4.5 stars, maybe?

it's so interesting to read this world in jade west's writing coming from k. webster's (rather immature and painful) version. it's much darker, everyone has more secrets, and i overall felt that i wasn't being spoon-fed dialogue and developments like webster likes to do. the constantine/morelli rivalry was much more intense, everyone was harsher and crueler in this than they were in the cinderella books. lucian is the anti-hero that webster THOUGHT winston was. he's pretty awful, and although he has a lot of money, he doesn't really wield it around and hide behind it the way winston is prone to. he's sneakier and more cunning than winston, and not afraid to do any dirty work. this makes him much more intimidating and chaotic than winston ever was.

i think this is a 4.5 and not a 5 for me because of this disparity, jade west taking her liberties with these characters is an improvement from webster's books, but it definitely causes some confusion. like where are winston, ash, and perry? do these books all coincide, are they prequels, are they sequels, etc? there's no way to know, and not having any sort of indication of what exactly the timeline here is is distracting.

as far as lucian and elaine go, i'm really excited to see what happens! lucian is psycho, but if elaine is into it then i won't cause a fuss about it lol. can't wait to see what goes down between the two families when they find out what elaine and lucian have done. this book has got to be a romeo and juliet retelling, but uhhh hopefully these two don't both die. ( )

Updated* I am not sure why my review keeps disappearing so this review will be more succinct and to the point.

One of my favorite things about this author is how she creates tension throughout her story that feels palpable. Every element in the story from characterization to the setting, to encounters, builds on this and is integral to give a complete story. This was definitely the case with this story. I enjoyed the build-up, especially in this case with Lucian and Elaine. I could tell there was a lot left of this story.

There is a lot of backstory still missing from this story as to why there is such animosity between the families, and also the past for these two separately. I hadn't realized when I purchased this book (on Amazon it doesn't say trilogy) that it was part of a trilogy. I thought it was a standalone so I was confused as to how the author was going to wrap everything up by the end without leaving it feeling rushed or without answers. Had I known this, I would have waited until it was released in its entirity because there is nothing better than binge reading something that this author has written. Her worlds and heroes are sublime. ( )

Heartless is the first book I've read by Jade West. A dark and twisted spin on Romeo and Juliet - Lucian and Elaine are from warring powerful families; they are drawn to each other despite the consequences they know they'll receive if their families find out. Heartless is darker than I would typically choose to read, but I found myself unable to put the book down as the story unfolded. As a trilogy, it ends in a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to find out how the story continues in Soulless. ( )