The Bargainer

The Bargainer #1-4

by Laura Thalassa

This is the complete Bargainer series, and it includes the books Rhapsodic, A Strange Hymn, The Emperor of Evening Stars, and Dark Harmony within it.

Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she's been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she's received. Only death or repayment will fulfill the obligations. Only then will the beads disappear.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He's a man who can get you anything you want ... at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects. So when Callie finds the fae king of the night in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows he's finally here to collect. At first, all he asks for is a chaste kiss-a single bead's worth-and a promise for more. But Callie has a wrist full of debt, and the Bargainer has many, many demands.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fae, Spicy, Paranormal

740 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2020

About the author

Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods.

… or something like that anyway.

When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.

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Reviews

[Apoorva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy was this series ENGAGING. I might be trash for this series and Desmond Flynn, but I'm ✨ quality ✨ trash.

[Just Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨The ultimate must read Fey series✨

The Bargainer series.


~The Bargainer #1~
Rhapsodic

This was WICKED, dark, powerful, beautiful, and I swear to god it was EVERYTHING! 🖤

I don’t do Fey books.
I don’t.
Fairies are NOT sexy.
But FUCK THAT BECAUSE THIS WAS JUST THAT!

I am hereby converted. I bloody DIG Fey stories, especially when they turn out to be this bloody good!

This book was just so well written, the idea was unique and enchanting and the whole universe was to die for!

Thalassa writing style is so captivating. It’s filled with strong emotions, beautiful descriptions, and a NEED to turn the page.

Callypso is a siren, who has been granted favor after favor from the Bargainer, and 8 years after they met he has come back to collect (how fucking brilliant is this idea!!) (also I say fuck a lot BUT ITS BECAUSE I AM SO HYPED RIGHT NOW!!)

Brownie points for how stunning this paperback is! Also, I very much want a dark Fey king😂🤷🏻‍♀️

Epic bloody book!

~The Bargainer #2~
Strange Hymn

Never has darkness been so appealing. 🌌✨

I have no words, and yet I want to say everything.

“Till darkness die, love”. This book was deliciously powerful and incredible stunning.


Callie is in Fairy. In Desmond’s kingdom. Training, and learning to accept her new self.
As the Night Kings mate she is required to attend the Solstice.
An event that gathers all the Fairy kingdoms, and let’s just say for an event that’s supposed to be free of danger, this is so NOT. #shithappens

The sizzling chemistry between Des & Callie was on fire. Their pain, hopes and love was phenomenal.
Their story heartbroken and yet uplifting.
Their love just RIGHT.

I was not bored for a second. I was sitting in my seat craving the next mystery.
Honestly I CRAVED it.
Needed it.

🖤 I WANT MORE! 🖤

~The Bargainer #2.5~
The Emperor of the Evening Stars

Indescribable. Empowering. Bliss.

Being in Desmond Flynn’s head was just as remarkable and engaging as I had hoped.

What a character.

Seeing the events from “Rhapsodic” and “A strange Hymn” unfold from Des’s POV, was an amazing addition to the series, and made my love for Des & Callie grow even though I thought it couldn’t get any bigger.

My love for this series is immense.
Truly captivating writing, a thrilling plot, and the most jaw-dropping characters. 🖤

~The Bargainer #3~
Dark Harmony

I don’t think I have the words to convey this unimaginable tangles of emotions I feel.

I have been dreading.. and I mean DREADING to finish Des’ & Callie’s story because this series is everything and I don’t want it to be over.

This book, this series, this world-building, this magic, these characters are all wonderful beyond comprehension.

It has everything that makes a book magical to me. And I loved every word, every plot twist, every deep and painful emotion Thalassa threw my way. #Queen

I don’t even want to do a recap for you guys, because quite frankly the only thing you need to know is this: “Just get The Bargainer series”. 😈

[Celine Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bargainer Series ✨
.
.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
.
Alright guys, this is a little different because I’m going to give the series a rating overall. The reason for this is because I don’t have the individual books so there is only the option to take a snap of the series bound all into one book. (This is for my bookstagram @allieverdoisread)

I haven’t not had the sense of being enthralled quite like I have had with this book since ACOTAR.

