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Argeneau #32
Meant to Be Immortal
In the newest Argeneau novel from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, an immortal barely escapes a raging fire only to kindle a sizzling passion with his potential life mate.
Mac Argeneau knows all too well: immortals can be killed. Not with holy water or silver crosses, but by decapitation or being set on fire. So when Mac’s house bursts into flames—with him inside—he’s sure it was no accident. But who would want to kill a scientist specializing in hematology? There is a silver lining: a blonde investigator appears on the scene and sparks feelings in him that have been dormant for centuries.
CJ Cummings is in town on a special investigation, but she’s been waylaid by the local police to deal with this arson case. The biggest mystery is how this sexy scientist with silvery blue eyes has emerged from a blazing inferno without a burn mark on him. He’s clearly hiding something. Sure, she’d love to see him without his lab coat, but she’s got a job to do—despite his insistence that he needs a bodyguard and...he wants her.
But when a second attempt on their lives puts CJ in harm’s way, it’s Mac who will do anything to safeguard the woman who’s destined to be his life mate.
Mac Argeneau knows all too well: immortals can be killed. Not with holy water or silver crosses, but by decapitation or being set on fire. So when Mac’s house bursts into flames—with him inside—he’s sure it was no accident. But who would want to kill a scientist specializing in hematology? There is a silver lining: a blonde investigator appears on the scene and sparks feelings in him that have been dormant for centuries.
CJ Cummings is in town on a special investigation, but she’s been waylaid by the local police to deal with this arson case. The biggest mystery is how this sexy scientist with silvery blue eyes has emerged from a blazing inferno without a burn mark on him. He’s clearly hiding something. Sure, she’d love to see him without his lab coat, but she’s got a job to do—despite his insistence that he needs a bodyguard and...he wants her.
But when a second attempt on their lives puts CJ in harm’s way, it’s Mac who will do anything to safeguard the woman who’s destined to be his life mate.
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2021
828 people are currently reading
3365 people want to read
About the author
Lynsay Sands
126 books12.2k followersLYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.
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April 29, 2021
Casper the friendly vampire!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💜💛💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 👤👤👤👤👤
The setting: Canada
The Hero(s): Macon Argeneau - recently moved from New York City to a small town in Canada where he was setting up his hematology lab in the basement. He works for a company called Argentis Inc. which is family owned. He is a doctor who does research on the blood and is also an immortal.
The heroine: C.J. Cummings - a foster child who first went into Police work, moved to CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and now works for the SIU (Special Intelligence Unit) which is a civilian oversight unit that investigate the police especially where there is an officer involved death. She is in town for an investigation when she is asked by local police to help investigate a fire.
The Love Story: C.J. is at the home of Macon Argeneau after it had been set on fire with him inside. It is unclear as to whether Macon was hurt or not, but he was trapped in the house while it was ablaze and had to fill a tub in his basement with water and submerge himself until he could be rescued. He learns pretty quickly that C.J. is his life mate.
The romance was super steamy, the storylines were great and I loved the book. There were several storylines, one being the investigation that C.J. is in town to conduct. Another is about who is trying to kill Macon. Lastly is the storyline about Macon and C.J. being life mates. So Mac has to keep finding ways to spend time with her until she falls for him. C.J. has some issues due to her past and Mac has to find those and overcome them.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💜💛💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 👤👤👤👤👤
The setting: Canada
The Hero(s): Macon Argeneau - recently moved from New York City to a small town in Canada where he was setting up his hematology lab in the basement. He works for a company called Argentis Inc. which is family owned. He is a doctor who does research on the blood and is also an immortal.
The heroine: C.J. Cummings - a foster child who first went into Police work, moved to CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and now works for the SIU (Special Intelligence Unit) which is a civilian oversight unit that investigate the police especially where there is an officer involved death. She is in town for an investigation when she is asked by local police to help investigate a fire.
The Love Story: C.J. is at the home of Macon Argeneau after it had been set on fire with him inside. It is unclear as to whether Macon was hurt or not, but he was trapped in the house while it was ablaze and had to fill a tub in his basement with water and submerge himself until he could be rescued. He learns pretty quickly that C.J. is his life mate.
The romance was super steamy, the storylines were great and I loved the book. There were several storylines, one being the investigation that C.J. is in town to conduct. Another is about who is trying to kill Macon. Lastly is the storyline about Macon and C.J. being life mates. So Mac has to keep finding ways to spend time with her until she falls for him. C.J. has some issues due to her past and Mac has to find those and overcome them.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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January 9, 2021
4 life mate fainting stars.
Okay, first thing. I'm still kinda obsessed with learning that when life-mates have sex they pass out immediately after they have smexy time! Its technically that their orgasms are so incredible (which they always finish together because they can feel each other's pleasure) they basically faint. And supposedly in the first year their connection is so intense they might "faint" for hours after.
I have several feelings are this.
1. I'm super fucking jealous.
2. I'm wondering how you get anything done in the first year if you are banging like bunnies and taking long power naps after.
3. I'm really, really, really jealous about all the things that comes with life-mate sex and the fact that I only get to have regular sex!
You are too, don't fucking lie!
Quick little honesty time - even though this is the 32nd (that is not a typo) book in this series, it is also only the 2nd book I have finish by Lynsay Sands and I'm definitely going back and reading more. Especially Decker and Bricker.
This book entertained me from the first page. I wasn't expecting it to be on the slower burn side, but it was well worth the wait, because when these two caught fire, it was HOT AF!!
I have not read a book with a guy like Mac in forever. He was not your typical alpha. He is a geeky alpha, who is kinda awkward and basically follows CJ around like a cute little puppy until he gets what he wants.
Man, I have puppy fever so bad!!
CJ is a hard ass, and not easy to crack. But once you hear about her past you will understand!! So Mac not being a Casanova is quite hilarious with this prickly heroine. And once Decker and Bricker come in, I spent so much time smiling and chuckling to myself that I was so surprised when the booked ended. And sad, honestly super sad.
Definitely add this book to your TBR list and grab it when it comes out. Even if you haven't picked up any other books from this series you won't be confused. But once you finish it, you will want to go back for sure, because I do!
ARC kindly provided by NetGallery and Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.
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Okay, first thing. I'm still kinda obsessed with learning that when life-mates have sex they pass out immediately after they have smexy time! Its technically that their orgasms are so incredible (which they always finish together because they can feel each other's pleasure) they basically faint. And supposedly in the first year their connection is so intense they might "faint" for hours after.
I have several feelings are this.
1. I'm super fucking jealous.
2. I'm wondering how you get anything done in the first year if you are banging like bunnies and taking long power naps after.
3. I'm really, really, really jealous about all the things that comes with life-mate sex and the fact that I only get to have regular sex!
You are too, don't fucking lie!
Quick little honesty time - even though this is the 32nd (that is not a typo) book in this series, it is also only the 2nd book I have finish by Lynsay Sands and I'm definitely going back and reading more. Especially Decker and Bricker.
This book entertained me from the first page. I wasn't expecting it to be on the slower burn side, but it was well worth the wait, because when these two caught fire, it was HOT AF!!
I have not read a book with a guy like Mac in forever. He was not your typical alpha. He is a geeky alpha, who is kinda awkward and basically follows CJ around like a cute little puppy until he gets what he wants.
Man, I have puppy fever so bad!!
CJ is a hard ass, and not easy to crack. But once you hear about her past you will understand!! So Mac not being a Casanova is quite hilarious with this prickly heroine. And once Decker and Bricker come in, I spent so much time smiling and chuckling to myself that I was so surprised when the booked ended. And sad, honestly super sad.
“I know, so you've heard of Casper the Friendly Ghost, right?”
