Sometimes a book is just meh

For obvious reasons, I spent the last two months dealing with constant low-grade anxiety that occasionally really tries to reach full panic mode. This means that my ability to concentrate on anything substantial has been severely affected. So I’ve spent quite a bit of time just engaging with lighter entertainment like romance books and reality shows. 

This is probably why I actually read this full series despite the fact that the most I can say about it are that those books are the definition of meh. Its a shame, because everything else I read from N.R. Walker has been kinda great (not deep, but well written and highly enjoyable). It might just be that unlike their other books I’ve read, this one is not a contemporary romance but instead supernatural. This is not to say that it is terrible, but instead, it is mostly forgettable, like a pleasant but unremarkable Hallmark channel movie but with vampires.

The overall plot of the series centers around Alec, an NYPD detective and his fated one, Cronin, an ancient Scottish vampire as they try to save the world from various evil guys. Those mostly involve other more ancient vampires and Alec special blood, which makes him the most powerful person (and later vampire) ever. It is not without it’s potential, but the lack of tension around the actual mysteries and enemies they encounter makes it rather unmemorable. The relationship between the characters is not interesting enough to make up for it.

The series this accomplish one thing: I think I am done with queer romance for a while, and possibly moving into some mystery books (probably of the Agatha Christie type). 

Some notes:

1. I do appreciate the research done on various ancient spaces. The combination of those with supernatural elements feels a lot like one of my favourite games Gabrial Knight II: The Beast Within.
2. The main problem really boils down to pacing- everything just happens too fast (or too slow). We just don’t get the chance to get familiar with the characters or get into the mysteries around the creature we encounter, and so you lose interest fairly quickly.
3. It is especially prominent in the battle scene, to the point where the second book introduces an enemy who has influenced everything that happened before. He dies two-paragraph after he gets introduced. 
4. This somewhat reminds me of the Twilight books with its lousy pacing issues. Still, at least unlike Twilight, the relationships are not toxic.
5. Making your protagonist the strongest vampire ever doesn’t really help with creating tension; this is why he keeps losing his powers in crucial stages. 
6. The all things was somewhat frustrating because it could have been so much better
7. Read N.R. Walker’s other books; they are actually great.