Giana Darling and Midnight Dynasty world- what a delicious pairing. Her epic, dark and poetic forbidden storytelling paired with the melodramatic, taboo, twisted Morelli-Constantine world is a perfect match- and age gap is pretty much my reader catnip, so I knew this was going to be oh so delicious. And we have everything I love about Giana’s writing- the broken, dangerous, and volatile antihero, a young, plucky, spirited but naive ingenue old in heart thanks to the rough hand life has given her, lots of angsty vibes, and all the unexpected drama.
Dangerous Temptation lets us dive deeper into a Morelli we know less about- the illusive, somewhat estranged Tiernan. He’s the proverbial black sheep of the calculating and ruthless Morelli crew- hard to imagine that the powerful outlaws have outsiders even within their own ranks, but soon we discover the dark and painful history that has resulted in Tiernan lurking on the outskirts of the Morelli world- and the depraved violence that guides his hand. This is a man laser focused on revenge, a plot so thoroughly consuming that he ends up taking on two young wards into his care. The eldest is the target of his ruthless plan- the innocent 17 year old Bianca, a woman who has had her world pulled out from her far too many times for her young age, the latest of which has her desperate to cling to any scrap of hope or help- which makes her the perfect prey for the conniving Tiernan. Now transplanted to Bishop’s Landing, Bianca is under his thumb- and we soon learn the truth of her background that makes her the target of the Morelli wrath- hello drama!
Tiernan is a delicious enigma. And I love how Giana distinguishes him from the other Morelli men we’ve come to love. He’s got the power, the money, the dark proclivities, but Giana paints him as a more jagged character- more raw, more unpredictable, and certainly more troubled. And so incredibly isolated, though he’s built a bit of a lost boys type support network that are really lovable and plot critical additions to this story. In his troubledness, he surprised me in that he’s not quite as ruthless as his reputation leads us to believe- he’s vulnerabilities bleed through more easily, his proclivity for kindness and empathy- particularly as it relates to Biana’s young brother, perhaps because Tiernan recognizes a bit of himself in their mutual abandonment. Giana gives him a lot of nuance early on- the contrast between his cruelty and anger and his unexpected moments of gentleness. And Bianca is a great foil for him- she bleeds kindness and gentleness. She’s an old soul- a caregiver, someone who sacrifices routinely for those she loves. Her integrity, her grit, and her resilience make her irresistibly admirable- but Tiernan calls to her in a way she can not understand. She finds desire and affirmation in his cruelty as much as his kindness- she’s a fascinating character, and one that I can’t wait to see fully realized as she stares down her family’s demons- as well as Tiernans.
Each character is undeniably fantastic, but I felt like the kind of intense emotional energy and soul-aching chemistry I’ve come to expect from Giana didn’t quite shine here like I expected. The longing, the attraction, the emotional chemistry didn’t deliver in the way I’m used to. But, this is part of a duet- so I’m excited to see Giana build on what she’s established. And, to be fair, this is the most hostile start I’ve seen from a couple of hers (even icky at first)- so the normal forbidden longing, connection but resistance is playing out differently- and she’s flipped the script- the physical burn is fast, but the emotional is slower. But both characters are so compelling and interesting, I know the epic soul mate connection she writes so beautifully is in our future, and I can’t deny that I crave their coupling with a ferocious intensity. The monster and his innocent ward - oh yes, simply yummy. Can’t wait for book 2!
Beautiful Nightmare, the epic finale to Tiernan and Bianca’s story is here, and holy moly Giana dials up all the feelings and all the steam. Giana always so effortlessly marries emotional intensity with fast-paced action in her stories, and paired with the dynamic and addictive world of the Midnight Dynasty world, it’s an intoxicating mix. While the first book in the duet is saturated with edgy taboo tension, book 2 really dials up the romanticism, courtesy of the transformation of our leading man Tiernan. The broken anti-hero becomes a healing hero- and he’s, dare I say, SWOONY. Not to mention, Giana gives us all the sexy Tiernan controlling sexy times. I love nothing more than a redemption arc, and Beautiful Nightmare is really that, as both of our characters recognize the “dream” they’ve so handily and cruelly been denied is more of a nightmare.
Whereas book one was all dark, edgy tension and intimate in scale, book 2 has more of a romantic suspense, sweeping quality to it. We have a whole lot more action, the pace is quick, and the twists are abundant, perhaps a bit too much so in places. But it’s highly entertaining, and the emotive connection I’d been craving more depth on in book one does come through here, in part because Tiernan falls so epically and intensely for Bianca and will do anything to have her- including opening his heart. Tiernan turns into a bit of a broody gummy bear in this story- and I was all about it. He’s still got his broken edge, but he’s a much softer alpha, and for much of the second half of the book he even takes a backseat to the story and the action. This worked for me to highlight the real evolution of Bianca as she rewrites her destiny and takes charge of her life for the first time, but I do wish they’d had less time apart in the back half. We do get some important closure and healing for Tiernan though, but he is most certainly a softer character than in book one- but he’s still a yummy alpha in the sheets. He starts as a reluctant hero, and he fights hard to reclaim his girl and keep her safe.
Overall, I really liked both characters arcs’, we see one embrace their inner darkness and the other edge into more of the light. The sweetness comes in seeing them battle the darkness around them (and for Tiernan within himself) to start to create a new dream, a love and family that is somehow suddenly just in reach, with each other and the scene-stealing found family. (I love those Gentlemen and Brando, and I wish we’d had more of them in this book) But securing that life requires them to confront what matters most, to take chances they never expected, and to choose between the warring sides of their hearts. For Tiernan to embrace love and to feel worthy of it, and for Bianca to learn to trust him again, while also trying to figure out herself. Of course, we have plenty of Morelli and Constantine drama to round out the tale- and some cameos from a few favorites too.
There were some third act frustration- not only having our lovers so separate in a lot of the action, but the abundance of twists gave us a lot to process and perhaps some open ends. And I am curious how the Midnight Dynasty- it’s becoming increasingly challenging for authors to deliver satisfying endings to the epic romances that feature the same subset of villains. Some, I’m sure, will be redeemed in star in their own stories (ala the Terror Triplets) but others have so much comeuppance in the bank that books may start to feel anticlimatic if true revenge isn’t served. And this book teetered on that- the story really boxed us into wanting an outcome that isn’t possible when these characters are prominently featured in other stories at the moment. Fortunately, instead Giana leans into the theme of family and love- so even if our villains don't get what they deserve, our heroes DO- and that part is so very gratifying and quite adorable. Overall, a sexy, swoony finale and much deserved HEA for the estranged Morelli son.
Giana has a poetic and practiced prose that is made of the Midnight world- and the type of hero she writes- broken, misunderstood, edge, only devoted to his lady- is pitch perfect for these two feuding families. I do hope she has plans to return to this world- I really enjoyed how thoughtfully she evolved these characters and the uniquely sweet and tender flavor she brought to this world.