Review: Hidden by Claire Cullen
SYNOPSIS:
Harlan turned his back on the siren world a long time ago.
Resigned to living an ordinary life, Harlan settles in the human world. And then his new assistant arrives. Smart, efficient, gorgeous… and a werewolf. Keeping Sam on is a risk Harlan can’t take. If he discovers what Harlan is, they’ll be in for a world of trouble.
Sam always wanted a knight in shining armor but he has a secret that can’t be told.
As an omega, Sam learned long ago not to draw attention to himself, but even that doesn’t save him when he catches the eye of the Alpha Prime. Knowing he has to keep the truth about his origins secret, he runs from the mating his pack has planned for him. He enjoys the chance to finally be himself, especially when that means flirting with his handsome boss, Harlan. Until his pack tracks him down, with deadly consequences.
Harlan’s armor does shine… but only when wet.
Harlan knows he should leave the business of wolves to the wolves but he can’t stand by and watch them drag Sam away. But now that Sam knows he isn’t human, Harlan has only one option: to bring Sam home, to the Cove.
The truth will bring them together.
Sam finds himself thrown into a new pack, his secret on the verge of being discovered. If they figure out the truth, he’s certain they’ll kill him. But then, these aren’t ordinary wolves and the Cove is no ordinary place. And Harlan, well, Sam just can’t take his eyes off him.
REVIEW:
Alright now this is the second Claire Cullen’s book I have read and I don’t know if it’s this series or her writing style but this story fizzled out for me. I was pretty excited and intrigued, both by Harlan and by the ongoing issues surround the Alpha Prime, but this book followed a similar path of the first book. The romance was lukewarm at best and there weren’t really any new developments with the Alpha Prime drama.
The romance between Harlan and Sam didn’t work for me at all. Sam was running hot and cold throughout the whole story. Were these two instantly attracted to each other, yes. But once Harlan saves Sam, everything about their relationship burns out for me. The charming, flirty banter dies and in its place is Sam having an identity crisis and Harlan being a hard-*ss. They had so much potential but much like the first book, they lacked any depth or substance. Their relationship was very one dimensional and while they did have a few cute moments, they were all washed away as soon as Sam decided to go icy again or Harlan decided to go into alpha mode.
In terms of the plot, yes there are a few dangers but overall, there was really no development in terms of what was going on with the Alpha Prime. Other than the Alpha Prime now recognizing that he can’t defeat these ‘other’ shifters, there are really no new developments. Sam brings forth information that other sirens exist, but we already knew that…there was no way that Jonah, Theo, and Harlan were the last three in the world.
Moral of the story is I need more substance and emotions to my story. So I don’t think I will be continuing on with the next three books because there just doesn’t seem to be enough plot lines surrounding the Alpha Prime to carry out three more full-length novels but also I just can’t read these bland couples anymore.
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