The blurb sounds like a snooze fest and filler to kill time until nightfall, this series has massively declined in my view 😴
As it was so short I decided to read the novella! What a mess! Damon is just pure obnoxious and predictable, like Negan from the walking dead he has become somewhat of a caricature! He just insults people, gets into fisticufffs with Misha and Michael, he is a loud bore. For such a tough guy he gives into his mum seeing his child pretty quick. This whole idea was ridiculous, Christiane has been a pretty shit mum to Rika, and a horrific, absent mother to Damon. But that is supposed to be forgotten and she is trusted with the baby? Why? She is hardly breaking her back to make amends with Damon. Also, who do Rika and Winter think they are to preach forgiveness and make that decision without Damon? It was pretty disgusting in my eyes. But I expect a shitty lifetime tv reconciliation between Damon and Christiane In Nightfall. Also, Rika trying to throw the bad things Damon had done in his face to guilt him into letting his mother see his child was just beyond! Damon was a monster because he was raised by monsters, which was something Rika’s Mother let happen. Like he said he did horrific things when he was young and hurting, his mother ignored him and let him be abused for years, everyday, while she was in reach of him, not the same thing at all!
Damon really was a scumbag when he threw Annie’s death in Mishas face, he basically said it was his fault, and everyone allowed it. It is such a shame the Damon from Corrupt and Hideaway had such potential, but the end result is an immature, entitled, arrogant ass, who thinks he is a lot scarier and tougher than he is!
Rika, Rika, Rika, I’m bored to tears. Penelope Douglas made clear in Kill Switch and this novella who her favourite characters are, and boy did I see too much of them, especially Rika. The triple threat, the elegant lady with ninja skills and cunning! Seriously? How old is this girl? Yet she has an entourage, is mayor, is finishing her degree, making plots, is engaged etc? Come on, she never would have been mayor and no one would have followed her. She is basically a kid with shady company, yet she is running the town?😂
Also that corny phone conversation with an associate where she was laughing and being pretentious, was cringe? I’m expected to believe people buy her little preppy act? She is so far removed from the spunky and authentic chick From Corrupt it is worrying. Michael is an ass, but I much prefer him to Rika.
Then we have the big secret reveal on the yacht which was so over dramatic and ominous, and turned out to be a snooze fest. Rika’s big reveal, is that she most likely will not be able to have children. Do not get me wrong it is a painful subject, but it as handled badly here. Firstly it is not a definite, secondly she hides it from Michael for a good while, thirdly we all know Michael values Rika more than having children so what was the big build up? Fourthly Kai knew first? Again with this underlying closeness with these two? It’s insulting to Banks. Again she questions if Rika is more important to him as he worries about keeping secrets for her. Rika has the cheek to be upset when Banks questions what’s going on? Come on! We see Michael and Rika make up (with sex as per usual), but not Banks and Kai? Apparently their relationship is not worth being focused on, or the reconciliation even being mentioned. It’s making me start to dislike Kai.
Also the sex scenes were incredibly boring and felt shoe horned in, as with every book there is sex scenes featured which involve more than two people, and each book it has to get bigger or better. This novella we have Rika watching Alex taking photos of two guys I barely remember, with a crew member of the yacht. Michael obviously arrives and sexy time happens in the same room as he and Rika make up, Rika likes being on display yadda yadda, a guy helps keep Rika stable and admires how hot she is as Michael fucks her, but cannot get involved, oh and Rika is blindfolded and Alex takes photos of her and Michael! Literally cringe and so out of place, I am bored of these stale scenes.
Also, the whole Will not being seeing for a whole year and this group allowing that, and not making it a big deal till now was not believable in the slightest! Come on none of it added up and it was so sloppy!
I used to be a fan is this author and the first two books in this series were big wins for me and kept me hooked, but Killswitch and this novella have killed any affection I have for this series. I will read Nightfall to see the conclusion, but I am pretty much done with this author and these books.