Series: The Hidden #3
on 2014-02-25
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
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My name is Kye Rivers. I am a Deuce Crescent, which means I have magick running through my veins. Even though my family is Deuce, too, I have always felt like an outcast. Why? Because my particular gift revolves around sensuality, which makes my family uncomfortable. I get my validation and satisfaction from helping people with their sexual pathos. The price for my magick is that falling in love interferes with my abilities. Losing my abilities, and my career, isn’t worth getting involved with some guy who will probably break my heart anyway.
When I met the new bartender, a rare Caido who works at the nightclub that serves as my office and second home, I felt an electric draw like never before. Even scarier, Kasabian isn’t like other angel/human Crescents, who are cool and asexual. Kasabian craves emotions…and he craves me. I fear that what’s different in him is dangerous for both of us.
FTC : I requested this from NetGalley. I loved the first in the series so this was a no-brainer. Although I have read reviews saying this can be read as a stand-alone I don’t agree. There is too much expectation on the reader to remember parts of the complex world building and too many references back. I honestly recommend that you read the others first.
I’m going to state right now that the blurb for this book confuses me. It’s written in first POV (this would potentially turn me off the book as I think long and hard before trying books written in first) but the book is actually written in third. I also think it doesn’t actually tell you anything about the plot. I’m going to have to do a bit of a recap to make this make this review make sense to any of us!
The hidden is a world of magical communities living along-side the human race. Each community has different powers and this particular instalment focuses on Deuces (magicians) and Caidos, a race that need to be protected from the emotions of the other races by absorbing the essence of another Caido. Unfortunately, Caido females are rare so, for heterosexual men of that race, it is damn near impossible to get what they need.
A sex deuce, Kye can help people heal their relationships. More importantly, she has come up with a way of enabling Caidos to have a relationship with someone other than another Caido. It is during trials for this technique that she meets Kasabian, a Caido who wants to use the trick for something else. Young Caidos have been going missing, returning broken and weak and Kasabian thinks that Kyes technique will be the key to saving them.
Kasabian has a vested interest in saving the young Caido’s as he was abducted when he was younger too. He remembers very little but he knows that Kye’s technique can help unlock those memories and potentially stop the disappearances. The technique isn’t without risks though and if it goes wrong there is a chance that their lives will be bound together forever. However, when she learns the reason for his request, she finds that she can’t resist, no matter what the risks. Will she be able to restore his memories and save the children?
This is a fantastic, gritty PNR. The story is so dark and bloody creepy that I found myself reading it with both horror and fascination. The love story is a lighter side to the book but, with Kasabian having so many dark edges himself, it was never going to be an easy ride.
I really enjoyed the character of Kye as the strength and compassion she showed throughout the book was fantastic. She knew the risk of becoming entangled with Kasabian, the pull of him making her walk away from the start for fear of losing her power, but her compassion won’t allow her to walk away from the potential for helping those children. She was a fantastic heroine and such a refreshing change from the other heroines I have met who have sex gifts. I walked into this book with a preconception but it was very quickly quashed.
Kasabian was a little bit harder to love because I really have issues with heros that keep secrets and he had plenty. I have no problem with Kasabian asking for Kyes help and they both were aware of the personal risks before starting to try find the children, but, when the shit began to hit the fan, it was probably a good time to come clean. He isn’t forthcoming as quick as he should have been and it made me want to hit him. Repeatedly. He keeps his demons secret and it threatens them both …. I was not a fan of the secretive side of him. I did enjoy the crusading part of him so it was a love/dislike relationship throughout 🙂
The romance was fantastic. There is no insta-love but there was a twist; lets just say that it was probably a good thing they learned to like each other quickly or life could have become difficult. I really did enjoy watching them fall … it wasn’t easy but that made it all the more delicious.
This book is intense. I love the world-building but I found the terminology hard to keep up with in some scenes. There was a couple of occasions that I had to put it down, rub my temples and go back in. It is a rather clever book but I need to reiterate READ THE REST FIRST. The other books explain the terminology more whereas this assumes that you are fine with it.
This is an amazing series set in a world filled with magic and intrigue. The suspense plot in this one is so dark that it made my skin crawl so I routed for a HEA from the first page. Well crafted with an amazing plot … fantastic.
Duly noted, thanks for the review !