You Only Love Twice
Bec McMaster
Publisher:Lochaber Press
Publication Date: August 14, 2018
Series or Standalone: London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #3
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble– Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

Ever since we met Gemma in Mission: Improper, I was dying to get to her book. She’s one of the few truly new characters introduced in this series and I loved her from the first time we met her. A former assassin, turned spy who can kick some serious butt? Sign me right up.

Before You Only Love Twice, we’ve gotten some glimpses of her past as she’s talked about a love she had before that didn’t end well. And by didn’t end well, I mean she ended up falling in love with an enemy spy, shot in the chest, falling into a frozen river, nearly dying and only surviving by being infected with the Craving Virus. 

If I had to sum up the romance in this book, it’s both a second-chance romance with a sprinkle of enemies to lovers in it. And it’s amazing. It was everything I wanted and more once I realized Obsidian, the dhampir that’s been part of the crew causing chaos in London, was going to be Gemma’s romantic lead, I was intrigued. We’d seen him save her once from an attack and despite him saying he hates her, he can’t seem to hurt her. 

Gemma and Obsidian have to be the two most complex characters to date in the London Steampunk and London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy series. I feel like I don’t want to go into too much detail because 1) it could be spoiler and 2) it was so fun to peal back the layers of them while reading. There is so much shared history and I loved how McMaster slowly revealed some of it through flashbacks to Gemma and Obsidian’s time in Russian five years ago. It added such an intriguing layer to the story and plot that we’ve not seen before. 

If I didn’t start this book at 1am, I would have surely read it all in one sitting. I’d love getting into the head of these two character who were both broken in their own ways and unable to trust each other for two very different, but very valid reasons. And even though Obsidian is supposed to want Gemma dead, I loved watching him fight against that condition. The chemistry between the two of them was off the charts and it’s clear, despite everything that happened since that fateful night five years ago, those feelings they had for each other are still there, even if they’ve been buried and suppressed.

Once again, the romance in this book feeds perfectly into the plot. Gemma and the Company of Rogues are trying to track down a notorious assassin called the Chameleon who they thought they had caught years ago. However, the Chameleon is loose and is this time targeting the Queen. I feel like I cannot say more about the plot without spoiling so many major story points. But let me just say, this one was a sucker punch to the gut in so many ways. I freaking loved where McMaster took the story – I both didn’t expect what was going to happen but it also felt like the only natural place the story could go. The fact that it wasn’t predictable but flowed so seamlessly is such a testament to McMaster writing and plotting skills. 

I had so many feelings while reading this book – and I mean that in the best way. The romance gave me heart achey feelings while the plot got my heart racing and the ending literally had me freaking out. It felt like the best sort of rollercoaster ride and it’s exactly what I love to feel while reading a book. 

I love when I can become so wrapped up and engaged in a book that the whole world falls away. You Only Love Twice was that book for me. I didn’t even realize I was at the end of the book until I saw I turned the page and realized it was over, I was that engrossed. AND THAT ENDING!!! Oh my god, I’m so glad all the books are published so I could immediately read the next one as I don’t know how I’d be able to wait if I was reading these while they were published. Kudos to anyone who survived that wait as it must have been killer. 

You Only Love Twice and the book directly after it, To Catch A Rogue, are my favorite two books of the series. I love the couple and the plots so much. The series plot is really in full swing with these two and the stakes have been raised. I’ll have my review up for To Catch A Rogue soon, but just know it’s on par with You Only Love Twice.

If I haven’t convinced you yet to read this series, I don’t know what else I can say besides you are missing out! I’d run around shoving these books into people’s hands if I could.