Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest (spoiler free) review
Once again, Amara Rae wrote a book that broke the mold for fantasy romance.
In reading this series I’ve come to expect one thing from Rae: the unexpected. When you expect the miscommunication trope, Rae busts out honest open communication, which is so refreshing these days.
When you expect the pregnancy trope as a patch for relationship problems: Rae delivers more communication and an effort to change from her characters.
I am honestly so excited for the rest of the series, as the overarching plot is so intricate and fascinating. But enough about that, let’s get to what we really want, the romance: I honestly was a little worried, I wasn’t feeling the chemistry in Inferno, and I was worried that would continue in Zephyr. But the sexual tension and chemistry between Aleks and Greer was off. The. Charts. Aleks was the typical self sacrificing Hero, until Greer whipped his ass into shape and introduced him to the importance of open communication.
One of my biggest pet peeves in books is when the MMC messes up and the heroine forgives him with little to no apologizing. I can honestly say that while there wasn’t any Alex Volkov leveling groveling in this book, it felt like Aleks really understood where he messed up, and made the effort to avoid doing it again. (I don’t consider this a spoiler as Aleks’ F up was already seen in Inferno).
Rae was able to find the very delicate balance between equality and submission in this relationship. Greer was willing to submit to Aleks, but ONLY when he had thoroughly earned it, and even then he didn’t accept her submission except in the bedroom 😉. He wanted someone to challenge him, and he found his match in Greer, just as she found hers in Aleks. Saying this leads me to how Fing HOT this book was 🥵🥵 Miss Rae has never disappointed on the smut scales, and Zephyr was no exception!
While I believe the experience is improved by reading all the books, this can be read as a standalone. One of my favorite part of the books what’s seeing my fav couples from previous books (especially my babies Fin and Makhi, so I definitely recommend reading all the books, since they are fantastic) I read this book in one sitting, only taking breaks to sleep and eat, I can’t recommend this series enough, READ IT NOW!!!!