This was a really entertaining read. Be warned; if you're not a fan of cliffhangers and trilogies, skip this novel as it's both. J. T. Geissenger has once again proven why she's the queen of the slow burn romance in this story of two lonely souls that find love in each other. After seven years of abuse, Eva manages to escape her tormentor, Dimitri, and escape from Russia to Mexico. Unbeknownst to her, she's being observed by Nasir who's been employed to keep an eye on her and report back to Dimitri, believing he is her estranged husband. When a run-in with local gangsters forces him to reveal himself, Nasir and Eva are both drawn to each other, finding in one another their perfect partner, but each having their own troubled past. Eva thinks Nasir is between jobs and continues to believe she is free, but things are never that simple.
This was a fairly quick, easy read. The author has written about two really likeable characters which had me invested in both of their stories. Nasir, or Naz as he's known, is the complete package - smart, funny and devastatingly handsome. He's alpha, intense and protective without being a douche. Eva was a nice balance of vulnerability and strength, overcoming a horrific past to try and build an independent future. She wasn't an insipid weakling, instead being awkwardly upfront and adorably tactless, making a nice change from the usual. Naz and Eva have an easy chemistry and banter going on with each other. They do tease each other constantly - he makes out that she's unattractive and fat and she calls him beastly. While this sounds offensive, it was done in good humour and I found the sarcasm hilarious. If you read too much into things like this, you'll get offended, so you've been warned.
The book had a great start, hitting the ground running as Eva is cornered in an alley way off a street known for a high level of crime after being followed and trying to corner her assailant with a gun in her pocket. A lot of the story takes place in Mexico as Naz and Eva run into each other and delve into each other's past while both hiding their true identities: Eva about her ex and Naz about his deceased wife. It's isn't until the later chapters that things begin to pick up pace but I honestly didn't miss the action because the build up between the couple was so well done. There is a crossover with some characters from Geissenger's Wicked series playing a key role, but you don't need to have read them to enjoy this book. J. T. Geissenger is pretty much a one-click author for me and I'm ashamed to say that while I have the first book in the Wicked series sitting in my Kindle, I haven't actually read it yet. This will be changing because if anything, reading about a couple of the characters that popped up here made me want to start the other series because they were a great addition. There was also reference to Bad Habit (another series). Again, you absolutely do not have to have read these prior to picking up this book as there was no confusion or reference to past stories. If I wasn't such a big fan of Geissenger, I wouldn't even have realised these were other series.
Throughout the book, we get quite a few tidbits thrown in about Eva and Naz's past. This is probably the only slight negative I had with the book - I wanted more. While the odd details were thrown in here and there, especially about Dimitri, I was chomping at the bit to know more about Eva's life with her ex so I could get a greater insight into what her life was like and what made him tick. It was a bit of a Catch 22 because Geissenger did such a good job chucking in little snippets about Dimitri that I was really intrigued by him and wanted to him to feature more. I'm hoping more is revealed in the next book because while the author did a great job introducing us to Naz and Eva, I found I would have liked a bit more depth and more comprehensive details about their backgrounds might have provided this.
The book is well-written and held my attention. There's a bit of Russian here and there but the author included translations in a way that didn't disrupt the story or sound contrived. I'm really looking forward to the next book as this one went off with a bang.
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“The average woman exhibits more courage before lunch every day than a soldier does his entire career. The bravery of women is what built the entire world. You men just like to take credit for it.”Highlighted by 560 Kindle readers- “In order to survive, the oppressed must learn the language of their oppressors. And guns are the only language certain men speak.”Highlighted by 376 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
Suspenseful, sexy and slow burning...
Evalina Ivanova did the impossible. She escaped a monster, a man who did unspeakable things to her, a man who will never let her go. Living on the run, Eva is always looking over her shoulder, and she trusts no one. Until she meets a gorgeous ex-cop who makes her want things she never thought she could have. He makes her laugh and she feels safe whenever he is near... maybe her luck is finally changing...Nasir Mansouri is working an easy job. Watch the spoiled runaway wife of his Russian employer, send pictures and updates, and never let her know she's being followed. Easy. Until Eva runs into a little trouble and Naz comes to her rescue. Now that she can pick him out of a crowd, watching her from afar just turned into a complicated friendship, one that starts to mean so much more... until she finds out what he is really there for...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dangerous Beauty went from heart pounding drama to light and entertaining in one magnificent sweep after another. Eva and Naz's slow burn romance is fraught with danger, deception and a once in a lifetime love that's worth fighting for...Eva is done with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex. Doing the impossible and successfully escaping his clutches, she will stop at nothing to avoid being captured by him, ever again. Finding a rare connection with Naz, she cherishes any small amount of time she gets to spend with him. Desperate for human connection, or even a friendship, she will take Naz in any way she can have him.Naz thinks he is working an easy and straightforward job, until the truth comes out of just the kind of relationship Eva is running from. It isn't long before he falls for her and finds that he is willing to risk everything to keep her by his side.Eva was such an admirable woman, from the nightmare that she worked so hard to escape, to her determination to fight for herself, her strength spoke for her character from the very beginning. I loved how she never hesitates to say what is on her mind, she was always genuine and unabashedly straightforward.Naz was sweet and incredibly protective. I was so happy that he tried to be as honest as he possibly could with Eva in the situation, and even when their relationship was progressing, he tries to keep things from becoming too entangled until Eva knows all the details that he has been keeping from her.With a fun banter that lightened the mood when things got too dark, while this book touched on some disturbing subjects, it would quickly veer back into a more entertaining territory. Suspenseful, sexy and slow burning, Dangerous Beauty ended on a cliffhanger the left my heart in my throat and just a little bit of desperation for book two, Dangerous Desires.I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.
Top reviews from other countries
Zoeb
Wow. What a first book in the Dangerous Beauty series.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2023
Dina (Knowledgeable shopper)
Dangerous Beauty
Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2023