You know the whole "here's the first book in my best series for free" scam on Kindle? Where the author offers up one book for free and you're like, "Score!" And then you're digging out your wallet to buy the rest of the series and devouring it in one night without any concerns for your budget. That's how I met Skye Warren. It was The Pawn that got me (and hey, it's still free) and the entire series is one of my frequent rereads. So, when I see Skye Warren pop up in my emails I know that I'm signing up for that review, no doubt in my mind.
Blurb: Blood and sweat. Bethany Lewis danced her way out of poverty. She's a world class athlete... with a debt to pay.
Joshua North always gets what he wants. And the mercenary wants Bethany in his bed. He wants her beautiful little body bent to his will.
She doesn't surrender to his kiss. He doesn't back down from a challenge. It's going to be a sensual fight... to the death.
Review: The Audition is different from other Skye Warren books that I've read. I don't know if it was the characters themselves, their shared past, or just the quality of the writing that captivated me this time around but this book is really wonderful. The book flashes back and forth between five years ago (when our characters met for the first time) and present day, which I usually don't like, but I thought that I wouldn't have gotten to know the characters half as well without the flashbacks. It ended up being a really powerful writing tool.
I love Skye Warren because I know that her heroes are going to be the possessive, protective, dangerous men that I crave. And Joshua, our security expert here to protect Bethany--even if it means against her will--is no exception. He overstepped Bethany's boundaries on every other page, but he doesn't care if she doesn't want him around, he's going to protect her no matter her thoughts on the matter. Joshua was an asshole at times, but you knew every step of the way that his bad attitude was a direct reflection of his trying not to fall in love with our heroine.
Dancers as heroines are amazing. I don't know if it's their devoting their entire lives to their trade, their drive, their talent, or their passion that has me so enamored with them, but I just adore them. And Bethany was such a strong heroine, inside and out. She matched Joshua every step of the way and was not about to let him come back into her life and turn it upside down without a say. Of course, that stubbornness also kept her from reaching out for help when she started receiving anonymous threats (gah, just reach out to the sexy security expert already!).
The one thing that really surprised me with The Audition was that it felt like more of a slow burn than I'm used to with Warren. It wasn't that it wasn't chalked full of hot, sexual tension from start to finish, but the characters took their time getting to the ultimate connection. Worth the wait though.
Skye Warren fans won't be disappointed. And new readers who love their romance a little darker, but not over the top evil, will enjoy The Audition.
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