I thought of doing both of these books as one big review, but in the end, I think they both deserve their own time in the spotlight, so to speak.
Thanks to the author, as well as Carina Press via NetGalley for the review copy!
Psychometric Rory Brodigan’s life hasn’t been the same since the day he met Arthur Kenzie. Arthur’s continued quest to contain supernatural relics that pose a threat to the world has captured Rory’s imagination—and his heart. But Arthur’s upper-class upbringing still leaves Rory worried that he’ll never measure up, especially when Arthur’s aristocratic ex arrives in New York.
For Arthur, there’s only Rory. But keeping the man he’s fallen for safe is another matter altogether. When a group of ruthless paranormals throw the city into chaos, the two men’s strained relationship leaves Rory vulnerable to a monster from Arthur’s past.
With dark forces determined to tear them apart, Rory and Arthur will have to draw on every last bit of magic up their sleeves. And in the end, it’s the connection they’ve formed without magic that will be tested like never before.
“Christ, you’re trouble.”
“Arthur James.”
“What? No, uppity twenty-year-old who broke the Hudson River, no sir. You do not get to say my full name in that tone of voice.”
This is the continuing story of Rory Brodigan and Arthur ‘Ace’ Kenzie. This volume takes place just after the end of the last, and has Rory and Ace recovering from those events on a visit to Ace’s brother’s house upstate. Rory finds himself in possession of a relic that gives him incredible power but tends to go a little haywire when he gets angry or upset. So, of course finding out that Ace’s ex-boyfriend is in town for a wedding and that it’s sorta up to Ace to escort him around is making things… windy.
On top of that, Ace and his brother start to have startlingly vivid nightmares of the war, and they’re pretty sure someone is making them happen, but they’ve no idea who.
I read this one directly after finishing Spellbound, so I didn’t have any problems trying to remember what had just happened. I have to say that I enjoyed this one a lot more than Spellbound, and I’m not sure that I’m just more comfortable with the characters, or that they are ‘together’ now from the start and so they act as a team working towards the goal. Either way, I did like Rory and Ace a lot more in this volume than the last. I also enjoyed seeing more of some side characters, most notably Jade and Zhang (who are kind of adorable themselves).
I found that I became more emotionally invested in this one, and so when the nightmares started, and you see some of Ace’s past from the war, my heartstrings got suitably jostled. The way that Rory and Ace protect each other is adorable. I definitely want more of their story now! I found this one really hard to put down once I picked it up, and it had me reading well into the night.
So, all told, this was a quick, fun read that took characters that I liked at the end of Spellbound and made me love them. I can’t wait to find out what happens in book three. 4/5 stars!~
superstardrifter 
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