Zeke And Siren's Story Centers Around Healing And Their Commitment To Forever Amidst Danger And Deception!
This is book five of the Sinful Truths series. It picks up where book four leaves off, and is best read in series. There are many hidden truths. Some are revealed, while other questions arise. This book begins to pull things together for the sixth and final book in the series, and ends with a cliffhanger. The series is very complicated to follow, but a refresher follows.
Siren, a.k.a. Aria Torres, now thirty-three, made a vow eight years ago to Jullian Reed, the drug lord who runs things on St. Kitts and beyond. He is working towards expanding his territory; in book one, he dipped into human trafficking. Siren is tied to him, but she hates him. She hates all men. They have all disappointed her. She works for herself, no matter what Julian thinks. But she must follow his orders and she can never lie. She lures bad men into her trap for Julian, who gains from their demise. She didn't want to deliver the dying man to Julian, but she had no other options. As much as she hoped he was different than the other men, she would never be free to be with him.
Zeke Kane works for the infamous Mr. Black. They are more like family, and Zeke will stop at nothing to protect his family. His immense size and physical strength make him a formidable opponent. Yet for those he loves, he is selfless and sweet. He was rescued from bleeding out from a gunshot wound and drowning in the depths of the Caribbean by a beautiful woman with the voice of an angel. Siren, he called her. He was instantly drawn to her like no other. But her motives weren't altruistic. He had been willing to lay down his life for her but was cruelly betrayed and found himself Julian's prisoner instead.
In book two, Julian wants Mr. Black's location, but after Aria's exhaustive efforts to get Zeke to talk, Julian offers Zeke an alternative. Five rounds of truth or sin, similar to truth or dare. Julian adds the caveat that failure will result in Aria's death. Keeping his truths to himself, Zeke opts for sin in his first round.
Eli Beckett appears to be moving in on Julian's turf. Zeke's sin is to track down and eliminate the one-armed Mr. Beckett, about whom little is known. Julian assigns Aria to accompany Zeke. They discover that Eli Beckett works for Mr. Black. Zeke manages to rescue him from the death Siren believes he suffered and sends him into hiding. Meanwhile, Zeke and Siren struggle with their attraction as they find themselves on opposing sides.
In the third book, Zeke discovers Siren is married and he shutters his heart. Meanwhile, Julian announces that for the next round of sin or truth, since Zeke no longer loves Siren, he will kill Lucy if Zeke fails. Lucy is an innocent from Zeke's youth that his best friends know nothing of, so he needs to know the source of the information. Hugo, Siren's husband, says it was Siren who discovered Lucy. For the next round, the truth Julian asks for is the location of Mr. Black's vault. Zeke is shocked again to discover how much Julian knows, and chooses sin. Julian wants something of equal value, so he gives Zeke less than a week to steal one billion dollars and deposit it into his account. This is too easily accomplished via Hugo's conveniently uber-wealthy parents.
To prove herself to Zeke, Siren agrees to divorce Hugo. Hugo follows through on a clause in their agreement allowing him to sell her in case of divorce. She ends up sold to a horrible man named Bishop. Zeke's price for purchasing her freedom is every last penny he owns, which he doesn't hesitate to pay. Siren, however, immediately pushes him away and the truth of what she suffered remains unknown.
Book four begins by first stepping back one week in time to Siren's captivity. Bishop wants to control her mind, so that even in freedom she thinks of him. He once loved, and suggests if she loves him (Zeke is not named), she should push him away or else she will destroy him. Siren later struggles with this as Zeke seeks to earn her trust and finally bring down the walls that separate them. They address the subject of Lucy as Zeke introduces her and Siren learns more about Zeke's past. Julian eventually calls Zeke in for another round of their game. He chooses sin and is required to deliver Mr. Black's yacht. Enzo Black and Kai thus enter the story and meet Siren. Zeke and Siren envision a future together after the danger they now face passes, and Siren agrees to marry Zeke.
Julian captures Lucy, Kai, and Siren and forces Zeke to choose which one of the three women whom he loves to be saved. He chooses Kai, a mother, as Lucy is dying and Siren has repeatedly told him not to save her from Julian. Kai is returned to Enzo. Zeke races to catch up with Julian but is captured by an unknown woman. Meanwhile, Siren is in a faraway place and agrees to whatever Julian wants in exchange for allowing Lucy's last moments to be peaceful.
Here, the book opens with Siren and Zeke each in captivity, brutally violated and beaten - Siren by Julian and Zeke by Palmer. Palmer is Lucy's former lover who suddenly shows up on the island and blames Zeke for Lucy's disappearance. Julian and Bishop are working together and bicker over who gets Siren first. Julian wins, claiming he is in charge. But when Bishop gets her, he claims to be in charge and is only interested in her mind. Siren negotiates her freedom from Bishop by promising him a horrible task. Bishop still insists no love is unbreakable but Siren refuses to believe him.
With Enzo's help, Siren retrieves Zeke and all return to Mr. Black's yacht. Zeke and Siren are both so damaged, however, that their future together is uncertain. They have a lot of pain, both physical and emotional, to work through. But Siren made a promise to Bishop that promises to shatter whatever pieces she and Zeke have managed to piece back together.
Zeke and Siren's story in Fallen Love centers around healing and their commitment to forever. Siren decides to be strong for Zeke, whose physical condition renders him incapable of being the man he once was, while Zeke struggles to accept his diminished condition. They both believe in keeping promises, and they had promised forever. Siren also makes promises to Bishop and to Lucy. And there is one more truth about Julian she has kept hidden thus far. Three men continue to own her. Julian's power, however, has diminished here. Bishop remains in control of her mind, robbing her of her freedom of thought. Finally, Zeke, who owns her heart, is a good man with a dark side, so she must hope he doesn't flip when everything gets turned upside down.
Enzo and Kai provide a safe environment and good company for the couple to work through their issues, but they all face an uncertain future. In the end, Bishop's identity is revealed to Siren, but it remains a mystery to the rest. The relationship between Julian and Bishop remains unclear. The book ends in a cliffhanger.
There are some issues which merit mention. *Spoilers* First, Palmer's eyes switch from blue to brown. Second, everything about Palmer, the entire storyline, feels contrived. Her behavior with Zeke doesn't feel authentic, nor do Zeke's behavior and choices relating to her. Third, it is hard to believe that Julian suddenly changed tactics with Siren after waiting patiently for years, so he feels out of character here. Fourth, after a shootout in the hospital, Zeke and Siren miraculously find time for a reunion just outside the doors. Fifth, Siren's idea to get Zeke in the ocean when he has wounds (that could get infected) and can barely walk is thoughtless. Sixth, for being in so much pain and discomfort, Zeke does a surprising amount of physical activity. Finally, at one point it had been a month on the yacht according to Julian, but seven weeks according to Siren.
Zeke and Siren's fifth story is a dark suspenseful romance loaded with danger and deception that will leave you anxiously anticipating the final installment of the series. Zeke and Siren hope to find their forever but circumstances may put forever out of reach. The book is nicely written. The POV alternates between Zeke and Siren, with a cameo in Palmer's POV. The plot is very complex. The characters are well-defined. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.