In Wicked Hour Elisa and Connor are visiting Minnesota, primarily for the initiation of a pack/family member, but also because some fishy things have been happening there and Connor needs to investigate. This had lots of pluses:
- We're not in Chicago anymore, meaning we don't have all the old people, power structures and story lines hovering over Elisa and her friends/partners in crime. It really made a HUGE difference for my ability to get to know them and like them on their own.
- This is the most we've ever seen inside the shifter world, and it's more complex and fraught with politics than I thought. It's not vampire level, but it's a lot more than we've seen previously. I enjoyed getting in deep with them
- Connor and Elisa's relationship takes on a whole different dynamic - it's partly that they aren't just standing as the son of the Apex and the daughter of a Master Vampire, but as powers and leaders in their own right. It's also that Connor is sort of making a declaration about Elisa by bringing her along - a bold step and one that makes their relationship a lot deeper than I had expected at this point (based on where they were in the last book).
Overall, I really enjoyed the solid detective work - a standard of this and the Chicagoland Vampires series - as well as getting to know everyone better. I do feel like there's some repetition of the previous series potentially happening, but we'll see what direction it takes before I make judgement. And I will admit, I'm very curious about Elisa's "Beast" and what exactly that will become for her moving forward.
Suzanne Elise Freeman does a good job with the narration and I really like the way she has enhanced the personalities. I will definitely continue to listen to the series.