This book is the perfect balance of romance (the awesome saucy kind we all know that once you read nothing else quite measures up) Humor, wit, sassiness, bad ass women and bad ass men, the extinguishing of evil and prevailing of good, mystery, sacrifice, hurt, terror ... I could go on. But the point is, is damn this is one hell of a story and I am forever grateful for being introduced to these characters (thnks @handletbd - never disappoints) and if you love authors such as Sarah J Mass, Danielle L Jenson and Jennifer L Armentrout then what are you waiting for?

Read The Bargainer Series.

[Tatiana Hare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished it oh my god it took me a while lol, I pushed it aside for quite a while.

Now the first book was amazing I loved it a lot, the second book wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t as good as the first one. The novella I wasn’t a big fan of, I skipped majority of it don’t know why but I couldn’t get into it. The third book was pretty good, got better towards the end though.

Overall I believe the first book was the best one of the series, I think the rest of the books lacked what the first one had.

(This probably all doesn’t make sense to anyone else and is a shitty review but me but I’m just rolling with it) 😂

[thebilingualbookclub · Rating 2 out of 5]

it felt like I read this book as an editor instead of an actual reader because there were so many mistakes and plot holes in this book. I already said this feels like a Rhys Fanfiction and I wouldn't have mind it, if the world building and the characters were at least well written. Sadly, Callie was dumb af, the Bargainer was just horny and the overall storyline was bad :(

[Asmara Drachman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, but I didn't.

A warning for potential readers, this book contains a lot of implied rape throughout the story which can be very triggering. So if you find this a sensitive subject, this book is probably not for you. It is not just one case, rape was used to create dark background stories, create a badguy and it was also romanticized between characters that had the power to magically command eachother during sex. The subject was introduced so many times, but never really dealt with or processed by the characters that were involved eventhough it is such a heavy topic.

I did like the story line throughout the books, but it progressed to slowly and I felt that the build up took to long. Halfway through the final book I gave up and I did not finish it. The spicy scenes felt forced and the continous grooming and casual use of rape to make the story exciting really turned me off.

Looking back I am suprised I made it this far and would not recommend this book to any of my friends.

[justonemorepage_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of ACOTAR or the Savage Lands series like I am, then you need to check out The Bargainer series. At times during book one and two, I found myself enjoying this series and Des way more than ACOTAR.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you call the bargainer. He will do anything and everything, but for a price. He may not collect right away, but one thing can be sure, he will collect his favor from you. Insert the exception; her name is Callypso, she has an arm full of beads indicating all the favors she owes the bargainer. But why hasn't he ever collected from her? It's been 7 years since her last favor, and when the bargainer shows up, she knows he is finally ready to collect.

Gahh, this book was everything ! Callie was sassy, bad-ass, funny and smart as hell. She put her brain before her heart everytime and I think that's what I liked most about her. Usually in these books they aren't thinking with their head, if you know what I mean. I actually think it's best to go into this series as blind as possible, I did and instantly fell inlove with the characters.

[Jess - Reader of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

“People like us are not victims. We’re someone’s nightmare.”

I’m not one to regret things. But I regret this: not having read this series before!!! 😭 It was sitting on my shelf for so long and now I feel like I wasted too much time. Des and Callie have my full heart. I would bleed for you my twisted, dark friends 🖤 I would make 322 bargains myself 🙈🙈🙈 This story kept me guessing at each turn of a page but what a journey it was - dark and marvelous - to discover every bit of truth (and all the lies) alongside Callie. And the novella, ah 😌 my heart was destroyed… it was brilliant!!! This series was a song I would hear on repeat. AND THAT ENDING?! 😱😱😱😭😭😭 5 stars ⭐️

[Erica Ravenclaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know why I read all four of these books, this series is frozen grocery store pizza: suitable in a pinch and vaguely resembles something delicious but then tastes like stale cardboard and regret.

