The devil has a name, and it’s Cristiano de la Rosa. On my wedding day, he was the last man I expected to see standing at the altar. He wants to make me his queen. His brother wants to rescue his princess.Getting Cristiano to lose control becomes the name of the game, and the stakes are life and death. But as truth and lies blur, loyalty is tested, and our chemistry threatens to reach the melting … the melting point, the prize grows less clear. Either freedom no longer means what I think it does, or Cristiano is as devious as everyone says, and he’s mastered the art of playing my mind.
All I know for certain is that nothing is certain. And all you need to know?
This is a love story.
But even love stories have to end.
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I may be a little in love with Cristiano… Don’t tell my hubby! Elizabeth @ Carolina Chic’s Read
Natalia & Cristiano pick right up where they left off… in the church! I’m not spoiling anything for this review… but you are not going to be disappointed in this one. Violent Ends is going to give you whiplash and the bad guy is not who you think. The second book is even better than the first and there are many enemies to fear. FIVE MIND BLOWING STARS!
Esto es lo que necesito in mi vida…. Depacio chispa de proporciones épicas!
I’m not going to sound composed and eloquent in this review. I’m vibrating with excitement after plowing through this one.
THIS IS JESSICA HAWKINS AT HER BEST. The anticipation, the constant guessing and re-guessing. The will she, won’t she. DO IT GIRL. DO IT…… the range of emotions you’ll feel reading this one is going make your temperature run about 69 degrees hotter. And yes that’s on purpose.
You HAVE to have read book one, Violent Delights before Violent Ends. And if you did, you probably enjoyed it. But BOOK TWO!!! The inner workings of where/why/how is what I questioned after VD. And Jessica gave it to me in spades. Not only that but so much more.
It’s not all wrapped in a pretty bow…there’s a book 3…hello!! And I CANNOT WAIT!!
Oh my heart….Cristiano. He is everything you would think of but oh so much more. I love him and I’m rooting for him. I would have fell to my knees at the end of book 1. This book continues where book 1 ended and it does NOT disappoint. I’m in full hangover mode and wishing my summer away! I am hoping November comes quickly!
This is book two in this sinfully delicious and darkly twisted series. It is essential that you read book one, Violent Delights first. Otherwise you will not get the complete story and feel lost. Wow! Just when you think that things can not get more intense or hotter, they do. Cristiano and Natalia’s relationship is deepening and evolving. Natalie has matured so much as the story has unfolded and she needs that maturity as more secrets and lies swirl around her. In my opinion though, she has to make further progress in this area to truly be the strong, savvy, empowered heroine she needs to be. Cristiano is incredibly intense (and HOT!!!). Dominate, brutal and a master manipulator, I still feel there is so much more to this character to explore. This book delivers a jaw-dropping, breath stealing, emotional roller coaster ride that will totally blindside you with a stunning OMG cliffhanger that will leave you needing more now!
Typically the second installment of a trilogy goes dark. It’s the point in the hero’s journey where the most dangerous enemy emerges, where you fear for the hero’s survival. Jessica Hawkins takes you there with this book, plunging you further into Natalia and Cristiano’s relationship and world.
Hawkins picks up right where Violent Delights ended and then … well, you kind of need to be patient. Jessica Hawkins is a solid storyteller, but sometimes you hold your breath, waiting for her to progress her narrative. Such is the case here. When you have a trilogy about a drug and arms cartel, you expect action. That isn’t always present in this book. Much more of this is internal than Violent Delights, with Natalia working through things in her mind and heart. In the chapters narrated by Cristiano, he does the same thing. You feel as if you’re on a roller coaster, click-click-clicking your way up to the apex of the big drop. And then the last chapter hits, and Hawkins doesn’t so much send you down that drop as knock you off the roller coaster altogether. The cliffhanger is a DOOZY, dear readers.
I enjoyed getting to know Cristiano better. He is the strongest character in this series BY FAR. When you’re in his head, it’s a fascinating, gripping, compelling place to be. You won’t be able to get enough of him, which makes me dearly hope that we get more Cristiano chapters in the concluding book.
Cristiano’s strengths do have one unfortunate effect: they expose Natalia’s weaknesses. And let’s be quite clear: she is WEAK. She annoyed me with her blind stupidity in Violent Delights, and there is more of the same here. I found myself being more patient with her this time, though, because I trust that Jessica Hawkins keeps beating that drum of Natalia’s weaknesses in an effort to make the moment she shows her strength all the more impactful. You can sense it coming.
Fans of Jessica Hawkins’ work know that she can write the sexy times with great skill. The sex scene in Violent Delights lacked some of Hawkins’ typical passion, but that’s largely because Diego was involved. There is only one real sex scene in this book, and it is SCORCHING hot. (Spoiler: Diego is NOT present.) Hawkins will make you salivate–quite literally. It makes me want to beg her for more in the third book. MORE MORE MORE.
I also want more Cristiano. He is an unforgettable Hot Hero, and so much of what makes this book interesting is due to him. So in this installment of If I Beta Read This Book, I would have suggested to Jessica Hawkins to replace some of Natalia’s internals with Cristiano’s. He’s the character you care about most.