CJ's eyebrows rose, but she nodded.
"He was a happy little ghost, not scary like the other ghosts?"
CJ nodded slowly again.
"Well, we're like that, only we're vampires, not ghosts. Happy Casper Vampires" - Bricker explaining to CJ about immortals
Definitely add this book to your TBR list and grab it when it comes out. Even if you haven't picked up any other books from this series you won't be confused. But once you finish it, you will want to go back for sure, because I do!
ARC kindly provided by NetGallery and Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.
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December 16, 2020
I always enjoy dipping back into the Argeneau world... I would say it's probably my favorite version of a paranormal vampire romance series I've read. That said, I do think at this point, it's quite hard for new readers to jump in with the series, as it is so self-referential. I appreciated that this entry put a lot of emphasis on the relationship with CJ & Macon, which was a welcome change from the last few, and I thought that making the suspense portion of the plot center around police brutality was a timely theme to include. Overall, not the best in the series, but if you are a lover of the Argeneaus, this will give you a lot of the vibes that I've come to know & enjoy from these books
CW: police brutality on page; marital abuse & infidelity; chronic illness
CW: police brutality on page; marital abuse & infidelity; chronic illness
June 13, 2021
Sale Alert Kindle deal 13Jun21 $1.99
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
When I requested Meant to be Immortal, I apparently didn't see the 3 in front of the 2. I thought this was the second book in a series and could just read the first book and then jump into the second. But there is no way I could have read 31 other books in the Argeneau series before this one, so I jumped in cold. I have no backstory for all the characters, or the world. Good news is, I was able to catch onto everything that was going on.
First, off props to Lynsay Sands for writing 32 books in a series since the early 2000s, that in itself is a huge accomplishment. Second, I was so surprised I'd never heard of this series before since I read a lot of UF and totally went through a vampire phase. While true the immortals are not really vampires, they are close. Third, even though I hadn't read any of the other books in the series, I was able to keep up with the story. Of coarse I think I would have enjoyed it even more, if I also knew some of the side characters that were obviously from other books in the series, but this story at least is pretty self contained. I could tell there are some nuances to overlaying characters I missed but it didn't seem too bad.
Mac meets his life mate after someone sets the house he is living in on fire. Immortals are very flammable so he was lucky to survive. CJ is in town to interview a cop accused of using too much force on someone he pulled over. When the small town has an extra busy night she gets roped into helping and Mac figures out a way make sure she is the one protecting him from whoever might be out to kill him. CJ is really prickly and standoffish and the last thing she seems to want is Mac around, but he needs to figure out a way to get her to thaw to him or lose this chance at a life mate.
Overall the story is cute. Mac is likeable enough but I'm not overly attached to him. CJ is a little harder to like since she has some baggage she is dragging around and goes out of her way to keep people at a distance. It seems she was a side character in a different book so maybe if I would have read that one I would have had a better base for her. Still I liked how Mac and CJ finally start to talk and get to know one another, building something. Her reasons for being off men were valid and her history a little sad. Still once she opened up I liked her a lot more.
The mystery in the small town was interesting and the reason the fire set, when it came out was almost comical. Still that was the weakest part of the story when it is all boiled down since this was much heavier on the romance aspect than the mystery. After reading this book, I will probably give the series a shot. It is interesting and I liked how the origin story of nanos seemed a little different than some of the other vampire/immortal origin stories. I could see really enjoying the series overall and liking this book even more had I read some of the others.
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
When I requested Meant to be Immortal, I apparently didn't see the 3 in front of the 2. I thought this was the second book in a series and could just read the first book and then jump into the second. But there is no way I could have read 31 other books in the Argeneau series before this one, so I jumped in cold. I have no backstory for all the characters, or the world. Good news is, I was able to catch onto everything that was going on.
First, off props to Lynsay Sands for writing 32 books in a series since the early 2000s, that in itself is a huge accomplishment. Second, I was so surprised I'd never heard of this series before since I read a lot of UF and totally went through a vampire phase. While true the immortals are not really vampires, they are close. Third, even though I hadn't read any of the other books in the series, I was able to keep up with the story. Of coarse I think I would have enjoyed it even more, if I also knew some of the side characters that were obviously from other books in the series, but this story at least is pretty self contained. I could tell there are some nuances to overlaying characters I missed but it didn't seem too bad.
Mac meets his life mate after someone sets the house he is living in on fire. Immortals are very flammable so he was lucky to survive. CJ is in town to interview a cop accused of using too much force on someone he pulled over. When the small town has an extra busy night she gets roped into helping and Mac figures out a way make sure she is the one protecting him from whoever might be out to kill him. CJ is really prickly and standoffish and the last thing she seems to want is Mac around, but he needs to figure out a way to get her to thaw to him or lose this chance at a life mate.
Overall the story is cute. Mac is likeable enough but I'm not overly attached to him. CJ is a little harder to like since she has some baggage she is dragging around and goes out of her way to keep people at a distance. It seems she was a side character in a different book so maybe if I would have read that one I would have had a better base for her. Still I liked how Mac and CJ finally start to talk and get to know one another, building something. Her reasons for being off men were valid and her history a little sad. Still once she opened up I liked her a lot more.
The mystery in the small town was interesting and the reason the fire set, when it came out was almost comical. Still that was the weakest part of the story when it is all boiled down since this was much heavier on the romance aspect than the mystery. After reading this book, I will probably give the series a shot. It is interesting and I liked how the origin story of nanos seemed a little different than some of the other vampire/immortal origin stories. I could see really enjoying the series overall and liking this book even more had I read some of the others.
May 29, 2021
This is a well-written, entertaining, steamy paranormal romance written with Ms. Sands' classic humor and wit. It has likable characters, a strong and capable female protagonist, a hot, nerdy, male protagonist, mystery, intrigue, sizzling chemistry, and a happily ever after ending. It is an excellent addition to the Argeneau series, and can easily be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. The appearance of characters from past novels are an added bonus to those who have read the other entries in this outstanding series.
January 7, 2021
Quick(ish) Review
This is ok and if you're a fan of the series, there's plenty of past characters to enjoy, but the central romance is what I struggled with.
This story follows Macon Argeneau finding his lifemate after the house he just rented is set on fire and he almost becomes a crispy critter. Now, the Argeneau formula is tried and tested. My issues with this book and the reason I am rating it lower is a)I'm not a fan of the "take a serious illness and cure it with nanos" approach. Secondly, but even more importantly, I didn't feel any chemistry between the leads. There was more time spent explaining the history/nature of lifemates but no real time establishing some good chemistry between them. The heart of each of these romances lies in the freshness of the central characters because everything surrounding them, including the way their romance will play out, isn't really changing much from story to story over the course of this long-standing series. Now, that can be a comfort, much like a longstanding soap opera is for its viewers. But the exposition to catch up any possible new reader is unwieldy at this point, and as much as I like seeing returning characters, I wanted to connect with Macon and CJ and I just didn't. It's a shame because I have enjoyed earlier books. Bottom line is, this isn't my fave but it doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome another return to this 'verse. I'd just hope I'd like the next couple a bit more.
This is ok and if you're a fan of the series, there's plenty of past characters to enjoy, but the central romance is what I struggled with.
