Woman Reading

I hate to start a review saying that I'm a little disappointed.  It's a little strong a sentiment anyway.  I'm not really disappointed because I wasn't surprised by anything that happened in this book.  If anything it actually met my expectations.  Maybe that was why it felt just a little bit dull.

"The snake and the bear, the man of stealth and lies, the man of soul and strength."

That just about sums up both Javier and Camden perfectly.  Probably the best line in the whole book, besides my last quote of Javier's.  

If you haven't read the first two books, read no further.

In this final installment Javier, Ellie and Camden are working together in an effort to save Gus.  Tensions run high between Javier and Camden, and Ellie is wrecked inside over where her relationship with Camden is at.

What can I say about this one to sum up the feelings... the relationships were there between the characters, but maybe it was just too much?  I understand how much love is between them, but maybe it was the words used.  Maybe it was that the thoughts were of how much they loved each other, and then the sex was always so raunchy.  It was contradictory.  I see nothing wrong with raunchy sex, but when you're wrapped up in need and a longing love it's weird for me as the reader to hear the heroine look at the love of her life and think "how could I not want that big perfect cock".  I just wrinkled my nose.  It wasn't what I imagine someone would think about their true love in that moment.  Sometimes sure, but not in THOSE moments. 

Also, the ending seemed to just drag on and on and on.  Really, in Wendy's perfect world the book would have ended when she saved Camden from Travis, sacrificing her mother, and killing Travis.  Everything after that could have given us a 4th book, one that flushed it out a little more.  I felt like it was another case where an author was dead set on the idea of a trilogy and smashed too much into the final novel to accomplish it.

I think, for me, it fell apart a bit in Bold Tricks. 

I still love Karina Halle though, I'm still a fan, I will still read everything else she writes, and I'm still crazy about Camden.  Even with all those complaints I give it 3.5 stars,  I just think this one could have used slightly better pacing.