Dark Around the Edges Find Me by Cari Z.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Endings are so sad. It’s tough to get to the final chapter in a serial and know it’s over. At least Cambion ends with a bang and hopefully a glimpse into the future of the series. This installment is action packed and well written, as I’ve come to expect from this series. However, once all put together I wonder if the story would really hold up in one reading. I worry that the characterizations are sacrificed episode after episode in favor of action. Not a bad concept to entice readers each month, but I’m not sold on the main characters. Oh I love them make no mistake, but I’m not sure they’re fully fleshed out. That said, it doesn’t take away too much enjoyment from this fun and highly entertaining urban fantasy series. It’s an easy one to recommend.
This final installment has Rio speeding to save Devon from his crazed demon maker before the demon invades Devon’s body. He’s sadly not in time and must battle the demon inside Devon without harming Devon or his body and the few other demons there to make the fight more interesting. Calling upon his divine power may not be a move Rio wants to make.
To start with the final showdown between Cressidus and Rio is filled with action and pretty well done. I was sucked in once again from the start and wanted to see what would happen. I mean it’s easy to figure out the ending but I was curious how it would go down. I liked the choreography of the fight and how it finally ended. I was impressed with the consequences both Rio and Devon had to deal with and that made me like them that much more.
I hit a bit of a hurdle when they had sex immediately after Devon woke. Considering the extent of injuries on both sides I thought this scene was ridiculous and unnecessary. Since Devon is a cambion I would have respected their emotional declarations more if they didn’t actually have sex for once. Choosing to do the smarter thing physically and recover while letting their emotions speak would have been a higher impact scene for me. I didn’t think it was reasonable to expect them to have sex so soon, or even want it, so that dimmed my enjoyment of this finale.
After that I did like where the series was ending this time and the potential for the future. Clearly there’s more these two have to do and I like that they’re finally a united front. I love the twist with Steven and want to know where it goes. I have to say this series has offered some incredible cliff hangers. More please!
A note about the included free story – I loved it. Every bit of it. Anyone who wants to read this series should definitely get the season’s pass. You won’t want to miss the extras.
Overall I’d give this series 4 stars and recommend it. It’s one I would read again.
three am 
I read this as a whole, didn’t know it was a serial. Great review!
I really enjoyed it and loved the characters. My take for them is that sex for these two is a communication tool. I don’t believe they can separate the physical love from the emotional love, especially for Devon as it is his nature. He is a seductive being and physicality is part of it. When he lost his ability to touch in the previous book, it was shattering for him. It forced him and Rio to really communicate for the first time as sex was all they had previously. The minute he could touch again, they went at it 🙂 I think it’s part and parcel for them to express themselves to each other through sex.
You’re definitely right about the sex being an important communication tool. I just wonder how special it is between them given Devon’s nature. He has sex with a lot of people so how is sex with Rio necessarily special or something more meaningful? I mean I know it is because they love each other but that’s where I thought maybe actually NOT having sex would show more of an impact since it’s sex that Devon has all the time.
Since you read this as a whole – I’m really curious about your thoughts. Did it read like a full, complete novel to you? Did the characters feel complete?
The characters and story did feel complete, I didn’t feel as if anything was missing or that they didn’t seem like 3D characters. I think the author did a great job in teasing their backstory so there was great interest in reading further and the action was well paced. I actually read the book in 1 day, so it was a fast read for me.
I think the intent behind the sex is different and what is sexually done by Devon is the differentiation. That scene when he was on the “mission” with Steven and then went back to the hotel and saw Rio… I think that the level of intimacy is what makes what he has with Rio different.
It’s good to see a different perspective, as I didn’t feel one way or another about that scene. It’ll be interesting to see how I feel on a re-read.