This story follows Macon Argeneau finding his lifemate after the house he just rented is set on fire and he almost becomes a crispy critter. Now, the Argeneau formula is tried and tested. My issues with this book and the reason I am rating it lower is a)I'm not a fan of the "take a serious illness and cure it with nanos" approach. Secondly, but even more importantly, I didn't feel any chemistry between the leads. There was more time spent explaining the history/nature of lifemates but no real time establishing some good chemistry between them. The heart of each of these romances lies in the freshness of the central characters because everything surrounding them, including the way their romance will play out, isn't really changing much from story to story over the course of this long-standing series. Now, that can be a comfort, much like a longstanding soap opera is for its viewers. But the exposition to catch up any possible new reader is unwieldy at this point, and as much as I like seeing returning characters, I wanted to connect with Macon and CJ and I just didn't. It's a shame because I have enjoyed earlier books. Bottom line is, this isn't my fave but it doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome another return to this 'verse. I'd just hope I'd like the next couple a bit more.
April 27, 2021
This was a pretty entertaining book to read. The hero and his family are all immortals. When Mac finds his life mate, he and his family had to find a way to be around her and still keep hidden what they are. Then you throw in the way CJ kept trying to shake him off, and that is what made this fun to read.
CJ is a pretty closed off heroine and that can make it difficult to enjoy a dance like this. What was fortunate is the way Mac and his family navigated around her isolation to embed them into her life. Mac is more laid back, and went with the flow. I wouldn't call this guy an Alpha but I still liked him.
I am a bit late to the Argeneau series party, but I like that you don't have to read these books in order to enjoy one of them. This book can definitely be read as a standalone, but I can guarantee you will get a kick out of some of the side characters enough that you will want to check out more in this series.
CJ is a pretty closed off heroine and that can make it difficult to enjoy a dance like this. What was fortunate is the way Mac and his family navigated around her isolation to embed them into her life. Mac is more laid back, and went with the flow. I wouldn't call this guy an Alpha but I still liked him.
I am a bit late to the Argeneau series party, but I like that you don't have to read these books in order to enjoy one of them. This book can definitely be read as a standalone, but I can guarantee you will get a kick out of some of the side characters enough that you will want to check out more in this series.
June 5, 2021
I won a free kindle copy of "Meant to Be Immortal" on Goodreads Giveaway from author.
I enjoyed Mac Argeneau and C. J. Cummings story. But I think because I haven't read any books in this series for over 10 years that I had a connection problem with the storyline. I think if I go back and re read all the books in the series I could give a higher review rating.
I want to Thank the author and Goodreads for the free kindle copy!!
I enjoyed Mac Argeneau and C. J. Cummings story. But I think because I haven't read any books in this series for over 10 years that I had a connection problem with the storyline. I think if I go back and re read all the books in the series I could give a higher review rating.
I want to Thank the author and Goodreads for the free kindle copy!!
April 27, 2021
Mac had just moved into the home he's renting and hasn't even finished unpacking when he smells smoke and knows there's a fire. Now being immortal means that it's hard to kill him but fire will definitely do the trick. He finds himself with only one way to stay alive until the fire department can get to him, but it's not gonna be pretty once he gets out.
CJ is just getting into town to interview a police officer about a complaint against him when she gets recruited to go to the fire and investigate it because the the other police are busy on another case. She thinks she's just getting the run around again but goes to the fire and that's when things start to get weird.
Mac is an immortal (think vampire) but they don't call themselves vampires because they are nice but they don't want humans to know they exist. So when Mac is hurt in the fire, he has to drink blood from several firefighters in order to heal. But that just makes CJ more curious about why he was being transported to the hospital and then they changed their minds and turned back. It was would have been easier to just wipe her mind of that and give her new memories but since he can't do that to her because she's his mate, he has to come up with a believable lie.
Mac has just found his mate, but she's human and knows nothing about him or immortals and she's not interested in pursuing a relationship with him because of her past. So Mac has no choice but to make himself seem like there's a stalker after after him trying to kill him and he needs her to be his bodyguard. CJ tries everything she can to get away from him and out of this assignment but things just seem to pile up in her way every time she wants someone else to take his case so they end up spending a lot of time together.
CJ has feelings for Mac and Mac wants to spend the rest of his life with her but it's not going to be easy to convince her of everything he has to tell her about him and his people. The truth comes out after they are both put in danger and now CJ has a choice to make. The romance and the mystery surrounding the fire and the officer with the complaint against him made this a very interesting book. I really like how everything came together and we get a couple of twists thrown in at just the right time.
I've been reading this series for such a long time and the books are always so good. I love this series and plan on reading as many books as the author plans to write.
Disclosure: I was give an eARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
CJ is just getting into town to interview a police officer about a complaint against him when she gets recruited to go to the fire and investigate it because the the other police are busy on another case. She thinks she's just getting the run around again but goes to the fire and that's when things start to get weird.
Mac is an immortal (think vampire) but they don't call themselves vampires because they are nice but they don't want humans to know they exist. So when Mac is hurt in the fire, he has to drink blood from several firefighters in order to heal. But that just makes CJ more curious about why he was being transported to the hospital and then they changed their minds and turned back. It was would have been easier to just wipe her mind of that and give her new memories but since he can't do that to her because she's his mate, he has to come up with a believable lie.
Mac has just found his mate, but she's human and knows nothing about him or immortals and she's not interested in pursuing a relationship with him because of her past. So Mac has no choice but to make himself seem like there's a stalker after after him trying to kill him and he needs her to be his bodyguard. CJ tries everything she can to get away from him and out of this assignment but things just seem to pile up in her way every time she wants someone else to take his case so they end up spending a lot of time together.
CJ has feelings for Mac and Mac wants to spend the rest of his life with her but it's not going to be easy to convince her of everything he has to tell her about him and his people. The truth comes out after they are both put in danger and now CJ has a choice to make. The romance and the mystery surrounding the fire and the officer with the complaint against him made this a very interesting book. I really like how everything came together and we get a couple of twists thrown in at just the right time.
I've been reading this series for such a long time and the books are always so good. I love this series and plan on reading as many books as the author plans to write.
Disclosure: I was give an eARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 6, 2021
I enjoyed reading this book since it pretty much started off with a bang. Mac and CJ were not your usual couple for this series, she went far out of her way to try to get him to leave her alone but that would have ruined a good story. She is at the same town as him quite by accident (or fate) investigating reports of a cop abusing his authority. The thing is you really get into this story and then it was like she got tired of writing and the solution to the mystery was pretty anti-climatic and the romance that he was working on never really got off the ground. All things considered I did stay up late reading it but was a bit disappointed in the ending since it felt kind of rushed but i will keep reading about these folks so I am far from being tired of them but she needs to put a bit more effort, I sure do miss those first 10 books or so that got me hooked on this series.
April 26, 2021
Hematologist Macon Argeneau knows that immortals like himself can still be killed and fire is especially dangerous for them. When his house is set on fire with him trapped inside, evidence points to arson. Mac can’t think of anyone who’d want to kill him, but he’s able to see the bright side in the whole mess when the lovely investigator on scene turns out to be a potential life mate for him.
CJ Cummings is only in town to investigate a potential case of misconduct in the local police department but winds up being roped into going to the fire scene when the locals are shorthanded. She’s amazed that the wildly attractive scientist made it out unscathed and she’s sure he’s hiding something. She’d love to get to know him a bit better anyway, but she can’t afford a distraction from her work. But when it becomes apparent, he needs a bodyguard, Mac insists it must be her. When another attempt on their lives puts CJ in danger, their roles are reversed, and Mac is the one determined to keep her safe.