Characters: fabulous premise, underwhelming execution and development.

Plot: flimsy, interesting framework but leaves much to be desired

Romance: too much and too little at the same time??

I needed to pass the time and this fit the bill, so there is that.

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhapsodic ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
A Strange Hymn ⭐⭐⭐.5
Dark Harmony ⭐⭐⭐.5


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[Varya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have developed a seriously bad habit of NOT dnf'ing books lately and I just realized it. I am already exasperated with myself.
That being said, I really should have dnf'd this...or atleast skimmed it. But noooooo, I had to put myself through it like an idiot happily walking to my own death.

Cons: (Yes, I am bitter enough to mention the wrongdoings of this series first so sue me)

1) The world building was lackluster here (I wasn't able to fully materialize the environment, buildings and places in my mind's imagination..and it was never a problem before). However, this happened only in book 1 ......it got much better afterwards.

2)The plot was very lame, not to mention excruciatingly stretched over 3 long ass books. My hope was that the plot would get better eventually given the 3 books but unfortunately it didn't.
This whole series became a vicious circle of boredom, diabetes-inducing sweet words, sex and me being continuously disappointed in Callie .

3) In the first book, I knew something was missing but I wasn't able to pinpoint it. I realised what it was at the very start of the 2nd book. The emotions.....they lacked a certain punch....it was like the author started building an emotion but when it was time to release it or expand it, she pulled back. Kinda like feeling poignant during a sad scene but you aren't able to cry cuz it's not sad enough ....or wanting to laugh but not being able to cuz it's not funny enough. It was strangely disappointing.

4) This couple was so eerily similar to ACOTAR series by Sarah J Mass. But....and it's a point to be noted and mulled upon....I didn't like Feyre from Acotar that much (at all 😬) but she was still better than Callie.

5) Callie....yeah, I can't with her. She was a disappointment and a major one at that. Her brain had two stops, it either worked so slow that I actually wanted to rip either my own or Callie's hair out, or she was in complete denial. It was fucking frustrating.
I deduced all the supposed mysteries and reveals of the story a lot ahead of time which made the book fall flat for me. I wasn't enjoying it, I just wanted them to "figure it out already".

I don't usually care if the Heroine in an adult fantasy is not alpha enough (the fighting like a badass shindig) if, and only if, she is of sharp mind and can employ that as a weapon. Or even just keep up with her heroes. Callie was no such thing. I think that's why, during the whole time I was reading this, I kept mumbling "A tempest of Shadows by Jane Washington" was so much better than this". The fmc in that book was smart and kept up with the guys. Sigh


6) Callie and Des weren't romantically compatible. Yes, I said it.
Des was wicked and manipulative and dark....I loved him. Callie wasn't any of that.....but she also couldn't pull off the innocent thing she could have, given her start in the story as a teen. She also kept saying she was evil and terrible cuz of her being a siren but I didn't see anything of value to support her words.
It just felt like Callie was dragging Des's darkness down and that single thing made everything awful.


7)2 Plotholes :

~Why would Janus offer her fealty? Fae are known for their wickedness, not their bleeding hearts. There's no valid reason for it except him being an idiot and since he's a successful king amongst fae, i don't think that's the case. So that was totally unreasonable and uncalled for.

~Fine, i get Des's explanation of his plan and why he couldn't share it with Callie,. ......but there's no explanation for why Erebreuis lifted his wards. (And I don't buy the "he's was arrogant" excuse cuz .....hello, the guy waited for centuries and plotted his plans...he wouldn't be the type to be reckless)
If he hadn't done that, I don't think Callie would've been able to kill him. And thus, the whole climax falls apart.
So the ending was totally based upon the hope that the villain would lift his wards?! 🤷


Pros: (There were some, I swear🙈)

1)The liquor scene in Day kingdom- That whole chapter of Callie getting drunk on the truth liquor and babbling was just too good. 😂 It made me laugh so hard.

