I do adore this series and have looked forward to learning more about Judge since the beginning of the series. The quieter member of the team, little has really been revealed about him prior to this, though he has been a constant steady presence for his teammates when needed.
Well it’s fair to say he certainly reveals more of himself in this book (hehe!)
But before we get to that, I loved how this book moved on pretty much directly from Inks story initially to lay ground work but then time was passed really well whilst giving Iyla an in-depth and comprehensive back story. I think we learnt more about her than any other female character and I really enjoyed how the building peril element of the story had some real tangible background you could reflect on in the early part of the book.
I found it refreshing how once Iyla trusted Judge so much with her safety, even when they were both pretending to themselves that they weren’t falling for each other, she listened to his advice and didn’t stray into “too stupid to live” territory, despite her nativity initially about certain peoples intents.
I liked how honestly genuine Judge was in his pursuit of Iyla, some bare chested posturing never goes amiss with this group (*wipes brow*) and his willingness to give her the space and time she needed to really come to terms with her feelings for him went a long way in this book.
I find this authors strong draw for me is the detail and inclusion of deployments and missions with detail rather than in passing. Some authors use this trope as a facilitator but seem to skim over the intensity of battle and what can come from that, which is something this author never shys away from and it makes the books a little more real for me. She also includes conflict within the teams, greater than simple fall outs she explores the doubts and fears these men have and exposes some of their inner demons that relate to the team and not just their feelings about getting a hea. None of these men are perfect, and those moments are crafted to humanise and make these people, whilst undoubtably special, individuals who are at times simple men who do extraordinary things. It has also really pulled me in how in the last few books the “last men standing” have been so open with each other about their feelings about being alone and what they hope for in the future for themselves, these conversations always tear at my heartstrings.
Again I find my heart aching for Skin, though for a different reason in this book, and I can’t wait to see what happens next with him.
Arc provided from netgalley in exchange for my honest review