I liked the premise of this book and Mac was a lovely hero. CJ was rather rigid and downright rude to Mac though her reasons made sense when they came out. Still, I wanted more time with her actually being nice to Mac and developing that relationship with him rather than most of that occurring off page and the reader being told about it later. I loved the scenes we did get in which CJ began to open up to and trust Mac and I especially enjoyed the scene when she learned about immortals and such. The villain aspect here had promise and I appreciated that law enforcement was shown respect and not painted with a broad brush. There was, however, a lot of potential here with the villain element that was lost and handled a bit nonsensically, only to pop up later and be given a very speedy resolution. The ending to that particular storyline felt rather abrupt, as did the conclusion of the book in general. I would’ve liked a bit more, perhaps an epilogue, to make things seem truly settled between Mac and CJ. Nonetheless, I loved how Mac had no real clue how to woo CJ and eventually she was the one who escalated their relationship. The help they received from other Argeneaus was also pretty hilarious to me. Though I wanted a bit more development of both the mystery and the romance, I thought this was a cute story and I enjoyed it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
CJ Cummings is only in town to investigate a potential case of misconduct in the local police department but winds up being roped into going to the fire scene when the locals are shorthanded. She’s amazed that the wildly attractive scientist made it out unscathed and she’s sure he’s hiding something. She’d love to get to know him a bit better anyway, but she can’t afford a distraction from her work. But when it becomes apparent, he needs a bodyguard, Mac insists it must be her. When another attempt on their lives puts CJ in danger, their roles are reversed, and Mac is the one determined to keep her safe.
I liked the premise of this book and Mac was a lovely hero. CJ was rather rigid and downright rude to Mac though her reasons made sense when they came out. Still, I wanted more time with her actually being nice to Mac and developing that relationship with him rather than most of that occurring off page and the reader being told about it later. I loved the scenes we did get in which CJ began to open up to and trust Mac and I especially enjoyed the scene when she learned about immortals and such. The villain aspect here had promise and I appreciated that law enforcement was shown respect and not painted with a broad brush. There was, however, a lot of potential here with the villain element that was lost and handled a bit nonsensically, only to pop up later and be given a very speedy resolution. The ending to that particular storyline felt rather abrupt, as did the conclusion of the book in general. I would’ve liked a bit more, perhaps an epilogue, to make things seem truly settled between Mac and CJ. Nonetheless, I loved how Mac had no real clue how to woo CJ and eventually she was the one who escalated their relationship. The help they received from other Argeneaus was also pretty hilarious to me. Though I wanted a bit more development of both the mystery and the romance, I thought this was a cute story and I enjoyed it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
February 25, 2021
If you are a fan of this series you will probably enjoy this addition. If you have never picked up one of Ms. Sands 'Immortal' books you will have no problems reading this one as there is plenty of back-story.
The mystery was a bit frustrating and I found the romance to be a bit tepid. No, not the sex. The sex as usual was described quite erotically. Plenty of juices, positions, tastings, etc.
I liked this book but I think it is time for me to step back from this series. I have many of these books that I consider my 'comfort reads' and I think I will stick with re-reading those!
*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and NetGalley.
The mystery was a bit frustrating and I found the romance to be a bit tepid. No, not the sex. The sex as usual was described quite erotically. Plenty of juices, positions, tastings, etc.
I liked this book but I think it is time for me to step back from this series. I have many of these books that I consider my 'comfort reads' and I think I will stick with re-reading those!
*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and NetGalley.
May 1, 2023
Legit fell asleep several times trying to read this- despite action scenes.
Also- there’s a rather prolonged Walmart shopping scene that felt so odd. I get that they’re in an isolated town without many options, but this dude is a wealthy, ages-old immortal with access to courier blood service… and he buys multiple outfits from Walmart?? I can’t stop laughing. Spending a few hours in Walmart should be enough to make anyone give up on immortality.
Also- there’s a rather prolonged Walmart shopping scene that felt so odd. I get that they’re in an isolated town without many options, but this dude is a wealthy, ages-old immortal with access to courier blood service… and he buys multiple outfits from Walmart?? I can’t stop laughing. Spending a few hours in Walmart should be enough to make anyone give up on immortality.
March 11, 2021
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Meant To Be Immortal is a story that takes us back with the wonderful, laugh out loud Argeneau's and I am in love with this series and while I don't get the sense of pleasure like I did with the first half of the series, I definitely do get a fun kick out of these books and they are a wonderful distraction which is definitely needed. I will be honest though in stating that Meant To Be Immortal is a book that I didn't really enjoy like I expected, the pacing of the story started out slow for me, or maybe I just wasn't connecting to the chemistry with the characters, it just didn't fit right and so I personally just struggled being invested in this story, I wanted to be so badly but it just didn't happen until about half way through and then I couldn't wait to see how their romance would evolve.
Meant To Be Immortal is a romance that begins with our hero, Mac, who works as a blood doctor, in researching blood for his kind. But when he moves to a new house, his house ends up on fire and he saves himself by going into the bathtub and is then rescued by the emergency staff. But then he is assigned a police investigator, there is no one else to assign a safety protection to, and while CJ isn't a true police officer anymore, as she works in a different department, she is determined to get down to the bottom of the crime and see who was involved. CJ is in over her head with Mac, and in other ways Mac has no idea how to deal with a woman like CJ. But as they battle out their differences, a chemistry builds between them.
Meant To Be Immortal is a story with a grump and sunshine type of pairing. But our heorine is the grump of the pair and our hero Mac is Mr. Sunshine and daises. He is very upbeat and positive and always looking for the bright side and making CJ laugh. CJ, has had a rough life and has become bitter about the hand that she has been dealt and doesn't know how to deal with a man that is so gone for her and is trying to win her heart. She is baffled throughout most of the story, because she doesn't understand why he is chasing after her. She really doesn't even suspect what he is or that they are mates till towards the end. So you have this courtship happening, where CJ is pretty blind to most of the specifics. Which considering she is a "no relationship" gal, it actually makes sense, but you also feel for her because she doesn't truly comprehend the depth of the relationship that Mac is wanting from her.
Despite some of my issues with the first half of the book, I actually truly had a fun time with this one and was charmed by the whole story. We, of course, get plenty of fun shenanigans and I had adored seeing the interfering Argeneau family and all their courtship meddling that we have going on in this one. While its far from my favorite of the series, it was humurous and light and had a warm mystery to keep you guessing on the reveal of the villain.
Overall I found Meant To Be Immortal to be a likeable, endearing and playful addition to the series and eager to see where she takes the series in the future.
Meant To Be Immortal is a story that takes us back with the wonderful, laugh out loud Argeneau's and I am in love with this series and while I don't get the sense of pleasure like I did with the first half of the series, I definitely do get a fun kick out of these books and they are a wonderful distraction which is definitely needed. I will be honest though in stating that Meant To Be Immortal is a book that I didn't really enjoy like I expected, the pacing of the story started out slow for me, or maybe I just wasn't connecting to the chemistry with the characters, it just didn't fit right and so I personally just struggled being invested in this story, I wanted to be so badly but it just didn't happen until about half way through and then I couldn't wait to see how their romance would evolve.
Meant To Be Immortal is a romance that begins with our hero, Mac, who works as a blood doctor, in researching blood for his kind. But when he moves to a new house, his house ends up on fire and he saves himself by going into the bathtub and is then rescued by the emergency staff. But then he is assigned a police investigator, there is no one else to assign a safety protection to, and while CJ isn't a true police officer anymore, as she works in a different department, she is determined to get down to the bottom of the crime and see who was involved. CJ is in over her head with Mac, and in other ways Mac has no idea how to deal with a woman like CJ. But as they battle out their differences, a chemistry builds between them.
