This was a roller coaster ride for me because my emotions were riding along with the characters from the opening lines. Have you ever felt so much a part of the lives of the characters that you sometimes had to set the book aside to calm yourself down? I had to do that multiple times because I would get so upset when something happened that I needed to step away. I love these characters and want things to go a certain way and when things bad happen I need to stop and breathe. That is a testament to the reality of those characters and the world they live in.

Aria and Max have escaped from the Palace with the help of Jack, Braith’s little brother. Jack informed Aria that Braith is to be married and therefore there is no reason for her to stay for him, in the process breaking her heart. Max has been so traumatized and believes that Aria was treated just as badly as he had been. Though she has told everyone she was not mistreated they do not believe her. But Max also wants more from her than she wants to give.

Braith feels just as betrayed as Aria when he discovers that she has left the Palace without saying anything to him. He feels she lied about her feelings and was only biding her time until she could escape. This makes the normally kind Prince a vampire who starts to indulge in all the vices he had hated in the past, and all to forget a human he had come to care for.

This was a really great sequel to that first book and just makes me that much more anxious to continue the series. There is more explanation and a little less action but it balances out well. I would really like everyone to give this series a read. There is enough heat and sweet for everyone.