Blog Tour: Shimmer (The Rephaim #3) by Paula Weston

Today I am very excited to join in the blog tour for Paula Weston hosted by Tundra!

 

Shimmer (The Rephaim #3) by Paula Weston
Publisher: Tundra Books
Release Date: March 8th, 2016
Purchase: Amazon

Gaby thought her life couldn't get more complicated.

She's almost used to the idea that she's not the teenage backpacker she thought she was. She can just about cope with being one of the Rephaim--a 139-year-old half-angel--whose memories have been stolen. She's even coming to grips with the fact that Jude, the brother she's mourned for a year, didn't die at all.

But now Rafa--sexy, infuriating Rafa--is being held, and hurt, by Gatekeeper demons. And Gaby has to get the bitterly divided Rephaim to work together, or Rafa has no chance at all.

My Thoughts:
All of my previous reviews for this series have been singing praises from the roof tops and this review will be no different.  Paula Weston has created an absolutely amazing series that just gets better and better with each installment.  I don't know how she does it and I hope she continues to delight her readers for more years to come!

The first thing I have to say is that I love how Paula started the book with a quick prologue that recapped the previous two books.  It's not an in depth  recap, but if it's been awhile since you've read Shadows and Haze this will refresh your memory a bit.  I also really enjoyed the character list.  This really helped jog my memory and helped me keep the characters straight from previous books.  These two things were a huge bonus for me.

Okay so the story.  Man this story just gets better and better!!  Each book has added another layer to this tension filled story and Shimmer is no exception.  At one point in the story I was so tense and stressed that my whole body was shaking.  I have never had that happen before!  I had to make myself slow down because I knew if I kept reading at a fast pace I would miss a lot and this book needed to be savored.  Also as a fun side note there were times that I would have normally had to stop reading because I couldn't remember something, but with book I couldn't put it down long enough to look!  I had total faith in the author that she would answer my questions without my having to look anything up and she totally succeeded!  By the end of the book I felt like I had Shadows and Haze right in a row with Shimmer.   

In this third book the story did progress quite a bit, but still kept that "we still don't remember" story line. This would normally bother me, but I knew once Gaby and Jude remembered the story would be over and I really didn't want that to happen!  Instead of them remembering we get to see a lot of secrets revealed and I have to say again I loved how Paula set them all up.  I liked that we the reader got to know each secret, but the other Rephaim did not know them.  This was fun for me because I felt in the loop and sort of part of the group.  I also really liked that we are getting to see more and more history come out.  Jude starts asking more questions in this one and they all tie into Nathaniel and the Garrison.  I think there's a lot we don't know and I feel like this book really set things in motion for a more dramatic fourth and final book.  

The characters.  Man I just fell in love with each and every one of them.  Okay I'm not loving Daniel quite yet, but I have faith that Paula will make me love him by the end.  My three favorites of course are Rafa, Jude, and Gaby but all the Rephaim were amazing.  I have to talk about Jude though.  I love his character fiercely and I felt all the feels throughout this book for him.  He is just what a brother should be and I loved that he took care of Gaby and stood by her each and every time she needed him to.  He never wavered.  I can't lie though I am terrified to find out what happened in that last year because I don't want them to fight.  Gaby and Jude need each other and I will say that when that all comes out I will be reading with one eye open and might have to skip to the end to make sure they end up on the same page by the end of the book.  My heart can't take that tension I can promise you that.

Rafa oh Rafa.  He's was amazing as usual and I am crushing hard on him still!  We don't get to see a lot of him in the beginning because of events that happened in Haze, but it was a glorious moment when he returned.  I love how his rescue scene played out (MINOR SPOILER) and I'm glad the author let Gaby take the lead with this one.  I think that sealed their bond and I'm hoping that whatever went down between them can be fixed with this one action.  I know they have something huge between them and again I'm terrified to read what it is, but I have hope that all will be sunshine and rainbows in the end.  I am normally all about the shock value and bows being undone at the end of a story, but not this time.  I want puppies, rainbows, kisses, and freaking sunshine people!!!  I want everyone to live and I want everyone to get along.  I haven't felt this strongly since Harry Potter so that should tell you something!!

I could go on and on about this series.  I was honestly in a book slump before I read this, but Paula is amazing and I just couldn't pass up her blog tour.  Well Shimmer has done what no other book has been able to do and has officially ended my slump!  Thank you Paula for writing such an amazing story!  I will forgive you for that evil cliffhanger only because I know the next book Burn will be in my hands soon.  If I had to wait a year I might have to put you in the corner!!  I'm terrified, but I can't wait to read Burn and I have a feeling after I finish this series I will dive right back in and re-read them.  They are that good!

Blizzard Read!!