Cross (The Formicary #2) by S.E. Harmon

Release Date: November 3^rd

To say I’m feeling conflicted would be an understatement.

I was dying for the resolution of this story, and in many ways Cross did deliver. But also… all those plot holes…

Synopsis: This book continues the story that started with Chrysalis. Chris and Gray are held against their will at the Formicary, and Chris desperately tries to find a way to get his lover and ex-boyfriend free. But to do that, he needs to figure out what’s really going on at the compound and exactly what was done to him. His memory loss prevents him from piecing it all together, and he’s starting to run out of time. 

Relationship-wise this second book gave me everything I craved after reading the first installment. To have more of Christian and Gray together was such a treat. They’re delicious and perfect, like all of Harmon’s couples. It’s especially yummy when a bad boy goes all soft over a nice guy. Also, that Chris and Gray were together most of the book was a big plus, especially since they spent a lot of time apart in the prequel. So, despite the non-stop action, there was time for Chris and Gray to re-discover their feelings for each other.

About the plot, though.

It’s Sci-fi, so I don’t question the technology. It’s crazy and fantastical but that sort of comes with the genre. Also, I do always enjoy some out-of-control scientists. And if you only focus on the action and try to ignore the reasoning behind it, then it’s an okay, fast-paced story.

However, I’m very bad at disregarding illogical and contradictory story content. I would even go as far as to call it a pet-peeve of mine. And the high-tech, super villain, super soldier, high-security thing going on in this book doesn’t mesh well with the obvious and simplistic way Chris and his rag-tag team takes them down. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll skip the examples. But there were just too many implausible chains of events that portrayed them all – good guys and bad alike – as less than bright, even naive.

And that sort of pains me to admit.

Because I adore Harmon’s writing. Her Blueprint duet and her Spectral files series are among my absolute favourite books. Ones I re-read when I need something great yet familiar. And Coddiwomple is pretty much the best second chance romance I’ve come across. Meaning it hurts me to say that Cross didn’t exactly meet my expectations.

So I’m not sure what to hope for with this series. Will there be a third book? I’m not a fan of plot-holes and I’m an even lesser fan of MCs acting all illogical. But I’m also hoping for a story about Chaos and Nick – because of course I’ve shipped them!

Anyway, this book gets 3.5 stars from me.

* A free copy of this book was kindly provided by Gay Romance Reviews *