A Strange Hymn by Laura Thalassa

Book two in the darkly hypnotic Bargainer series! All your debts must be repaid... Siren and soulmate to the King of Night, Callypso Lillis survived the clutches of Karnon, the mad king, and his twisted prison. But the nightmare isn't over. Callie wears the physical reminders of her time as a captive, and mounting evidence suggests the Thief of Souls is still out there. When a fae celebration thrusts Callie and her mate, Desmond Flynn, into the Kingdom of Flora, they take their investigation with them. But under the bright lights and striking blooms of the realm, they find there are more immediate issues to deal with. No place is more uniquely savage than the great fae halls, and no amount of bargains can save Callie from royal intrigues. Fairies play dangerous games. Some want love, some want vengeance, some want flesh, and some want things too unspeakable to utter. One thing is for sure: no one is who they appear to be. Not even Des, who only grows more enigmatic with every passing secret. But the Kingdom of Flora has its own secrets, from bleeding trees to branded slaves and missing guards. Something is stirring in the land of all that grows, and if Callie isn't careful, it will claim everything and everyone she loves - and her along with it.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. Callie's personality has changed a bit and she seems extra dense, with a lot of repeating questions she's been asked and giving off a very valley girl idiot vibe. For someone that's supposed to have grown up fast due to past traumas and a hard life and then making a career out of being a private investigator, she seems very naive and stupid. Des, who is supposed to be at least 250 years old based on the proceeding novella, could not have fallen for her without the complication of the magic-based ‘soulmate' tie. Nothing bothers me more than when an already cliche female character goes to the next level by losing her mind as soon as she's in a dude's arms.
Once I got past that, however, the continuing plot kept me glued to this book. It takes place directly after the first with little to no time in between. It still has the fanfiction writing quality (and it's even more a wing fic now) and it's very heavy on the Twilight vibes - but as someone who is thoroughly entertained by both, that wasn't a hurdle.
I look forward to the third full-length book and hopefully getting to the conclusion of the Thief of Souls mystery.

really enjoyed the extra characters we see in this book. I don't know for sure if Des and Callie are mates. Yeah, I know she has been changed and they power share, but I'm just not buying it...