Review: Dark Harmony by Laura Thalassa!

Hey ho readers! Look at all the posts I’m getting to in one week *insert excited dancing*. I’ve finally had more time to dedicate to reading and I’m so excited to get back into the swing of reviewing and blogging! Today I’m bringing you a review for Dark Harmony by Laura Thalassa. This is book #3 in The Bargainer series and is also the last installment for these characters. Ending a series is always bitter sweet – there’s the excitement of getting all of your questions answered and the sadness of having to say goodbye to characters you love.

Dark Harmony by Laura Thalassa

Initial Thoughts: 

I’m going to start this one with a caveat: while this series as a whole is fantastic, the third installment of the series left me wanting more from the plot and less of the romance.

Dark Harmony is the final installment of Callie and Des’s long, sordid story and while it did leave me wanting a bit more it was an absolute knock out. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again: ending a story is way harder than starting one. Thalassa did a superb job of tying up all of the lose ends we had at the end of the second novel. While I felt the ending was a tad too neat it didn’t leave any gaping plot holes or unanswered questions.

Secrets are meant for one soul to keep.

The Bargainer series follows the story of Callie and Des. The first installment following Callie’s present day life and flashing back to her teenage years when her and the elusive Bargainer first began their friendship. After spending 7 years apart due to an unknowable choice Callie makes, things get saucy pretty quickly when Des barges right back into her life like a freight train. The Bargainer has sought out Callie’s PI skills to help solve the mystery of sinister happenings in the Otherworld. Female Fae soldiers are showing up in glass caskets, not dead but not alive with children in their arms.

Resurrected kings, possessed soldiers, and a body-snatching Thief. It sounds nonsensical.

For years these soldiers sleep, unable to be woken. In the second installment of the series the mystery continues as Des and Callie grow closer and their love grows deeper they desperately search for The Thief of Souls – the elusive villain putting these soldiers into a seemingly eternal slumber. That brings us to Dark Harmony, in this final installment we’re given the conclusion to the question of who The Thief of Souls is, what they want and how they got to where we are now. Past that, we’re given the conclusion to Callie and Des’s sweeping love story and it’s swoon worthy to say the least.

Life flushes through his face, brightening his features, and I’m sure the world has no use for suns with a smile as bright as his.

This had all of the elements I was looking for so I was surprised to find myself hoping for just a bit more. I’ll admit that it may be me and not the novel because I’ve switched up so much of what I’ve been reading recently and this falls outside of that. However, the first and second novel in this series absolutely blew my socks of and Des is probably the most heart-stopping male romance lead I’ve ever read. The romance between him and Callie is enough to turn anyone’s pupils into hearts.

While this didn’t have any shortage of romance I feel as though Thalassa got a little too caught up in the romance and the plot suffered for it. While I’ve never felt Thalassa’s books were overtly formulaic this one played out exactly as I would’ve expected. There really weren’t any moments where I thought to myself “well, I didn’t see that coming” but rather that everything played out in a fairly predictable way. While the romance is what initially drew me to this series the plot is what kept me riveted in the first two novels. In Dark Harmony I found myself more often than not feeling like the sex scenes were frivolous and taking up pages I would’ve rather been devoted to plot and secondary character development.

However, despite a few hang ups this is an incredibly fun series and I highly suggest anyone with an interest in fantasy or romance to pick it up. It’s a quick and easy read and an absolute page turner! There is a lot of humor and wit thrown in there and I found myself laughing out loud pretty regularly throughout all 3 installments. All of the characters here are genuinely likable and good people. They are layered and complicated and while I did wish for some more development into side-characters Thalassa has incredible skill in her craft!

Long Story Short: 

Not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

Suggested for: Anyone who enjoys fantasy or a great romance series!

Music Mood: Sons and Daughters by Allman Brown

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What are some great books or series you’ve not been ready to let go of when the author releases the last book? Have you read anything by Laura Thalassa? Drop me a note in the comments and let me know!