The Redemption Saga by Kristen Banet

 

I just read the Redemption Saga by Kristen Banet. It was so fucking good. I wasn’t looking for PNR when I picked it up. I asked for recs where the MC is an assassin. Someone gave me this series. I didn’t specify I wasn’t looking to step out of reality. Nevertheless, I loved this series to pieces.

It’s not so heavy on the PNR that you spend a whole book on just world building. The Magi are out of the closet a la True Blood style. The exist alongside humans and all is pretty “normal” more or less. Sure, Elijah can make fire from nothing, but he also watched a lover die and is scared to enter another relationship so he covers it up with humor. And Vincent has an animal bond with a grumpy crow, but he is also trying his damnedest to make a name for himself in Magi law enforcement to separate himself from his crime loving family.

They all live in the same world as you and me, just with some extra abilities.

The plot is solid. Things move in the books. There is internal monologue from Sawyer, but not too much. The POVs change and it works. I liked seeing into everyone’s heads. It’s a slow burn. There’s no other way the romance could’ve developed within the context of the story. This isn’t love or lust at first sight. It’s trust building over time.

There’s action. Shit gets blown up. We go deep in the Amazon, engage in a few different high speed car chases, watch our MC beat the shit out of people. There are also broken people that help put each other back together. Trust goes from a liability, to a luxury, to a necessity. It’s beautiful.

 

Bridgerton

I don't like period pieces. The gowns are obnoxious and look ridiculously uncomfortable. The men get to have all the fun while women starve so they can fit into overly tight undergarments. The wigs and formalities and general bleh of it all tend to make it a genre I avoid in books and on screen. 

My one off has been female pirate captains where most of the story happens on the ship and  the "graces of society" are chucked. This is something I usually only find in books. Who doesn't love a lady pirate captain? Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin. Hello? 

I digress as this post is about Bridgerton. I never thought I'd be on the Bridgerton bandwagon. It wasn't that I was against it. I just thought it wasn't my cup of tea. The wigs, balls, waltzes, and formalities. The Queens, Dukes, Viscounts, Lords, and Ladies. It's all just too much. 

So how did I end up devouring it? Laziness. I use my phone as my Roku remote because I don't want to pay for a new one. My show had ended (Firefly Lane--very good FYI) and the "next up" box appeared. Time started ticking. My phone was across the room charging and I had candy still left in my Sour Patch Watermelon bag. So, I let the TV roll into Bridgerton while I finished the gummy candy I didn't need to be eating at 8pm. 

Let's have a keep it real moment. Sex sells. I saw sex in episode one, and not lame sex. Netflix sex--the sex we've all come to know and love because it pushes the line of what we typically deem acceptable for TV. Of course, I kept on watching. 

Enter the Duke of Hastings. He's hot as fuck. Totally my type. And that raised eyebrow... I was hooked. Last night I stayed up past bedtime to see him and Daphne get their happy ending and I saw lots of sex in the process. 

Bridgerton has debauchery that seemed plausible. Idk what life was like back then, but I think there was likely sex clubs, coke snorting queens, bloody boxing matches, and sex in places where you just might get caught. I'm sure there was weed and homosexuality and a man's face buried between a woman's legs. Catty bitches and douchey brothers must've existed back then. It all seemed so believable. Or, at least, it's what I wanted to believe. 

To top it all off, there was a solid story that moved forward with every episode. No filler or slow burn scenes. Shit moved, which is important to keep my interest. 

I was damn impressed with this show. Now can I get more Regé-Jean Page, please?