Rating: 3.5🌈
I Kid You Not , third in the Magical Mates series by Macy Blake, is a sweet romance that’s jammed full of characters and events from previous novels and series.
Spoilers Ahead beware!
If you’re not familiar with The Chosen One universe and connected series, then the characters you meet and events that occur or are mentioned here will not make any sense. There’s simply too many names, types of beings, relationships, and hugely important events that impact this story to keep track of , even for those of us that have read all those books.
It’s one of the reasons I liked this story but wasn’t exactly crazy about it. I felt there was a lot more exposition that was either missing from the main romance or piled on too heavy from the universe storylines around it.
The romance between the guardian of the woods Roan and dietitian Zachary Perry is a sweet one in itself. But we never got any background of what a Guardian of the Wood was, how he got his power, why he was charged up, any of the important particulars left out of the story because it was taken up by Alpha Nick, the kids, the compound etc. I do love them all btw but here they seem to overpower the central romance.
Same goes for Zachary . He’s a terrific guy with aspects to his personality and physical ailments that eventually leads into the discovery he’s got a bit of magical abilities. That’s a major factor, especially in a relationship with a being that’s long-lived or immortal (something else not brought up). But that aspect is never further explored other than identifying it vaguely. A real miss because, again, the storyline went elsewhere.
Towards Nick and the kids and how they choose their own families.
Which, more spoilers, brings me to another odd thing about this story. All the other books have been about couples and these magical children finding each other. Forming families.
Roan and Zachary break that pattern . No kids in a story about kids. Yes, it’s in the title. It’s understandable but weirdly not satisfying given this series and that the kids are everywhere here.
So it’s a sweet romance but overwhelmed by storylines and characters from other books so that for me important elements of these characters are left out.
It’s not unexpected for this universe. Sometimes it works and sometimes it’s less successful.
Read it and see where you stand.
Magical Mates series:
✓ All Kidding Aside #1
✓ Stop Kidding Around #2
✓ I Kid You Not #3
â—¦ With Kid Gloves #4 – Aug 1, 2023
Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showI Kid You Not (Magical Mates #3) by Macy Blake
Description:
Zachary Perry is willing to do whatever it takes to win the heart of his mysterious, gruff, and oh-so-gorgeous forest ranger neighbor, even if it means transforming his very bookish, nerdy self into someone (gulp!) outdoorsy so he can fit into Roan’s world.
But when Roan saves him from a seduction plan gone awry, Zachary quickly learns that a fondness for woodland fun is the very least of their differences, for Roan is no mere forest ranger, he’s a forest guardian – a magical creature duty-bound to guard both the land and an entire population of supernatural creatures Zachary never knew existed.
Meanwhile, Zachary… well. He’s very, very human. And that’s something he cannot change, no matter how powerful and intense the connection between them may be.
When something dark and dangerous looms deep in the forest, threatening a pack of children, Zachary insists on leaving the safety of his home and fighting alongside the man he loves.
But when the danger is past, will he be able to find his place in the supernatural world he’s discovered, and to trust that Roan wants him exactly as he is?
———-
Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
The Chosen One universe by reading order can be found at Macy Blake’s website.
https://macyblake.com › booksBooks By Series ~ Macy Blake | Where Love Meets Magic
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 