Review: Imagines by N.R. Walker (Imago #2)

Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

And when we were done, Jack took my hand and led me back to bed. I was sleepy, not in an unwell-exhausted way, but in a warm and happy way. Jack lay me out on the bed and showed me every way that he adored me, and I'd almost felt foolish for needing his reaffirmation of how I belonged to him earlier. He made those butterflies in my belly take flight and dance on every nerve ending; he made my heart morph into something that would belong to him always.

And I'd never doubt again.

Oh. Wow. Just when I thought N.R. Walker couldn't surpass the beautiful love story she gave us with Imago, she goes and does exactly that with the sequel, Imagines. It was inevitable that I fell in total adoration for Jack Brighton and Lawson Gale in book one, but here, I've transitioned into absolute devotion for this winsome and swoon-worthy couple. Jack and Lawson are six months into their relationship and everything seems headed towards the happily-ever-after that they both want. They're busy with work--Jack with the national park in Tasmania and Lawson with his work with the Tillman Copper butterfly species he discovered--so some time away sounds perfect.

A few days to simply be boyfriends sounds like a good idea, but then Lawson's expertise is requested in Queensland due to the sharp decline in the population of the papilio ulysses or Ulysses butterfly. The couple decide to make it a working trip with Lawson making sure to still spend time relaxing with Jack. When Lawson is offered a permanent position in Queensland, he's understandably torn. Given a choice, his heart and his home are with Jack, but will his conscience be able to take his turning his back on the Ulysses butterfly, a species that could very well simply die off? It may take one harrowing incident for these two to move in the best possible direction...

Let me start at the end because seriously, I was all teary-eyed by the time I got to the happily-ever-after part of this book. And yes, if some readers felt book one was more happy-for-now, trust me when I tell you that this was as happy an ever after as I could have ever wished for. Imagines had the best EVER ending in any recent (I'm talking the last five years) love story that I have read. I wasn't expecting to get weepy, so I had to quickly search for my box of tissues because gah! N.R. Walker didn't make this some overly protracted happy ending. Jack and Lawson were forced to consider certain possibilities that would have left one or both of them--and me, as well--brokenhearted.

I love how this wasn't just a love story between two men, but was also a story about the love these men had for their work. They were advocates for their chosen fields, both passionate about protecting the environment and the living creatures that reside in it. I applaud the efforts of an author who is able to give their stories that something extra that makes them stand out and gives us something worthwhile to think about. I have yet to find one book of N.R. Walker's that I've read that I haven't gushed over, but then her books deserve the adulation and adoration they receive. That extra POV and the surprise tidbit at the end? Total fangirl moment. Five-plus stars for Imagines. ♥

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Read my reviews for the Imago series:

Imago (book one) - five-plus stars - My Review

Imagines (book two) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 10 April 2017

Date Read: 09 April 2017

Learn more about N.R. Walker.

Purchase Imagines on Amazon.