Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)
TITLE: Quickening Vol. 2 
SERIES: Little Goddess #5
AUTHOR: Amy Lane
PUBLISHER: DSP Publications
LENGTH: 284 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 13th, 2017
BLURB:
The elf queen who infected the werewolf population isn’t going away—and neither are the two heartbeats that will soon be the children in Cory’s arms.
Cory’s used to throwing herself physically into the fray, but as their enemy gets closer and more dangerous, she’s forced to choose between her safety and the people sworn to protect her. Her guardians are tired of worrying about Cory and her unborn children, and Cory is getting plain tired.
The preternatural world isn’t her only worry—basic human birthing rituals are going to be a pain in the ass for a woman whose children will be sidhe. Cory’s mother is still fuzzy on the concept of a polyamorous multispecies marriage and sets her up with an OBGYN obsessed with the inhuman silhouettes of her babies.
Cory doesn’t want her children born in the middle of a turf war, but the people she and Green have nurtured and fought for aren’t about to let her face this enemy alone. This battle is for queen and home, and the babies quickening in Cory’s body are a symbol of hope. Cory’s going to have to give up the idea of being a weapon and embrace the idea of being a mother, or she’ll let down those depending on her most.
REVIEW:
This is so hard for me to do….. I just read the last of the Little Goddess books for the foreseeable future. My heart is broken, I do not understand why these books haven’t been more popular!
Anyhoo…
This is the final story of Cory, whom we have been following from obnoxious goth girl, to expectant mother. She’s been pregnant for seven years (not really!), and fighting an ongoing battle for the last bit of her pregnancy has taken its toll on her body. She’s usually the strong fighter, throwing herself into the battle with little concern for herself, but now she has little beings in her belly she is forced to think about. She’s STILL trying to finish school and get her multiple degrees, and after some bed rest over Christmas, she is basically carried from class to class by Bracken, because, dammit, she’s going to finish. While Cory is focusing on her babies and her school, other folks on the hill step up and take over some of her duties as resident bad-ass…
At the end of volume one, Cory’s mom manipulated her into going to see a human doctor, who does an ultrasound, and is shocked by what he sees. And fascinated, which leads to much drama and difficulty later in this book. It also leads to some revelations about Cory’s mom’s past, and gives us an explanation about Cory’s strength.
Teague, Max and Nicky, really step up in this book and show they are not just followers, but can be leaders when needed as well. Not only do they deal with the doctor situation, to mixed results I’ll say, but they also deal with the ongoing threat against Green’s Hill. Also with mixed results, as they get in over their heads and need Cory and Green’s help to finish it! So Cory does get to keep her bad-ass card after all.
Then we have the baby situation…. oh damn. I can’t say anything and spoil it! Let’s just say things don’t go as planned, but at the end we do have two healthy babies!
We also see quite a bit of Cory, Green, Bracken and Nicky solidifying as a family. I loved that. Nicky has always been a bit of an outsider with the the other three. At times Cory was kind of a snot to him, being forced to go on dates and have sex with him to keep him alive, but not really enjoying it. Finally in the last couple of books we see Nicky more accepted, not only by Cory and Green, but Bracken as well.
So this ends in a good place for everyone, but damn! I so want more! What happens next? Are there more babies? How do these two grow up? Do they drive everyone crazy? Ugh! I am greedy…
I have loved this series from the moment I read the first book, way back in 2010. I’ve loved the drama, the angst, the pain that these characters have gone through. I’ve loved the world, the characters, the creative details. I’ve loved the sex, the emotions, the bond they have all formed. I’ve loved the short stories that are attached, but separate. I love the transformations they have all gone through. I love the care with which this story has been written, the love that Amy Lane has put into it, because it is a work of love. I wish more people had read these books and gotten what I have out of them.
This is what urban fantasy is all about. This is why I read it, and especially why I read Amy Lane’s urban fantasy.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Amy.
RATING: 
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