Mary Rundle

Mary Rundle’s Blackwood Pack #2 Rapheal’s Power was deffinately a continuation of #1 (aside from the fact that the overarching plot seemed to be put on hold for 90% of the book) and the ‘weirness’ continued. I realized that I was reacting to a combination of the jerky writing style. Maybe not jerky – but dialoug blocks dropped in? Combined with the huge mood swings of the characters who all just brushed it off to mating urges – except they all demonstrated these huge swings – I show more am a rational person/wolf – I am a lunitic – I am rational. And the emotions!! They are all there and all vomitted out at the same time to be sorted out as you ( I ) continue to reluctantly, but relentlessly read. Still – like watching a bad accident I am headed for #3. It is difficult to rate these books – I really want to give a 3 because they annoy me, but the ideas and overall plot are worth a 4, then I remember how much the lack of flow and character actions bug me. It comes down to are these books a snack or a meal. Well, reading them does not feel like a meal – it gives me the reader’s equivalent to heartburn – yet I continue to read. WHY?? show less

I think I have fallen down a rabbit hole and am lost in the mazes below ground – either that or I am having some type of weirdness attack. It started with Mary Rundle’s Blackwood Pack #1 – Dire Warning. The book was interesting and slightly weird – weirdness unidentified at this point. It ended with everything mostly hanging. I liked it and I did not like it. The ideas and the action were good. The writing style drove me nuts – It is – not smooth, there is no flow and the show more characters seemed to be in perpetual “I am fine – I am going to scream at someone – I am fine.” It was like reading about a bunch or hormonal teenagers on a roller coaster. Horrible but a mesmerizing horrible – so I ended up reading #2 show less

First of all, this was a fun read as long as you were not looking for a literary work Secondly, I am past ready for this series to end, but it is clear it is not. Start to wrap up one thing and two more are introduced. While fun, the entire series reads like a teen, pop drama - full of teenage-style emotional angst, that appears with outbursts and then disappears in a hot minute. Love is instant and solves all. There are now way too many characters networked in and what is with the show more nicknames?
Almost every character has a nickname or code name. There are over 30 main characters with two names each. So annoying and the holes - such as when Smokey aka Golden Sun aka Gabriel Hamilton "realized Norm was a master Dom, who could easily keep him on edge." Umm hello? Norm who is 19 or so? spent 5 years in a cage? That Norm? The one who, we are later told, received verbal lessons on how to Dom from his guardian? Don't mind me - I am just so annoyed to find myself liking this and at the same time pissed off with the style and gaps. show less

So #5 was a non-stop roller coaster of action and sex. The emotional outbursts are still present but do not feel so extreme (either they have toned down or I have adapted). I am enjoying the incredible variety of issues this group runs into, but find that the solutions are kind of --- I am not sure what? Simple? Things do get right to the edge of desperation and past but then wham! solved. I find it really helps if you can mentally 'patch over' the holes and unanswered questions (like were show more the boy's parents fated mates? and - What is their uncle up to now? On hold for this novel). Well-developed if immature characters (I say immature because the emotional swings remind me of teenagers during hormonal rushes) with twisty stories which are held back only by the writing style that continues to annoy me - so that might be an 'only me' issue. show less