As much as I loved the first book in this series, I have to say I love this one even more. Zaina can’t see any way out of the mess she finds herself in. When forced to choose between keeping her sisters safe from their sadistic “mother” and keeping the man and people she has grown to love from their ultimate fall due to the poison plaguing them, she realizes the only way to pay for everyone’s safety is with her life. She will betray them all to keep them safe. When Einar wakes to find Zaina not only gone but the one thing that could save his people is missing as well, after he finally let his guard down, he is furious. Over the course of the book not only do they have to heal the people afflicted by the madams poison, but the scars and trauma that strain their strained relationship.
I have said it before and will say it again, I absolutely love dual POV in books. It adds a lot of depth and emotion when you can see both characters thought processes, especially in an enemies to lovers story. If you thought that shift to lovers had happened at the end of the last book , think again. I really enjoyed the times Einar thought back to events from the last book and gave his POV during them. It makes you really rethink the whole scene and what was happening, adding another layer to the dual POV.
The enemies to lovers was so well done that this book series has become one of my favorite examples of the trope done right. The internal dialogue of both Zaina and Einar has so much tension and angst its hard not to want to lock them in a room together and let them fight it out until they just kiss and get it over with. Both show great character growth throughout this book. Zaina with learning to let others in and allowing them to help instead of always depending on herself. Einar with becoming more aware of his own actions and how they effect others.
The ending is a cliffhanger but the next 2 books will actually be from Zaina’s sister, Aika’s, POV with Zaina and Einar being supporting characters. There is still plenty left in their story so expect to still see a good bit of them in the following books according to the authors. We will just be getting deeper into the story of the madame and her children from another angle.
