For Fans of the Series, Liam is Growing Up

                                   Liam Takes Manhattan by Thea Harrison

                                   My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

“Everything felt at once too big and yet too restrictive  His chest constricted, and he couldn’t breathe as the wide, wild world crushed down on him.”

FINAL DECISION: This short story satisfies fans because we get to know more about the fascinating young man that Liam is becoming.  This novella focuses on Liam trying to figure of what to do as a young man in unique circumstances.  Cute, sweet and revealing about his character.

THE STORY: Liam is at an awkward phase.  The events in SHADOW’S END have left the young man feeling rebellious, confined and aimless.  He doesn’t know what to do with himself and has begun to feel the constriction of his loving family.  It is Christmas and his parents offer him something he has wanted for a while, but he is struggling with himself.

OPINION: This short story focuses on a moment of crisis for Liam.  Having too quickly grown into a young man, Liam is at the same crossroads that young people face — purpose in life.  I especially liked being given this glimpse into his life.  A fan of the series can expect that Liam will have an incredible story of his own one day and I appreciated being given insight into his evolving character.

Well written, sweet and moving the overarching story forward, this little gem of a novella will please fans of the Elder Races and provides a worthy coda to the events of SHADOW’S END.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is not a romance but rather part of the coming of age story for the amazing character of Liam.

CONNECTED BOOKS: LIAM TAKES MANHATTAN is book 9.5 of the Elder Races series.  It should be read after book 9 SHADOW’S END because it contains serious spoilers about that book.  It is also third of a trilogy of short novellas about the Cuelebre familly.  While readers don’t have to read the entire Elder Races series to enjoy this book, it would be better to at least read the prior books of the trilogy DRAGOS GOES TO WASHINGTON and PIA DOES HOLLYWOOD.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.