FINAL DECISION: An enjoyable conclusion to Trees and Laila’s story. I thought that the conclusion of their story worked out better than I feared at times during the story. I thought that Trees was much less alpha-jerk than I worried.

THE STORY: This is the conclusion of the cliffhanger from WICKED AS SEDUCTION and begins right where that book ends. Tessa is confronted by the man who raped her for years. She decides that she will do everything to protect Trees — even surrender to the man she hates. At the same time, she must convince Trees to abandon his attempts to save her and thus make him hate her. But Trees is tasked to return Tessa and will do so no matter what.

OPINION: I enjoyed the story although it wasn’t particularly deep or thoughtful. It is an action adventure with a man who thinks he was tricked by the woman he has come to care about and a woman who is determined to protect the man despite himself. If I don’t look too deep into the story, I find it enjoyable. Indeed, I really love Trees who isn’t nearly as terrible to Laila as I feared as I read the book. At the same time, choices that Laila made at times annoyed me because I didn’t see the logic — except to ratchet up the angst and drama between Laila and Trees.

The book nicely wraps up the story of the series so far — although there will be more books in the series as the end discloses.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book did not resolve my concern about the severe sexual abuse that Laila endured in the first book. Everything was too neatly wrapped up and thus the abuse did not feel like it was addressed in any serious manner. That bothered me because it seemed more like a plot device than a serious issue.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WICKED AND FOREVER is the sixth book in the Wicked & Devoted series. It is also the second part of the duo about Trees and Laila. This book should only be read after WICKED AS SEDUCTION because this book assumes a reader has read that book. (It is unnecessary to read the other books in the series, although there is an overarching storyline that follows the series.)

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: I really loved the relationship between Trees and Laila in this one (although I found the sexual assault victim portrayal less than convincing). There is a lot of suspicion in this one, but Laila is a survivor and fighter, which I enjoyed more than other women in this series. As this book ends on a cliffhanger, my final decision really rests on how the second book ends.

THE STORY: Forest “Trees” Scott is a tech wizard and new employee at EM Security who is tasked to watch over Laila Torres and protect her from the men searching for her and her sister. Laila has been in a brutal situation for years and knows that men are nothing but takers. She is also determined to escape from him and get to her sister because she doesn’t trust Trees or anyone. The two are at odds, but also there is a hot attraction between them despite what either wants.

OPINION: This story is intense. Trees is protecting Laila from the cartel that is looking for her. At the same time, she is trying to escape and forge her own path. Trees is definitely a good match for Laila. He is the kind of guy people trust with people and things important to them. He understands Laila’s problems even as he pushes her. But he always understands what “no” means.

The action and pacing of this book was really good, and I kept turning pages to find out what happened. I have read the previous books in this series and this book covers the entirety of the two books in Tessa and Zy’s story so things seem to go so much faster. That kept the story moving quickly and because I knew part of the story (dealing with Zy and Tessa) it allowed me to focus on the emotional connection between Laila and Trees which grows as the book progresses.

The only thing I am not sure about the dealing with Laila’s severe sexual abuse in this book. The subject just seems so serious, and I sometimes felt that it was a plot device rather than a real character issue for Laila. However, I’m not willing to make a final decision on the issue because things become more emotionally compelling towards the end of this book. The conclusion of the cliffhanger might move this storyline forward.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is part one of the romance between Trees and Laila. It ends on a cliffhanger and is meant to read in combination with the second book in the series WICKED AND FOREVER.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WICKED AS SEDUCTION is the fifth book in the Wicked & Devoted series. This book is Part 1 of the romance between Trees and Laila. This book can be read apart from the series; although there is an ongoing story this book overlaps with the others in the series, and thus a reader can start here.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FINAL DECISION: Sexy and action-packed story. I got exactly what I wanted from the story — with one exception. I was annoyed by Tessa’s actions which started the trouble with the couple. Ultimately, I was pleased that the book acknowledged her mistakes. And the couple is hot. Fun book.

THE STORY: The second part of Zy and Tessa’s story. Zy is trying to uncover the mole at the company and is now given two choices — his friend and the woman he has fallen for. Tessa is confronted with a choice that no woman should have to make, threatening her new relationship with Zy.

OPINION: The setup in the first book explodes in this book as all the tightly wound parts of the story explode in an action-packed story. Zy and Tessa are a good couple. He is protective and she really needs protection from some of her dumb choices! At the same time, she is a good person that goes with her heart rather than thinking through her choices.

This book begins with things really moving between Zy and Tessa. Then things fall apart quickly as Tessa has to make a choice that tears them apart. That was the part that bothered me about this book. She just makes a stupid decision. It annoyed me because the decision just didn’t make sense. However, I’m glad I continued with the story because she acknowledges the flaw in her reasoning by the end. While I wish she had realized it earlier, I did appreciate that the book acknowledges the mistakes that both she and Zy make in the story.

The story is really hot, and there is even quite a bit of hot angry sexy tension between Zy and Tessa in this one. Other than my complaint about Tessa’s decision-making, I really enjoyed how the story built tension and let the action play out in the story.

The book reads really fast, and everything gets resolved with Tessa and Zy by the end — although there are lingering storylines that continue with the next couple in the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book’s timeline overlaps with the other books in the series so if you read them in order you already know more about the romance of One Miles and Brea and get a preview of Trees and Laila.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WICKED AND TRUE is part two of the story of Zyron and Tessa and is also the fourth book in the Wicked & Devoted series. This book should only be read after WICKED AS LIES since it is really one story. While this two-part story is part of the Wicked & Devoted series, these two books (making one story) can be read apart from the series as a whole.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I originally received an eARC of this book in order to provide a review. I did not review this book until after its publication and after I had purchased my own copy of this book. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.