Lilibet Bombshell's Reviews > To Claim a Mate

Note: I have read and reviewed the previous two installments of this series so my review may reflect my knowledge of the previous two books. I will try to make it as spoiler-free as possible, I promise. Also, please note that you definitely should not attempt to read this book without reading the previous two books in the series or you will be very lost.

I gave both previous installments in the Redwood University series four stars, and it seems the tradition continues with the third and final book, making this series a consistent and satisfying read when taken as a whole. The individual books have their own pros and cons, but I will say I’m so happy the predictions and musings I wrote about in previous reviews seemed to have paid off in this book, the culmination of the series.

I admit fully my favorite part of this book is the characters, how they interact with one another, and the dialogue. Even though the romantic and sexual relationship between Alexei and Nicole never quite settled well for me, the friendships and found family relationships surrounding them more than made it up to me. They’re all such colorful and unique characters I can’t help but want to recruit them to be my friends. It helps to have such a disgusting antagonist, too.

After complaining about the lack of spice in the first two books, I was happy to see spice in this last book, but I did feel that after the minimal spice in the first two books and how much plot resolution there was to be done in this book that there were too many spice scenes in this book. The scenes themselves felt excessive and repetitive. I ended up skimming them, mostly.

So why four stars, you might be thinking? Because I really think that this book wraps up the trilogy in an organized, fun, action-packed, compelling, page-turning way. Poppy Ireland knows how to plot, and she did it well. This trilogy is a well-crafted story, even if the romance part of the story needs a lot of work, in my opinion. I enjoyed it and I recommend it.

I was provided a copy of this title by the author. Any thoughts, ideas, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Fantasy Romance/Shifter Romance/Paranormal Romance/Fantasy Series/Book Series/College Romance/Coming of Age/Kindle Unlimited/KU/Romance Series/Spice Level 2