Betrayals by Kelley Armstrong

Posted August 18, 2016 by Literati Lovers in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Betrayals by Kelley ArmstrongBetrayals by Kelley Armstrong
Also by this author: Deceptions, Omens (Cainsville, #1), City of the Lost (Casey Duncan, #1), A Darkness Absolute (Casey Duncan, #2), This Fallen Prey (Casey Duncan, #3)
Series: Cainsville
Also in this series: Omens (Cainsville, #1)
Published by Random House of Canada on August 9th 2016
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, General, Thrillers, Suspense
Pages: 400
Format: eBook
ISBN: 9780345815224
Goodreads
four-stars
five-flames

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The exciting fourth novel in bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's "impossible-to-put-down" Cainsville series.
When Olivia's life exploded--after she found out she was not the adopted child of a privileged Chicago family but of a notorious pair of convicted serial killers--she found a refuge in the secluded but oddly welcoming town of Cainsville, Illinois. Working with Gabriel Walsh, a fiendishly successful criminal lawyer with links to the town, she discovered the truth about her parents' crimes in an investigation that also revealed the darker forces at work in the place that had offered her a haven. As if that wasn't enough, she also found out that she, Gabriel and her biker boyfriend Ricky were not caught in an ordinary sort of love triangle, but were hereditary actors in an ancient drama in which the elders of Cainsville and the mysterious Huntsmen who opposed them had a huge stake.     Now someone is killing street kids in the city, and the police have tied Ricky to the crimes. Setting out with Gabriel's help to clear Ricky's name, Olivia once again finds her own life at risk. Soon the three are tangled in a web of betrayals that threatens their uneasy equilibrium and is pushing them toward a hard choice: either they fulfill their destinies by trusting each other and staying true to their real bonds, or they succumb to the extraordinary forces trying to win an eternal war by tearing them apart.

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Karen’s Thoughts

Kelley Armstrong’s Betrayals is a stunningly multilayered story that left me breathless and my blood humming for more Gainesville novels.  This book has everything from biting baby gargoyles to wounded hell hounds.  This book is a solid continuation of the overall series arc with solid character evolution. In this book Ricky Gallagher sexy biker and one of the main characters shines as he steps into his role as Arawn. Unlike his Fae counter part Gabriel, Ricky is ready to embrace his heritage and is well suited in the role.  Gabriel is the wounded anti hero in the ‘love’ triangle that is Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky, where their historic counter parts have failed, I feel they need to say screw society and grasp love with both hands, making Olivia/Matilda choose is what destroyed her in the past. The three need to realize they all need to win. I normally hate love triangles, hate them with a passion, but these characters don’t deserve to have their souls shredded because of moral proclivities. Maybe Olivia needs to more past what society thinks and grab both her loves and live a full rich full life.  Olivia as a character is proving a character can love fully and completely more than on person.  If the men are up to sharing I say Go For It Olivia!

I will admit that the mystery part of the book was a disappointment. I am still perplexed as to the hiring of mercenaries, that were used in the plot.  The shadow bad guy didn’t seem to have the resources for outside muscle.  What started out as a good mystery fell flat on the reveal. I kept thinking I missed something in the text. I am honestly used to a more cloak and dagger ending from Ms. Armstrong; something that knocks me on my fanny.

Overall the book is hard to rate, but I settled on four stars because of the character evolution and the overall story arc, plus for  a moment that was ‘a blaze in an ice storm’.  Despite all the problems with the mystery part of the book, it was such an overall good ride.

four-stars

About Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids, and far too many pets.

Rating Report
Plot
four-stars
Characters
five-stars
Writing
four-stars
Pacing
three-stars
Cover
four-stars
Overall: four-stars

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