Second Coming (First Fruits, Book 2)

Title: Second Coming (First Fruits, Book 2)
Author: Amanda Carney
Publication date: 12/12/2015
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 4 out of 5

Blurb (from Amazon.com):
There is no sanctuary without him.

At last, she has it all. Everything she thought she’d never have. Acceptance. Friendship. Love. Parsley Walker is finally home. Allswell, the magical refuge for supernaturals, is all she’d imagined and more. She’s making friends. Learning not to hide her telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Learning not to fear. And most importantly, planning a future free from that ever present sense of foreboding with the vampire she loves. Her life, the life she was always meant for, is about to begin.

​Then she gets the letter that turns her new world upside down.

Jesse Linwood has just done the hardest thing he’s ever had to do—turned his back on the only girl he’s ever loved. With Parsley safe in Allswell and believing he’s dead, Jesse returns to his sire, Patrick—the ancient, wicked vampire who lusts for Parsley’s blood—to convince him she’s somewhere he’ll never be able to find her. To eliminate the threat to her once and for all, even at the expense of Jesse’s own life. Because love isn’t about the heart. Love is about the soul and how much of it you’re willing to lose.

My review
Like the first book in the series, First Fruits, Second Coming was well-written, well-edited and has a beautiful cover. This author obviously takes her job very seriously because she always seems to bring her A-game to every new release.  

I have a low tolerance for cuteness, but the cute levels in the magical sanctuary of Allswell (because “Utopia” was taken, I suppose) didn’t bother me at all. It was a world I enjoyed reading about. I’d like to have a summer home there.

I LOVED that Parsley didn’t fall for Jesse’s “I’m pushing you away for your own good” ploy. I didn’t so much love that she immediately took off after him with no thought for her own safety, but hey, it wouldn’t have been much of a story if she’d decided to stay in Allswell and tell Jesse to suck it (sorry folks, I love puns, especially vampire puns).

I also really enjoyed Sib’s solution to a vampire’s need for blood. That wasn’t something I’ve read anywhere else, and as an avid paranormal romance reader, unique plot elements are truly rare.

I have a little problem with the fact that Parsley’s powers weren’t explored in this story at all. I almost forgot that she was both telekinetic and telepathic until the end. I’m wondering why she wasn’t able to inflict more damage on the ferals with her powers.

Other than that, though, my only negative with this story is the heroine’s name. Sorry, I know I should be over it by now, but it still bugs me, and the explanation of why she was named after a garden herb was a little unsatisfying.

All in all, this is a great continuation of Jesse and Parsley’s story and I highly recommend it (and its predecessor) for fans of the genre. If there’s a book 3 about Felix, I’m all in.

Full disclosure: Knockin' Books received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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