Lethal Nights (Brute Force)

by Lora Leigh

[chymerra]

I was hesitant to review Lethal Nights. I had reviewed Dagger’s Edge this previous June and didn’t like it. What changed my mind was the blurb. It caught my attention and made me want to read the book. I am glad that I read Lethal Nights because I enjoyed this book.

The plot for Lethal Nights was fast-paced and well written. The author did a great job of keeping the frantic pace up the entire book. There were parts of the book where it lagged, but the author did a fantastic job of getting the book back on track.

I loved Emma Jane. She was a strong woman. The things she went through before Ilya would have broken a lesser woman. And the things she went through after him would have broken even a strong woman. I loved how family-centered Emma Jane was too. Her family and their safety came first. She wasn’t above hiding things from them (including what her slimy ex did). She was perfect for Ilya. She saw who he was beneath the tattoos and loved him. It was something that he needed.

I loved Ilya, but man, his personal life was a mess. No wonder he kept Emma Jane at arm’s length. I love that his past was a mystery. There were parts of his past that made me wonder how it is going to fit into the series. I mean, he is the heir to rule a tribe of Gypsies with powers. On top of that, Ilya is dangerous, and that part of him sent shivers up my spine. Because I knew that he wouldn’t back down when Emma Jane was targeted.

The romance between Emma Jane and Ilya was sweet but at the same time dangerous. I liked that Ilya fell for Emma Jane the minute he saw here. He respected her enough to leave her alone so she could recover from her divorce. But, once she got attacked at her house, all bets were off. And that’s when things started to heat up.

The sexual chemistry and attraction between Emma Jane and Ilya were intense. What I liked is that the author didn’t have them jump right into bed with each other. Instead, they took it slow. There was a point where I got frustrated. I wanted them to have sex, release the tension, and do-over. But, it was a great move on her part. She held them from having sex until the middle of the book. Talk about explosive!!! Then she built that tension back up.

The plotline with who was trying to kill Emma Jane was full of suspense and danger. There were two people who I felt were behind the attacks. Of course, I was surprised at who it was. I was also surprised at how depraved this person was.

I do wish that Ilya’s Gypsy background was revealed sooner. I was fascinated by it. I wanted to know more about how the Dragon King worked, what his title entailed. Some of it was explained, but I felt a lot of left out. I got a suspicion that there was some paranormal element to it.

I do want to drop a warning. This book covers some heavy situations. Even I had issues reading some scenes because of what happened. There are child abuse and domestic abuse in this book. There are several vivid scenes of Ilya being abused by his uncle and stepfather in the book. Those scenes made me cry. There is also a scene of domestic violence that involved Emma Jane and her manchild of an ex-husband.

The end of Lethal Nights was exciting. I can’t get into it because of what happened, but I will say that Emma Jane and Ilya get their happily ever after. Now, I do wonder who will be in the next book.