I haven't always loved the books in the Marchesi Universe, but Remington and Henri's romance was amazing! 

I'll be honest and say that I don't remember Remington from any of the previous books in this universe, but that didn't matter at all for my enjoyment of this story. This book worked remarkably well as a standalone, and I had so much fun getting to know a new family dynamic. Remington was clearly the "take charge" brother of the Theriot family, and it was exciting to see how he organized his men to fight his enemies and keep everyone safe. This book began right in the middle of one particularly dangerous situation, but it was easy for me to keep up with what was going on and get invested in the safety of Remi, his brothers, and Henri.

Though Remington's instantaneous attraction to Henri felt a tiny bit unbelievable, I quickly forgot all about that when the two of them made it to bed together. This romance spoiled me with plenty of deliciously heated moments with an added dose of D/s that made the connection between Henri and Remi feel out-of-this-world explosive. A night of debauchery has never been so incredibly intoxicating before, and the fact that Henri was a virgin beforehand only made it hotter. The way Remi took control of their pleasure to send Henri into uncharted bliss was everything I didn't know I needed.

 Even when Remi tried to keep things strictly business between him and Henri, I could already see the possessive side of him clamouring to keep Henri forever. Their connection was surprisingly sweet after such a steamy beginning, and I genuinely loved the quieter moments Henri and Remi spent together. Whether it was curling up and reading together, shopping for clothes, or having long conversations over a shared meal, these men developed a deep emotional intimacy early on that convinced me of their love before they even said the words. Of course these two took ages to come around to their feelings, but with so much else going on in the story I can understand why it was easy to push big emotional revelations to the side.

Speaking of the overall storyline, I was really captivated by the way things were going with the Landry brothers..... until the last few chapters. It kinda felt like the author ran out of steam at the end, and what could have been a really emotionally devastating torture and rescue mission turned into a few short paragraphs that glossed over all that angst I was preparing myself for. In a book where the romance played out in such wonderful detail, it did surprise me to see such an impartial account of a critical moment in the story. I couldn't stay too upset about it when Henri and Remi got the happily ever after of their dreams, but in my opinion it was a big missed opportunity. Either way, I'm definitely going to be reading the rest of the books in this series and I can't wait to see where Corbin's adventure will lead next!

**I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.