Read my reviews of previous books in the All’s Fair series:
All I Want (#1) | All I Fear (#2)
Love is not necessarily a stagnant thing, and I have so much respect for storytellers who don’t freeze their characters in amber at the moment of a previous “happily ever after.” Denae has crafted such complicated and intricate characters for this series that bucking the status quo feels more like a feature than a bug when the solid triad of Roman, Tennant, and Hollis expands in this book to include Jude. (After all, when ‘kidnapping as a love language’ is a great way to describe your romantic leads, anything is possible.)
That these men meet Jude at all is the result of the most unexpected secondary character playing matchmaker (and makes me even more hyped for his eventual book). Nothing about their initial attraction to Jude is simple, which fits perfectly within the established power dynamics of the trio. At the same time, those power dynamics also mean that he fits seamlessly within the boundaries each man sets for himself and the others. Denae nicely complements the various inherent inequalities of their positions, both within and without the structures of the relationship, with the love that clearly surpasses the limitations of those structures. This book also continues a theme that initially attracted me to this unique found family setting, which flips the importance of and differences between ‘love’ and ‘trust’ in the dark romance genre.
The eventual reveal of a frustrating enemy that has hounded the Amato family is both a surprise and completely logical, especially when it also forces personal conflict within the new dynamic that includes Jude. History may repeat itself, but the story does not feel repetitive in any way. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed the various personal and relationship developments the conflict allows (and forces) for multiple characters.
I am completely invested in this series thanks to the way each book subverts the already complicated dark romance tropes, leading to a wild ride no matter which story arc is the primary focus of any scene. One thing is for sure, though: No enemy faced by the Amato family will ever be as dangerous as members of the Amato family themselves. And I don’t refer to the sociopaths here, when Hollis (the resident hacker) is clearly the most terrifying in the best (and sexiest) ways possible!
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
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