write_of_passages's reviews
572 reviews

Coming to this one after reading the Haven Hart series, overall I was underwhelmed. I adore the idea of the world and it's just fascinating enough to read all the way through. I do feel that the characters are lacking in depth (I couldn't connect to them) and wished we had more world-building to truly bring this series to life. In sum, I did read all the way through, but ended up skimming over the steamy scenes and reading without any emotional connection. However, this book is great for those times when you are completely tapped out emotionally and just need something to take your mind elsewhere.




Knowing what I know now about this book, would I still read it if I went back in time?
Maybe? Again, this is a great read for needing no emotional intensity but a distraction. I'd re-read the Haven Hart series first.


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



CHARACTERS: As mentioned, I really couldn't connect with either Cain (The Blood Boss) or Jayce. The ideas for both of them are great, but it all remains just that: potential. I simply didn't have enough time or scenes to get to really know them or establish a connection with them. There is very little vulnerability in Cain, for one, and for what Jayce goes through and finds out about himself, his own emotional intensity felt a bit flat. Additionally, they aren't 'fated' or anything like that, but suddenly it's a switch flipped and they are completely connected lovers, which didn't feel realistic to me either.



PLOT: Humans and supernaturals live side by side in the world now and it's fairly balanced, except secrets about Jayce get out that will upset the balance and cause chaos and war. So Jayce works with Cain to avert that war and stay alive while developing a romantic relationship on the side. It's evenly paced, I'd say fast-paced simply because we don't get enough of the richness and depth to bring the world to life. It ends fairly quickly, without much issue. No high stakes, but HEA. Honestly it simply distracted my mind and for that I'm grateful!



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.

1:5/low. A great beach read for those of us who don't read a typical 'beach read'.



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? 


25%. I mean, they succeed and it's a HEA? But there really wasn't much connection to fulfill. 

Not my favorite in the series, but still enjoyable! We had a triple-POV with a romance developing between three men all while focused on a fairly intense plot. If anything, I felt the subject matter meant it needed more space to grow and breathe more organically than it did, but it was good nonetheless.



Knowing what I know now about this book, would I still read it if I went back in time?
Yes.


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



CHARACTERS: One of the hardest parts to overcome in this book is that our main characters here: Lee, Jones, and Ginger, really weren't developed enough as more than side characters in the previous books and that shows here. They aren't quite as dynamic, quite as different and complex. In many ways I felt Jones was a watered-down version of Bill, for example. They didn't have enough space or time to get a chance to truly shine as characters. Are they likeable enough? Definitely. However in many ways there wasn't much to them, even down to how they were in the bedroom when they finally got together.



PLOT: Lee, Jones, and Ginger need to team up to take down a human trafficking ring, realizing they have more skin in the game than first realized, when someone close to one of them is taken. In some ways, this plot is the most 'quest-like' of all the books, with lots of traveling in a high-tech van and motel stays, for example. The subject matter (re: human trafficking) has the potential to be incredibly dark material, but Davidson kept a good balance with this one that really fits the tone and intensity of the series as a whole. I did appreciate that! And I absolutely was thoroughly invested in them succeeding, moreso than watching them figure out how they wanted to all three end up being together as partners.





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.

3:5/medium. The subject matter has the potential to go pretty deep and dark, so automatically it's higher than a beach read, while at the same time, the balance is kept so it isn't overwhelming.



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? 


75%. Again, I wasn't super invested in the characters themselves and having them get together. I also felt that some of what happened in the climactic events I expected would happen and then it was all over far too quickly, so I didn't get that side of the fulfillment. But they did succeed and that's the important part of the plot in this one! 

A worthy and fitting end to this series! This time it's finally Poe's turn to have his story told, and wow do we go out with a bang! The entire gang ends up together in this one: Poe (and his SO!) take the lead in a final showdown to save Haven Hart and everyone we've come to know and love throughout the series is here for this one. Snow, Christopher, Black, Riordan, Teddy, Lee/Jones/Ginger, even Simon has his screen time in this one. The mysteries of Haven Hart are finally revealed after all this time and the action is intense! Almost immediately we're drawn into this final battle and having everyone on screen in so many scenes is one of the highlights of this book. So not only do we see Poe get his HEA, but we watch the whole gang finally coalesce into the true "Avengers" they are (for lack of a better description).




