Rating: 3🌈
It’s been eight months since the release of the second book in this series, so it took me a while to remember the circumstances in which we left the characters at the end of that novel.
Especially as there’s a huge amount of characters who also come with a complicated personal history and connected relationships. It makes for a highly fascinating and entertaining storyline when everyone is going about their murderous way’s trying trying to make good and evil balance out.
A very tricky proposition on a good day, on a bad one? Hmmmmm. Even more entertaining and outlandishly awash in bodies and bloodshed.
So I wasn’t prepared for Cody to switch focuses or try for a new narrative point of view by changing out the usual perspective from that of The Reaper, Arlington Fox or his partner, Romily Butcher , to an unexpected voice. That of the innocent Auger, Edovard.
Edovard, or Pupper as he’s affectionately called, was adopted into The Foxilys (the Grandpas, Romily Butcher,Arlington Fox, adopted assassin Bellamy) in Book 2. It’s too complicated to go into. In fact all the relationships can’t really be explained without it turning into another novella. It’s that convoluted.
But Edovard is special. He sees good and evil in beings. In their souls. His personality is beautiful and childlike, although he’s been told by others that his gentleness and kindness is a lack of intelligence and more.
Cody has done a terrific job in creating a empathetic and engaging person in Edovard. He’s so easy to like and connect with.
Which, imo , doesn’t make him an ideal candidate for the role the author puts him into for most of her story.
It’s as if she vacillates between the child like persona she’s created who doesn’t know or understand sex. Then Edovard is understood to be asexual and then next in the story he’s the one she needs to be a sexually mature and active part of a polyamory relationship, one that just seemed to happen without much in depth discussion. It just feels so wrong. Not in keeping with the original characterization, even if you might have a natural growth in the relationships and knowledge. It’s still as if we have two different people here.
A naive pupper and one who can handle a polyamorous family and two difficult family dynamics in an adult manner.
I did enjoy Edovard’s reworking of Hell, doing evil by doing good. That so highly entertaining and funny. It honestly makes sense.
But some of the rest just left me puzzled. There was a odd revelation at the end which will be continued into Book 4 as well as some murders to carry out.
I’m hoping Cody will revert back to the original narrative because as much as I enjoy Edovard, his is not the voice that this story or series needs. At least imo. It made it uncomfortable and sort of creepy.
I’ll continue on. See what happens next.
Not exactly recommending this . Leaving the decision up to you.
Murder Sprees & Mute Decrees series:
🔷The Trouble with Trying to Love a Hellion #1
🔷The Trouble With Trying to Save an Assassin #2
🔷The Trouble With Trying To Love A Hellion #3
Buy Link:
The Trouble with Trying to Love a Hellion (Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees Book 3)
Description:
Edovard:
Um…I was told I’m supposed to summarize my story here, but recently I’ve learned that blurbs are hard so I’m not sure what to say.
My name is Edovard Durand Folange. I’m twenty seven years old from Fresno, California, and recently I moved across the country to live with my new parents and brother. Oppa kills people for a living, and Papa is his announcer guy, and my brother is like his assistant, and I guess it turns out I’m the person the magic tells who needs to die—it’s called being an Augur. I don’t really know what that word means, but even though it’s scary, I’m getting used to it.
It’s nice to have a job, but Santanos (he’s the Avatar of Evil) offered me a second job, and I’m really excited about that because I get to work with him and help him fix the minions. A lot of them aren’t doing very well, so my second job is to make sure that everyone gets as much love as they need in their lives. Sometimes that means killing people who are stealing all the love away from them. I guess maybe I’m a little evil too, because I don’t mind letting Oppa kill those people to save the minions.
The Trouble with Trying to Love a Hellion is a 52k MM+ paranormal romance, featuring a cinnamon roll narrator with more than the usual amount of love to give and a sultry incubus who happens to be the Avatar of Evil. If the minions are especially affectionate with the cinnabun, well, who can blame them when he’s the best cuddler they’ve ever met?
Contents include: blood, viscera, someone dies because they call Edovard dumb, and Edovard accidentally creates a polycule, but that’s ok because he’s just making sure everyone gets enough love to be emotionally healthy.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 