Wench Review of MacRieve : IAD #13

Review of MacRieve : Immortals After Dark #13

I'm going to start this by saying I really love some of the installments in this series. This is the first series of the genre that has werewolves that I actually love. Bowen was great but Garreth, Garreth completely swept me off my feet *sigh*. I love Kresley Cole for being the only author who made me love two werewolves and a demon (Cade, my love) more than any of the vampires. 

That being said, I haven't really enjoyed an IAD book since Malkom and Carrow's. Regin's book made me want to punch a wall, and Lothaire was a good book when I tried (hard) to forget the romance aspect of it. So I was looking forward to reading about another Lykae, especially Uilleam after everything he went through at the Order's facility. 

Did MacRieve get me out of my IAD funk? Or was it just another installment that disappointed me. Click through to see my review. Spoilers!

I picked up MacRieve after reading the Secret McQueen series (You can read my very honest and slightly ranty review here), so I wasn't too happy about the whole predestined mate theme. But I had mostly enjoyed IAD, minus the first book, so wasn't too worried, and I have really liked the quick conclusions to each "fated" couple, even if it did feel a bit cheesy at times. 

MacRieve starts out with Uilleam's story as a child. And his awful trauma at the hands of a succubus. She tricks him into thinking she's his mate, and the young child goes along with it. He gets physically ill when he's away from her because she managed to bind him to her after having sex with him (a child) thrice. It was a dark, terrible beginning for him, and you can't help but sympathize with him. And want to help him put his past where it belongs, behind him.

It reminded me of the whole Bowen/Mari thing, the guy has been tricked by someone in his past that basically influences the way he treats his "mate"... but these books do tend to follow a similar pattern. And while it had gotten really boring in the last couple of books (I mean.. how many times do I want to read about the poor, tortured alpha who LOATHES the idea of being attracted to his "mate" because she is his sworn enemy in the Lore and acts like a complete asshole, but everything is peachy in the end) I was hoping this one would be different.

It wasn't really. 

Chloe had the potential to be a great heroine. I really liked her, her obsession with soccer was different, and her whole "rub some mud on it" motto was something I really liked. Her dad being the leader of the Order also had the potential for some REAL drama. I was hoping she was just a regular old human, but turns out she's a pre-transition lorean. And yes.. it had to be the same kind of lorean that basically fucked Uilleam's childhood and life.

We can all see where this is going. But jesus, the amount of abuse these female characters are putting up with lately in the series at the hands of these men they miraculously fall in love with is mind boggling! They get treated worse than the baddies and yet let the males have sex with them AND fall in love with them! Give me a break. Chloe was a total doormat. While the author had her saying and thinking the right stuff sometimes, she did NOT back it up with anything, and was basically a punching bag for all of Uilleam's MANY issues. Emma, the meekest of the females from Immortals After Dark, had more spine than her. Uilleam was a complete dick... I am not kidding... there was practically nothing about him that made me like him for a second. Oh except for the fact that he was oh so good looking.. yeah, that's important. 

Needless to say, I didn't enjoy this story much. Uilleam's verbal abuse alone was enough to make me wish he'd found his end at the hands of the Order. The "romance" was honestly one of the most toxic relationships I've read in this series, and the whole visit to the dreamlike succubus world where Uilleam FINALLY realizes all succubi aren't horrible monsters (.... really dude... ) and that he loved his wee mate all the while he was treating her like shit made me want to scream.

(I'm trying to be polite)

Sure, there was lots of sex, but for the first time, I didn't care (especially after he threw up after the first time.... because he found out she was a succubus during the act.. lucky Chloe). The whole story with Chloe's father was sort of predictable. And a little unbelievable toward the end. There's not really any development in the Ascension story line.. which is one of the only reasons (apart from Nix) that I keep reading. 

From the looks of it, Munro (the other half of "hot n hotter") is probably in for a similar story line.. yay *insert sarcasm here*. I'm still looking forward to Lanthe and Thronos' story though. It has so much potential. But not too hopeful.

This Wench rates it :