I’ve won one victory against my enemies, but it seems the barons are just getting started with their new, vicious schemes.

They’ll stop at nothing to expand their power. Any move I make to oppose them could have horrible consequences for both me and the guys I love.

My only hope is playing along until the right opportunity comes my way. There’s a chance I could sway my mother if I can earn her trust. She may be brutal when she feels she needs to be, but I’ve seen glimpses of a softer side underneath.

Can I walk the line between obedience and resistance without losing so much more than I already have?

Well, well, well. I have to say, this was a fast-paced adrenaline rush from start to finish. With one book left I’m not sure who neatly everything will be wrapped up or even if I will agree with the ending.

Our morally grey characters are heading towards white-grey characters.  Althea is centring herself on the pedestal of my hate. So many people and consequences came out of the woodwork here.

So, down to business. The Barons, the current adult barons – what kind of fuckery have they been raised in and how long has it been going on? The kind of parenting that would have seen child services removing children and parents being sentenced to time in prison. This ruthless, vicious, dog-eats-dog-world that the Barons are batshit crazy enough to believe should be the status-quo for the world is mindboggling in its absurdity!!!

Althea, Rory’s mum, is a vile human. I can’t tell whether her personality I’m reading about is a consequence of living in the chaotic mindfuck of being a Baron with power or whether she was just born as a ruthless bitch. She has no concept it seems, for what is the moral or right thing to do. People die in this book, and she doesn’t bat an eye. She shows no emotion. A blank canvas.

More credit to Rory, who decides to stick close to her mother to learn all about her and what her and the other Baron’s are doing. She may have almost lost her lunch once or twice, but she stuck on her mission to learn as much as possible.

I always knew that the current Barons was terrible people. That was one of the first premises set up in this series but aside from their interactions with Rory I don’t think I considered their wider implications as characters until her mum returned. I assumed they had their fair amount of evil genes and wouldn’t be easy to dethrone but I had assumed that the main outcome for the series was seeing Rory and the four scions at the pentacle of power. Now, I’m not so sure if that will be the end game.

I realise as I’m writing this that my hands are angrily stabbing the keyboard in irritation.

We have Connar back in this book, back as the sensitive but potentially easily angered scion we’ve known since the beginning of the series. Rory has obviously benefited from having him back. Theirs was the first bond to solidify and while she does trust all of the scions these two do share a deeper bond.

I did start to feel sorry for Declan in this book because all the other Barons essentially froze him out of all decision making. Which does seem to go against the rules of the barony but were ‘argued’ that they were able to get consent from his ‘stand in aunt’ and he was ‘conveniently’ out of reach when needed. Rude if you ask me! I think Declan has gotten a lot of flack through the series, the other Barons have never truly respected him, and he’s always felt a little on the outskirts with the other scions as he is older than them. I think in this book we got a chance to see the reward of his studious side come out and also see him more involved in the group spicy activities.

Jude gets a rough hand in this book though the consequence of what happens to him pushed Rory into an idea that benefits all of them. It causes some upheaval with the other Barons but in a bizarre, uncharacteristic move, her mother defends her in front of them. The aftermath of what happens to Jude leaves him feeling a tad useless and causes him to act in a rasher manner. It worries Rory and the other scions, but I think for Jude, he needed to prove to himself that he was worth more than just his power. And from a character perspective, it was needed.

Malcom uses his intimidating demeanour for good in this book. Never thought I’d say that. I do appreciate how far his character has changed, even if I don’t appreciate how quickly that change happened. He has always been a force to be reckoned with, but it is interesting seeing his choice affecting the bigger picture and how far he can take himself when not following the orders of others.

All four of the scions also realise the danger of what happens in this book, and it causes them to look away from themselves and to take a look at the family members that mean the most to them. Each one takes steps to ensure the safety of those they love and the fact that they all go about it in different ways shows the strength of their character development, personality, and individualism.

Rory is spearheading a one-woman war. Of course, she has her scions helping her, but she is fierce in this book. I knew she was, but to maintain a somewhat blank face as she stands beside her mother through everything that happens in this book – and that’s a lot – is remarkable. I’ve been wanting to bash her mother’s head in since the beginning. I enjoyed the development of Rory’s character in this book. It wasn’t obvious, reading it just felt like a natural shift, but Rory is becoming more of a strategist and planner than I would have ever given her credit for before. She is realising that not everyone has a brain that works the same way and instead of interacting with people the normal way she’s been doing thus far, she’s realising that certain people, like her mother for example, would respond better to certain words of phrases.

For example, if you’re an emotional person talking to a logical person, bringing the argument to them full of emotions is not going to allow them to understand your point of view or lead them to help you in any matter. You need to phrase what you want in a way that will appeal to their logical mind.

These Barons are CRAZY! I’ve watched enough films to know that their current objective will only end in disaster for them. But I get the appeal of the idea. We always fear the unknown and that is being played on heavily in the leadup to this final book.

I still don’t know what the final outcome will be. I can see it going many different ways, but I don’t feel strongly about one in particular. I’m hoping for a HEA. I’m expecting a big chaotic fight. I’m hoping for a removal of the current Baron’s and I’m crossing my fingers none of the main characters die.