2)Temper- THE BEST THING IN THE WHOLE SERIES. I can marry this bitch, she was so badass and just...gah🖤😍. Her banter and hilariously outrageous comments made this book much much better. It was her that made me not dnf it.
Even though I had a bad experience with this world and this series, I would still def read Temper's book if the author decides to write it. She's the best friend everyone shoud have. ♥️

3) The starlight in Callie's hair scene - I have expressed that there were too many overly sweet and romantic sappy scenes and dialogues in this series and they made me annoyed a lot but this.....this was one scene that my inner romantic just can't overlook or be awed at. It was veryyyy swoony and gosh, I was a goner for Des the minute this scene finished😍♥️

4) Des - Another best thing in this series. Despite his sometimes too sappy words, Des's spirit was dark and devious and delicious. Everytime he showcased his bloodlust or violent thoughts, I was falling more and more for him. This guy carried the whole series tbh.


Some quotes that I loved:

“Cherub, people like us are not victims. We’re someone’s nightmare.”


I am the dark creature that craves sex and destruction, and he is the king of it.


“And when I look at you even now—especially now—I see one simple truth.”
He stops speaking.
I sit up a little. “What was the truth?”
In the darkness, I can see him staring back down at me. “You are magic, love.”


I was lonely—painfully, achingly lonely, the kind of loneliness that comes from feeling like your life is passing you by and there’s no one there to witness it.


He releases me, and already my body aches from the absence of his violent touch and his malevolent eyes.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series a few years ago and absolutely devored every single book. I loved the idea of each bargain showing up as a bead and the relationship that establish in book one.

While the series was highly addictive, I definetly feel like book one is the best. I loved the back and forth between present and past, seeing their relationship build was really sweet and I appreciated those past scenes. This book was the most well done and I feel like maybe it should've just stopped there.

In the other two books I just didn't like the fact that she was so sexual with other people. Such as in book two sitting in a queens lap and in book three the villain was sexually interested in the heroine. It just felt too icky for me. I get that she was a siren but it just turned me off whenever I read it. And not to mention I HATE villains that are sexually interested in the heroine. It makes me feel sick and queasy and the fact that she gave in a little and kissed him. Like no girl, come on now.

I don't remember much else, however I know those two things really bothered me and I know that although I enjoyed the series as a whole, the first book, Rhapsodic, is the only one I will ever reread.

Overall, this would've been better as a standalone, but the series as a whole is thrilling and worth a try.

5 stars- Rhapsodic
3.5 stars- Strange Hymn
3 stars- Dark Harmony
(when I rated individually it was a time when I gave everything 5 stars)

Safety:
-No ow drama that I recall
-om drama: h is in a relationship in book 1 with a werewolf, she tries to break up with him and his kisses her forcefully, you never see him again after that. And the villain in interested in the Heroine throughout the series and tries to get to her through other people (possession) and she is forced to kiss him in book 3 so he doesnt hurt the hero
-7 year separation this was the price of her final bargain (to have him forever) and at the end of book one she is taken captive by a King who is possessed by the villain, they were separated for about a week or moth I think.
-HFN book 1 and 2, HEA book 3
-Heroine not a virgin, Hero not a manwhore

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Band 1 hab ich vor einem Jahr gelesen und absolut geliebt - deshalb hab ich dann auch gleich den Sammelband bestellt und die restlichen Bücher fand ich eher schwach.
Ich fands schon toll, dass wir Des Perspektive ab und zu mal hatten, aber der letzte Band (Dark Harmony) hat sich für mich wirklich gezogen.
Auch der Konflikt hat wenig Spannung gebracht und fühlte sich unnötig langgezogen an.
Während Band 1 mich wirklich in seinen Bann gezogen hat, hatte der Rest nicht diese Wirkung auf mich.

[Christina Roesch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book with my whole heart. Was the grammar perfect, no, but it made it all the more entertaining. This book took me a week to finish the since the 730 pages of text had a font size 12, in Times New Roman font, with single spacing. But it’s ok, you get used to it eventually. The plot was great, the characters were great, and the smut was also especially great.

