What a great conclusion to a marvelous must read series! Starling picks up right where Belladonna left out and from then on it just keeps going. Page after page, there is excitement, death, romance, conspiracy, murder...absolutely everything you could ever desire, all wrapped inside this wonderful novel. I really loved Cass in this; she truly came into her own, and even though Luca & Falco were in her mind, she kept focused and was on a mission. She was totally ready to stab someone if she needed to...it was sweet! Fiona Paul I applaud you and you your magnificent work. Props to Paul for making this series more than just another bad boy romance. It was very mature of Cass to choose Luca over Falco, and I for one am glad that she did. Falco's character was rather flat; there was much more depth to Luca's love and pain than Falco's desire to sleep with Cass. I'm glad Cass figured that out, even if it took two and a half books to get there. I also admire Paul for not just killing one of the boys off to make Cass's choice simple and inevitable. Cass made her decision based on her own growing sense of independence, not because she was left with only one man standing. The theme of faith and the Church continued into this third novel. I liked Cass's nuanced understanding of her faith by the end of the novel. Falco lived his truth about religion so that he could cope with his past, and Cass lived her truth with faith feeding her support and strength. The respectability that Cass warranted the courtesans in the novel surprised me. These women sell their bodies to men, many of whom are married. Cass's aunt Agnese and her former handmaid Feliciana both dally in the profession. Like the focus on vampires in the second book of this series, society's treatment of the courtesans lent interest to the plot. The courtesans of Cass's day received more respect than I had previously assumed.I am only giving the novel 3 stars because I feel like the action of the plot moved a little disjointedly. I agree with Feliciana that Cass got everything she wanted despite the improbability of success. How many times does Cass escape danger with nary a scratch? All of her escapades went off a little too perfectly.
What do You think about Starling (2014)?
Real rating 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this ending but it doesn't quite deserve the full 4 stars.
—savejais
3.85 Good finish to the triology. was torn between Falco and Luca though
—jess24
