Taylor Rylan

I have really enjoyed the Paranormal Council Enforcers series to this point. But ( and this is a big but) there was a shift in the writing style that threw me to the point that I twice checked to make sure this book was written by the same author who wrote books 1 - 6.
This book has all the potential of a 5/5, but is flattened by the one-dimensional presentation of one of the main characters - Raiden - a gargoyle - who apparently has no personality, is stoic, and keeps things really neat show more while trying to be the perfect mate -- maybe? There was plenty of opportunity to insert information on background that would result in a person being that uptight and rigid, but it was never used. It was almost as if the author had not put any thought into the inner workings of this character. The first sign of any life in Raiden appears on page 210/292 when he snaps back at a peer. Then there is page 271 - what a void - a moment that should have been powerful and it is -- nothing. Finally, in the final six pages, there is some sign that there may be more to this character, but it is too late. While there were good moments, and the overarching conflict was there, this book was a battle to wade through the flat characterizations. show less

The book started out very strong; I really enjoyed the initial heat between the characters. The issue for me, where the author lost me, was when she skipped several months between the first date and meeting the parents/moving in. That's a really vital emotional build; it was described rather than experienced. I think part of why the (dragged out) wedding in the second half of the book felt so lengthy was because of this; the reader didn't make enough of the emotional journey of building the show more relationship. The relationship really was totally done developing at 50% of the book, and the rest was family drama.

My other complaint, that knocked this from 4 to 3 stars, was that this took place among a million gay characters (I did get confused, especially once all the bodyguard names got thrown in) in the middle of Wyoming without ANY homophobic incident, nor any explanation for how all these brothers came out in the first place. Really, it was no big deal to everybody? show less

This is the story to read if you want straight-forward romance and no side-plots or mysteries. It is simply about two men falling in love with their 'One'. And that's great; it isn't pretending to be anything more.

I suspect that reading the other stories in this world may enrich and create greater investment in the characters. I just would have liked more depth and resolution with regards to MC Grant's 'defective' magic and better reasoning behind his mother's actions.

Narrated by Michael show more Ferraiuolo - excellent. show less

This has been on my shelf for a long time and I just hadn't had the motivation to read it. Along came a challenge theme and a tight timeline and it fit perfectly. What was interesting was that I hadn't realised it was the first book in a related series that I had started to read. The books aren't mind-blowing but they are easy to listen to.

This couple is a classic alpha/omega mix, with the omega coming from a very strong magical/shifter family. I enjoyed the general pack/coven dynamics. show more There's more focus on the relationships in the story than on any mystery.

Narrated by Kenneth Obi - very good. show less