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Blurb

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a new story in her Wicked series…

She’s everything he wants….

Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

She’s everything he can’t have…

Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

She’s everything he’ll take….

But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

She’s everything he’d die for….

Review

So, so good! 4.5 stars!

This novella is a spin off from The Wicked Trilogy, and takes us straight back into JLA’s fantastic urban fantasy world set in downtown New Orleans where the fae exist and prey on unsuspecting humans. It’s fast paced, fun and exciting with a sense of intrigue and the beginnings of a UST-filled romance that will have you shivering with anticipation. Be aware that it’s only the first part of the story and you’ll have to wait for part two, but if you don’t mind the cliffhanger and are brave enough to dive in now, you’ll easily be sucked into this story – I loved it!

You can read this novella without having read the first books, there is nice background given, but be aware that it will contain spoilers to the original story.

Brighton is a member of The Order – a group whose sole responsibility is to hunt evil fae that have come to this world to ‘feed’ off humans. While most members of The Order are kickass soldiers, Brighton has been in the background, studying the histories of the two groups and helping her mother who suffered from a fae attack years ago. She’s not the badass hunter that she wants to be, but a vicious attack following the big battle that finished off the Wicked trilogy is about to change everything.

Two years later and Brighton is still working quietly for The Order, but in secret she’s hunting down the fae who terrorised her so brutally. And her nights out trying to track down the bad guys lead straight into the path of the mysterious Prince of the summer fae – an ally of The Order – who is out on his own mission of vengeance.

The Prince was introduced in the original trilogy. Darkly mysterious and unimaginably gorgeous, Brighton is all too aware what he is capable of, and though she finds herself drawn to him, a part of her is disgusted by the fact that he is fae and she knows she needs to keep her distance. But he’s always there – protective, cold and completely badass, getting her out of more than one difficult situation… but why?

“In the last week, you’ve nearly showed up everywhere I’ve been. It’s almost like you’re following me.”
“What if I was?”
I almost dropped the stake as my gaze flew to his face. His expression was unreadable and I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. “Really?” That’s not creepy or anything.”
His sigh was so heavy I was surprised it didn’t shake the buildings. “You shouldn’t be out here.”
“What do you want from me?” I challenged. “I mean, really? Are we going to have this conversation every five minutes?”
“What do I want from you?” An emotion flickered across his face, parting his lips. “That’s a loaded question.”

When Brighton, as a representative of The Order, is asked by the summer fae to help them track down missing younglings, she decides to carry out her own investigation, very quickly getting in way over her head. But her mission intertwines with the Prince’s, and she finds herself reluctantly working alongside him, facing danger, intrigue and action as they search for clues to the mysterious threat.

And through every minute of it their attraction simmers and the chemistry is absolutely electric! You can feel the want between the two of them, and though Brighton is initially appalled by the idea of being attracted to a fae, she is helpless to resist. The stern and cold Prince begins to show glimpses of sweet softness, introducing himself to her as Caden and allowing us to see that he is feeling something for her too, and the sexual tension is delicious!

Those thick lashes lifted and those eyes seemed to see straight through me once more. “You’re not a ghost. You never could be one, not when you burn as brilliant as the sun.”

But there is so much about Caden that remains a mystery, and with the threat against them far more dangerous than either of them anticipated, they are facing huge challenges… and one massive secret that is going to change everything.

I loved being back in this world. I love Brighton as a character, and I love the secretive, badass, yet undeniably passionate Caden. The dynamic between the two of them is absolutely fantastic, and I had a wonderful time watching every hard fought for moment of intimacy between them.

“Why do you call me that? Sunshine?”
“Because I saw you smile once and it was like the sun finally rising.”

The other bright spot of the story is the inclusion of Tink the brownie. An absolute scene stealer in the original trilogy, he is fantastic once again in this one. He provides wonderful comic relief but is so much more important than that, and I loved his contribution to the story.

And then…. that ending. It took me by surprise that this wasn’t a standalone story and I admit I was all kinds of ragey after I finished this novella. I’m not a fan of cliffhangers – especially when I don’t know they’re coming and the story is left so incomplete. I felt like I had been cheated. I’m so glad that JLA is going to continue on with the story, I just hate that we have to wait a year for it!

But as frustrating as that ending is, it doesn’t take away my love and appreciation for this book which, like JLA’s other work, is fun, exciting and fast paced with great action, fantastically developed characters that you cannot help but love and a chemistry-filled romance that will keep you breathless. This is a great addition to the original series, and I loved it!

4.5 stars (would have been rated up without the cliffy).

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.