Another Together (A Next Together short story) (The Next Together)

by Lauren James

[Nessa Luna]

In honour of the upcoming release of her new book The Last Beginning, Lauren James has released a novella telling the story of Matthew and Kitty, who in 1940 have to solve the murder of one of their colleagues. I personally didn't love The Next Together all too much, but I was curious for this novella, mainly because it takes place during the Second World War, which is a historical event I enjoy reading about. When I saw it was available for free on Amazon, I immediately got it on my Kindle app and read it.

Another Together is very short, but also very thrilling, as we meet Matthew and Kitty a couple of minutes before they find a body frozen in the lake. The body is that of another codebreaker, and the two are desperate to find out what really happened with him. In the span of a couple of days, the duo go out on a mission to find the killer before he can strike again.

The main thing I didn't really like about the previous book was that it was so high on romance, which I guess it a bit of a problem because that is what it's all about in this story. Matthew and Katherine keep meeting each other in different centuries, and they are destined to fall in love with each other over again. This novella, however, wasn't too romantic, the two were more busy trying to solve a murder rather than getting into each other's pants (or skirts).

I really liked the setting, because like I said I am always very interested in stories that take place during the Second World War; and I loved reading about the codebreakers and the Wren's (I really do want to read more books about them, any suggestions?). Personally I would have enjoyed The Next Together more if these two had been in there as one of the historical couples instead of the ones that were in the book, but that is just me.

What I didn't like about this book was that it was so short! And the part where Anise was mentioned, and Matthew said she looked familiar. Now it has been a while since I've read the previous book, so I may have just missed something, but that bothered me a bit? Honestly I was at around 60-ish percent, and that is where the story already ended. The rest were all chapters from the main books, which was such a shame! However, this novella has made me want to pick up the next book, so I guess that's a good thing (I hadn't added it to my TBR after finishing the first book, but now I have).

So yeah, Another Together was a nice addition to the story, but I do really wish it had been longer. I am curious for the upcoming (and final?) book in this series though, so I guess I'll be picking it up when it comes out in October!

My opinion in one gif: