Book Review: Cassius
Book details
About the story
Paranormal MF romance: Cassius lost his mate and is drowning in guilt and grief, struggling to move on, while the heroine who sees past the blood on his hands keeps longing for him.
Mood
Emotional & Angsty
World setting
Genres
Plot pacing
Slow-paced plot
Relationship tropes
Story tropes
Single father
Ending type
HFN (Happy for Now)
Content warnings
Graphic sexual content, Grief, Mentions of rape
About the series
Cassius is book #3 of the Wildflower series
Nop! Please read the previous books first. You’ll be lost otherwise or miss important plot details—start at book #1.
Book Blurb
Cassius Denver Valentine lost his mate…
Now he thinks he’s a monster. I just think he’s broken.
There’s old blood on his hands and despite his efforts, it sticks to him like a second skin. I see the blood, but more so… I see him. And for some reason, he doesn’t hide from me.
I want to wash the blood from his hands. I want to kiss his scraped-up knuckles. I want to tell him that he doesn’t have to keep suffering.
He’s already bled enough.
Problem is, when you love someone so fiercely, you also run the risk of being burned to ashes.
Cassius Denver Valentine lost his mate…
Now he thinks he’s a monster. I just think he’s broken.
There’s old blood on his hands and despite his efforts, it sticks to him like a second skin. I see the blood, but more so… I see him. And for some reason, he doesn’t hide from me.
I want to wash the blood from his hands. I want to kiss his scraped-up knuckles. I want to tell him that he doesn’t have to keep suffering.
He’s already bled enough.
Problem is, when you love someone so fiercely, you also run the risk of being burned to ashes.
Rating & review
My review
I finally read Cassius, the third and last book in the Wildflower trilogy. And let me tell you, I don’t want to be mean, I don’t want to be mean, but I’m just so disappointed. It was a good book, I guess. But in comparison with the first two, it just wasn’t. The first two books are heart-wrenching and beautiful, kind of sad but intense. The story overall is so amazing that this one just felt less.
The story
The thing with this trilogy is that the first two books follow the same storyline and the same couple. This third book follows the story of a side character. We know from the first two books that Cassius must be very sad after everything that happened to him, and here we see him struggling with all of it, struggling to move on. On the other hand, we see the heroine slowly falling for Cassius, though I’d say it’s more longing than falling in love. If you want the vibes, think sad vibes, wistful vibes, and not a lot of resolution. And to me, that’s just so annoying.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it on its own, without any context from the first two, but I don’t recommend actually doing that. This series needs to be read in order. Honestly, I don’t really get the point of this book. We get some glimpses into the couple from the first two books, which is always nice, but that could have been fixed with a better ending on book two. I don’t feel like I needed to know Cassius’s story. It didn’t really add anything to the trilogy. Even just reading the ending, I was like, why did I need to read this?
Final thoughts
The truth is, just from the Goodreads reviews, most people love this book. 44% give it five stars and 25% four stars, so I’m just in the minority, I guess. If you liked the first two books, you may like this one. It just wasn’t the case for me. Go into it with way lower expectations. And don’t read this expecting spice or romance. But if you like reading about a protagonist dealing with his grief and his suffering and how to move on, this could be a good book for you. Read at your own risk.
I finally read Cassius, the third and last book in the Wildflower trilogy. And let me tell you, I don’t want to be mean, I don’t want to be mean, but I’m just so disappointed. It was a good book, I guess. But in comparison with the first two, it just wasn’t. The first two books are heart-wrenching and beautiful, kind of sad but intense. The story overall is so amazing that this one just felt less.
The story
The thing with this trilogy is that the first two books follow the same storyline and the same couple. This third book follows the story of a side character. We know from the first two books that Cassius must be very sad after everything that happened to him, and here we see him struggling with all of it, struggling to move on. On the other hand, we see the heroine slowly falling for Cassius, though I’d say it’s more longing than falling in love. If you want the vibes, think sad vibes, wistful vibes, and not a lot of resolution. And to me, that’s just so annoying.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it on its own, without any context from the first two, but I don’t recommend actually doing that. This series needs to be read in order. Honestly, I don’t really get the point of this book. We get some glimpses into the couple from the first two books, which is always nice, but that could have been fixed with a better ending on book two. I don’t feel like I needed to know Cassius’s story. It didn’t really add anything to the trilogy. Even just reading the ending, I was like, why did I need to read this?
Final thoughts
The truth is, just from the Goodreads reviews, most people love this book. 44% give it five stars and 25% four stars, so I’m just in the minority, I guess. If you liked the first two books, you may like this one. It just wasn’t the case for me. Go into it with way lower expectations. And don’t read this expecting spice or romance. But if you like reading about a protagonist dealing with his grief and his suffering and how to move on, this could be a good book for you. Read at your own risk.
Character & romance details
About the romance
3
Slow burn
MF
Story tropes
Single father
Relationship tropes
About the female lead
Ocupation
None
Virgin protagonist?
No
About the love interest
Ocupation
Artist / Photographer, Works for the pack
Virgin love interest?
No
Who will love this book
Cassius is perfect for readers who enjoy:
• Stories centered on a protagonist dealing with grief and learning to move on
• Sad, wistful vibes with a lot of longing
Books similar to Cassius
- Ooops, no similar books have been added to the blog yet!
Oh hey! I’m Becky, book hugger and the one-woman team behind RBM. I hope my reviews help you find a story you’ll love.