Blood and Fire - McCould Brothers Book 8 - Shannon McKenna
Sept 22, 2017 12:39:27 GMT -7
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Post by secretromancejunkie on Sept 22, 2017 12:39:27 GMT -7
Blood and Fire - McCloud Brothers Book 8 - by Shannon McKenna
3 / 5
heat 7/10
genre - romantic suspense
Although I only gave this a 3/5, it is still a good book. It's just that if you compare it to the first 3 or 4 in the series, it simply doesn't hold up. Without that comparison, it might even be a 4/5.
This book is about Bruno, Kev's "adopted" brother from the previous book. An honorary McCould you might say. The relationship moves very fast in in this book. They meet on page 41 and are in bed by page 85. Not insta-love but certainly insta-lust. A little unbelievable since the heroine - Lily - is already running for her life at this point.
For the next 200 pages or so, they alternate between running for their lives and finding a bed together. Then the final 225 pages have them working separately. That first 200 pages covers about 3 days. Then they declare insta-love.
The romance part of this story was weak. There was not enough time spent developing it. Bruno is portrayed as this spastic goofball that falls in love with Lily instantly. Lily is more cautious, but still pretty quick out of the gates. SPOILERS - near the end he believes the bad guy instead of Lily and she feels betrayed. Then in the "six weeks later" portion she shows up at the brother's wedding. A lot of stuff happened in those six weeks that is only briefly mentioned. The make-up (out) session felt too short. END SPOILERS
The suspense plot was a little over the top. The bad guy has a never ending supply of minions. They've all been programmed since they were toddlers to respond to his voice. With just a few key phrases in some archaic language he can make them glow with pride, orgasm on command or kill themselves with no protest. A lot of page time is devoted to the thoughts and interactions of the head bad guy and his minions. You get an omniscient view of everything they are doing or are going to do. There are no surprises, you know what the bad guys are going to do before they do it. It tended to flatline the suspense.
In spite of my complaints, I have to say that McKenna is an amazing story teller. Her plots are complex and intricate. Her writing style is smooth and polished. This series is worth reading start to finish.
3 / 5
heat 7/10
genre - romantic suspense
Although I only gave this a 3/5, it is still a good book. It's just that if you compare it to the first 3 or 4 in the series, it simply doesn't hold up. Without that comparison, it might even be a 4/5.
This book is about Bruno, Kev's "adopted" brother from the previous book. An honorary McCould you might say. The relationship moves very fast in in this book. They meet on page 41 and are in bed by page 85. Not insta-love but certainly insta-lust. A little unbelievable since the heroine - Lily - is already running for her life at this point.
For the next 200 pages or so, they alternate between running for their lives and finding a bed together. Then the final 225 pages have them working separately. That first 200 pages covers about 3 days. Then they declare insta-love.
The romance part of this story was weak. There was not enough time spent developing it. Bruno is portrayed as this spastic goofball that falls in love with Lily instantly. Lily is more cautious, but still pretty quick out of the gates. SPOILERS - near the end he believes the bad guy instead of Lily and she feels betrayed. Then in the "six weeks later" portion she shows up at the brother's wedding. A lot of stuff happened in those six weeks that is only briefly mentioned. The make-up (out) session felt too short. END SPOILERS
The suspense plot was a little over the top. The bad guy has a never ending supply of minions. They've all been programmed since they were toddlers to respond to his voice. With just a few key phrases in some archaic language he can make them glow with pride, orgasm on command or kill themselves with no protest. A lot of page time is devoted to the thoughts and interactions of the head bad guy and his minions. You get an omniscient view of everything they are doing or are going to do. There are no surprises, you know what the bad guys are going to do before they do it. It tended to flatline the suspense.
In spite of my complaints, I have to say that McKenna is an amazing story teller. Her plots are complex and intricate. Her writing style is smooth and polished. This series is worth reading start to finish.