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


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



CHARACTERS: I found Poe and his SO to be more 'main character worthy' than Lee/Jones/Ginger from the previous book, so it was already a plus because I was so invested in them. We pretty much hit the ground running. Within the first chapters we see everything change so suddenly for Poe and realize exactly how much he's been holding on and is now barely holding on by a thread. He was such a background character throughout the series and by this point, it's really fun to watch him take center stage and be the true bad*** that he is! He easily holds his own with Black and Christopher and it's so clear why. We have such a host of characters in this one and honestly, we finally meet his SO and I thought that backstory was incredibly neat too! I won't say more there because none of it is mentioned in the blurb, so no spoilers!



PLOT: The final showdown. Now it's all of Haven Hart on the line. Not only does Poe need to protect it, but Black and Christopher and all the people in their worlds are on the line too. So the plot is fast-paced as they all come together and attempt to outwit and stay five steps ahead of our antagonist to keep Haven Hart from crumbling (sometimes literally!). The stakes are high, the action is high, but the balance feels so right. It feels like a challenge worthy of these major bosses of the city that they have to come together to handle and can only handle together. It's the best sort of found family!



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 think this one is high partly because we're now seven books in and I'm thoroughly invested in the world and the characters. At the same time, it's the finale of the series! Thankfully it isn't anything that left me anything but super entertained.



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? 

95%. I do wish for that tiny little bit near the end with the final climactic aftermath as well as just a little more time with all the characters (re: a denouement long enough to match seven books worth), it was still a fulfilling end.

 

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. 

 A super fun interlude that gave me everything I was expecting from this novella. Adam, Zee, and Victor are on point, as always, and this little ditty is filled with plenty of laughs. I adored the fact that they're basically fighting in an Ikea (though it's never officially called one). I'm super impressed by how much was packed into only 65 pages and this was exactly what I needed last night. This is pure fun, pure entertainment, beloved characters, an easy read with plenty of smiles. A truly brilliant offering to help ease any stress I was feeling, just for a little while. 

 Woohoo! We're back on track after the interlude of book 4! I adored going back to Snow and Christopher as our main pairing for this book. It's fascinating to read how their relationship has grown in the five years they've been together now. Simon is now a teen and has a little more screentime in this book too. Much more fast-paced action as someone from Christopher's distant distant past shows up as our antagonist this time and kidnaps Chris and Simon, leaving Snow to work with everyone we've met throughout the series to get them back. I read this book all in one go and although it misses that final little nugget to turn it into a five-star, I still thoroughly enjoyed it!




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


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



CHARACTERS: We're already starting with a lot of character growth, because we're returning to our main duo five years later. This time Snow has a very active role because his husband and adopted son are kidnapped, so we really get to see him shine. He's a non-mobster who has lived within the mobster world for most of his life and I think that balance is brilliantly illustrated here. He leads when he needs to yet is smart enough to enlist the help he knows is best in the different areas where they have expertise. Snow feels wonderfully human in how he handles the situation. Meanwhile, Christopher has never truly been in this situation before, where he and his son are in danger in such a way. So watching him navigate and placing so much trust in his husband while he's doing what he needs to do to escape is just as much fun to read. We're gifted a whole host of characters we've come to know and love from the other books as well.



PLOT: This book is all high-stakes action and external angst. Snow and Christopher are incredibly solid in their relationship, so for this book we get to see the duo being tested in a way they haven't been tested yet. When Chris and Simon are kidnapped, Snow leads the charge to bring them both home, calling in all the resources he has. It's super fast-paced beginning to end. Although I do wish we had more of a climactic moment for our protagonists to fight through, this book is much more balanced in terms of showing 'one of the highest tests' a crime boss is embroiled in. However I do believe, based on where this book lands in the series, that the stakes and events need to be increasing in intensity as we near the end of the series, which is why this book isn't quite five stars for me.




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.

2:5/low. Super fast-paced, of course, with loads of action, though I believe that the stakes weren't high enough given the subject matter to give us anything super intense. A really entertaining read.



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? 


75%. Much happier with the ending of this book, although as always, I do wish for a more intense climactic moment and denouement, both because of this book's place in the series and because it felt the whole thing needed to be even bigger. But I finished it happy. 

