I thought I knew how this was going to end, and I hated it so much that I put off finishing the book last night and did it this morning instead. Turns out, Adalyn Grace got me good. She gave me a different ending I never thought to hope for, and a twist I’d predicted ages ago but talked myself out of believing. In regards to the ending, I’ve never been happier to be wrong; as for the twist, it’s certainly going to be interesting seeing how that plays out in the next book.

Past that, I quite liked the book overall. I wish the mystery hadn’t been so obviously put on the back burner in favor of the two brothers playing tug of war with Signa, but I had fun all the same. The croquet scene was hilarious, and the mystery did manage to pull through in the end, ultimately having a perpetrator I never suspected. Fate was annoyingly charming, even as I kept reading and developed an increasing desire to shove him off a cliff to keep him away from Signa. Basically that Demi Lovato “GET A JOB, STAY AWAY FROM HER” meme, because I’m Team Reaper all the way. No contest.

And, while on that note, I don’t know what happened or when, but I love Signa and Death so much. I love the way they complement each other, the way he just absolutely adores her, and how clear it is that she feels the same. His request for her to

show him around Foxglove

and calling it

“this house of ours”

had me smiling for at least ten minutes. It’s what they deserve, and about damn time for it, too.

One last thing. I said Belladonna feels like it was aged down to fit YA parameters, and now I’m thinking that might just fit the whole series. The feeling was stronger here, as Foxglove had more than just the one toned-down sex scene its predecessor did. There were… three, I think? And that last one (

their alleged final night together

), while certainly good as is, would’ve been amazing with some NA-level spice. And this time, I know it’s not just my dirty mind talking out of turn.

I love it when random books I find on Libby end up being so incredibly good.

While I admit I never did develop any real connection to Saoirse, she was still a spunky, entertaining protagonist, with plenty of admirable qualities and a strong voice. And I absolutely adored Hayes. He’s so precious, easily one of the best male leads I’ve read this year. Together, their story gives such strong resist Dark Urge and Wyll vibes—complete with an adorably sweet slow-burn, a bit of dancing, and so much yearning—and I love that about them. I’m obsessed, in fact. (That’s a Baldur’s Gate 3 reference, by the way.)

Much of the world-building—the racial hierarchy, political undertones, and elemental magic system—felt reminiscent of the Moroi society in Vampire Academy, which was definitely a highlight and a pleasant surprise. I also really liked Burton’s take on sirens, on Saoirse’s bloodlust and how her relationship with the ocean was often as tumultuous as the ocean itself. It was very unique, interesting and well-done.

There was plenty of intrigue throughout, and a number of good twists, too. But it felt like too much effort was put into making one guard (

Jeune

) look suspicious and not enough into making the rest of them look innocent. I knew there was no way it could actually be

Jeune

, as that would’ve been far too straightforward. And I saw the real traitor (

Laa’el

) coming a mile away. One of them, at least.

Erasmus

and

Carrik

were a surprise,

Carrik

especially, and the last few chapters had still other surprises that kept me racing through to the end.

Lastly, I have to say I appreciate the ending. I appreciate that Hayes hasn’t immediately worked through all of his internal issues with Saoirse, and that he recognizes just because

he’s king now

doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants. That his feelings for her don’t pardon her crimes, and even if he wants to forgive her, no one else is going to. They still have yet to kiss, I have no idea what their future is or how one might even be possible for them, but it was the right way to go. Any other outcome simply wouldn’t have done their relationship justice. (That’s not to say I’m not worried, because I am, but it’s fine. I’m sure they’ll figure something out. They need to. For my health.)

(One more thing. This is less of a criticism and more of an observation—and maybe it’s just me—but our leads… didn’t really feel like teenagers? Any time it came up that they’re seventeen, it felt weird. I know how sirens work, I know teens can be as horny as anyone, but all the talk of her seduction schemes and his lust and desire just felt weird. Putting them in their early twenties would’ve made more sense to me. Though it’s possible I just need to get used to YA again after so long away, or that I see things differently after reading an influx of adult fiction. I don’t know.)

