Violent Delights

This book, where do I start? So many feelings. To start, this is book one of a trilogy, so I'm going to be vague as to not spoil anything. I think people are going to fall in one of two camps, those that love it and those that don't. And then there is me. I love the concept, I love some of the characters. I hate some of the things that happen. I shouted at my phone a few times. At times, I thought Natalia was fabulous, at other times, I wanted to shake her. And at the end, I really struggled to understand her decision- which is probably because I'm evil. I just wanted her to let everyone burn. I'll definitely be moving on to book two - Violent Ends because I need to know what happens next.

The narration was spectacular. As a listener, I hate when an audio isn't released at the same time as the audio. It feels like it's an afterthought, that being said, I know Jessica spent a lot of time trying to find the right fit for this series and boy, did she. Emma Wilder was perfection. The way she was able to give voice to each of these characters and with accents was astounding. I was mesmerised by her performance. Her male voice is all the things. Narrator girl crush activated. Christian Fox and Brian Pallino make a special appearance and were fantastic as Diego and Cristiano. Their accents were spot on - I did need to actively listen to catch everything they said as opposed to being able to do other things whilst listening to Emma. The production was great with no issues.

I signed up for an early copy of this book for two reasons. One, Jessica Hawkins is a new “to me” author, and I have set a challenge for myself this year to read many more “new” or new “to me” authors. Two, I also thought this would be a good book for my “stepping out” challenge since I am not a fan of love triangles (nor trilogies if I am being honest). Two birds with one stone as they say. (lol)

 
Needless to say, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little nervous. (lol) However, luck was on my side because I LOVED every minute of this book. I will not get into too many details because there are still two more books to go and I'll save the longer more in-depth review for when the story has reached its' conclusion.  What I will say is that this was a fantastically well-written book. It was well paced and a relatively short read (three hours). It is told mostly from Natalia's POV with one chapter each from Cristiano and Diego. The plot was super engaging and set the stage for an epic battle between two brothers. All three of the main characters are incredibly intriguing. However, I have a HUGE favorite and I will be one UNHAPPY camper if Natalia doesn't end up with him...my reaction may involve (but not limited to) swearing and tablet throwing...just saying. Last, we end on a WHOPPER of a cliffhanger that will make you want to get your grubby hands on book two ASAP.

So yea, not much left to say. I loved it. I recommend it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.