Read my review of the first book in the Damned Connections series, Patience.
The vampire Sebastian has never been the villain of any of the books in this shared world, but he’s always leaned pretty heavily toward anti-hero. I found the hint at the end of the previous book that he might end up with the sweetest, most innocent of any of the characters a bit jarring, but I was more than willing to suspend my disbelief for their story. Taylor wastes no time framing his current characterization with the full context of the epic betrayal and tragedy that he undergoes. I also appreciated that Sebastian’s unexpected attraction doesn’t shift his personality. If anything, Sebastian is the most conflicted about the draw he feels toward Matty.
Perhaps because I’d already read an entire book in which Matty’s older brother has very specific (and protective) views of him, I did find him a bit cliché for his first few chapters. What ended up hooking me on his character was the way his complicated history means he intentionally struggles not to be attracted to the “bad boy” aura that Sebastian evokes. Though Sebatian’s relatively inexplicable attraction to Matty is strange, it also feels more honest after the focus on the fated mates trope in each previous book in this world. Here, the connection is based on a more compelling mix of personality and circumstance than inevitability. The way Sebastian fights that draw so dramatically but spectacularly fails every time finally hooked me on the developing relationship arc, and I loved his sheer idiocy…of course, until I absolutely hated it.
Matty’s deviousness as he fought against Sebastian’s hesitancy is a delight to read but ultimately, and unfortunately, no match for Sebastian’s stubbornness. Their arc is incredibly high angst (including a chapter purely of a single-sided text conversation that left me in tears). Though reading how Matty pays the price is painful, the depths of Sebastian’s character arc demand such a dark moment. What Sebastian does to Matty is another form of injury and betrayal, which ends up giving the human commensurate pain to what Sebastian experiences in the prologue. Despite the vast differences in their age and experience, this serves to put them on equal footing as they undergo similar journeys of learning to love and trust again. That being said, I appreciated that the reconciliation is hard-won. No matter his past, Sebastian deserves to do the hard work for us to believe that he is deserving of a second chance with Matty. This work makes the actual happily ever after for their love story all the sweeter.
The relationship arc of this book is weighty enough not to need the sort of substantial external plot we’ve had from other books in this world. However, the greater supernatural world does influence that primary arc in the way Matty finally learns about the larger world his brother and extended friend group have hidden from him. I’d had a feeling that this secret would eventually backfire spectacularly; the way it does is unexpected but offers the perfect setup for everyone to come clean without miring the two main characters in a distracting subplot. Instead, the events tie into a different character’s full story, and since I’m already a fan of his, I can’t wait to learn more in a future book.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.