[queenofbrightshinythings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take all my stars cuz this is worth everything! To all my fellow readers who loved ACOMAF here's the next book you must pick up! I just breathed in this whole book. The magic, the mystery and especially the love! Oh the love. The love was everything to me. I can't believe it's over but I know I'll pick it up quite often. I have a feeling this is going to be my comfort read. Till darkness dies.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent a long time, a few chapters into book 2, trying to look through reviews for someone who would just tell me what happened at the end. I was getting tired of Desmond lording his power over Callie all the time, and I didn't care to keep reading their romance after the conclusion of the first book.

But that Thief of Souls business.. come on, someone just tell me who it was so I can DNF and read something else.... But enough people piqued my interest just enough that I mostly read, partly skimmed the last three books. (It is rather hard to skim something when every page has 1000 words on it!)

It was decent, just what I expected when I was trying to quit. I enjoyed the first book tolerably well, but their romance never stops being semi abusive and I didn't love it. Lots of people compare this to ACOTAR - which I have been obsessively re reading once a year since I first found it - but it lacks most of the substance of that series. Reading those books can actually be painful, in that it feels like going to therapy - opening lots of my own personal wounds and forcing me to give them some air. Like forced personal growth via a book. But this was just romance, just a quirky heroine who went through some tough stuff and gradually gained more power and then conveniently fell into her fated role as an all powerful ruler beside her all powerful mate. She suffered from her trauma but not in a way I connected with. Like you had to mention that she was suffering but it didn't really inform her growth, or their relationship's growth, much. I don't know how to describe the difference between Feyre's depression gutting me from the inside out in ACOTAR, and Callie's disappointment over her scales making me want to DNF.. but there it is.

Re: the spoilers......

It wasn't my intent to just spill a bunch of spoilers on here but I guess I can't complain that no one would tell me what happened without offering that to the next reader.

If you make it through the first book and discover the romance been Des and Callie and also the mystery of the Thief of Souls, then decide you can't read 5000 more pages to figure out the answers, let me tldr; the rest for you.

Book two actually charmed me with its court intrigue. Different than the first book and more ACOTAR style, so give it a try if that's your thing. Third book is from Des 's point of view so goes farther back in history if that's your thing. Fourth book seems to be 50% sex and 50% violent threats and fear and gore... But since that's the book I half read, half skimmed, there might be more I just missed. Again, if that's your thing, skip the spoilers and just read the series.

Now, if you still want answers.

Spoilers!!!!!!
V
V
V
V
V

The Thief of Souls is Euribios, original god of death and darkness, around before the world even came into being. The sleeping soldiers and their creepy babies are all under his spell to wake up and murder everyone so he can be king of all and destroy everything. Lots of zombie fights when the war comes, but Callie can conveniently glamour them after an encounter where the Thief "kills" her as a ploy to get Des to give her fairy wine so Euribios can control Callie too (his magic doesn't work on her until she's a fairy).

How does Des get mixed up in all this? His evil father Gallagher Nyx co bound himself (exchanged an oath giving up his power in exchange for something he wanted, in this case to be resurrected if he should die) to this god. So, surprise, Nyx never died when Des thought he killed him. He and Euribios are basically using each other's powers, though Euribios tires of him and kills him at the end. Des makes a bargain with Euribios that as long as he doesn't kill Callie or Des, Des will willingly be his prisoner, the darkness betrays Des and gives him over to Euribios to hold, sleeping, in the land of the dead, Callie has to go down and find him, you know the drill...

And in what I gather is a lackluster finish for many readers, Euribios has absolute power and control over the entire situation, but as he's basically drowning Callie in the bridal baptism from hell in a pool of dead souls, he mysteriously decides he wants to be glamoured by her, removes his wards against it, and asks her to glamour him. He pretends he can prevent his own death, but yadda yadda yadda she gets extra sireny and seductive? because of the water, I guess? And he decides he wants to drown after all and so the souls devour him in the pool, the end, happily ever after. More sex.

