I received this ARC a few years ago and only now got to looking at it. It's not for me, but readers of the first book should definitely be interested in this one.

The romance served as an unexpected focal point for this book, which certainly took me by surprise. This was far from the direction that I was anticipating based on the first book in the series. I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters, which resulted in the romance coming across as forced and unnecessary. I don't think the relationship added to the plot, helped to develop the characters, or contributed substantially to the plot overall.

The mystery, by comparison, very much felt like it was put on the back-burner and shoved aside for the vast majority of the book. I was so intrigued by the mystery and was disappointed that it played such a minimal role in the plot. Instead, many of the plot points centered on gossip and drama, which I could've cared less about. While the premise was incredibly interesting, I wish it had been executed differently and with a different emphasis. I wanted to love this book, but it just didn't do it for me.

I couldnt get into this book maybe Ill try again another time.