Representation:

This was far from perfect—the chapters were ridiculously long-winded, for one, and there were many more differences from the show than I’d anticipated, not all of them positive—but it was still entertaining. I liked that book Daphne had a stronger personality, and really liked the scenes with Simon and all eight Bridgerton siblings. The fact that those were cut from the show is honestly a crime. As is Julia Quinn’s version of Colin. Show Colin is my precious cinnamon roll, but I don’t claim this one. He’s obnoxious. I refuse.

Past that, and on a more serious note, I have very mixed feelings about the end of the book. I really, really don’t like what Daphne did to Simon, or how utterly unrepentant she was afterward. Girl says she loves her husband and then shows a complete disregard for anyone’s feelings except her own. It bothered me immensely, and it doesn’t feel like they truly resolved the issue, either. Or any issue. They said “I love you” and forgot everything else existed, which does admittedly feel very in line for a romance novel, but still isn’t going to work for me. It doesn’t matter how cute they can be—and they can, sometimes; I especially found the final chapter sweet—if they can’t communicate with one another and respect boundaries.

Overall, I’d say the book had a better start, but the show had a stronger finish. Both had their strengths and weaknesses, putting them roughly on the same page, though I’m much more likely to rewatch than to reread. I don’t know exactly when I’ll get to the second book, but Kate and Anthony’s season has been my favorite of the show so far, and book Anthony is already much more tolerable, so I have high hopes. Fingers crossed.

This was really good. The first half was maybe a bit slower than I would’ve liked, and I did wind up guessing two of the three big twists, but it’s fine because I had fun. I liked Signa, and I loved her dynamic with Death. The two of them were unexpectedly sweet; if they keep at it as the series goes on, they very well might end up among my favorite ships.

One thing I noticed—and maybe this is just me—is that this felt like it was originally written to be new adult and then aged down. And while there’s nothing wrong with YA, I can’t help but wonder how the story might’ve differed if it had stayed geared at a slightly older audience. We would’ve gotten some good smut out of that one scene, I think. I can feel it in my bones.

But anyway. I still had a good time. This was the Bridgerton x A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder x His Fair Assassin mashup I didn’t know I needed, and I’m so glad I stood by it through the slow beginning. I have one other library book I need to finish before its due date, and then I plan to dive back into this series immediately.

I once saw a post online that said “being a drama queen isn’t about gender, it’s about vibes”, and I couldn’t agree more. That being said, in my experience, there are good drama queens—the sort that have you rolling your eyes in good fun, because you know you love them anyway—and then there are bad drama queens. The ones that feel like they’re trying too hard, and just come off as extremely obnoxious.

Luca is a bad drama queen.

While I don’t like (and generally try to avoid) rating books less than three stars, I can’t think of anything I truly liked about this one. If it were any longer, or a full-length book, I probably would’ve DNFed. A lot of the dialogue is cringey, the sex scenes are even worse, and the drama felt so pointless. The sex scenes feel like M/M written by a woman that’s trying too hard and doesn’t entirely know what she’s doing. The drama was nothing more than miscommunication at full volume, with added doses of jumping to conclusions that only make it worse.

For all that I wanted these two to have a book, reading this has me glad they only ever got a novella. And convinced that Angel deserves so much better.

(In my review of the first book, I said, “I’m going to hope this one is the exception, and it’ll only get better from here.” Such was, unfortunately, not the case, and I think it’s killed my interest in the rest of the series. I don’t care about Kallum or Isaac, I don’t know anything about Winnie, and while Sunny is great, I don’t love her enough to push through. So it’s just not worth it.)

Representation:

Despite my initial reservations, I quite liked the majority of this book. It had a promising start, captured my interest early on, and got me fully invested much sooner than expected. Vuk and Ayana’s relationship was also much sweeter than expected. I liked them a lot. But the first half and the second felt like two separate books, and around 70%, I started losing steam. It felt like Ana was slowly losing her own plot; a bit further and she’d lost it entirely.

