I loved this so much more than I expected I would! The action and romance are perfectly balanced throughout the plot, it's fast-paced, the characters are both really fascinating to read about, and I absolutely adored that Mel took a few romantic tropes and turned them on their heads. The result ended up being a romantic relationship that felt so true to the complex characters that had been created. And on top of all this, there are some truly fascinating themes at play that are dealt with incredibly well. All in all this was a brilliant read that had me so excited during the read and after I finished! The title to this one is a little bit misleading, I will say: think resistance as 'enemies to lovers' vs. 'forced to be mates'.




Knowing what I know now about this book, would I still read it if I went back in time?
Absolutely! Wow!


 See below for the four criteria I use to decide whether and when to read a book



CHARACTERS: Luca and Cal. From the outset, Luca is already a fascinating character. He's a powerful shifter high up the totem pole in the Lunetti pack, physically strong and capable, with a heart of gold who is still dealing with some incredibly horrific trauma from two decades ago when he was a teen. Watching his struggle between not wanting to be seen as weak and at the same time struggling to stop believing it himself when his family also hasn't truly healed from that trauma (meaning the way they treat him in many respects mimics that trauma) is gut-wrenching and also fascinating to read. He's trying to break out of so many mental prisons and I couldn't help but want to root for him. He's instantly a sympathetic and lovable character. Even when he's sent to stay with Cal for his safety and to allow him to fully focus on discovering who is behind all the assassination attempts on his life, we see the different viewpoints on what being 'sent away' means. As the story progresses, he's given the chance to finally break free of those physical and mental prisons that have kept him locked away for so long and Cal is integral to that healing journey, which I loved. The two of them together feel so right, a meeting of equals who help to bring out the best in each other. As for Cal, he could so easily have been locked into some very typical tropes (re: there are hints of D/s in their relationship for example), but despite being a powerful water witch who can hold his own against the shifters and even on some levels match shifter strength, he's not invulnerable. Both of them grow together and when I saw their dynamic playing out in the bedroom I was floored. I was so surprised and so excited and so grateful. You really get the sense that these are two very powerful and capable men coming together to protect and love each other. They're incredibly equal, as well as genuinely fun to read, because they have great chemistry (and technically are enemies-to-lovers).



PLOT: Someone (or someones) are targeting Luca and after multiple assassination attempts, he goes to stay with Cal for his safety and to give him a place to focus without being easily accessible. The plot winds between Cal and Luca growing from enemies to friends to lovers to mates while there are multiple threats on both their lives. It ends up being a race against the clock to figure out who is the traitor in the Lunetti pack and to stop them before Cal and/or Luca are killed. Luca and Cal take a surprisingly active role in the investigation and are true protagonists, though they aren't alone. The stakes are high, the mystery is high, and it was a whirlwind of cheering and whooping by the end.



EMOTIONAL INTENSITY: There is no good/bad here. Sometimes I just want a low-investment entertainment read whereas other times a high-stakes 'I need a therapist to recover' is what I need.

4:5/high. I ended up far more emotionally invested than I expected I would be. Not only because of the themes touched upon, but because these complex characters are given room to be real people in a way that I find a bit rare in the genre. I was hooked!



CATHARTIC FULFILLMENT: Is the emotional journey worth it? Do I finish this book feeling that I've crested the wave of the climactic moment and everything has been settled, leaving me settled and fulfilled? 

100%. As I said, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and everything that happened just blew me away. The author didn't pull any punches and I felt like everything I was hoping to get I actually got (which is SO RARE for me). I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up reading this one again.