Damien fox lived up to his name. Cunning, sly, and dangerous, fifty percent of Vegas’ strip clubs were his.
Whatever he wanted, money, attention, women, he got.
And now he wanted to buy my bar, no matter the cost.
I wanted him to go to hell on a first-class ticket.
He played a dirty game, and I followed his rules. I let him think he would win.
Despite our differences, it was clear to see that we were no more than two broken hearts colliding in the darkness.
Closed off, sexy, and holding a pain that would crush a lesser man, he was the ultimate sin.
One I couldn’t deny myself, even though I knew better than to trust a fox...
(SIN is book one of the Vegas Nights series. Each book in this series is a standalone novel.)
There are books that just work. Your heart is in your throat, you are teary, you are cheering for a character, crying for their past hurts, begging them to see what is right in front of them.
This book is one of those. Dahlia and Damien, oh my. Now, there is the kind of chemistry that you want in a book, that you read to experience. They have the kind of connection, passion, and story, that is going to leave me swooning and thinking about this for days.
I absolutely loved Dahlia. She is so strong, but she has such a great heart. I also loved how Damien just gets her, he sees her for who she is and he loves her. There is a part at the end where this is tested, and without spoilers, I could not have been happier about how Emma Hart handled this. (I *might* have sent a message to her about this, I'll never tell). I love it when a book surprises me in a good way. I love it when an author gets to know her characters so completely that she allows them to act as they would, or at least as I think they would.
Dahlia is the more open of the 2 of them, and she does not shy away from letting Damien know how she feels about him. At first, I think her complete dislike of him is a challenge, as it is definitely not something that he is accustomed to being rich, single, and hot. Their interactions are wonderful, she surprises him by her reactions to him, and this is such a treat to watch.
Damien is closed off, not really open to his feelings and terrified of being hurt. I think, in one way or another, this is very relateable to all of us. Maybe it is not as extreme as it is for him, but in one way or another, we have all had the feeling of putting ourselves out there and having it maybe not go as planned, and we react differently the next time. Damien is real, he is a person, his reactions are real, and you believe him as a character.
You spend a lot of the book feeling for him, knowing that he wants to be more open with her, and some of the time thinking "Oh, just talk to her already, it is worth it" but, at least for me, I never got to the point where I was mad at him. You can feel his struggle, how hard it is for him. And, it is so well written that you just can't get really mad at him...and, Dahlia spends enough time mad at him, so that frustration gets a release, so to speak.
Your heart breaks for him too...and, in another thing I have to be vague about because, spoilers are evil (and if I put spoilers in this I have a feeling I will find snakes in my pillow) there is a scene late at night, after work, during a conversation where you get to be in his head as he struggles to talk about something, and you feel for him. So, while he is closed off, you are there for the changes to him emotionally, for the big moments that matter, and they let you know that he really is a great guy, the one that you are seeing really is the real him.
The pacing of the book is really well done, as is the writing and the development of the characters. There is a challenge in a book where the characters start off hating one another; if the author gives the reader too much reason to dislike one of the characters, the romance is then a tough sell. This is not even close to an issue, as you like both Dahlia and Damien from the beginning, and neither of them ever acts in a way that makes you think they are not perfect for one another.
The supporting characters are wonderful, and I love how the relationships Dahlia has turn out to mean she is living in a smaller world than you would think. But at the same time, this gives the story a lot of credibility, as characters and people in real life, don't exist in bubbles. When supporting characters are done well, they make the main characters feel more real, and in this case, the supporting characters are perfect.
I know, vague and talking around events, but I don't know of another way to tell you how much I loved this, how much the book just makes you like and understand the characters, and how drawn to them you are as you are reading. Each scene is perfect, I related to the characters, I wanted them to be happy. And, this connection makes the romance, the sexy times, and the funny times all that much more rewarding.
Any heroine who loves books, well, she already has a place in my heart from the beginning. Once I got to know Dahlia, I think she is my very favorite of all of Emma Hart's heroines. And, as Damien is my favorite hero, this works out nicely.
Obviously, I recommend this title.
Holy wow. Just wow. This book took me on quite the journey-and I loved every second of it. It was a book I couldn't read fast enough, yet wanted to slow down with at the same time. Emma Hart surely has another hit on her hands with SIN.
Dahlia is the type of character who I want to be friends with. I want to go hang out at her bar (and WHAT a cool bar it is) and just chat. She's strong, unafraid to speak her mind, and is just the right mix of sweet and sassy. I loved watching her develop through the book, loved seeing her reaction to Damien-even when she didn't want to react to him. She was utterly fantastic.
But Damien? Damien stole my heart. He's hot, sexy, swoony....and broken. I wanted to comfort him, then kiss him, then comfort...you get my gist. He has such determination and drive and I LOVE it. There were times he surprised me and times he had me laughing. He was amazing.
The two of them together are just Off. The. Charts. From that very first meeting that connection is there. It snaps and sizzles. The banter between them completely works and had me dying to see what happened when they got together-and I was not disappointed in the least. The sexy times were definitely sexy. But the connection between them was more than just sex, they just clicked.
I loved the supporting characters as well-Fergus and Abby were a delight and provided great support to our main couple. Sometimes, the supporting characters overshadow. While they're definitely present in the SIN, you don't feel overwhelmed by them. They aren't a distraction, but rather an enhancement to the overall story.
This book was smartly written and paced really well. I didn't feel any lag, I didn't feel any rush. Like I said, I devoured this book even when I wanted to savor it more slowly. I loved this and can't wait to see where Emma Hart takes me with her next book. I highly recommend this book.
By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies—usually wine—and writes books.
Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.
She likes to be busy—unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.
No comments:
Post a Comment