Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: I Kid You Not
SERIES: Magical Mates, Book Three
AUTHOR: Macy Blake
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 315 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 25, 2022
BLURB:
Zachary Perry is willing to do whatever it takes to win the heart of his mysterious, gruff, and oh-so-gorgeous forest ranger neighbor, even if it means transforming his very bookish, nerdy self into someone (gulp!) outdoorsy so he can fit into Roan’s world.
But when Roan saves him from a seduction plan gone awry, Zachary quickly learns that a fondness for woodland fun is the very least of their differences, for Roan is no mere forest ranger, he’s a forest guardian – a magical creature duty-bound to guard both the land and an entire population of supernatural creatures Zachary never knew existed.
Meanwhile, Zachary… well. He’s very, very human. And that’s something he cannot change, no matter how powerful and intense the connection between them may be.
When something dark and dangerous looms deep in the forest, threatening a pack of children, Zachary insists on leaving the safety of his home and fighting alongside the man he loves.
But when the danger is past, will he be able to find his place in the supernatural world he’s discovered, and to trust that Roan wants him exactly as he is?
REVIEW:
I Kid You Not is the third book in Macy Blake’s Magical Mates series. In each of the three series books, All Kidding Aside, Stop Kidding Around, and I Kid You Not, a couple unexpectedly finds they are true mates through funny, sexy, sweet, and at times suspenseful, storylines set in and around Alpha Nick Smith’s compound of shifters – with children and adults of all types – griffins, wolves, bears, otters, even a red panda (Gus Gus 😍). Blake infuses each book with a magical quality as people fall in love and form families in this special magical world.
While these books are technically standalones, I recommend you read the previous Magical Mates stories first, especially book two, Stop Kidding Around, as events that play out there overlap with events in this book. The Chosen One series is also helpful background although not strictly necessary to read first. Your best bet is to follow Blake’s recommended reading order on her website for the comprehensive experience of her The Chosen One universe.
We met Roan, the guardian of the forest that surrounds Nick’s compound, and Zachary Perry, his nerdy, slightly neurotic, OCD-ish mate, in Stop Kidding Around. We get Roan and Zachary’s viewpoints on those events in I Kid You Not, and the counterpoint between the two is intriguing and effective. However, I Kid You Not has more to it than that.
The book can roughly be divided into two parts – before Roan and Zachary meet Nick and pack, and after they meet Nick and pack. The first part focuses on Roan and Zachary existing as neighbors, mutually pining for each other unbeknownst to the other, and then falling in love. We learn about Roan and his role as guardian of the forest, and Zachary and his adorable, hysterical, complete lack of filter. He thinks it and he says it – even thoughts of the most personal variety.
Zachary’s portrayal felt a bit over the top at times, though, and his freneticism actually interferes with the organic development of his relationship with Roan. These two were already attracted to each other before they actually meet in the forest, and they identify as mates and come together rapidly. As such, there’s not much time to develop chemistry between them, and I didn’t feel any natural or instant chemistry either. I did like both of them, though, and liked them together. Blake is very good at creating colorful, endearing characters that we want to know and come to love. However, Blake handicaps herself a bit here, because coming into this story, we know almost nothing about Roan and Zachary except for the brief, somewhat confusing appearance of them in Stop Kidding Around. I think that lack of background coupled with an instalove/mates story made it difficult to connect with them on a deeper level.
The first half of I Kid You Not (before Nick and pack) really reads and feels like a book unconnected to this extensive Chosen One universe. If you’ve read all of the Chosen One stories, and there are a lot of them, it’s disconcerting to start a new series installment and not see any of the multitude of characters from the other books until the second half. As such, the story moved slowly, and I didn’t feel particularly engaged with it.
When the second half rolls around – basically from the overlapping events with Nick’s pack and following – I breathed a sigh of relief because now it feels like we’re in a Chosen One universe story. As if making up for the lack of characters in the first half, Blake goes to the other extreme with appearances from a large portion of the characters from previous books, and of course, plenty of time spent with Nick and his pack. I loved this part of the book – the found family, couples from previous books, all interacting with each other and welcoming Roan and Zachary into the fold.
Blake doesn’t pack this storyline with much action. It’s more about introducing two new characters into an existing world. Thought about it in that light, the book’s structure mirrors Roan and Zachary’s journeys. It’s something I appreciated in retrospect, so perhaps upon rereading, the story will feel smoother.
Blake crafts this story with her witty writing and exceptional worldbuilding, and despite my criticisms, I still found it enjoyable, albeit not as absorbing as the other books. Speaking of which, Blake has another book planned in the Magical Mates series, With Kid Gloves. We don’t know anything about it yet or who will be featured, but I am curious to see if Roan and Zachary’s story ends up being a bridge to yet another expansion of this excellent, colorful universe. I’m looking forward to finding out what she has in store for us.
RATING: 
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