Meant To Be Immortal is a story with a grump and sunshine type of pairing. But our heorine is the grump of the pair and our hero Mac is Mr. Sunshine and daises. He is very upbeat and positive and always looking for the bright side and making CJ laugh. CJ, has had a rough life and has become bitter about the hand that she has been dealt and doesn't know how to deal with a man that is so gone for her and is trying to win her heart. She is baffled throughout most of the story, because she doesn't understand why he is chasing after her. She really doesn't even suspect what he is or that they are mates till towards the end. So you have this courtship happening, where CJ is pretty blind to most of the specifics. Which considering she is a "no relationship" gal, it actually makes sense, but you also feel for her because she doesn't truly comprehend the depth of the relationship that Mac is wanting from her.
Despite some of my issues with the first half of the book, I actually truly had a fun time with this one and was charmed by the whole story. We, of course, get plenty of fun shenanigans and I had adored seeing the interfering Argeneau family and all their courtship meddling that we have going on in this one. While its far from my favorite of the series, it was humurous and light and had a warm mystery to keep you guessing on the reveal of the villain.
Overall I found Meant To Be Immortal to be a likeable, endearing and playful addition to the series and eager to see where she takes the series in the future.
December 21, 2020
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first Lynsay Sands book. While I didn't necessarily feel lost coming in at book 32 in a series (it was really easy to jump into the world), I don't think I would have finished this book had I not received an ARC (it took me over a month to read it, with a couple of breaks for other books). The plot felt very dated to me. I actually checked a few times to see if it was a rerelease from the early 2000's or 90's. There was also way too much minutiae. So many descriptions of things like walking into a house or getting something out of a desk.
2 stars because there is a lot of sex, which I did appreciate.
This book wasn't for me, but if you've read 31 books before this one, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
This is my first Lynsay Sands book. While I didn't necessarily feel lost coming in at book 32 in a series (it was really easy to jump into the world), I don't think I would have finished this book had I not received an ARC (it took me over a month to read it, with a couple of breaks for other books). The plot felt very dated to me. I actually checked a few times to see if it was a rerelease from the early 2000's or 90's. There was also way too much minutiae. So many descriptions of things like walking into a house or getting something out of a desk.
2 stars because there is a lot of sex, which I did appreciate.
This book wasn't for me, but if you've read 31 books before this one, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
January 26, 2021
I love these books they are so well written. They move along at a pace where don't get bored with the story and have sweet funny moments.
CJ and Mac meet at a fire that was set with him inside and immediately he knows she's his life mate but finding the time and the right way to explain that before wooing her is difficult especially since he has been trying to heal being boiled alive in the fire. While that seems weird it is but it get quite comical at times and is a sweet story. You'll love it.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
CJ and Mac meet at a fire that was set with him inside and immediately he knows she's his life mate but finding the time and the right way to explain that before wooing her is difficult especially since he has been trying to heal being boiled alive in the fire. While that seems weird it is but it get quite comical at times and is a sweet story. You'll love it.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2020
I absolutely adore Lynsay Sands! This is another great read. I laughed out loud several times. One of my favorite character Bricker is in this one which is amazing! Definitely a must read for the immortal lovers!
January 27, 2021
3.5
Fun and silly popcorn books as I like to call this series!
Fun and silly popcorn books as I like to call this series!
October 22, 2024
Honestly, there's a lot to unpack here, and I don't know how much I have in me, but let's see how this goes.
I've been reading this series since I was fifteen (I'm thirty-one now, for reference, so about sixteen years), I think. I had dropped off for awhile but during the pandemic I decided to reread all the books in order and catch up since I was considerably far behind. I'm almost caught up now, as you can see, but this book and the last one are testing my resolve to get 100% caught up.
I enjoy Lynsay Sands as an author. Other than this series, I've also read a ton of her historicals. I like that her books are filled with adventure, steam, and humour, and I generally have a really fun time reading her stuff. Is it perfect? No. But I'm willing to overlook the flaws or the datedness of older stories because I'm here to have fun, not to have these books change my life. For this reason, most of the books in this series are ones I've rated four stars. Generally when I rate these books lower than four stars it's because the problems in the books are big enough to distract me from that good time. It's only happened with a few of the books in the series, and it's usually because I've been distracted by something pretty problematic (like in the previous book where rape apologist bullshit takes over the conclusion).
Meant to Be Immortal had stuff I liked. The premise was fun. The mystery was interesting. Certain aspects were a little predictable, but it made sense and was entertaining so I wasn't bothered by that. The pacing is a little weird with the first three quarters of the book taking place across a couple of days and the remaining quarter across weeks with the conclusion feeling pretty rushed, but overall still entertaining. Almost, anyway. Once again this is a matter of some really questionable stuff pulling me too far out of the story to enjoy it as much as I might have.
The heroine has HIV. I actually think that's pretty lit, I wish more romance novels would tackle stuff like this. My issue is how this is done. First of all, it's a sudden reveal plot twist about two thirds of the way in, which is pretty tactless. I'm talking about it without spoilers because it shouldn't be a plot twist. Second of all, the protagonist has some pretty stigmatised opinions about herself and the illness in a way that feels like it belongs twenty years ago, and while she seems aware of this she doesn't do a lot to push back against it. Thirdly, to conceal his identity as an immortal, the heroes lies about having HIV as well. This is never once unpacked. She expresses fear that he isn't who he says he is, and then she finds out he doesn't really have HIV and she seems to have no concerns about this. I honestly docked a full star for this alone because the entire idea of lying about having HIV so that someone will be willing to sleep with you is sick. All this is without even getting into the deeper idea of a cure all for disability and chronic illness being ableist and this story really highlights this issue which is generally something I don't focus on for this series.
Another large issue I had is with the treatment of police. I have a certain amount of appreciation for the fact that the book looks down on cops who abuse their power, but it's far too wishy washy liberal bullshit about the police being good as a whole but bad cops make everyone look bad, etc. The heroine is an ex-cop who investigates potentially dirty cops because she strongly believes in this. This is honestly a plot I would have been more forgiving towards if it had come out a decade ago because I'm not reading these books for the politics and that would have been a pretty standard opinion a decade ago. But putting this in a book in 2021? Abolish the police.
I'm not done with the series. I believe in the author's ability to figure this shit out. But honestly I think this series is getting to a thin ice point for me. Two books in a row with disappointing bullshit is really trying my patience. I hope the next one is better.
I've been reading this series since I was fifteen (I'm thirty-one now, for reference, so about sixteen years), I think. I had dropped off for awhile but during the pandemic I decided to reread all the books in order and catch up since I was considerably far behind. I'm almost caught up now, as you can see, but this book and the last one are testing my resolve to get 100% caught up.
I enjoy Lynsay Sands as an author. Other than this series, I've also read a ton of her historicals. I like that her books are filled with adventure, steam, and humour, and I generally have a really fun time reading her stuff. Is it perfect? No. But I'm willing to overlook the flaws or the datedness of older stories because I'm here to have fun, not to have these books change my life. For this reason, most of the books in this series are ones I've rated four stars. Generally when I rate these books lower than four stars it's because the problems in the books are big enough to distract me from that good time. It's only happened with a few of the books in the series, and it's usually because I've been distracted by something pretty problematic (like in the previous book where rape apologist bullshit takes over the conclusion).
Meant to Be Immortal had stuff I liked. The premise was fun. The mystery was interesting. Certain aspects were a little predictable, but it made sense and was entertaining so I wasn't bothered by that. The pacing is a little weird with the first three quarters of the book taking place across a couple of days and the remaining quarter across weeks with the conclusion feeling pretty rushed, but overall still entertaining. Almost, anyway. Once again this is a matter of some really questionable stuff pulling me too far out of the story to enjoy it as much as I might have.
