Important things you need to know about the book:
Pace: The pace of Maternal Instincts is fast-paced.
POV: Maternal Instincts are told from Paige’s (and sometimes Ryle’s) 1st person POV.
Series: Maternal Instincts is the 3rd book in the Paige Hanson series.
Trigger/Content Warning: Maternal Instincts have trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:
- Child Abuse
- Abandonment
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Dead Bodies
- Medical Expermintentation
- Medical Procedures
- Needles
- Pandemic
- Death of a parent
- Death of a spouse
- Death of a friend
- Grief
- Captivity & Confinement
- Gun Violence
- Murder & Attempted Murder
- Conscription
Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in Maternal Instincts.
Language: There is moderate swearing in Maternal Instincts.
Setting: Maternal Instincts is set on Earth 2.
Age Range: I recommend Maternal Instincts to anyone over 21.
Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):
After two years on the run, Paige is tired. She is tired of being a wanted criminal, and she is even more tired of being separated from her son. All she wants is to stay in one place long enough to find a cure for the pandemic ravaging the planet. But things change when her latest safe house is leaked to the government, and she is forced to run. Taken captive by the people hiding her, Paige is given the opportunity to create a cure. But with the government and her mother’s people closing in on her, will Paige be able to generate the cure? Or will everything that Paige went through be for nothing?
Main Characters
- Paige Hanson: I liked that the author had Paige show another facet of her character. The author showed her as a flawed person deeply affected by her upbringing. This had been hinted at in the first two books, and the author showcased it here. She was also traumatized by what happened at the end of Body Count, and that trauma contributed to all of her decisions in Maternal Instincts (including how she went about getting the cure).
My review:
I had been looking forward to reading Maternal Instincts. I wanted to see where this book would take Paige and how everything would end up. I wasn’t let down. Maternal Instincts were everything that I thought it would be and then some.
Starting two years after the events of Body Count, the author doesn’t waste any time throwing Paige into the thick of things. The author also occasionally takes a break from Paige and switches to Ryle’s POV. What she revealed there was exciting and made me wonder if there was another series in the work. But, the focus of the book was kept on Paige.
The mystery/thriller angle of the book was well written. I liked that I couldn’t figure out Paige’s endgame, and the author kept me guessing.
The end of Maternal Instincts was eye-opening and heartbreaking. I can’t say much more than that. There were two deaths that I didn’t see coming. Both were shocking, but both were warranted. I also wish Paige could have gotten the happy ending that she deserved.
Many thanks to S.M. Thomas for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Maternal Instincts. All opinions stated in this review are mine.