 Sadly, a huge miss in the series for me. This book felt like an interlude where the plot was removed to focus on a relationship based solely on all the tropes you'd find in an unequal/power imbalance partnership: age gap, size difference, etc. Not only that, but all the standard cliches that go along with those, re: the younger one is shorter (super-short), the younger one is weaker (physically and mentally), the older one is big and super tall and super strong, etc. I personally already don't prefer these tropes even on their own, so I really didn't care much for the relationship. Additionally, there is no growth in the characters and their relationship doesn't feel like a true bond of love, but rather trauma-bonding and lust. The plot just went completely by the wayside as well, ending with a climactic event that had me shocked at how easily our 'big strong alpha male' neatly handled everything to the point where I felt that the rest of the stakes and tension had been drawn out simply to lean into the tropes that would allow their relationship to be what it is. Everything about this book could have been said as a "oh these two got together between books."




Knowing what I know now about this book, would I still read it if I went back in time?
No. I'd skip this one. And I have a feeling that when I continue the series with the next book, I wouldn't have needed to read this one.


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



CHARACTERS: I wasn't all that enamored with either of the characters, if I'm honest. The whole premise (and title) is about being reborn and rising and changing, which I personally felt that neither of them did. Both Black and Quill were squished down into tropes with little complexity, so it felt as though they were openly designed only as vehicles for giving tropes. Black is big, tall, strong, a god amongst men, an asshole who you'd expect to lead a group of assassins. He always feels more like a businessman than anything else, even with Quill. Meanwhile Quill became, to me, a completely different person from the character we met in the previous books. Suddenly he's this super tiny weak thing who fills the role of being someone for our big alpha to protect. Their relationship didn't feel real to me, it felt a mix between trauma-bonding and a distasteful amalgamation of tropes put together. And in the end, neither of them really grew. They end up together (and I'd argue they really shouldn't), after Black does his usual thing and Quill lets Black protect him.



PLOT: There isn't much of one. The plot is designed to set up a situation where alpha Black can protect omega Quill. On some levels, I can see Quill's character making sense in being afraid of the threats in his life, sure. What we have is all these people wanting to hurt/kill Quill so Black takes care of them. We spend most of the book with them trying to stop it and then at the end Black just... deals with it. All I could think was "if it was this easy from the beginning, why all this unnecessary pain to Quill?" It made the whole thing feel rather sinister and underhanded, like emotional manipulation.




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.


2:5/low. We still deal with some deep, dark TW themes: abuse, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, etc. However I did not feel that they were dealt with respectfully or in a way that offered healing either.



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? 


0%. Sure, they got their HEA, but honestly, I don't think I actually wanted them to get together. This book left me wholly unfulfilled and if I'd known, I would have skipped it and moved straight to book 5. 

This is my favorite book so far, in terms of the balance between characters I love and a fast-paced high stakes plot that has a climactic event that matches the intensity of the buildup throughout the story. Although Bill and Mace aren't my favorite in terms of MCs we've met in this series, I still enjoyed them! The plot also once again brings the two major crime bosses and their 'families' together, so we still have enough screen-time from Snow, Christopher, and Black. Although I would have loved to see Riordan and Teddy, it made sense why they were only mentioned in passing throughout. Ultimately, a wild ride that I couldn't put down!



Knowing what I know now about this book, would I still read it if I went back in time?
Definitely! This is turning into a series that I may go back and reread sometime!


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



CHARACTERS: We first met Bill in book one and Mace in book two, so we were already coming to this book with two characters that we have some knowledge of already. I really adored the quirks that Bill had, especially because they truly felt oh-so-Norwegian! He and Mace came together as enemies in the previous book, but watching their relationship change in this book from enemies-to-lovers was a highlight! Davidson tackled it so well and it felt so incredibly them. Where Bill hates games and is blunt and to the point, Mace spends so much of his persona playing games because he's been 'playing' a role for so long. Their particular quirks start out as incredibly irksome to each other, but they end up balancing so well together. How their very-particular characters were handled as they fell in love was impeccable.




PLOT: When an old crime family rival appears and threatens Snow, Christopher calls in Black's help and the two crime bosses task Bill and Mace to find and eliminate the threat. So while Bill's family is in 'hiding', he very much has skin in the game, whereas Mace takes the job because he's tasked to by Black, who had no choice since Christopher helped him in the previous book. So the plot centers around Bill and Mace learning how to work together with their very different skillsets to find their adversary before he not only kills Mace and Bill, but eventually Snow as well. This is a wild and fast-paced ride right out the gate, exactly what you'd expect from a Die Hard film but with romance too. (Yes, Die Hard is referenced.) The stakes are high and we are truly swept away in the life and death as well as the mysteries that occur when on the side they realize just how deep the secrets of Haven Hart really are (aka setting us up for more books!).



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.