I’ve said in hindsight that Twisted Games felt too light and fluffy compared to the rest of its series. Now, on the other hand, King of Envy feels too heavy. It doesn’t fit with its predecessors in the slightest. These books would fit in better if they swapped series.

And speaking of Twisted—I got increasingly strong Stella and Christian vibes from Ayana and Vuk, and then the last 20% felt like Twisted Lies all over again, but far too convoluted. The more I think about it, the more the whole book feels that way. Sweet, sheltered model falls for big, intimidating morally grey man who’s been secretly obsessed with her for ages.

They fall in love, he protects her from the malicious forces at play, she eventually discovers the darker side of him and is horrified by it, so they split. She gets kidnapped, he goes into a rage because someone dared touch her but eventually saves the day, and they live happily ever after.

And it’s not even a contest—Twisted Lies did it a million times better.

Additionally, this felt so incredibly disjointed. Not only for the reasons above, but also because it’s the first in the series following a female lead outside of the close-knit group of the previous four books. And quite honestly, it was awful. We barely saw any of the previous leads, male or female. It felt less like passing the torch and more like they simply didn’t matter anymore. Like Ana forgot about them. As someone incredibly attached to (most of) them, it was a low blow. It was really lonely, too. Ayana very clearly had no close friends, no besties to gossip or hang out with, and Vuk hated everyone except her and Jordan. We went from four books of intimate friendship and snarky banter to an isolation chamber, and I could feel the difference. The warmth of the previous books was gone.

Which, given that Ayana knows Alé through her mom and literally has Sloane as a publicist, is especially sad. That’s two ways she easily could’ve been incorporated into the friend circle—valid ways, too, not just my own wishful thinking—but it never happened. And you can’t tell me Viv, Isa and Sloane wouldn’t, because they already have once before. They did it with Alé, and all four of them would be open to doing it again. My visions of all seven female leads being the most iconic, badass high society girl squad have crumbled around me.

Add that to the fact that

Alé announced her pregnancy

at the end of King of Greed but we still have yet to see any mention of

the baby

, and

Kai and Isa’s wedding

was reduced to a single, irrelevant sentence at the end of King of Sloth (😭😭😭) and it’s even worse. At this point, I half expect the lot of them to not be in the last two books at all.

Having written all of that out, I feel like I should lower my rating. But I gave Greed four stars, and I see them as being roughly on the same page. I liked Alé more than Ayana, but Vuk more than Dom. Envy has a better romance, but Greed did better staying in its lane as a romance. I found Envy (mostly) more palatable (because Dom was insufferable in his book), but Greed made me happier with its quality whole group content. That library scene still lives rent-free in my head, and it’s yet to stop being hilarious. (I did also have fun with the majority of this book, and a lower rating feels like it discounts that. It might not make sense to anyone else, but it makes sense to me.)

With all of that said, the last thing I want to say is about the next book. I predicted

Maya

being the FMC as soon as she was introduced, and

Sebastian

being the MMC as soon as she started trash-talking him. As much as I already love her, I find him insufferable, and it’s ruined my excitement for the book as a whole. At this point in time, I don’t even want it. I just want to reread the books actually featuring my favorite characters.

I guess we’ll see what happens.

Updated series ranking:

Representation:

Katee really wrote modern day, Greek mythology-inspired Halstarion fanfic and got it published, and I love them so much for that. It might be the most iconic thing they’ve ever done.

To put it simply, this was an absolute delight to read. Icarus and Poseidon were entertaining from the start, and their relationship progression was adorable. Katee gets extra points for taking the ending in multiple directions I didn’t expect, and giving these two what might well be the most wholesome ending in the series so far. I love to see it.

That being said, I didn’t have the same intense attachment to or investment in Icarus and Poseidon that I have in other relationships in this series or recent five star reads. And when I consider how this book plays into the series’ overarching plot, the answer is that… it really doesn’t. After how the last book ended, I expected more tension in this one. More drama, more action, just more all around. I expected this to be a wild ride. And it wasn’t. It doesn’t even feel like anything happened to set the stage for the next book. For all that I enjoyed it, I don’t know what purpose it served. Icarus could’ve

sailed away with Ariadne and Asterion, found another lover elsewhere

, and the only real difference would’ve been Poseidon keeping a background role instead of taking center stage. The show would’ve gone on.

