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funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
“Someone told me once that life was 10 percent of the things that happened in it, and 90 percent how you handled those things.”
not the best mariana zapata, but also not the worst romantasy nor nearly as bad as some people made it out to be. felt overlong and some characters didn't need to come up nearly as much. nice enough.
i always keep expecting more steam from zapata, tho, and i'm starting to realize that i really shouldn't and that's not as much of a non-issue as i made it out to be in my head. i think it's because she does emotional investment well, that i keep expecting to the physical intimacy to be as intense — it would only make sense, right? — and it never is.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“He looks out the window to check on you every night. I tell him to call you and quit being a stalker, but he thinks I’m going to listen in on his conversations.” She huffed. “I have better things to do with my time.”
what sweet, fun read.
i was bored on a sunday, had been marathoning law and order for days and i suddenly thought: gosh, this is too much suffering already, i think i need a romcom. then, trying to find something lighthearted but still sexy to read, i thought of zapata! her mcs are absolutely surreal, no man is that perfect, lol, but it sure gave me the exact read i was looking for. it was also cool to see characters from some of her other books show up, i love when authors do that.
didn't rate higher because i felt that the kisses and intimate scenes were far less intense than the confessional ondes and that confused me a bit. it's not a problem, but i guess i was slightly waiting to be more involved with them.
all in all, just what the doctor ordered.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Ouch.” Malcolm’s soundless laughter shook them both. “You hate me that much, huh?” “I feel something with some sort of intensity.”
everything i want to say about this book would likely be a spoiler? do i even wanna go into it? unclear. did the X chapter made me wanna scream and toss my kindle? yeah. were those couple of chapters some of the steamiest things i've ever read? YES.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“That fucking ghost of a smile. Malcolm would do anything for that ghost of a smile; would drug himself on it, lose himself in it, destroy himself for it, anything for Seong-Jae to look at him the way he was now.”
bro. BRO. i felt so. many. things. reading this book. ALL THE THINGS. oh my god. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how do i properly !!!!!!!!!!!! communicate??????
cole mccade you are a GOD!!!!!!!!!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of these days, Malcolm Khalaji was going to drive him to absolute violence.
RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
i will say that this was almost a five star read, and what made me dock that 0.5 was that the crime this time was not solved in a satisfying way, the perpetrators were very interesting and they literally faded into the background of the relationship development. mind you, development i've been dying for, but i do hope we hear more about this case's wrap up in the next book, because it was a bit frustrating to not have it better resolved on this one.
also, man, the ace rep in this hit me right on the solar plexus, i had no idea it had been coming, and it was really really wonderful to read it.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
And Malcolm, in this moment, was weak.
Because he would take a thousand nights if pain... if anything could make this moment stop destroying him right now.
this book, man. this series. even the author's afterwords are so good, it's insane. the quote i picked for this review i literally highlighted and wrote down the note: "I'm seriously not equipped to handle this."
mal and seongjae felt very real this time, like, i could picture both of them so perfectly in my mind?? this thing happens to me that i often picture book characters cartoonishly, like the fanart we're used to seeing, right? but mal and seongjae i literally have this mental picture of real men and that's wild??? i guess it just goes to show how well cole mccade writes them. this series is such a banger, way up there with hazardverse, but hurting a bit less, lol.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
And Seong-Jae should not be hoarding these details inside himself like a dragon hoarding secrets, hoarding treasures, when they were not his to keep and should not ever be.
this one had so much development!!! so satisfying!!!! this really reqds almost like a tv show, this time even with an almost cartoonish bad guy and hinting at more mysteries that are almost too easy to figure out, but still damn entertaining to see unfold.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Malcolm rounded to Seong-Jae's side of the table, leaning in close. His broad shoulder pressed against Seong-Jae's arm; in the chill of the room he was almost too warm, that vibrant and radiant heat that made him seem like a man with a forge at his heart, a deep-burning thing too hot for most to endure, capable of tempering steel and melting stone.”
this is such a good book, wth. the slow burn is slightly frustrating, but even the fact that Malcolm slept with another stranger wasn't even that upsetting when it was so damn well-written, i've highlighted multiple things while reading and, even though i am always slightly annoyed by short books and too-long series, it's made better how well-written it is.
i don't even care that i've been figuring things out early, i'm literally way too invested on everything else to care– how the detectives' partnership is developing, the little nuggets about the side-characters that i can't wait to see more of, how alive and organic everything feels... breathtaking, for real.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“He carried too many of those cases inside him. Too many dead ends, too many losses. Not that a win could bring the dead back to life. Malcolm didn’t have that power, and he’d given up on saving lives long ago. By the time he got to them now, it was already too late.”
this was really good?? i wasn't expecting this to be quite so well-written and i am so pleasently surprised. this was a short book and i guess all the next ones will be as well, but this was a super fun read and it actually brought me to tears without torturing me, which is ALWAYS a plus.
this would've been a 5 star read if i hadn't clocked motive and likely killer at 46% lol, it was still a fun read, i actually really appreciate the procedural part of detective series and motivated/emotional investigation is actually what i look for the most, so this lined up super nicely to my tastes.
also, the main characters were fascinating and i look forward for their working and personal relationship to develop, their interactions wrapped up sizzilingly in this book, so much that it made me wanna rush into the next, and i live for when that happens.
onwards!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore