I must be desensitized to cruel heroes. I've avoided Stuart's books for so long because according to readers the heroes are infamously cold, harsh, horrible people. Perhaps I started with the wrong one, because I wasn't too horrified by Lucien, however, I suspect that has something to do with Miranda. She is a fantastic heroine and just wouldn't let him break her down. I LOL'd when she was telling him he reminded her of a 'brooding, romantical Lord Byron' - which horrified him. He prided himself on being terrifying and she had his number. She was funny.

I would have loved this versus just liking it, but I felt like it was uneven. The best parts were rushed. There was so much that could have been done with the climax and aftermath of the "coup de grace" of Lucien's revenge plot. So much angst, so much character development and relationship building just... lost. I still cannot believe the final shoe didn't drop until 15 minutes before the recording ended. Personally, I could have done with less of the secondary romance (although it was sweet) and more time dedicated to the rest.