But it’s fine. It’s more of an observation than a true complaint. We got a cute, gay interlude before everything inevitably falls apart in the final two books, and I had fun. That’s enough for me. (Though this has only cemented my MIGHTY NEED for an epilogue novella collection of everyone getting their happy endings. I need to see

Icarus and Poseidon Proteus meeting Ariadne and Asterion at Carnaval

. Among other things.)

(And speaking of—I’m so curious and so incredibly confused about the next book. I don’t see how Zeus and Hera could end up together, properly together, in any plausible way. I don’t ship them in the slightest. I don’t even like Zeus. If Katee pulls it off, it might well be the best enemies to lovers arc of our generation. I look very forward to finding out.)

Representation:

I liked what I read well enough, but it’s been a month and a half since I returned this book to the library, and I haven’t picked it back up even though I found another way to do so. I have no desire to pick it back up, which is a sign I should really just put it down for good.

Neither of the F.T. Lukens’ books I’ve read since In Deeper Waters have hit the way that one did, and it’s so unfortunate.

While this book was fun, it wasn’t all that I’d hoped it would be. The costars with benefits relationship described in the synopsis took far too long to actually get started, and barely anything happened once it did. There were only two instances of anything illicit happening on set, and only one of those had them at true risk of getting caught. They spent a couple of other nights together before the drama set in, and most of it felt so unnecessary. The fact that the story only spanned about a month made it worse, because that isn’t enough time for anyone to fall in love, no matter how you spin it. It just isn’t. And as a result, all of Bee and Nolan’s angst about being in love, whether or not it’s mutual, and what effects a proper relationship would have on various things just felt ridiculous.

The more I think about it, I don’t think I was ever really all that invested in either Bee or Nolan. They had some good moments, and I did like some of their banter, but the side characters are the ones that stole the show. I found Sunny, Angel, Luca and even Teddy much more entertaining. Maybe that’s (at least part of) my problem. Maybe it’s also a sign I’ll enjoy the other books more. I’m going to hope that’s the case, because a series of smutty Christmas romcoms should be right up my alley. I’m going to hope this one is the exception, and it’ll only get better from here.

Representation:

I got this from the library on a whim after the cover caught my eye, thinking wolf shifters would be a fun way to spice up some of my favorite tropes. Surely you can’t go wrong with grumpy/sunshine or fake dating in any form, right?

Wrong. This book fudged them both.

I love grumpy/sunshine pairings. I usually expect the grumpy character in said pairing to be introverted or antisocial in some form, and I’m okay with it. But this one is apparently so antisocial, he doesn’t talk to or text anyone and has thus forgotten how. Half the time he can’t tell when the FMC is very obviously joking, and the other half he finds her goofing around to be so incredibly insufferable. My dude, she isn’t the problem here.

I also love fake dating. But while every other story I’ve seen it used in takes some time to introduce you to the characters and set the scene before they strike their deal, this one doesn’t. It happens in the very first chapter, when I have no clue who either of them are or any reason to care about their fake relationship. Not to mention that it felt like they went from fake dating strangers to I’M SO HORNY FOR THIS PERSON far too quickly. Much as I wanted to stick around long enough to see them reach the friends with benefits stage, to see if the smut was any good, I just couldn’t.

I’ve gotten pretty good at pushing through books I’m not sure of purely because I’m curious, and even if I don’t end up loving them, there’s something in most of them that makes it worthwhile. But with this one, I simply didn’t want to keep reading and find out. When you have time and the desire to read but utterly do not want to actually return to your book, it’s time to give up the ghost. Or give up the wolf, I suppose.

(Also, I have to say it. Making the FMC a wolf shifter obsessed with Twilight is so unbelievably cringey to me. I had to stop and roll my eyes when she started quoting Eclipse. You could’ve picked literally any other series, and you picked this one. Come on.)