I rounded up.....3.5 would be right for me. It could have been 5 stars easily if not for SO MUCH description and thoughts. I prefer more dialogue! I loved Dante from the very beginning. It took longer for Elena to stop being a bitch. They don't really get together until about 70% on Kindle. I think instead of 2 books perhaps 1 book might have been better paced. I did do quite a bit of skimming at the end. I was interested enough to want to know what happens. The next one doesn't appear to be out yet. If it's KU, I might read it. ( )

I really liked Elena and Dante. Elena’s family … not so much. I still say Giselle and Daniel/Sinclair are the absolute villains ( )

Fantastic.

Since the beginning, when these characters were introduced, I have been a fan. I was drawn to this family that despite their fragile family ties that there was also a deep-rooted connection that nothing could truly break. This family has been through hell and back in a plethora of ways. Yet, somehow, they seem to persevere and flourish for lack of a better word. However, of all these siblings, Elena was the one that I was most unsure of. Despite her being the victim in Daniel and Giselle's story, she did not come across that way. I wasn't sure if I would like her in the lead role.

Color me surprised that I not only liked her as the lead but that I LOVED her in that role. As strong as the shield was around her that made her feel aloof and cold, it was nothing compared to watching her being vulnerable. The author was able to break down my preconceived opinions of her as a character and instead painted her as someone that is deeply misunderstood. I felt her pain at what Daniel and Giselle had cost her self-esteem. I also felt the other incidents in her life from her always having to create this strong persona to overcoming the hardships of being Seamus's child. The author was vivid in creating a world in which she could blossom and created a hero that finally saw in her what everyone else had been missing.

Dante. Sweet Holy Titfire... this guy was beyond dreamy. I should have expected that considering that this author can, and does, create the most amazing dream book boyfriends. In her usual way, she managed to create a hero that is neither black nor white in how he lives his life. Just like he is neither hero nor villain, Dante is just Dante. He is charismatic and also ruthless. Just because he might be a villain in one person's story doesn't mean he isn't a hero in another, and in this case, he most assuredly is a hero for Elena which just made me love him even more because she needed that. The chemistry between these two characters was fire. When the sparks flew between them, I thought my kindle was going to melt. It was that good.

The way that the author creates her worlds makes things feel different. There is a sensuality in the world that she creates, whether in this one or in her MC world that mesmerized me and is one of the reasons that I love her books. Her words feel like art and leap off the pages to grab me by the throat and hold me captive from the first word to the last word.

This book can be read after Cosima and Giselle's stories but I feel like it would be a shame to miss those stories because it adds a depth to understanding Elena that I might have missed had I not been familiar with those stories. However, saying that, I would still say that this story would be amazing without it because that is just how good this author is. She created a world that is a masterpiece and had me wanting to shout to the heavens that I have a major crush on these characters.

This was one of those books, that I wanted to savor every word as it came closer to the end. Even knowing that it ended on a cliffhanger of what is still to come for these characters still didn't halt my appreciation for how much I adored this story. Especially, as it hinted at a little mystery with a side character that might be pivotal later on in this story. I cannot wait to see where this all ties together.

I am eagerly waiting for the middle of June for the rest of this duet. ( )