The first book was 4 stars – verging on 5. This book was 4 stars – verging on 3.

The good – it was fabulous to see all my buddies. We resolved some issues (of course HUGE new ones popped up). And I loved the grovel and chase. Plus Reed was on-point. All of the Royals are more nuanced now. They were more enjoyable.

The bad – I think the author(s) felt the need to one-up the last book. The issues were borderline ridiculous. And nothing was nearly as satisfying. This felt like a middle book. Lots of build-up for the future. Not a lot in the here and now.

I’m not sure that I’ll read the next book. The drama is so intense – it’s become less realistic and less fun. But maybe I’ll feel different in 6 or 7 weeks.

(No lie – the end of this book was straight out of a Spanish soap opera. I cracked up when I read it – and I’m not sure that was the intent.)