K. Thomas’s NOT RIGHT NOW unpacks something of a mystery — Senlis (or Sen, to the initiated) is a Nephilim, someone who feeds on the energy and emotions of humans. And she’s living her life with the uncomfortable awareness that she has lost a good portion of her memories–memories, actually, of a past life. That past life, from what she can gather, involves someone named Jonah, a violent and shadowy figure who has less-than-noble intentions when it comes, not only to Senlis, but also to humans in general. Throughout NOT RIGHT NOW, it’s up to Sen, her best friend, Vincent, and her significant other, Hunter, to figure out why Jonah is back, and what he wants from her. They’re lucky to have the help of several friends (and the ghost of Sen’s brother, Benny, a fantastic character in his own right) who are not only savvy to Sen’s power, but turn out to have some measure of their own.
Readers will certainly want to finish Thomas’s Time to Wake before digging into NOT RIGHT NOW, and thus be more prepared to navigate this sequel’s very satisfying plot and characters. That said, Thomas’s handle on her lore is strong enough that one can understand Sen’s abilities quite easily, even without much familiarity with part one. Not only is Thomas skilled at creating interesting and dramatic scenarios, but she’s wryly funny and endearing in doing so. Sen in particular is a distinctive and intriguing narrator, considering both her memorable personality as well as the history that she can’t quite remember in full, one that comes only in sudden flashbacks. She’s protective, emotional, and thoughtful — in other words, a heroine who’s a complex, believable person (er, Nephilim). Either way, she’s someone from whom the reader will definitely want to hear this story.
As far as the story, NOT RIGHT NOW has a smooth-moving plot, and while there is a bona fide ensemble of characters for readers to meet, all of them are unique and engaging. And though this is a paranormal romance, Thomas never veers into the genre’s overdone territory of love triangles here. The relationships make sense, and the dynamics are familiar and realistic. Set up in this universe, they’re quite a lot of fun. While there are a few distracting typos and technical issues with the tense of the narration, overall these points are easy to overlook given the well-done storytelling and intensive world-building. Thomas is clearly practiced at her craft in general, and especially good at this genre. It will be exciting to see how she continues to develop this universe she’s created and grow as a writer while sharing this cast of characters that she clearly loves with the world.
K. Thomas’s paranormal romance NOT RIGHT NOW shows a skillful and intriguing return to the world of Time to Wake, pairing well-imagined character relationships and excellent world-building with a dramatic, engaging story.
~Jennifer Weatherly for IndieReader