King of Spades

This is a wild ride! I've been a fan of Ms. Hensley since I discovered her Bastards & Whiskey series, which is one of my all time favorites. I wasn't sure if this one was going to hold up to the magic that is that series, but I should have had more faith. Ms. Hensley has, once again, created one of my favorite series and this is only the first book. Nick is the controlling, controlled, sexy, dominant man of my fantasies and Lyriope isn't some wilting violet. It's a fabulous read!

I was really looking forward to reading this following the introduction in the Meet me under the Mistletoe anthology, set at the Morelli family Christmas ball (Included in this). It's where Lyriope and Nick first meet, but they are both already well aware of each other. Lyriope Bailey is somewhere she isn't meant to be and is in big trouble. She's the illegitimate daughter of Bryant Morelli, but not many know her secret and her fierce pride wants to keep it that way. Is the mysterious Nick Hudson about to help her? Or his is price too high....... I really enjoyed this, its the first full length book by this author I've read. I found her writing style flowed and was easy to read. I loved both these characters, the push, pull dynamic and the sizzling, hot chemistry between them. Lyriope was feisty, proud and independent but her loser of a mother had always been her weakness. She had a brave face, but bad decisions had left her in a life threatening situation. Enter Nick Hudson and a contract she couldn't decide if she wanted to break it and run, or stay and face his both painful and very pleasurable consequences. "His lunacy is contagious, and I’ve been infected." I love the Alice in Wonderland references. Lyriope really has fallen down the rabbit hole into the mad, dark, dangerous world of alluring anti-hero Nick Hudson who had some delicious Mad Hatter vibes. He oozed dominance and sexuality, was flamboyant, edgy, a little bit cruel, a little bit kind and a whole lot obsessed. This man had layers as to why he was like he is and I'm loving them more and more as they slowly reveal themselves. I love Leo Morelli, that's no secret, but Nick is making his way right up there! "Normal is deadly. It’s why I detest it. Normal hides the dark secrets that lurk beneath the surface. No dark secrets with me now. I allow the darkness to be revealed in everything I do." Beware, there is a tantalising cliffhanger, but I really want more! Write quickly please 🙏 lol 4.5 Wonderland stars

Nick and Lyriope Will be reading on to find out what happens between Nick and Lyriope... I liked the whole 'Alice in Wonderland' give to parts of the book, I just gave one star less is we saw Nick's softer side more with Lyriope when they were alone. The development in their feelings for each other is evident towards the end even if Nick doesn't necessarily speak about her in that way. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.