Starcrossed

“Should I call you asshole or arsehole?”

If you liked Spellbound, you'll enjoy this too! I love these two together, and this plot is intriguing. The romance is in a great place at the end of the book, but aspects of the other plots remain unresolved, as they did at the end of Spellbound. I look forward to the third book.

Just barely ekes out a four star instead of a three - mostly because I do still like Arthur and Rory and I love that Arthur's ex wasn't used as a wedge to drive between them. Characters are still great and I could read about them hanging out at the speakeasy and be happy.

However, after how much I liked the balance between plot and romance/characters in the first book, I was disappointed that the plot in this book was barely there. The plot took forever to get moving, and then barely dribbled through the pages.

I would have liked to see more plot though I was happy that Arthur and Rory didn't spend the entire book lost in miscommunications or break up

Weak four stars, but something I don't regret reading and I do hope that the final in the series will be more plotty again.

A great continuation of the story. The plot is basically the same with a few new characters - the group is still after the relics and is reeling from the damage done by the incident at the peer from the previous book, but a new couple of supernaturals is in town to cause trouble. We see more of Arthur's brothers and learn more about his past in WWI and how he came to be involved in the magical world. The characters don't really evolve any and there's none of the sexual tension of the previous book, so it felt a bit unsatisfying in that regard. There's even less sex than the first book (which I harrumphed about in my review) which might be a plus for some readers. So, while Ace and Rory have become a beloved couple among the mm books I've read, I fear they may become a bit boring unless some real tension or drama happens in the third book.

Note that this sequel starts immediately after the first and hits the ground running. Many reviewers complained about this but, since I read the books back to back, I had zero issues - let's see what happens when the 3rd book is released.

3.5 stars. A lot of fun, but a few things kept me from giving it a full 4. First of all, this is definitely not a standalone novel. Therin doesn't spend anytime recapping [b:Spellbound 43620442 Spellbound (Magic in Manhattan, #1) Allie Therin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553212283l/43620442.SY75.jpg 67881581]; she just dives right in. So make sure you familiarize yourself with the events of the first book before you start Starcrossed. Frankly, a few phrases here and there to allude to characters and events from Spellbound would have helped me feel fully engaged in this one right from the start. I love Arthur and Rory so much, and was worried that there would be major (and artificial) impediments thrown in their way to provide more drama to their relationship. I'm happy to report that doesn't happen, but I was frustrated that there were too many chapters in which they were off doing their own things sometimes intentionally, sometimes because one of them is captured by the baddies. There are moments to cherish as the two continue to learn about each other; Arthur tries (pretty unsuccessfully) to rein in his over-protectiveness and Rory tries (slightly more successfully) to have faith that his rich, handsome “Ace” really does want a scrawny, grouchy, cute, secretly kind guy with no money. Each interaction between them is memorable, notably a night that they spend in a monastery in which Rory opens up about his difficult childhood in a way that shows how much he trusts Arthur. And predictably Arthur's ex-lover shows up, but the mistrust and jealousy you would expect takes a surprising and welcome turn. So I loved them together, I just hated all the pages that they were apart. The plot is okay, although it takes a little while to really get any momentum, and I'm still a little confused about who all of the bad guys are and what they want with the magic relics. It's fun watching Rory coming into his powers more and more, even if he seems more befuddled than secure in their use. The other paranormals have minor but significant roles to play, and I'm hoping in the next book we get to see young Pavel find the peace that he deserves. Therin may not be the most polished writer (she has the habit of using awkward contractions with the word “had” e.g. “Arthur'd be up soon too, but he'd be busy helping Harry, so Rory'd stay out of his hair”) but she infuses her characters with so much energy and charm that it's easy to overlook the lapses. The 1920's setting is catnip to me, and she even gets the Philadelphia peanut chews right (Goldenberg's, famous since 1917!). I'm looking forward to Wonderstruck in 2021 (if we all live that long) and hope the saga continues even after that. ARC gratefully received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.