Initial reaction: A satisfying end to the duology. I love the blend of mystery, crime, and sensuality this book had, with well developed characters.
Full review:
Another retro review, this time for a series I finished in May of 2019. Man, this read was overdue for me to pick up and well worth the time. I've mentioned before that I love Kyra Davis's writing - her eye to details, the complexity of her characters, the intimate sensuality of the writing, both with the sexual scenes and outside of that. It was quite a while ago that I was able to pick up "Just One Night" and one of the serial installations of the first book of the "Pure Sin" duology from NetGalley, which ultimately led me to read those books in full outside of their serials. I'm not sure why it took me so long to pick up "Dangerous Alliance", but I'm glad that I was able to read where I left off with no problems.
When we last left Bell/Adoncia, she was on a invested quest for revenge against the Gable family, established as a femme fatale of sorts in the first book. Her mother's death and forced downfall at the hands of the Gable family is her prime motivation for going after them. Particularly the cold hearted Travis, who Bell has in her sights to take down once and for all, from within the family. Travis's wife Jessica is just another player in the larger game set in Bell's larger manipulations, though she is a more complicated foe than she looks. However, Bell doesn't expect to feel what she feels for Travis's brother, Lander, nor does she realize that he discovers her true motivations aside from her hidden identity - a major point left from the previous story. Their sensual chemistry is molten hot lava bomb steamy (I promise I'm not exaggerating - it doesn't hold back). What Bell doesn't know is that Lander is an unexpected ally willing to take down his family as well, and the two form an unlikely alliance.
This book kept me on my toes. As flawed and vulnerable as Bell was in many moments of this series, especially in this book, I was rooting for her. She's a strongly constructed character who has a clear goal, complex motivations, distinct internal and external conflicts that are layered. I really enjoyed watching the side characters in this novel as well, watching them to see what they would do and if certain pieces where Bell dropped the ball would be discovered by the people she was going after. It keeps you on your toes for the overarching mystery, suspense, and romantic elements. In the end, I was satisfied with how Bell and Lander's story concluded - few unexpected twists in tow - and I'm happy that I own this series and can reread it again in my personal library.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.