5 stars The books in this series keep getting better and better, and the heroes more and more multi-dimensional. Other books in the series seem to be about 50% sex and 50% plot & character development. It feels like the ratio has shifted to 30:70, allowing Steele to delve deeper into the psyche of her characters and add more nuance. Keep in mind these percentages are purely subjective and just my impression. I might be totally off. The point is, in this book I felt like Seb is a more complicated character than any of the other Sovranos. On the other hand, maybe I just like him better. If you read Theresa and Axel’s book, it should come as no surprise that Seb and Elsa are the stars of this one. Theresa is Elsa’s best friend and owner of the flower shop she manages. Elsa is a bit of a dark character, survivor of an abusive marriage who craves to be a submissive, but not to someone who doesn’t actually care about her. Of course, Seb is happy to oblige in both arenas. She also has a little girl who immediately gravitates to Seb, seeing the soft, gooey center at the middle of his alpha personality. I enjoyed the interactions between Seb and Avery because they highlighted his compassion and hero-complex (which I don’t mean in a negative way). In fact, it is his desire to rescue Elsa and Avery that initiates the more significant connection between them. Fabio, Elsa’s ex-husband is the typical wife abuser—narcissistic, self-centered, unwilling to take responsibility, controlling, and a bully, with a bit of alcohol abuse thrown in for good measure. Although he could come across as one-dimensional, he doesn’t because these are characteristics that everyone who has known an abuser will recognize. It is glorious when Elsa finally reclaims her life. As with the other books in the series, I edited this one, but there’s something about this book that I just like better than the others. I anticipate the next ones will be even better and I’m looking forward to that. April 8, 2022
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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