review || DARK DUET by KaSonndra Leigh

K. Leigh Books, LLC | September 9, 2014
Musical Interlude, book 3
★★★★

SOURCE: AUTHOR

Nikolai Belikov doesn’t believe in happy endings, or the possibility of finding acceptance in others who can understand his darkness and the way he craves revenge—until he meets Alese, a woman as drawn to the shadows and lost in her past as Nikolai himself. Their paths crossed once before in another lifetime, and the two strangers were forged together by the whim of a madman.

And then Alese vanished. Forgotten. Until now…

Fresh on the heels of recovering from heartache caused by his best friend’s sister, Nikolai plunges into his greatest relief— revenge. For the pain caused him by his family, he decides they must all be punished. To do so, he leaves his old world behind, forging a new one as an employee of the man who enslaved him years ago. But Alese—after having her mind wiped by the man who hired Nikolai—suffers from amnesia and holds the key to evidence Nikolai needs in order to succeed.

Having no other choice, Nikolai agrees to train Alese as a negotiator, a hitman who decides the ultimate fate of others. He not only tries to get her to recall her past—because she will be the key to destroying his former enemies—but he also vows to protect her from Rudolph Burkenstein, the man who wants to see her dead.

But Alese is a light in the darkness that Nikolai has refused to let inside the shadows of his soul. After several months of training, he finds himself struggling with his quest for revenge, and his growing feelings for Alese—because he knows that loving her, means giving up on his plight.

Will their love thrive inside the light, or will darkness consume everything they’ve fought to achieve?

** This novel contains mature content and situations that some readers may find disturbing. It is intended for an audience at 18+ years of age.**

amazon

{ add to goodreads } .

{ about kasonndra leigh } .

Author of the Lost Immortals Saga and the Seraphine Trilogy. I'm also a mother, blogger, reader, gardener, home renovator, and a slayer of Egyptian mummies in Tomb Raider. I believe in karma, coffee, and seriously wish that the producers of Xena would bring my favorite show ever back.

Strange things about me: everything. I am strange, odd, unusual, and generally tend to make people think I swooped down from another planet. I don't know. Maybe I did. Who knows? I'm also a member of the #zombiesurvivalcrew on twitter. So if you need protection from the undead then don't hesitate to call on us.

I was born in the race-car city of Charlotte, NC, and now live in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, NC, when I'm not hanging out in Bardonia (Lost Immortals). Most of my characters are based on people that I've met throughout my travels and adventures. People tend to stop and start conversations with me as if I've known them my entire life. Does this freak me out? Not really. My mom says that one day I'll get kidnapped by one of them. I told her that if it weren't for these lovely people then I wouldn't be able to create the stories that I do.

I have many favorite authors but there are some who truly rock my socks: Octavia Butler, Anne Rice, Kami Garcia, J.K. Rowling, Dean Koontz (on his good-book days), Stephen King (same as DK) Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, Elizabeth Kostova, and so many more...

Some other common tidbits...hmm. I've watched the movie Under the Tuscan Sun almost 200 times. Seriously, the way I see it is if I keep watching it enough, then suddenly the house that Diane Lane lives in will magically appear in my backyard. I know. I have a huge imagination!

website | instagram | twitter | facebook | goodreads

{ review } .

Often times, I can pick up a book in the middle of a series and be just fine not having read the previous books. The fact I didn't read the previous books may be the reason I didn't connect to this one. While each book is a standalone, from the positive reviews I've seen it appears that Nikolai was a fan favorite and the people wanted his story.

...but I didn't know him, I didn't know the story, and I didn't know the author's writing style, so I went in completely blind. The synopsis certainly drew me in and the writing itself is done extremely well; I just personally didn't stay connected with the story.

Aside from that, I do feel that readers of Ms. Leigh's work will very much enjoy this story -- heck, even others who have never read her stories. The suspense was well written, and the plot itself was certainly well thought out. I loved the idea of Nikolai's past, and pairing this hero up with Alese was a great idea, and I loved the way these two characters played off one another.