Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Shay is an incubus demon. Casual sex has always been enough to satisfy him, but emotionally and magically. Now, because of the help he gave Dashiell and Cael, he’s able to travel freely between the underside and the human realm, which makes sating his hungers easier. If he’s feeling a little unsatisfied, it has nothing to do with watching his friends’ relationship bloom. So when he sees a Viking in a bar, he’s immediately interested. But Shay certainly doesn’t expect to be drugged and kidnapped.
Alex is a warlock on a mission. He knew what he was getting into with the vampires by taking this job, but he never expected Shay to be so captivating, even if he knew Shay was an incubus. He’s taken precautions and he’s bound Shay with a bracelet so the demon can’t use his powers. It should be enough. But he doesn’t expect how human Shay is.
Alex is determined to resist Shay. He needs the vampires for reasons he won’t talk about. Shay tries to reach Alex, and explains that he knows angels who can help. But for all that Alex is immersed in the paranormal world, angels are a stretch. Until he meets Dashiell and Cael. And until he finds out just what’s unraveling.
Shay has three days to prove his innocence to the vampires, Alex is bound and determined to help him, and as the plot thickens, so does their attraction. The bond they’ve formed goes deeper than either anticipate, and so do the secrets entwining their lives. If they can get out of this alive, they have a chance at a real happily ever after.
I was excited to pick up this second book in the Immortal Mates series. After having read the first one, Angel’s Fall—and you definitely need to read these in order, because while it might work as a standalone, there are larger through plots that definitely make more sense when read in order—I knew I definitely wanted to read Shay’s story. And by the end of this one, I had a feeling I knew where the third book was heading. Turns out I was right, and I definitely can’t wait to continue this series. But back to the book at hand.
I think the author does an excellent job showing us the depths and layers to the MCs. We got pieces of Shay in the first book, so we know he’s more than the snarky, flippant incubus he presents himself to be. I really enjoyed exploring him further, seeing his many layers, and watching him grow as his love for Alex did. This is a guy—demon—who has cultivated a certain persona over the past three thousand years. And more than that, he embodies it. If things have changed for Shay lately, well, it must be just a passing phase. The thing I really loved about his growth was not so much that he changed, but that he realized he wanted something different in his life and that it was okay to move forward. It was okay to let his true self out.
Of course, his attraction to Alex played a big roll in that. Alex is a huge hearted character who has some beliefs that are not quite true, only he doesn’t know it. His goal is to complete his mission and get his end reward. He has a noble reason for wanting it, sure, but that doesn’t mean he goes about it in the best way. As Alex gets to know Shay, gets to see him as himself, Alex begins to see the error of his ways. And that there might be a different answer to his problems. Sure, he’s also insanely attracted to Shay, and when they move to the bedroom and make their relationship physical, he experiences a big shift in his thinking. But that’s to be expected, because of who he is.
So for all that this book is on the shorter side, there’s a lot going on. The author does a fantastic job of laying out all the pieces and tying them together, harkening back to the first book a bit and really moving the overall plot forward. There are twists and turns here that I didn’t expect, but make perfect sense, and it plays perfectly into what is to come. So really, Rider did an excellent job with all of that. What I will say here, though, is that I wanted a bit more relationship building between Shay and Alex, especially as they both fell in love. It seemed not completely fleshed out. The attraction is insane, their affection is clear, but I wasn’t quite with them as they made that jump to love. So I could have used a bit more there.
But all in all, I truly enjoyed this book. I love where the author has taken the larger story, and I can’t wait to see more unfold. Both Shay and Alex are great characters who are fully realized on page. There are so many elements in this book that I really liked, and I’m loving the way the world building continues to evolve. This book is definitely a winner, and this series is one to put on your TBR, especially if you’re craving well done paranormal.
