This Fae romance had an interesting beginning. Unfortunately it felt like not very much was going on for the second half of the book and that sluggish pacing was a problem for me... this was almost a DNF a few times over. Nonetheless, I persevered and in the end it was just... Meh... with a capital M! The writing was a touch sophomoric. I was exasperated by how often the heat of their bond was mentioned and how childish our FMC, Thea, was especially towards her man. The characters were likeable but not loveable or remarkable. The characters were pretty bland to be honest and the romance was lacking depth and believability. The Sexytime bits were tempid (at best)... not a deal breaker per se but something of note. The premise of adult changelings was new, which was nice, but there were questions posed (especially in the beginning) that were left, completely forgotten, by the second half of the book. Then there was the dirty business of things coming too easily for our characters. Thea needs to learn how to glamor (and do it quickly)? POOF, she learns it within minutes of trying. Thea wants to learn of her special magical powers? POOF, she learns what it is with no trouble at all. When the characters get things easily with no effort at all they are robbed of the experience of working hard to achieve their goals and we are robbed of the experience of believing that they deserve those things and therefore robbed of the joy of each moment AND ultimately, by extension, the book.

Overall:
This had promise and due to some clunky parts, sluggish pacing and bland characters this was extremely underwhelming. It had potential but ultimately failed to deliver. The fated mates is a common trope that is easy to botch and sadly this was one of those times. There was almost no romantic/sexual buildup, or tension... it was too insta lovey for my tastes... another strike. This story was more of a teller than a shower... another strike... and the end battle was the worst I have ever read in a loooong while.... another strike. Ultimately it left a slew of questions unanswered. A cliffhanger is not necessarily a horrible thing but here it irked and niggled. All of these things added up to me losing interest in the story so I will not be on the lookout for book #2.

~ Sorry

*** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. *** ( )