When this one came in from Gay Romance Reviews I signed up for it since I’d read the first two books in the series (Dream Bound and Souls Aligned).* I wasn’t sure how this one would be after my mediocre response to Souls Aligned, but I grabbed it anyway.
This series is full of secret societies, aliens (I think?!), individuals with supernatural abilities, lots of gay relationships and sex, and really diverse locations/settings. Remembrance Lost definitely picked up on the action front, but in the end, I’m still sort of meh about where the series is.
The problem for me is that the story kicked off with such a big story that is central to the series and everything after that has been tangential for 75% of the story and then quickly ties into the main story again. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just that all I can think about while I’m reading the story is “when will we get more information on what was going on in book one!?!?!?!?!?
Remembrance Lost is the story of Nikki and Ryan, yet another couple who are soul mates. They’re friends of everyone else we’ve met so far. Nikki is super introverted and in his head all the time, while Ryan is more outgoing and takes care of Nikki. We find out about halfway through the novel why Nikki is the way he is, and honestly, it’s the most interesting part of the novel.
For me, this was a better SciFi/mystery novel than a romance novel. There were a couple of sex scenes, the first of which included the word “pucker” and although it’s not as bad as “butthole” it still pulled me out of the scene and I couldn’t take them seriously after that. The book probably would’ve been better without the sex in it because Nikki and Ryan didn’t need it for so long and I get Williams included it so their souls (I can’t remember the exact word for where they get their abilities from) could align even better.
For me, I think this is the end of the line with this series. As much as I want to know whether or not certain characters are redeemed and what happens in the long run, I just don’t think the story as written is engaging enough. If I’m 100% honest I’d probably be more likely to read it if the sex scenes were dialed back or removed completely. I’m guessing there will be at least two more books featuring Saf and his soulmate that was actually acknowledged in this novel and Ari and his soulmate (Tae?). But honestly, I’d rather read something else.
Recommendation: Meh. It’s not a bad book, but I think I’ve lost interest in the series and that’s saying something when this one has more action and more revelations than the last two combined! I’m struggling with the romance aspect, which is vital to the storyline, and the sex aspect which is tangentially connected to the romance but feels out of place. The characters are interesting and the story moves forward, but not fast enough for me. The SciFi/Fantasy aspect of the series is much more engaging and if the sex was removed, I’d probably be more likely to keep reading, but this is where my journey stops.
*I received a copy of Remembrance Lost via Gay Romance Reviews in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.
Opening Line: “‘Ryan?’ He jumped up from the couch, his thick genetics book falling onto the floor with a thud.”
Closing Line: “‘Love you, atarav-ne.’ Love you, Nikki.'” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)