The heroine has HIV. I actually think that's pretty lit, I wish more romance novels would tackle stuff like this. My issue is how this is done. First of all, it's a sudden reveal plot twist about two thirds of the way in, which is pretty tactless. I'm talking about it without spoilers because it shouldn't be a plot twist. Second of all, the protagonist has some pretty stigmatised opinions about herself and the illness in a way that feels like it belongs twenty years ago, and while she seems aware of this she doesn't do a lot to push back against it. Thirdly, to conceal his identity as an immortal, the heroes lies about having HIV as well. This is never once unpacked. She expresses fear that he isn't who he says he is, and then she finds out he doesn't really have HIV and she seems to have no concerns about this. I honestly docked a full star for this alone because the entire idea of lying about having HIV so that someone will be willing to sleep with you is sick. All this is without even getting into the deeper idea of a cure all for disability and chronic illness being ableist and this story really highlights this issue which is generally something I don't focus on for this series.
Another large issue I had is with the treatment of police. I have a certain amount of appreciation for the fact that the book looks down on cops who abuse their power, but it's far too wishy washy liberal bullshit about the police being good as a whole but bad cops make everyone look bad, etc. The heroine is an ex-cop who investigates potentially dirty cops because she strongly believes in this. This is honestly a plot I would have been more forgiving towards if it had come out a decade ago because I'm not reading these books for the politics and that would have been a pretty standard opinion a decade ago. But putting this in a book in 2021? Abolish the police.
I'm not done with the series. I believe in the author's ability to figure this shit out. But honestly I think this series is getting to a thin ice point for me. Two books in a row with disappointing bullshit is really trying my patience. I hope the next one is better.
December 12, 2023
Bluntly speaking, I didn’t like this book. It was somewhere around 60% in that the book allowed the couple to be more closer to each other. Meaning the first part of the book was all filler. The introduction of the cast, the fire and the internal cop investigation plotline, the misadventures of the MMC to stay with the FMC. I mean the entire first half of the book was one single night! Then in the next it’s still the same night but they are locked in a bedroom together until the FMC falls asleep. It isn’t until somewhere around 75% that they have a second night in the same room and have a shared s e x dream together. Which of course gets interrupted at the important part. At 85-95% in, we get the resolution of the plot mystery regarding the fire and the bad cop. Then while the MMC is unconscious, the FMC gets told all about the nanos. The last four percent is the couple deciding to be together and it’s over.
Basically OVER 60% of this book was written about geography, individual characters histories, five pages about tea and cookies or taking a shower(!), or pages and pages of other guests activities and family stuff, served no purpose to the story, other than to have one of them conveniently up in the middle of the night randomly roaming the halls provide condoms to the MMC when the side character Bricker was refusing to be helpful. Filler on decor or town dynamics, or just plane wasted page time and word count on anything and everything from shopping to other characters bickering for comic relief, or to be helpful in securing a life mate by doing anything and everything to interfere with doing exactly that.
I could have started this book at the 75% mark and not have missed anything of importance!!
I’ve loved this author for the better part of twenty years, but the last six books or so have been mostly disappointing. The romance is lost in favor of action or romcom shenanigans. The intensity or depth of the main characters falling in love or simply getting to know each other is just gone. The emotions that this series started out with is simply no longer present. I am buying these books out of loyalty and hope, that the next story will bring back the feelings that I used to have in the early days of this series. I honestly don’t think that Ms. Sands is the one writing these books anymore. This is what happened with Christine Feehan too. Thirty some odd books into her dark series and it’s all about history lessons and monsters and demons and maybe a page or two for the couple to hook up and then back to the dragged out fighting sequences.
These books are even loosing steam on the level of the shenanigans that it once had. Simply put, it’s plain boring! I have no connection to the characters or the plot. The arsonist basically handed himself over and the bad cop targeted his investigator(!), like that makes any kind of sense. The main couple did no actual investigation of either side story and just ate food and longed for happiness. It wasn’t even that angsty. And while the hiv thing was a plot twist, it was only revealed at around the 80% mark. This whole book wasted when that alone could have driven a more emotionally impactful story. I mean the violation of the FMC’s trust by her ex husband when he KNEW he was having unsafe s e x while undercover, but all he did was get divorced and walked away! He should have been prosecuted!! Instead it was thrown out there as the FMC having “issues”, and one hug later main characters are banging each other like it never mattered at all.
I’m done.
Basically OVER 60% of this book was written about geography, individual characters histories, five pages about tea and cookies or taking a shower(!), or pages and pages of other guests activities and family stuff, served no purpose to the story, other than to have one of them conveniently up in the middle of the night randomly roaming the halls provide condoms to the MMC when the side character Bricker was refusing to be helpful. Filler on decor or town dynamics, or just plane wasted page time and word count on anything and everything from shopping to other characters bickering for comic relief, or to be helpful in securing a life mate by doing anything and everything to interfere with doing exactly that.
I could have started this book at the 75% mark and not have missed anything of importance!!
I’ve loved this author for the better part of twenty years, but the last six books or so have been mostly disappointing. The romance is lost in favor of action or romcom shenanigans. The intensity or depth of the main characters falling in love or simply getting to know each other is just gone. The emotions that this series started out with is simply no longer present. I am buying these books out of loyalty and hope, that the next story will bring back the feelings that I used to have in the early days of this series. I honestly don’t think that Ms. Sands is the one writing these books anymore. This is what happened with Christine Feehan too. Thirty some odd books into her dark series and it’s all about history lessons and monsters and demons and maybe a page or two for the couple to hook up and then back to the dragged out fighting sequences.
These books are even loosing steam on the level of the shenanigans that it once had. Simply put, it’s plain boring! I have no connection to the characters or the plot. The arsonist basically handed himself over and the bad cop targeted his investigator(!), like that makes any kind of sense. The main couple did no actual investigation of either side story and just ate food and longed for happiness. It wasn’t even that angsty. And while the hiv thing was a plot twist, it was only revealed at around the 80% mark. This whole book wasted when that alone could have driven a more emotionally impactful story. I mean the violation of the FMC’s trust by her ex husband when he KNEW he was having unsafe s e x while undercover, but all he did was get divorced and walked away! He should have been prosecuted!! Instead it was thrown out there as the FMC having “issues”, and one hug later main characters are banging each other like it never mattered at all.
I’m done.
November 23, 2025
Series: Argeneau #32
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good
Mac Argeneau knows all too well that immortals can be killed, especially by fire. So when his house burst into flames he is sure that it wasn’t an accident and someone is trying to kill him. But who would want to kill a hematology scientist? There is a silver lining to his house burning down though, he finally finds his life mate in one of the officers who responds on the scene.
Mac Argeneau is a character who we don’t know anything about because this is his first time being mentioned in the series. For a character that has never been mentioned before, I really liked Mac. He was one of the old vampires who has lost touch with humans, but was surprisingly considerate and caring for CJ. Some of the other old vampires forget the basic things like food and such, but Mac tried to take care of and protect CJ from the beginning, which I liked.
CJ Cummings was a strong woman who has had a rough go when it comes to relationships. She has kept all men at a distance since her divorce and doesn’t plan on letting Mac in any time soon, even though she really wants to. She also has a secret that she uses to help keep people at a distance, and after learning everything she had been through I totally understood her reasoning for keeping men at a distance. I really liked CJ and her determination to do her job.
The relationship between CJ and Mac is different from previous couples. This isn’t really an instant love situation like with previous couples. Mac has to woo CJ and show her he truly cares for her before she even starts to let him in. I loved the fact that these two actually had a dating period before the secret of immortals was revealed. These two felt like they actually loved each other for each other, not because of just a life mate bond.
While all the wooing was happening, CJ is doing her job investigating a potential corrupt police officer and Mac and the enforcers end up helping her. I actually enjoyed the investigation into the police and that we see a corrupt cop being investigated for once. Too bad real life couldn’t be more like this because there are all kinds of corrupt cops out there now.
