Eve1972
Written on Oct 27, 2018
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
Deception and Chaos is certainly an apt name for this book because it had both in spades. S.M. Soto is a new to me author, so I didn't really know what to expect going into this one, and I can honestly say I was blown completely away by this book. I pretty much loved everything about it. The writing was fantastic. It was well paced. It was well plotted and so very engaging. There were twists and turns. It was heartbreaking at times. It was dark and twisted at times. It was sweet and romantic at times. Last, it ends on a whopper of a cliffhanger that made me wish I had book two in my hands right now. Really, the only thing thing I will say is that I wish we had gotten Creed's POV. Other than that, this was an utterly perfect read.
~HERO~
DIAVOLO CREED SABELLA...Creed was a bit of a prickly pain in the ass enigma for the majority of this book. I honestly wasn't sure if I liked him or wanted Sophia to kick him in the balls half the time. However, this author did a fantastic job of slowly peeling away Creed's layers and exposing a more in-depth and caring man. Oh, he still isn't what you would call a "good guy" but he was definitely the picture of perfection when it comes to an anti-hero.
~HEROINE~
SOPHIA (happens to also be my daughter's name)...Sophia was a kickass heroine. I feel like I could gush forever over how much I loved her character. She is undeniably one of the best heroines I have read. She was SO strong after everything she went through. She was feisty. She was loving. She stood up to Creed. I loved the strength of bond her and Garrett had. I hope she hangs onto that inner strength because she is undoubtedly going to need it for what's coming.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There were a lot of intriguing side characters in this book for sure. I kind of hope that some of the guys get books of their own at some point (fingers crossed). I loved Garrett (Sophia's brother). I also really liked Finley and Mera. I also want to know more about Jose (especially), Kam and Ricky.
~HEAT LEVEL~
LOW...This was a very slow burn type of book. It is almost 70ish% or more before we get any sex scenes. However, due to the way the plot unfolded slow burn was the perfect way to go. Once Sophia and Creed hit the sheets, they burn them up.
~ANGST LEVEL - SEXUAL HISTORIES~
LOW-MEDIUM...I didn't find this book overly angsty. The first part was difficult to read. The level of violence aimed towards the heroine is high and could be triggering to some. If you want more details, feel free to message me. Neither were virgins. In fact, there is basically no mention of either characters sexual pasts. There is a smidge of OW drama and no OM drama.
~IN THE END~
Did I enjoy it? Completely!
Was it perfect? Pretty much. Like I mentioned above, I would have liked to have gotten Creed's POV, but that was really a very minor issue.
Would I recommend it? 100% YES!
Who would enjoy this book? I think most readers would enjoy this story. Especially those who like a well crafted dark romance with intriguing characters and a well fleshed out plot.