Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Starcrossed
SERIES: Magic in Manhattan #2
AUTHOR: Allie Therin
PUBLISHER: Carina Press
RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2020
LENGTH: 282 Pages
BLURB:
When everything they’ve built is threatened, only their bond remains…
1925 New York
Psychometric Rory Brodigan’s life hasn’t been the same since the day he met Arthur Kenzie. Arthur’s continued quest to contain supernatural relics that pose a threat to the world has captured Rory’s imagination—and his heart. But Arthur’s upper-class upbringing still leaves Rory worried that he’ll never measure up, especially when Arthur’s aristocratic ex arrives in New York.
For Arthur, there’s only Rory. But keeping the man he’s fallen for safe is another matter altogether. When a group of ruthless paranormals throw the city into chaos, the two men’s strained relationship leaves Rory vulnerable to a monster from Arthur’s past.
With dark forces determined to tear them apart, Rory and Arthur will have to draw on every last bit of magic up their sleeves. And in the end, it’s the connection they’ve formed without magic that will be tested like never before.
REVIEW:
By concentrating on an artefact, Rory can tell its history. The journey’s the item has taken all the way back to its origins. It is like a dream. Rory can see people, places, and secrets. Rory has always been gifted, but he is far more powerful than even he realizes. Yet he is still learning how to use magic. A shy man by nature, Rory’s backbone shows itself when protecting those he loves – And he loves Arthur who he met in book one of the series.
Arthur’s family come from societies elite and are not aware of his sexual preference. While Arthur investigates the paranormal, his family have political aspirations – and never the two shall meet. A war veteran, Arthur has a protective streak. The moment he saw Rory, he fell for the waif that had a backbone of steel. The origins of the two could not be farther apart, but they bonded over the supernatural.
Arthur’s brother, John, tells him about some disturbing nightmares involving Arthur and the war. Arthur suspects paranormal activity. His investigations are not helped by his family’s insistence that he must attend a political wedding escorting a British Lord. They are unaware that the Lord is Arthur’s ex. When Arthur divulges the facts to Rory, his lover loses some of his magical control.
Considering Rory’s loss of magical self-control, an ex, and a man searching for potent relics also wanting powerful people to help him control them – a lot is at stake.
As with the first book in this series, I loved this one too. The story is told in the third person from Rory and Arthur’s viewpoints, during the prohibition, with fade out intimacy. The scene-setting was just right for me – enough to garner the place and atmosphere, while not going into finite detail. It is possible to read this instalment as a standalone, but one gains a much better understanding if book one has also been read.
The story deals with the intricacies of the financial divide. As already said, Arthur comes from a monied background, opulence, and comfort. Rory prefers to work his way out of cockroach-infested lodgings the honorable way, without financial assistance from Arthur. That is a bone of contention between them.
The relationship between Arthur and Rory is pretty new, and in a bid to protect Rory, Arthur keeps certain things from him. Hence, there are many thought processes and aspects of their relationship that need working out.
The extended cast varies between the gifted and the not. Many returning from book one. It was also lovely to see more of Arthur’s family. The ex was good, too.
Here is a warning, though. Once I got to around 60%, I did not want to put the book down and ended up reading till after midnight, because I had to know what happened.
Sooooo – what did I get with this book. I got a bangin’ story that was not overtaken by sex. I got murder, intrigue, mystery, love and another interested party, class-division, visions, good vs evil and some in-between, paranormal goings-on, alchemy, and more. Starcrossed was my cup of tea with a custard cream.
RATING:
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