So yeah, I think that about covers all the questions I had at the beginning of book two.. hope this helps any fellow readers hovering on the edge of a DNF...

It's not a bad series, it just takes too much time between all the important parts. I'm into smut as much as the next person but when I see a sex scene and start scanning for the next non naked part? There's just too much gratuitous sex without ever really feeling like there characters were growing. Des especially never grows at all and it makes Callie seem flat to keep liking him that way. Hopefully, if you felt the same way, my slapdash review of all the main mystery spoilers will help save you from droning through the endless sex scenes.

[FS Meurinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant series, the world building was brilliant, the story captivated me from the start, the characters are very well developed. A must read for any PNR lover.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Individually reviewed each book.

Overall, I really loved this series. There was a nice mix of darkness, magic, mystery, and well written characters that made this omnibus hard to put down.

Highly recommend it, and I will be looking into more of Laura Thalassa's books.

[Malischa Nijenhuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew, this book was a bit steamy, although it is not in the foreground.
As with the four horseman, the steamy scenes are not in the foreground. I would personally advise against buying book 1 to 3 in 1 bundle why too small letters 🤣. I would recommend buying them separately! I definitely recommend the book series!

[Punkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never got to read the emperor of evening stars before. I liked that it was included. I don't remember having read the third before.

[Smiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an exciting story!!! A lot to take in at once, which lead to a slump mid read but it was lovely to get back into. Callypso Lillis is a badass and Temper Darling is a force to be reckoned with and Desmond Flynn is an infuriating but handsome devil. Aaah. I'm glad I finished this

[Andrea Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I got bored and did not finish the last one. I liked Des and Callie but all the side characters felt super one-dimensional and the story was slow overall. Not sure if I will go back and try to finish the last book.

2/5

[Emily Laveroni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me cringe and roll my eyes a little too much. But I still finished it so🤷 I'm thinking part of it had to do with the narrator on the audiobook . Maybe I'll revisit with my own eyes someday

[alana pirie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this series of books by a friend and I absolutely loved all 4 books. They were a pleasure to read.

[Ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would definitely say this is one of my favorite series of all time. To say I love Callie and Des would be.... an understatement. I really enjoyed getting to read things from the MMC's perspective, which isn't something you normally get in a fantasy series. There really isn't anything I didn't like about this series and I recommend it to any of my friends looking for a really well written romantasy book!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it until dark harmony. Too much stressed out female inner monologue. After Blood and Ash series I just can’t stand it anymore. Maybe it exhausted me beyond the point of enjoying any book with this type of narrative. I did enjoy the main characters. The gatekeeping of mmc got redundant and a little tiering. Cute story

[Marion Drouot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many typos, words missing here and there, some printed twice really spoil the experience. It would have been a 3 stars otherwise: a lot a descriptions, very slow here and there and clumsy. It would be ok enough for 200/300 pages, but 800 ... you really have to want it to finish it.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

** spoiler alert ** This series was an interesting one and, oddly, I can't decide if I like it or not.

I came upon it because of Insta, all of the popular book accounts were raving about how amazing the plot was and how steamy it was.

The plot was okay. I enjoyed how the first book was written; how it constantly jumps between the present and the past and how the reader is slowly let in on more and more information and you can see how she's struggling with her current predicament vs what she believes to be true regarding her past with Des. I enjoyed the suspense that created for me. The second book wasn't as strong for me, but I still enjoyed it. I liked being able to see more and more of the Fae kingdoms, and I really enjoyed how the main villain becomes more and more seemingly unstoppable. The novella was by far my favorite part of this series because of the insight it lends you into Des and his past. But the last book was a bit of a struggle for me. The ending of the series was a bit lackluster. The Villain is hyped up so much in book 2 and most of 3, and the way that he is defeated is such a blow over, in my opinion. Like, I get it. "True love' yadda yadda yadda... But it was so easy for her to beat him when it came down to it. I really enjoyed the story, so the ending was so disappointing when it was a solid meh.

