Red Hot Books

I am one of those people who judges a story based on how I feel when it's over. Yes, I value the journey, but if I'm not satisfied with the destination, the whole thing is damn near ruined. This book is a perfect example of a story destroyed by an unsatisfactory conclusion. I really enjoyed it. I was invested 100% in the characters and the outcome. And then the last chapter happened, prompting me to curse out loud and then stalk Twitter for someone to listen to me vent.

I'll start at the beginning. The book picks up precisely where Dead on the Delta left off. Annabelle is on suspension from her job with the Fairy policing agency and she has agreed to help her ex-boyfriend Hutch solve the murder of an FBI agent. She is on a break from her relationship with Cane. And she is trying to get a grip on her new-found powers.

As the story progresses, we learn that there is a lot more to Hutch's case than he first revealed. He has his own reasons for the investigation, but they're honorable. Working together, Hutch and Annabelle grow closer. Especially once he learns how badly he misjudged her when they first broke up. Just like in the first book, I found myself torn between Hutch and Cane. Annabelle clearly loves them both, but in different ways she can't even admit to herself. And they both love her. The complications are compounded by Hutch's pregnant fiancee and Cane's secrets and ultimatums. But regardless, I waited patiently to see where Annabelle's heart would eventually land her.

In the meantime, the danger is growing and so are Anabelle's new gifts. Suddenly, she can communicate with the fairies and their message is deadly. Add that to the constant threat from the Big Man and Hutch's undercover mission, and I was on the edge of my seat. For the first 3/4's of the book, I didn't want to put it down.

But things started to go awry toward the end. And I swear to you that someone else came along and wrote the last chapter, because: It. Makes. No. Sense. Annabelle makes bizarre choices. This quasi-epilogue thumbs its nose at everything we've been building towards. It doesn't make sense for Hutch, given what he learns during the climax. And it doesn't make sense for Annabelle, who can barely keep a cat alive, to take on a responsibility she has no business accepting. The answer to her love life... is insulting. Insulting to anyone who has given a damn throughout the course of the past two books. Not to mention, it makes our heroine look like a completely selfish horn-dog.

I think I'd be less upset if I didn't enjoy the early parts so much. It had so far to fall and it crashed and burned spectacularly. I don't know how to rate it. The first half was a B+. The last chapter was an F.

*ARC Provided by Pocket Books