Overall, this was a strong addition to the Argeneau series. This was a strong couple who had a great story. Also we saw the return of some of the previous couples and enforcers from the series, and it was just great checking in with them as the years have past.
TW: Police brutality; violence; hit and run accident; gun violence; Mentions of miscarriage, cheating ex, STD’s, and domestic abuse.
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good
Mac Argeneau knows all too well that immortals can be killed, especially by fire. So when his house burst into flames he is sure that it wasn’t an accident and someone is trying to kill him. But who would want to kill a hematology scientist? There is a silver lining to his house burning down though, he finally finds his life mate in one of the officers who responds on the scene.
Mac Argeneau is a character who we don’t know anything about because this is his first time being mentioned in the series. For a character that has never been mentioned before, I really liked Mac. He was one of the old vampires who has lost touch with humans, but was surprisingly considerate and caring for CJ. Some of the other old vampires forget the basic things like food and such, but Mac tried to take care of and protect CJ from the beginning, which I liked.
CJ Cummings was a strong woman who has had a rough go when it comes to relationships. She has kept all men at a distance since her divorce and doesn’t plan on letting Mac in any time soon, even though she really wants to. She also has a secret that she uses to help keep people at a distance, and after learning everything she had been through I totally understood her reasoning for keeping men at a distance. I really liked CJ and her determination to do her job.
The relationship between CJ and Mac is different from previous couples. This isn’t really an instant love situation like with previous couples. Mac has to woo CJ and show her he truly cares for her before she even starts to let him in. I loved the fact that these two actually had a dating period before the secret of immortals was revealed. These two felt like they actually loved each other for each other, not because of just a life mate bond.
While all the wooing was happening, CJ is doing her job investigating a potential corrupt police officer and Mac and the enforcers end up helping her. I actually enjoyed the investigation into the police and that we see a corrupt cop being investigated for once. Too bad real life couldn’t be more like this because there are all kinds of corrupt cops out there now.
Overall, this was a strong addition to the Argeneau series. This was a strong couple who had a great story. Also we saw the return of some of the previous couples and enforcers from the series, and it was just great checking in with them as the years have past.
TW: Police brutality; violence; hit and run accident; gun violence; Mentions of miscarriage, cheating ex, STD’s, and domestic abuse.
May 18, 2021
I'm giving this a 2. I hate doing that. I really enjoy Lynsay sands books. They aren't super engaging, emotional, dark books, but they are usually good light fun.
Maybe it's because it's the 32nd in the series, and there was bound to be ones that didn't suit me but I didn't really enjoy this.
I didn't find that the characters had much chemistry. It was more like Mac realized that CJ was his perfect mate so he just... figured that he might as like woo her. CJ, besides admitting that Mac was sexy, really had very little reaction to him. She mostly found him to be a bit annoying, and was just trying to do her job. It changes to romance so quickly with one lie, and then the end left me feeling a bit gross.
I'm not going to give spoilers but throughout the book it felt like CJ decided to be with Mac because he was the only one she could be with (or so she seemed to think), and then she just kind of.. accepted whatever Mac wanted.
This might be where I leave the series, or I'll try one more to see if it gets back it's oomph, but I'm just missing the excitement and romance that I used to get from this series. It's beginning to seem to be following a similar plot layout with slight variations, and this one fell very flat.
Maybe it's because it's the 32nd in the series, and there was bound to be ones that didn't suit me but I didn't really enjoy this.
I didn't find that the characters had much chemistry. It was more like Mac realized that CJ was his perfect mate so he just... figured that he might as like woo her. CJ, besides admitting that Mac was sexy, really had very little reaction to him. She mostly found him to be a bit annoying, and was just trying to do her job. It changes to romance so quickly with one lie, and then the end left me feeling a bit gross.
I'm not going to give spoilers but throughout the book it felt like CJ decided to be with Mac because he was the only one she could be with (or so she seemed to think), and then she just kind of.. accepted whatever Mac wanted.
This might be where I leave the series, or I'll try one more to see if it gets back it's oomph, but I'm just missing the excitement and romance that I used to get from this series. It's beginning to seem to be following a similar plot layout with slight variations, and this one fell very flat.
June 14, 2021
Firstly, as usual, this is a beautifully written story with good character development. I listened to the audio book via Kobo and the narrator did an excellent job.
However, nothing much really happened in this story and I'm afraid it was an average read/listen for me. Of course I have read almost every book in the series and some have been better than others and maybe it's getting just a tiny bit stale. After all, how many times can you hear about life mates, nanos, immortals etc without rolling your eyes just a tiny bit and know what's going to happen. It was certainly entertaining enough to listen to without falling asleep though... I liked that Marguerite made her usual appearance and Bricker!
I would love to read something a bit different from Ms Sands - shock horror😱 - maybe revisit Medieval England? (Not Highlanders, I love them, but there have been heaps of those books too). I loved "The Loving Daylights", her James Bond spoof - more of those perhaps? 😎 3.5 stars overall. (5 for the narrator).
PS - If Ms Sands writes them, I'll be reading them, so these aren't negative comments by any means. 😍
However, nothing much really happened in this story and I'm afraid it was an average read/listen for me. Of course I have read almost every book in the series and some have been better than others and maybe it's getting just a tiny bit stale. After all, how many times can you hear about life mates, nanos, immortals etc without rolling your eyes just a tiny bit and know what's going to happen. It was certainly entertaining enough to listen to without falling asleep though... I liked that Marguerite made her usual appearance and Bricker!
I would love to read something a bit different from Ms Sands - shock horror😱 - maybe revisit Medieval England? (Not Highlanders, I love them, but there have been heaps of those books too). I loved "The Loving Daylights", her James Bond spoof - more of those perhaps? 😎 3.5 stars overall. (5 for the narrator).
PS - If Ms Sands writes them, I'll be reading them, so these aren't negative comments by any means. 😍
March 9, 2021
I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
I really wanted to like this book. In general I'm a huge fan of PNR and UF and I know I've read Lynsay Sands before and liked the books.
For whatever reason I couldn't finish this book and it went to my DNF pile. I think the writing is on par and there's nothing wrong with Lynsay's writing...I think for me personally this book just creeps along really slowly and I just couldn't get into the book after like 3 chapters because the pace just feels slow and I didn't feel any connection at all with either of the characters.
So if you are a normal fan of this author you'll probably still like the book. I just personally struggled to get into it because of pacing but the writing is good.
I really wanted to like this book. In general I'm a huge fan of PNR and UF and I know I've read Lynsay Sands before and liked the books.
For whatever reason I couldn't finish this book and it went to my DNF pile. I think the writing is on par and there's nothing wrong with Lynsay's writing...I think for me personally this book just creeps along really slowly and I just couldn't get into the book after like 3 chapters because the pace just feels slow and I didn't feel any connection at all with either of the characters.
So if you are a normal fan of this author you'll probably still like the book. I just personally struggled to get into it because of pacing but the writing is good.
August 1, 2021
Great story. A strong female cop C.J. and Mac are destined to be lifemates. There is lots of suspense & mystery and Mac & C.J. have a lovely & steamy romance prior to her realizing Mac is an immortal. A fun & quick read.
April 27, 2021
See the full review & more at HarlequinJunkie
With all the quirkiness, humor, attraction, and beloved Argeneau characters I crave from this series, Meant to Be Immortal was an entertaining new read by Lynsay Sands.
