Sara's Review: The Devil's Beauty (Crime Lord Interconnected Standalones #2) by Airicka Phoe
Reviewer Purchase
Publisher: Self-Published
Released: July 16th 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 518 pages
Format: eBook
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Synopsis
Dimitri Tasarov has never had a choice in what he was. From infancy, he had been raised with the knowledge that he was a monster, an unlovable creature without a soul, until a single act of kindness threw his entire world into a tailspin. Ava Emerson had always led a reluctantly sheltered existence. Friendship was a luxury that came with questions she couldn’t afford to answer. They were an unlikely pair. He lived behind his mask and his roses, and she lived behind her secrets, yet they shared a bond that could get them killed if anyone ever found out. Times were changing. The city was in turmoil. The weak were unprotected and someone needed to make a stand. But Dimitri wasn’t the only one with eyes on the north, or Ava, and they will stop at nothing to claim them both. Can Dimitri keep Ava safe, or will the devil fall?
Two Boundless Stars
I really wanted to love this book, I did. I loved the first book in the series, Transcending Darkness; sadly I just had trouble getting into the story of The Devil’s Beauty.
There are some points in the story that just don’t make sense to me, the syndicate being one of them. I get what it is in a broad term, but what I don’t get was how Dimitri is able to take over a seat. He then is miraculously all rich and powerful. It didn’t make sense to me. Then there was the thing with his father hating him but loving his stepdaughter Ava. It was finally explained, but it was honestly a horrible reason. It didn’t make me feel any sympathy whatsoever for the father and just made me feel even more horrible for Dimitri.
Ava and Dimitri have one thing in common they both have shitty parents. The fact that Dimitri’s father is also Ava’s stepfather just makes things even more complicated. Yet they have this tragic relationship due to the fact, that Dimitri’s father hates him. I guess the fact that I have known my Step siblings since we were little kids and the thought of having any kind of romantic relationship with them is as vile to me as incest just makes me disengage from this type of story.
I did like Ava’s character. She had a lot of tragedy and heartbreak happen to her. Including being kidnapped and sold into slavery. Yet she remained stoic and strong. No girly breakdown with her. She was pretty tough considering what was going on. Dimitri on the other hand is forgettable to me. There really isn’t anything about him that made him stand out, compared to any other alpha male stories I’ve read.
The Devil’s Beauty is LONG, with over 500 pages. They really don’t start getting down and dirty until almost the end and by that point I was pretty much ready to be done with the book. The only thing really memorable is that they like things on the rough side. But the last scene I skimmed because I was just ready for the book to be over.
Ava and Dimitri being steps sickened me. I don’t know what this new obsession is with this lately but I’m like “eww”. The only saving grace is they weren’t raised together. He could have been the son of a business rival to Ava dad with the same exact effect.
Overall, I was disappointed with this story and never really got into it. If it wasn’t for how well I like Ava, I don’t think I would have finished. As it is this is only going to get 2 Boundless Stars from me. It could have been so much better.