground pits beneath churches all over the world, Alec discovers the Key’s true destiny. Facing the Zoan might take every talent he has. And he may need help from the dead to get them all out alive. 

Likes:

• Alec’s new vampire powers are cool.
• Gargoyles.
• How involved Kole is.
• Alec’s feelings about his father’s mortality.
• The hook for Kennard’s story.
• A little more world building.
• Vampire afterlife.

Dislikes:

• How have humans remained unaware of the supernatural?
• Some moments that seem to contradict earlier cannon.
• Alec’s powers make him feel almost invincible.
• A little formulaic.

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While the end of book two was satisfying, I’m glad this third book was written, because I wanted to see what Alec’s life as a vampire would be like. I was curious about what powers he’d have and how he’d use them. And this book definitely delivered when it came to Alec’s powers.

Without giving anything away, I think it’s fair to say that Alec is overpowered. It makes sense, given that he’s the first human Key ever. But like book two, I didn’t worry much about the main cast. I was confident that everyone was going to be fine, no matter who or what came after them. Still, I’m glad we got to see Alec struggle a little with the powers, both with how to use them and with the vampire community’s reaction to them. It was also funny how annoyed he got when Jodis wanted to document everything.

Alec and Cronin’s relationship is so stable at this point that I wasn’t expecting much in the way of romantic development. There’s less smut in this story, which was fine because it made the tender moments that much more impactful. If anything, I’d say this story put an emphasis on friendship, especially given how long vampires live.

Kole, Alec’s father, was a lot more present in this book. Having him along on some of the fact-finding missions added a new dynamic. But what I really loved was Alec’s struggle to come to terms with his father’s mortality. Kole didn’t want to become a vampire, and Alec had a hard time with the thought that he’d eventually lose his father.

This book definitely paid more attention to the ramifications of being a vampire. Alex actually thought about what it would mean to have friendships that lasted for centuries and to watch the normal humans in his life die. The idea that Cronin had been worried about what waited for vampires when they died was interesting, and not something I’ve seen addressed in other vampire stories. The fact that there was an actual answer was really cool. It leant a little more world building to the series.

It was nice that the villains in this book weren’t vampires who wanted to rule the earth. The gargoyles were an interesting concept, as was the search for information about them. I especially loved the group’s trip to the Vatican.

That said, I want to know how normal humans have remained unaware of the presence of the supernatural. I know there was a brief comment about how people thought the video of the statues coming to life was CGI, and the one eyewitness was a homeless man that no one was going to believe, but that isn’t enough. It’s probably the biggest plot hole in the entire series, to my mind, aside from the few instances that seemed to contradict earlier information. For example, Enji offered to feed Alec, but I thought vampires couldn’t feed from other vampires unless they were mated. It was a small moment, but it caught my attention.

As far as the plot goes, this story was definitely a little formulaic. It was still interesting, and I enjoyed it, but I’m hoping that Kennard’s story is new and fresh.

The hook for Kennard’s story was great, and I’m definitely looking forward to starting on it soon. Maybe we’ll get to see more of the English and Russian vampires and be introduced to new characters. As much as I’ve enjoyed Alec, Cronin, Enji, and Jodis, I feel like there isn’t much else to say about any of them.

Overall, this was a good ending to Alec and Cronin’s story.

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Be sure to check out the review for the first books in the series, Cronin’s Key (Cronin’s Key #1) and Cronin’s Key II (Cronin’s Key #2).

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).