When I tell you I was not prepared for this, I was not prepared for this AT ALL. After reading Flock and being terribly disappointed about its mediocrity, I came into Exodus with hardly any expectations. This book… This book right here is WAY better than the first one. I don’t even feel like this is the same story, the same author, because it’s just that much better.  So, how do I review this book without spoilers? Well, I’ll review it and talk about development and characters and all the good stuff, but I WILL be talking about the spoilers, but I’ll also give you a warning before I do. 

The first thing I did before starting to write this review was to reread my review for Flock. I really didn’t like that book all that much, but a lot changed from it to Exodus. The men are still VERY toxic. The smut is still very hot. So, what changed? We finally got a plot!! And we FINALLY learned some deep dark secrets. 

With the characters, you’re introduced to The Frenchman in the very beginning of the novel. Big surprise here (not really), but he’s Dom and Sean’s brother. He’s even MORE toxic than the other two, but somehow… I like him way more? That sounds odd to say but he felt like he was toxic with a purpose, not just evil for the sake of being evil. He does some pretty bad things that you could say should make Cecelia never speak with him again, but because of what she went through with Dom and Sean in the first book, she’s ready to finally fight back. Between this bad guy and this pissed off version of Cecelia, it makes for a very fun read. You still get to see Dom and Sean, just not as much. 

Also, one thing to keep in mind with this novel is that there are a LOT of time jumps. So much happens in this book and I really can’t go into much without spoiling it. Just know that it is so much better than the first book. And there’s so much more in terms of plot than just romance (which is always a plus for me). This book has romance, action, violence (but not the kind that needs a trigger warning), and so much heartbreak and drama.

Spoilers ahead.

As far as Tobias (AKA The Frenchman) goes, I really really liked him and his romance with Cecelia way more than Sean and Dom. It felt like more of an adult relationship (even though it was still toxic AF). I was actually dreading when Dom and Sean would come back because it would ruin the perfect bubble that Tobias and Cecelia had. 

THEN Dom goes and dies. That was super heartbreaking, but honestly the scene right before where Cecelia thought Dom would kill her really shattered my heart even more. 

Then after THAT, there’s a time jump and everything after was more or less Tobias and Cecelia in a pissing contest over who is over who, and then who loves who. It was a bit much, but it was still entertaining. The only thing that kind of makes me roll my eyes a bit is how every man that Cecelia encounters is seemingly in love with her. 

Also, I totally called the whole Roman subplot. I knew he wasn’t the bad guy from the start because he never fought Cecelia on anything really. Just sighed, resigned, and moved on. 

Overall, I seriously enjoyed this book. I couldn’t wait to keep reading and loved Cecelia’s romance in this book. Other people weren’t lying when they said Flock is only a stepping stone to something greater. While I’m not sure if I’ll enjoy The Finish Line since not a lot of it is new material (just a change in POV), I’m still going to read it because this one was that good. 5/5 stars for sure, no questions asked. 

Source: Audiobook from Audible

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Everand, which gives you three free audiobooks or ebooks of your choice!)