Review--Today, Tomorrow and Always by Tessa Bailey

 

Tucker isn’t interested in quests, thank you very much. Though the cigar-smoking, Uber-driving vampire has long been an official member of the undead club, his very human heart still lurks inside of him—and no one has ever spoken to it more clearly than Mary…the fairy he’ll be driving to her wedding. Where she’ll be marrying someone else.

Quests, right?

Mary’s blindness and window-shattering scream have forced her into seclusion since childhood. A seeming burden to her splintered family, she jumps at the chance to reunite them. All she has to do is marry an evil vampire, facilitate an unholy alliance and potentially start an underworld war. Easy, right? No, but it was doable. At least until Tucker.

The pair of misfits embark on a road trip that will have them questioning the past, present and future. Their building passion and trust in one another is undisputable, however. And as the battle looms, they’ll have to decide just what they’re willing to sacrifice for a lifetime together. 

 

Today, Tomorrow and Always is the conclusion to Tessa Bailey's Phenomenal Fate trilogy and is by far my favorite of the series too! This one features lovable Tucker on a quest to help the faery, Mary get to her intended husband on time...which will also end up starting a war between her husband and Jonas. But all does not go as planned, and what Tucker finds is something even better.

Tucker is not your typical vampire, unlike his friends Jonas and Elias, he was not turned at the top of his prime. Though he was around the same age, mid-late twenties, he was built more like a linebacker than quarterback, so Tucker really never thought much of finding his forever happiness. I bring this up first, because I found is so refreshing to see a guy who's a bit body conscious. It made Tucker an even more lovable character in my opinion. 

When Tucker signs himself up to be Mary's chauffeur to deliver to her intended husband, Hadrian, he doesn't really realize what he signed himself up for. What he does know, almost right away, that Mary is his mate. Upon seeing her, he feels an intense connection, much like the one his friends Jonas and Elias talked about when they met their maters, and though Tucker knows Mary is the only one who can bring him true happiness, he's not willing to take the decision out of her hands. For she tells him, that being with Hadrian can give her her sight back and there's no way Tucker will take that away from her.

Mary truly is a sweet character! She's a fae who was cursed with blindness as a child, all she's ever really known is darkness. Her mother is adamant that she marries Hadrian to seal their alliance because with Hadrian ruling the mortal world, he can help to open the gates between worlds where Mary's fae father disappeared to years ago. Longing for that reunion for her mother and herself, Mary is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, her own happiness.

Mary and Tucker naturally just clicked. They are confined into a car together and start a nice little road trip. Honestly, it was so positively adorable seeing these two together. Tucker has never had what you could call a romantic life and Mary was always sheltered growing up since she was blind. The two of them coming together was the sweetest sort of romance! That Tucker helps her fulfill some of her bucket list items endeared him to me even more!

As we see more into Tucker's past as a human, I started to make some guesses as to what I thought was happening and hoo boy, was I right! I had an inkling there was more to Tucker's past than what was being shown to us through these flashbacks and why they had to be important! I love when things come together like that and I am able to actually see them! Other times, I get so wrapped up in mysteries I sometimes miss telling clues! Lol!

The ending to this one was explosive too! I was trying to speculate what I thought was going to happen based on the previous two books' endings and I can happily say that I did not see this one coming! It was a nice and refreshing kind of ending in that sense!

I did love seeing the other characters return as well, even if it was merely just a pop up appearance to say hi! It's to be expected after reading the trilogy through! But I loved that through it all the vampire boys remained friends with one another even after they began finding their fated mates! 

The pacing to this one was pretty ideal this time around! I loved the road trip vibes because road trips are so fun and there's so many adventures that can happen there! The absolute adoration Tucker had for Mary, the care and kindness he showed her through their romance was one of the most endearing things about this book! I loved that it was a little lower on the heat level--though it does still get pretty hot--and focused more on the trust building and other emotional structure of a relationship! So sweet and I loved where things ended up for these two!

If you're looking for a fun, light-hearted paranormal romance read, I would highly recommend this series! It's a short, fast paced trilogy that ends on a high note! While each book does stand on its own, there is an overall continuing arc happening throughout the books that comes to a grand conclusion in the ending notes of this installment, so best to stick through the whole enchilada! It's a delightful and paranormal filled read that is sure to entertain you beginning to end!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars