In the first book Ruin & Rule, Cleo Price (aka Sarah Jones) first was fighting for her memories, then was fighting for Arthur "Kill" Killian to believe her and remember their past. And now they are fighting for their lives against the people Arthur has pledged to destroy. It is a convoluted situation immersed in revenge, jealousy, guilt, and anger. This begins right where Ruin & Rule left off with Cleo in need of rescuing and Arthur in a bad state. It hits quick with action, danger, and suspense. 

Then they are both facing the after effects. They both have healing to do and are still also trying to navigate their lives after being reunited after eight years. And Cleo has finally regained all of her memories, some that are surprising. Now she knows more of Arthur's secrets. But will that bring them closer or tear them apart? They both had lost so much at the hands of bad people, but they still were at risk of losing each other again.

I honestly liked Arthur much more in this book. He was protective, strong, intelligent, and completely devoted to her. But sometimes his larger goals made it hard to take a step back and think clearly. He was used to being a math whiz that brought his success and wealth, but was always wanting more, to be the best, and have everything. He had plans that involved war, vengeance, salvation, and reform. But he was facing challenges that could derail all of his plans. And he still did not learn his lesson about always being upfront and honest and was at risk to have seriously negative consequences for his actions.

Cleo was sassy, tough, and fierce in this one. She was armed with knowledge and ready to fight for her happiness. She was a good match for Arthur and was more willing to take him on. But sometimes she was left in the dark making it hard to help Arthur make the right choices. This focused more on their true re-connection and facing their pasts so they could deal with their present and decide a course for their future. 

This book felt like going through a war zone to me. It was a battle of agendas, physical threats and fights, secrets, and lies. It started out exciting and tense, but then it started to fizzle a bit for me. It kind of dragged and I honestly got tired of the sex scenes, the secrets, the mysterious big plans, and the behavior of the hero/heroine at times. Some of their decisions just made me shake my head. 

It was told in dual points of view and also had diary entries/flashbacks allowing us to see more about their relationship and feelings when younger. There was some mystery about what Arthur's ultimate goal was. There were some twists and surprises. This did deal more with the MC business but was also very personal with the characters and there was also a much larger agenda at play. But the romantic part of it was also about sacrifice, true love, redemption, second chances, and soul mates. 

This did not seem quite as dark as the first book, but still had intense scenes and emotions. It had some mean antagonists and some likable sidekicks. I really liked Grasshopper and could see him possibly getting his own story.

ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sin & Suffer is the continuation of Ruin & Rule. Told from both Arthur and Cleo’s perspectives, things are in motion that cannot be stopped, that have been in the works for years. Vengeance will be had and changes will be made.

Arthur has so much going on here, between building up Pure Corruption and seeking revenge for wrongs done to him so long ago. For as tightly wound as he was in Ruin & Rule, he became almost reckless in his determination to participate in the plans that had been set in motion.

He also became a character I liked a whole lot more. He shows a vulnerability that was not present in Ruin & Rule, and goes into a much stronger protector/leader role both in the MC and with Cleo.

Even though we get Cleo’s point of view, there were times I felt like she wasn’t really coming through the story. This truly is Arthur’s story and though her voice is here, she is in the dark more often than she knows what is going on. What Cleo does get here is a better understanding of what has happened in the years she was gone, the direction that Arthur has planned for Pure Corruption, and a reaffirmation of her place in all the plans.

This is Cleo and Arthur’s chance to recement the feelings between them. Those feelings have been driving each of them since their separation as children, even when Cleo was living as Sarah Jones and had no recollection of her past.

This was not as dark as the first book, and as a result felt like a much smoother read. I didn’t have the same feeling of unease as I read, though there were plenty of times where I was unsettled by my predictions for the story.

ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Can a woman plagued by mystery fall in love with the man who refuses to face the truth? And can a man drenched in darkness forgo his quest for vengeance-and finally find redemption?