And then there were the steamy scenes. And, it's not that it didn't have good sex scenes. It's just that they weren't great. I didn't feel like there was any wind up to them. It was just like: oh were flirting/teasing, oh now we're kissing, oh now were fucking. There was almost never any foreplay, which is necessary for most women to have a good time. (You try going down a water slide without the water and see how it feels). Additionally, it was weird how some of the sex was portrayed. Callie reacts to Des going down on her by saying that she's never done something "so very, very dirty" before in her life. However, in the sex scene before (or maybe a couple of scenes before) they had anal sex. (which, I mean, at least to me is much "dirtier"). And, unless if I'm misremembering (because it has been a hot minute since I finished the book that I'm writing this), I'm almost positive that she's given him a blowjob. So like, double standards much?

Overall, I did enjoy the books for the most part. And they have a lot of sweet moments, like his proposal and the sentiment of "until darkness dies" and stuff. I just had some issues that were, personally, very difficult to overlook.

[Malori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhapsodic review- 3.5 ⭐️
This book has been recommended to me on several platforms. It was free on prime (audible credit and kindle) so I started with the audible. I felt like since audible isn’t my jam, I wasn’t getting into it as much as I would if I read it. So I downloaded the free prime kindle version. I liked this book but I’m not sure why I didn’t love it. So again maybe it’s because I started out with audible but I feel like the character and world building was lacking. I started to get ACOMAF vibes so I hung tight. Once the relationship actually took its turn, it went from 0 to 60 (not the smutt scenes) but their actual relationship. They were overly lovey dovey all the sudden. So I didn’t love it but will be reading book 2.

A strange Hymn review- 3.5 ⭐️
The story built up pretty slow and it took me a while to really get hooked. I read two books between the start and finish of this book too. I did get to the last 10 chapters and then it was hard to put down. I need to know more about Des and have more character development but I’m hoping that the 3rd book will fill in the gaps I do have. I kind of saw the ending coming when the queen striped to slip Callie a drink but I still enjoyed how it all played out. Will start the third book tomorrow because I have to know how this ends!

The emperor of evening stars 4 ⭐️
This is exactly what I needed to appreciate the series more! I needed to know more about Des and what made him tick. It connected so many dots and answered so many questions I had!

Dark Harmony- 4⭐️
I definitely needed the emperor of evening stars to appreciate this series more and really really appreciate the last book! I love how they wrapped up everything with the Thief of Souls and Gallagher. I don’t want to give any spoilers but I’m happy for Temper, too!

[Princess Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This booked kicked my butt. I am actually giving it 2.5 stars. I wanted to enjoy it so bad, but each story had some massive issues. Rhapsodic problem is it goes back and forth to the present and the past a lot. It's saving grace is the mystery between the main couple and the humor. A Strange Hymn is when things start to go downhill by being boring, BUT no more back and forth with the past verses the present and it doesn't pick up until the very end. The Emperor of Evening Stars I found to be interesting to get the hero's POV, but it is boring as well. Dark Harmony is a struggle. Transitions with scenes are really weird as well in all the books. The great reveal of the big bad and the finale was extremely anti-climactic. The story also needed to be more fleshed out and figure itself out. It is similar to Maas books in a sense of the fantasy romance area, but as far as action and history it needed more manpower on that because it was all about Callie & Desmond.

Callie is pretty cool in the beginning. She talks a good fight but comes off a big whiner to me. She works as an investigator and had been asked to help with an investigation. Very little investigation actually happens, and she seems terrible at her job because when she figures something out, I was able to figure it out a long time ago. I want to yell at her and say "Duh!" On Dark Harmony her dialogue comes off immature and stupid.
Desmond Flynn (The Bargainer) is fine, but I do not know what he sees in Callie. I feel sorry for the poor sap. He was supposed to be scary, but never got that impression.
The side characters annoyed me, and some needed more back story, but since this was all about Callie and Desmond, we were not going to get that.