Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: May 31st
How I got this book: NetGalley
TEMPT THE DARKNESS
Strong-willed and independent, Paisley Nichols is used to taking care of herself. But when an insane mage begins tracking her every move and threatening her at every turn, she has no choice but to put her life in the hands of a demon.RISK THE PASSION
Burned by betrayal, demon assassin Iskander won’t get too close to anyone. He spends his days serving his warlord and his nights indulging in carnal pleasures . . . and that’s exactly how he likes it. But when a mage wages a wrenching psychic assault on his beautiful tenant Paisley, Iskander must defend her. Under his protection, she will be drawn irresistibly into his life and learn about her own mysterious powers. And not a moment too soon. The mage haunting her isn’t acting alone-and he won’t rest until he destroys both Paisley and Iskander.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
Some series are very easy to jump in at the mid way point, others are not. While I had some problems in the beginning with this one and felt like some of the secondary characters were not well developed, I did eventually end up liking this 5th book in the Witches series.
Paisley is living her dream; owning and running her own bakery. When a handsome stranger stops by day after day, she wonders if it might be possible for something more to develop. She quickly realizes that he is a crazy stalker, and does everything possible to avoid him. When he takes things to the next level and destroys her entire apartment, her landlord Iskander helps her out in her time of need.
Iskander didn’t want anything to happen to his human tenant, but there is something about Paisley, other than his desire to protect her, that draws him to her. When he takes her under his constant protection, the desire lights up between the two and they ignite in every possible way. When Paisley develops powers of her own, the danger dials up another notch, and Iskander finds himself willing to throw down his own life for hers.
It took awhile for me to become fully immersed and able to follow along with the world building, mainly because there were so many different kinds of paranormal creatures, all with differing powers and origins and abilities. Once things became more and more clear, I found myself really enjoying the different elements. I think this is the first time since reading the Demonica Novels that a demon has been a hero, and a sexy one at that.
I found that I really liked Paisely. She was happily living out her dream, and then tossed in the deep end of this crazy paranormal world. She took in all in stride, even when her own body was going through magical changes. She was able to come out swinging when she needed to, and willing to go to war for what she deemed as important. While she didn’t seem to know it, she had an awesome inner badass, and wasn’t afraid to let it show.
While Iskander was undoubtedly sexy, I didn’t really relate to him at all. I thought he was kinda selfish and immature at times. While he was completely loyal to the oaths he had taken, his only motivation seemed to be to better himself. There were even times in his budding relationship with Paisley that he didn’t seem to do anything FOR her, instead would take what he wanted; with the bonus of it benefiting her.
I did feel a connection between them more towards the end, and was glad to see Iskander really lay his feelings on the line for her. I just wish it hadn’t happened in the last few pages of the book. There were also times I felt left out when some of the secondary characters came to the forefront. I think, had I read the series from book 1, that I would have been a little more on track with everything.
All in all I did end up liking this book. The writing was well done, the world-building fun and imaginative, and the heroine was enjoyable to read. I give My Dangerous Pleasure a B-