meh. I love this series for what it could be. The vampire and shifter world is so complex and interesting. But these stupid romances get in the way!
The premise was thin - Howard falls in love with TV remodeling show star, finds out there's a curse, and at the same time is waging a private war on a werewolf who has been hounding him (pun intended) all his life. Riiight.
But then, all romance novel premises are thin, right?
My main problem with this particular volume in the series is that it's about Howard Barr. Howard, who when we're introduced to him many (10?) books earlier, is middle aged, balding, and slightly overweight. Now he's apparently 38 (hardly middle aged,I think), his hair as grown back, and he's football-player fit. His physical changes are all explained away by the fact that he hadn't been shifting before, and now that he's free to shift his body is reversing the signs of age. Riiiight.
Why couldn't we have a romance novel about a 45 year old (is that middle aged?) Howard, who finds a wonderful woman who loves doughnuts just as much as he does, doesn't suggest he needs Rogaine, and loves his bear-belly?
Or, we could just leave Howard out of the romance novel circuit completely. Does everyone in Romantech and McKay Security and Investigations HAVE to fall in love? Yeeesh.
Another problem is the conclusion. The main battle happens literally 10 pages from the end. People die. People have died. The gatehouse is still being remodeled. And NOBODY CARES. Literally no-one. Not the warriors, not the TV remodeler, not the general mass of paranormal folk who live there. Rush much? Under a deadline?
Overall, what I took away was that the shifter world is more complex than originally thought - there are Guardians and multiple origin myths from many cultures. This is cool and interesting! I also think that Dragon Nest school is getting overcrowded and too many people now know where it is. For someone working in security, shouldn't Howard be worried?
If you love the series, like I (sigh) still do, clearly you're going to love reading it. You will probably agree with some of my points about the plot being silly, and Howard's drastic makeover, but it won't stop you from wanting to read more. And this volume will not stop you, or me, from looking froward to #14 in the series.
The premise was thin - Howard falls in love with TV remodeling show star, finds out there's a curse, and at the same time is waging a private war on a werewolf who has been hounding him (pun intended) all his life. Riiight.
But then, all romance novel premises are thin, right?
My main problem with this particular volume in the series is that it's about Howard Barr. Howard, who when we're introduced to him many (10?) books earlier, is middle aged, balding, and slightly overweight. Now he's apparently 38 (hardly middle aged,I think), his hair as grown back, and he's football-player fit. His physical changes are all explained away by the fact that he hadn't been shifting before, and now that he's free to shift his body is reversing the signs of age. Riiiight.
Why couldn't we have a romance novel about a 45 year old (is that middle aged?) Howard, who finds a wonderful woman who loves doughnuts just as much as he does, doesn't suggest he needs Rogaine, and loves his bear-belly?
Or, we could just leave Howard out of the romance novel circuit completely. Does everyone in Romantech and McKay Security and Investigations HAVE to fall in love? Yeeesh.
Another problem is the conclusion. The main battle happens literally 10 pages from the end. People die. People have died. The gatehouse is still being remodeled. And NOBODY CARES. Literally no-one. Not the warriors, not the TV remodeler, not the general mass of paranormal folk who live there. Rush much? Under a deadline?
Overall, what I took away was that the shifter world is more complex than originally thought - there are Guardians and multiple origin myths from many cultures. This is cool and interesting! I also think that Dragon Nest school is getting overcrowded and too many people now know where it is. For someone working in security, shouldn't Howard be worried?
If you love the series, like I (sigh) still do, clearly you're going to love reading it. You will probably agree with some of my points about the plot being silly, and Howard's drastic makeover, but it won't stop you from wanting to read more. And this volume will not stop you, or me, from looking froward to #14 in the series.
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