Homecoming by Cecilia Robert
Genre: Steampunk Paranormal Romance
Series: Cloaked Devices 0.5
Publication Date: October 25th 2013
ISBN: 1411230626050
Page Count: 121
Rating: ★★★
Review Copy: ARC
Reviewed by: Lynsey
Synopsis: **Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.

Five years ago, twenty-three-year-old panther shifter Sera Czedar left her home and her newly mated groom in a humiliating position after a mating ceremony gone wrong. She built a new life for herself in Varselles, the City of Outcasts where shifters exiled from their clans in the Seven Kingdoms can go for sanctuary.

Five years ago, panther shifter Levian Grayson was abandoned on the bonding bed by his bride, Sera. After years of tracking her, he arrives in Varselles, intent on staking his claim on her once and for all, even if it means hauling her over his shoulder just to make sure that happens.

Sera has always known her homecoming would eventually catch up with her one day. The one thing she can’t bear to do is hurt Levian, which will happen as soon as he finds out the reason she left him. Is she ready to take that path? Most of all, will Levian still want her when the truth comes out?

REVIEW

Home For Keeps

You know, novellas are tricky things. They always leave me unsure how to rate them since they're too short to ever really blow me away with their amazing worldbuilding or character development. The only time they succeed in that way are when they're mid series in an already established world. What they are good for as prequels, however, is getting a sense of an author's writing style. And in this, HOMECOMING was a win. I enjoyed the style and the emotion she managed to draw from me in such a short time. But the actual story itself left me feeling frustrated.

Firstly, there was the off-the-charts sexual tension that never came to full fruition, if you know what I mean? *nudge, nudge, wink, wink* That was such a tease! And also the ending, if that is the end for this particular couple, was rushed and unsatisfying.

But what about that sexual tension, eh? If allowed the time to be explored properly in a full-length novel, and with all the other wonderful steampunk and paranormal elements to be found, it could really turn out be something special. So I suppose you could say I'm slightly conflicted over HOMECOMING and unsure if I'm going to carry on with it or not. If the ending had been better, more HEAified, I might be more eager to move on to couple number two. But as it is... The jury's still out, I'm afraid. I'll probably watch for others' reactions to book two; let them be my litmus paper and take it from there, because I do see potential, I'm just not sure it was enough to add the series to my already teetering TBR pile.

An uncertain 3 Stars ★★★

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.