Indifferent is not a word I would have expected to associate with Michele Albert. But here it unfortunately applies, and you can blame that damned disease known as series-itis.
The series in question is about the operatives of Avalon, a shadowy organization whose so-called mercenaries recover stolen art. Claudia Cruz is one such operative, and over the past few months she has repeatedly butted heads with FBI Art Squad agent Vincent DeLuca. Their paths cross again after an art gallery is burgled in Philadelphia, and this time they decide to work together, as well as act upon their mutual attraction.
That is the only part of the plot that concerns me because everything else made me feel more lost than Alice. As book four in the series, Her Last Chance contains not only Claudia and Vincent’s story, but the art gallery theft, Mia and Will’s continuing subplot, POVs from Rainert von Lahr and companion, insight into Ben Sheridan’s motives, and a lead-in to the next book. They are all astoundingly well-balanced, and if you know who and what I’m talking about, then bully for you. If you don’t, then you know exactly how I felt.
It’s a pity, because Ms. Albert shows a pleasing economy of prose and firmly grounds her characters in reality. Bemoaners of the plight of contemporaries, look no further. Vincent has an Xbox. Claudia is a practitioner of sex fu (like kung fu, only with sexuality). Their relationship progresses only as far as the book (which spans less than two weeks) would realistically allow – no lovey-dovey declarations of love for all time, thank you very much – and I found their relationship refreshingly true.
This has its advantages, but the romance is unfortunately diminished by the profusion of subplots, which casts a haze over our romantic couple. It doesn’t help that the art gallery plot thread loses steam, and that I find the whole Avalon idea a touch corny. For one thing, Claudia is not a mercenary. She works for one employer, which by definition makes her a non-mercenary. So calling her and her colleagues as such is just silly and seems a cheap device to make them more badass than they actually are.
Obviously, if you're acquainted with the series, then most of these problems will disappear. But this book is interdependent, not independent, and it just didn't work as the latter.
Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 2010
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