3:5/medium. This story definitely had moments that for some could be TWs, especially when we're dealing with crime bosses, an assassin, a "bodyguard" of sorts, and a sociopath adversary.


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? 


99%. I was so thrilled when Davidson kept the intensity going straight through the climactic moment and didn't shy away from really giving it to us. Although I knew it would be a HEA, I felt so satisfied that we got to see them really work for it and succeed in the end. 

 I enjoyed coming back to the town of Haven Hart! Not only do we have a new pairing that are definitely likeable, but we also get to see characters from book one as well, which I absolutely adore. The way Teddy and Riordan meet is quite different and fascinating! They are very much a meeting of two very different worlds and directly tackles themes of heart, love, softness in the midst of a life that would appear to have no room for it.




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



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



CHARACTERS: As a professional hugger, Teddy's character is one that we don't often see in books, although many of his traits are subconsciously given to characters. So it was fascinating to read those traits given to us so blatantly! He's truly someone you would never expect to get caught up in the 'dark' world of crime/murder/assassinations. Riordan's part of the 'dark' network as a professional assassin, but it wasn't a job he set out wanting. Rather he 'stumbled'/was forced into it and that discrepancy has finally caught up with him. His strict moral code kept him from truly integrating all parts of himself, even those he felt ashamed of. The intersection of these two worlds and worldviews is the highlight of this book, in my opinion. Not so much as unexplored territory, but the setting allows us to explore these themes in a brand new way.



PLOT: An action/romance in which the collision of two different worlds leaves us with one part delving into the depths of the human psyche and one part the action and high stakes of underground crime world. Teddy helps people through grief and healing and Riordan's grief has finally caught up with him. As an assassin, it's not expected that he'd have these moments of vulnerability, but watching the journey through healing within this high stakes world of whodunit and danger leaves the pair fighting for their lives and for the relationship they both desperately want to discover together.



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.

3:5/medium. While still a light read, there are some truly deep themes occurring in a setting that could consist of several TWs depending on the reader. This one felt deeper to me.



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? 


90%. I do with we got to spend more time in the climactic moment and immediate aftermath, but I'm always saying that. They have their HEA and you do feel like they fought for it! And the way they finally get together in the end is truly quite priceless. I utterly adored how new and different some of the 'tropes' were in this book! 

Alice Winters is one of my favorite authors and this book is no exception! She has a wonderfully witty writing style that just borders on irreverent, so I know I'll always read exquisite characters, fast-paced and fascinating plots, and with a healthy dose of wit and snark that never fails to make me either laugh out loud or at least snort and grin. While Prince of Poison doesn't go as hard with the humor as some of her other books, I adored getting a fun dose of Alice Winters fantasy with this book! Silas and Callisto have such a weirdly wholesome relationship (another Alice Winters staple) and the plot was fast-paced and entertaining! Exactly what I needed.



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


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



CHARACTERS: As a personal preference, I find it impossible to not like her characters and Silas and Callisto are no exception. They have a perfectly balanced banter and are complex in a way that their humor makes sense to their characters as well. On one level is the "I hide trauma with humor" that they both share, which enables them to use the humor both to protect themselves, process that trauma, and ultimately heal. As a talented 'thief', Callisto doesn't truly realize the power he has (which is his journey) whereas Silas has a lot of magical power (quite specific and fascinating too!) and throughout this book he grapples with truly coming to terms with what that magic means about who he is. They're fae and human (mage?) and their relationship ends up being rather wonderfully balanced, even when there are clear areas that one excels more than the other. And, we must'nt forget the brilliant supporting cast, Dandelion and Madden and Titus. Truly wonderful whenever they're on the page!


PLOT: Ten years after two kingdoms were at war, something strange is happening in the court of Vermillion. Silas has given up his soldiering life and keeps to himself, but Callisto is a bright spark who could never be inconspicuous. And suddenly Callisto finds himself hunted by his uncle the King and he and Silas undertake the journey to discover what is going on and 'save the realm' as it were. Both a quest adventure and a mystery, the plot is fast-paced and truly entertaining, especially with how glorious the characters are.





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.


2:5/low. Not all of her books have a lower intensity, but I found this standalone to be more of a light read and pure entertainment, though it did have some deeper themes. It felt more cozy than anything else.



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? 

90%. I'm always wishing for more in that final climactic moment, and here is no different. However, we have our HEA and things are wrapped up quite well. This book gave me exactly what I needed it to, which was an entertaining read that took me away to a fantasy realm of pretty boys and adventure!