The Undercover Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden

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The Undercover Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden is part three of the Tate Brothers series. I have not read the other two books in this set. It was clear some characters had further background detailed in earlier books, but that lack of detail in no way hindered my enjoyment of this installment.

Olivia de Santis has been in love with Wolf Tate since they became friends as teenagers. While keeping her feelings hidden, Olivia continued a correspondence with Wolf during his time away with the Navy Seals. When his father Nate dies, Wolf is instructed to take down his father's enemy Cesare de Santis before Wolf can retrieve the mother he thought he lost from hiding. Having spent most of his teenage years as a spy in de Santis's household, Wolf attempts to use his friendship with de Santis's daughter Olivia to further his goal.
I am a sucker for a good unrequited love story. This story had a way of making the dream of love come true without emotional manipulation. Olivia had feelings for Wolf, but she was not a pushover. Even though she kept protecting Wolf when logic might have dictated she stop, she still made smart choices. She was in a terrible position and dealt with the unfortunate circumstances in the best way possible. The right decisions took a bit longer for Wolf to make. Wolf was blind to his worth due to the mental abuse by his father and de Santis. Olivia had to drag him out of that, eventually leading him to realize he loved her as she did him. It felt organic and moving, and it was wonderful when Wolf was finally able to believe in himself. The dynamic between Wolf and Olivia worked well and also worth noting is their physical chemistry was very sexy.

Undercover Billionaire was a great read for me. It has been awhile since I was so attached to the main characters in a contemporary erotic romance. I was glad they were able to be together after the terrible things they had to go through. All opinions are my own and may not be identical to others. I urge all readers to come to their own conclusions. I voluntarily received an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley.

Gaslight by Dannika Dark

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Gaslight by Dannika Dark is the newest installment in the Crossbreed series.  The focal point told mainly from the perspective of Raven Black, is on the investigative group Keystone. The group connects evidence to potential suspects so the Higher Authority can deal justice as swiftly as possible. There are several subplots and personal elements that piece together throughout the series. I recommend reading the Crossbreed books from the beginning for this reason.

Raven is a strong protagonist. Dissatisfied with life, Raven paid dearly for her decision to become an immortal. After finding Keystone, Raven found a purpose that helped her deal with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her Creator. Raven has kept her humanity, her ability to love, to make friends and a semblance of conscience. The events in this book threaten these things, and I was shocked by and sympathetic to what occurred.

I have been hit before by a plot point I didn't see coming in this series, mainly ones that have to do with character connections, and I love it. To me, this shows a great deal of care in the craft of the narrative. Witnessing moments that seem innocuous in book one later turn out to be a harbinger of things to come.  These are the types of plots that I crave. I want to be kept on my toes, looking around every corner for a revelation.

I always enjoy the members of Keystone. Their relationships with each other continue to solidify, and their trust continues to build. The hopes I had at the end of the last book are coming to pass. And Chaos/ Houdini, I am torn on how to feel. He retains his charm and seeing him through Raven's eyes amplifies that. The best antagonists convince us they are not all bad. He is the type of character I get fleeting moments of hope they may be redeemable. But Houdini is not good, and I see a tense resolution coming from his presence here.

Raven and Christian continue to struggle with their romance. Outer forces are now deliberately trying to keep them apart, which will certainly test their dedication to each other. I still believe they are a perfect match and as the old saying goes what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Here is hoping for them it does.

One observation I want to make, and it may be a slight spoiler, it seems the biggest evil done is always in the hands of a Mage. Not all of them are bad, but I feel soon I am going to stop trusting them. Which leads me to this warning, anyone who has a sensitive trigger should be cautious. This world can be dark at times, and horrific things transpire in this story. It is not exploitative, and there is hope after, but the torture at the hands of a Mage is not sugar-coated.

I have yet read a book by Dannika Dark I did not like, also look for the Seven series and the Mageri series, but some of my favorite characters are in these books. Christian, Raven, Niko, Wyatt, Shepard, Claude, Blue, Gem, Viktor ... Okay, so Keystone rocks and I like spending time with all of them. All opinions are my own and may not be identical to others. I urge all readers to come to their own conclusions.