Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: The Case of the Purple Pearl
SERIES: End Street Detective Agency (Book 5)
AUTHOR: Amber Kell and RJ Scott
PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books
LENGTH: 102 pages
BLURB:
After failing in a quest to win the Fae Queen’s approval, Halstein is locked in a world of stone. Forced to remain a gargoyle he spends his days on Sam’s desk pining for his lost love.
Prince Idris’s lover went missing and was presumed dead. Alone, Idris lives a life away from court, starved of energy but unwilling to sleep in the room he once shared with his beloved.
Can Sam and Bob save these fated lovers before it’s too late? And will Bob’s ultimate sacrifice be enough to free Hal from his prison?
REVIEW:
In an attempt to prove his worthiness and right to be with his lover, Prince Idris, Halstein accepts a challenge from the Queen of the Fae to complete a series of tasks. This turns out to be more difficult than he imagined when he is betrayed and cursed into the form of a stone gargoyle. Afraid to return home, Hal eventually finds himself belonging to Sam Enderson while all the while hoping that Idris has found someone else to love. Idris mourns the death of his lover and refuses to return to his mother’s court, instead choosing to live amongst the humans. In need of energy but unwilling to let anyone else into his heart, he instead flits from one physical relationship to the next in order to keep himself going while all the while on the lookout for his mother’s guards. He never expected that when he was finally found, however, that it would lead him to something he thought was forever lost.
After being teased with the true nature and story behind the gargoyle sitting on Sam’s desk I was ridiculously excited to read this story. Hal was in love with the Prince of the Fae but, as he was a commoner, he felt he needed to prove himself worthy to the Queen and her court. This turned out to be the worst decision he could’ve made, however, as he finds himself betrayed and left in the body of a gargoyle. I felt so bad for Hal, knowing that there was a way to break his curse but no way to manage it on his own; it also didn’t help that Idris was out there somewhere with no idea what really happened to him. I thought the way the connection between Hal and Idris was discovered was unique and interesting but things quickly became even more complicated than I thought they were when Sam goes looking for answers. This story didn’t turn out to be a ‘typical case’ like the previous books but quite a bit happened to move the character development of both Sam and Bob along. There were finally some answers given about what Sam is but a lot more questions were raised about Bob and his past though you get to see a bit of it by the end of the book. I actually enjoyed this installment in the series less for Hal and Idris’ story but more for what was set up for the next book. If you’ve enjoyed the series previously, I think you’ll enjoy this one as well but if you’re new to the End Street Detective Agency, you should start with the first book and work your way up as this won’t make a ton of sense to you otherwise.
RATING: 
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