KindleMMRomanceReader's Reviews > Temperance

***ARC Review***

This is my honest and voluntary review for the ARC I received.

This is the third book in Lark Taylor’s Damned Connections series. Blaise - a fire mage - and Toby - a vampire - are both trying to protect their hearts. Blaise’s journey to finally find peace is hard won and emotional. You should check out the trigger warnings on this one in the Author’s Note.

Blaise is carrying a lot of guilt about a singular moment from his past. Despite everything that happens afterwards, he can’t let his decision/actions that day go and he is drowning in despair. Blaise is seriously struggling. There’s a moment with Toby that breaks up the dark thoughts in Blaise’s head (a nasty encounter with ghasts being the only other thing). It also clues him in to his attraction to Toby. Blaise’s twin, River, has found his mate and other half; so their level of closeness is slightly different.

Toby is drawn to broken men. His desire to help them heal is strong. There is something in Blaise that calls out to Toby. When their contract starts, neither MC expects things to go beyond that. It’s intentional, but it isn’t a relationship. The trust and connection that Toby and Blaise build is important to their dynamic. The D/s relationship in this book highlights the importance of honesty and communication. Things go well, until they don’t. Toby and Blaise have a couple of big hurdles (miscommunication being one of them) to overcome before they can fully commit to one another. In the end, Toby and Blaise manage to help and heal one another. Their HEA is so well deserved, it makes you want to cry.

Of course it’s great seeing the other characters back in this book. I love the found family vibes in this book/series/overlapping series. Also, the spicy scenes and praise kink in this book is top tier. Even without that, the looks between Blaise and Toby!! Whew! This book will give you all kinds of feels, but it’s a worthwhile read. I can’t wait to see Danny’s story, up next in the series.