Although some people did not like it, I greatly enjoyed how Ms. Singh developed this story. If she had crafted a story JUST dealing with Riaz and Adria, it would have been a short novella, the hurtle being the mating bond. By expanding this story to include the entire pack and arc of the series itself, Singh has given us a well crafted, interesting book about the world of the Changelings, Humans and Psy which is one of the reasons I enjoy reading this series, it is not "just" a romance novel. 
 This book may be less of a "stand alone" in the series but it fits nicely into the fabric being woven by Singh. I like how she continues to build upon the initial story with each subsequent installment and these are installments, all part of a larger story. 
 As to the resolution of Adria and Riaz, I found it interesting, moving and very well done. In a perfect world, we would all find that perfect someone ment just for us without having to do a thing, fate would just put all the pieces together perfectly for each one of us. I don't remember which book in the series it is, but is was mentioned that some changelings never find their mates because like our world, theirs is not perfect. Sometimes, it is up to us to make our world perfect, grab ahold of the love and happiness we have and not depend upon fate to make it happen. Is the love and commitment any less for these two, I don't think so.