If you can believe it, we are thirty-two books into the Argeneau series now! And I’m still finding the plots to be solid and the offbeat cast as charming and fun to catch up with as ever. Mac and CJ’s book might not have been the most thrilling or fastest moving one of the lot for some readers, but I definitely enjoyed their polar opposite personalities... Read More
With all the quirkiness, humor, attraction, and beloved Argeneau characters I crave from this series, Meant to Be Immortal was an entertaining new read by Lynsay Sands.
If you can believe it, we are thirty-two books into the Argeneau series now! And I’m still finding the plots to be solid and the offbeat cast as charming and fun to catch up with as ever. Mac and CJ’s book might not have been the most thrilling or fastest moving one of the lot for some readers, but I definitely enjoyed their polar opposite personalities... Read More
March 14, 2021
**I received the this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**
I quite enjoyed this slow-burn vampire romance. Mac and CJ built a relationship before they acted upon their attraction for each other, which I liked. I would definitely not consider this romance novel an insta-love story. They first mutually respected each other before they fell in love (but it does get quite steamy toward the end!).
I also enjoyed the whole “big family” aura surrounding this book. I came to realize—as more and more vampire characters popped up—that other books had been written about these other vampires first. But I quite enjoyed the colorful cast and the protectiveness and love this clan of vampires felt for each other. I did not realize this was #32 in a series. Even though this book was one in a series, though, it can be read as a standalone, as I understood everything clearly.
I felt as though the actual plot of the book was a bit slow, but I didn’t mind it too much. I don’t much like romances with mysteries thrown in and much prefer a mystery with a bit of romance. I feel as though the latter does a far better job at developing the plot and the romance than the former, simply because romance authors haven’t dealt in the medium of mystery all that much, and can’t always pull it off. But this is simply my personal opinion.
**Slight Spoiler** The one thing that I felt did not match the tone of the book was Mac realizing that CJ was his mate. He didn’t seem excited or even surprised, even though he had been waiting for her for literally hundreds of years. End of Slight Spoiler**
Overall, I quite enjoyed the character development, this crazy family of vampires, and the relationship between Mac and CJ. I would definitely read another installment in this series.
**I received the this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**
I quite enjoyed this slow-burn vampire romance. Mac and CJ built a relationship before they acted upon their attraction for each other, which I liked. I would definitely not consider this romance novel an insta-love story. They first mutually respected each other before they fell in love (but it does get quite steamy toward the end!).
I also enjoyed the whole “big family” aura surrounding this book. I came to realize—as more and more vampire characters popped up—that other books had been written about these other vampires first. But I quite enjoyed the colorful cast and the protectiveness and love this clan of vampires felt for each other. I did not realize this was #32 in a series. Even though this book was one in a series, though, it can be read as a standalone, as I understood everything clearly.
I felt as though the actual plot of the book was a bit slow, but I didn’t mind it too much. I don’t much like romances with mysteries thrown in and much prefer a mystery with a bit of romance. I feel as though the latter does a far better job at developing the plot and the romance than the former, simply because romance authors haven’t dealt in the medium of mystery all that much, and can’t always pull it off. But this is simply my personal opinion.
**Slight Spoiler** The one thing that I felt did not match the tone of the book was Mac realizing that CJ was his mate. He didn’t seem excited or even surprised, even though he had been waiting for her for literally hundreds of years. End of Slight Spoiler**
Overall, I quite enjoyed the character development, this crazy family of vampires, and the relationship between Mac and CJ. I would definitely read another installment in this series.
**I received the this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**
April 17, 2021
Ever since the looming crisis of evil insane fangless vampires were taken out there has been no big bad for the good guys to fight which has allowed the stories to become light hearted again. The problem with the last few books is that they are too light. Unfortunately this installment doesn't avoid that fate.
There were some great possibilities to give the leads scary villains and actual conflict. The thing that basically brought the two leads was Police Brutality. What's the point of bringing up such a currently hot button issue if it's not going to be explored? Especially if you make the female lead a Cop whose job it is to investigate corruption amongst Police? There was so much potential for the leads to be in risky situations and have deep conversations that actually bonded them together. Instead a crew of beloved characters showed up and we got long interactions with them talking about frivolous things. I'm so disappointed the female lead didn't actually get to do her job. Like so many other Paranormal Romance stories the leads didn't actually fall for each other organically. If the nanites didn't keep Mac from "hearing" CJ he wouldn't have given her a second glance and vice versa.
Also the reason why CJ didn't just drop her panties right away and turn was another thing that could've been so interesting and explored. Once again creating real conflict and actually bonding the leads. Especially when you consider Mac's job. To me that issue should've been one book and the police issue should've been someone else's story. But it was brought up at the very end of the book and solved like two chapters later without any fanfare.
This story had so much potential. Instead we got two people who ended up together at the end of the book with and HEA just cause. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't very good. I will be reading the installment. I love this world and want to see what happens with the characters in it. Hopefully we'll get a much needed grand conspiracy overarching enemy soon.
There were some great possibilities to give the leads scary villains and actual conflict. The thing that basically brought the two leads was Police Brutality. What's the point of bringing up such a currently hot button issue if it's not going to be explored? Especially if you make the female lead a Cop whose job it is to investigate corruption amongst Police? There was so much potential for the leads to be in risky situations and have deep conversations that actually bonded them together. Instead a crew of beloved characters showed up and we got long interactions with them talking about frivolous things. I'm so disappointed the female lead didn't actually get to do her job. Like so many other Paranormal Romance stories the leads didn't actually fall for each other organically. If the nanites didn't keep Mac from "hearing" CJ he wouldn't have given her a second glance and vice versa.
Also the reason why CJ didn't just drop her panties right away and turn was another thing that could've been so interesting and explored. Once again creating real conflict and actually bonding the leads. Especially when you consider Mac's job. To me that issue should've been one book and the police issue should've been someone else's story. But it was brought up at the very end of the book and solved like two chapters later without any fanfare.
This story had so much potential. Instead we got two people who ended up together at the end of the book with and HEA just cause. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't very good. I will be reading the installment. I love this world and want to see what happens with the characters in it. Hopefully we'll get a much needed grand conspiracy overarching enemy soon.
November 27, 2020
In book #32 of the Argeneau Vampire series we are following Mac Ageneau who after just moving in to his new house gets caught in a fire and almost dies. While dealing with the aftermath of the fire he meets CJ Cummings who is in town to investigate one of the town's police officers and gets roped into helping out at the fire. Mac is a vampire and CJ is his potential life mate so now he has to try and convince her to be with him without scaring her off. I always love these stories because they are always a good time. You have a love story going on but you almost always have a ton of action that helps the story move forward. One of things I really love about this series is that you can really jump on at any point, the author always gives enough background so new readers can jump in and old readers get a little refresh. If you are looking for a fun paranormal romance series, I highly recommend these and I think that this one is great for new readers to jump in with. Thank you to Avon Books, Harper Voyager and Netgalley for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!
November 29, 2020
Time to turn up the heat
And just like that another Argeneau hottie has found their lifemate. The author really brought her A game with this book! Right from the beginning she hooked me with an impossible situation and then kept the story moving with danger and laughter right until the very end. I fell in love with CJ and the hardships she has had to overcome and Mac is her perfect partner. I enjoyed getting to see some of my favorite characters and could that be a future story in the making, only time will tell. This book is a fantastic addition to the series and I am already looking forward to reading the next installment.
And just like that another Argeneau hottie has found their lifemate. The author really brought her A game with this book! Right from the beginning she hooked me with an impossible situation and then kept the story moving with danger and laughter right until the very end. I fell in love with CJ and the hardships she has had to overcome and Mac is her perfect partner. I enjoyed getting to see some of my favorite characters and could that be a future story in the making, only time will tell. This book is a fantastic addition to the series and I am already looking forward to reading the next installment.
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