5⭐ 2🌶️
I’m starting to heal…sort of. No, I am. I’m just changed and that’s okay. My poor heart and my dark besties have been through a lot and after the events of MasterMind, this was a healing balm to my soul. Full of dark, twisted, depraved fuckery yet intertwined with light moments and love, this is exactly what I needed following the events of the last book. The relationship between Boston and Anna was so incredibly perfect and then A.A. Dark throws in some Everleigh and Bram and I’m a happy, happy reader.
Boston may be my very favorite overly possessive and obsessed anti-hero to date. He’s unhinged but in all the very best ways and I can’t get over the dark, morbid humor that comes out of his mouth, as well as the fierce dedication that he shows to Anna. He’s unimaginably supportive and has moments so unexpectedly tender, you almost forget he’s a serial killer.
Anna is as fierce as ever–HELLO car scene…and her face off with Luke? Priceless. A.A. Dark continues to write incredible heroines who are incredibly intelligent, resourceful, and take no shit and I’m so damn here for it. It absolutely devastated me to see Anna struggle with moving forward following the events of MasterMind but watching her work through it and come out the other side even stronger was fantastic.
I absolutely love these two together–the way their friendship evolved into an unyielding love is pure slow-burn perfection and while my heart still aches for their respective pasts, I can’t imagine this story playing out in any other way. Anna and Boston are so in sync and not only accepting, but welcoming, of all the dark and damaged parts of one another. No one else could understand them quite like they do and it warms my pitch black heart. I absolutely adore how neither of them shies away when Braden and Lucy are brought up, both understanding the role they played and will continue to play in each other’s lives.
I really loved the overarching plotline here and how we’ve circled fully back to trafficking and the Whitlocks. Despite reading three full books and three novellas on the topic, it still felt like a fresh take and I’m always amazed at the imaginative world that A.A. Dark creates. It’s raw, real, and gut wrenching but so captivating that I just cannot seem to put these books down. My heart broke for Destiny but I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome once we reached the final page. I really enjoyed how Boston and Anna worked so well together in their professional aspect as well and I can’t wait to see where their next adventure takes them.