A Spoopy Love Affair With Books

This was a really fantastic middling entry into the series, a wonderful change of pace, running alongside the stories of the past couple of books, and centering around a character that was previously heard but not seen, and certainly not in great quantities (only in Night Embrace, I think? At the beginning, when Talon's talking to him on the phone, which this book recreates from Wulf's point of view.) And that lent it an air of novelty on its own, but the book also delves more deeply into the mythology of the books, expanding it to include some very interesting world building developments for the Apollites.

Cassandra was an interesting and sympathetic lead--and this did feel like it was her novel: as much as the others have shifted away from a balance between the hero and the heroine, in the hero's favor, Cassandra owned this book, with Wulf a sweet, engaging and funny love interest. I wish that Kenyon had shown more of the development of their relationship; it would have been nice to have seen instead have been told about the slower, quieter moments, those three weeks we're told pass with them becoming close and falling in love. Just one or two scenes to get an idea of it would have sufficed.

That said, the action's extremely well-paced, and this novel didn't lag in the middle for me the way some of the others have. There are some strange lapses in logic, judgment and thought processes (wait, did that Apollite just call Cassandra a whore? That's why Wulf attacked him, not for himself! But it's never mentioned again; we only focus on the fact that they dislike Wulf being there because they were raised to distrust all Dark-Hunters. Even though Dark-Hunters are forbidden to kill Apollites. Which it seems to try to get around quite a bit, or just forget about, until it needs to be mentioned. And there is a lack of the Apollites reacting to what Cassandra is and what she's carrying, which seems extremely odd, and like the biggest hole in the story.) But, overall, it almost feels like the most complete novel since Fantasy Lover.

And I adored the cavalry coming to the rescue at the end, with the five dysfunctional, snarky Musketeers! Acheron did show up again as a huge deus ex machina, as he is wont to do. I... wasn't entirely sure what happened at the end? Artemis... made Cassandra die because she was upset about losing Wulf? I think. And then, despite not having power over life and death, Ash brings her back anyway? Maybe? It was a good ending nevertheless, despite my confusion.

And the book was solid and entertaining. Not a groundbreaking entry, but loads of fun, and as always very sexy and romantic. Onwards, to the next!