This novel lived up to its name as a psychological thriller! The story keeps you guessing about where you will end up by the last page and entertains you throughout! One warning is that this novel ends as a set up for a sequel where everything does not wrap itself up perfectly at the end. I do not know if there will be a sequel as I do not recall seeing anything about it, so it could be a cliff hanger ending that leaves the true ending up to the reader. It was a thrilling novel that brings you in right at the beginning as we get some exposition and the darker tone is set. The reader navigates through three main characters’ lives and attempts to figure out what is real and what is not and, most importantly, how everything fits together.
Each chapter alternates mainly between our two central characters, Sinclair and Elena, and occasionally you get the point of view of Acey. The novel opens with Sinclair Diamond, who gives some exposition about who he is and also what events are setting this story in motion. As it is mainly an exposition type chapter, it did not grip me immediately into wanting to continue. The story picks up when we meet Elena Gomez in the next chapter. When I read her chapter, I was hooked to continue as I wanted to see where this novel would be going. Although I was not super thrilled with the first chapter, I understand why it is necessary as it gave background that did not be to addressed again in detail later on which helped move the story along at a decent pace. Elena just had her heartbroken when her boyfriend Acey, a charming poker player, disappeared one day without warning. She applies for a job as a dancer at a cabaret-ish club to supplement her income from her day job as a receptionist. At the club, she meets Sinclair. He is there to seduce Elena as he believes she is the key to finding Acey, who stole a large amount of money from him.
Our stories begin to further intertwine at this first meeting between Elena and Sinclair as he asks her out to dinner and she agrees. Sinclair woos Elena with his vast wealth and larger than life living, due to him being a gangster. Over time, Elena learns pieces about the true Sinclair and has to figure out if she wants to be with him or not and also want the overall truth is surrounding his character. There is also the added addition of Acey and whether Sinclair will get his revenge or not. The story goes between all of the characters as we navigate the story to see how everything will turn out.
The writing is easy to follow and I read this in a couple of days. The pace is great as it does not drag at all. The story keeps you guessing in one way, but there are some sentences/pieces that do spell everything out, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing to a reader. For me, I wish these parts were left out as I prefer to piece each tiny fragment together and then have the big reveal later on (I enjoy both small reveals over time and big reveal at the end type novels). There is some repetition for some parts as the story is first told from one point of view and then retold from a different character’s. I both enjoyed and disliked this as I felt that it was incredibly interesting to read two perspectives on one event, but I felt it was written a little too moment for moment and felt repetitive. It is definitely reader specific though as some will love it and some will not.
Overall, this was a fantastic thriller. Elena is a very sympathetic character and she becomes the glue between Sinclair and Acey and I found myself caring about her portion of the story the most. The story picks up quickly with the different events occurring and it was nice to see the romance between Sinclair and Elena developed. There were some aspects that I would have done differently, but it is just my preferences. I would recommend this to anyone who wants an entertaining thriller read!
**I give a special thank you to Booksirens, the publisher and the author for the ARC to read and review. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**
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One you won't want to put down
Elena has just had her heart broken. Her boyfriend Acey just up and left her without any indication as to why. She works as a receptionist by day at a law firm and just recently started as a dancer at a night club. One night while working at the club, she is asked for by name by a mysterious yet very handsome older gentleman, Sinclair Diamond. Despite her protests at first, she agreed to have dinner with him. Sinclair is a very rich and powerful man. That's not all though. He's also a gangster. A force that nobody in their right mind wants to recon with. Sinclair sets out to find Elena. Why would a rich and powerful man that could have any woman his heart desires want a dancer from a club? With expensive gifts, exquisite dinners, trips to Paris, a girl could get used to this, until she finds out what the real Sinclair Diamond is like and why he is so set on making her his forever. Will Elena find out the truth behind it all before she makes the biggest mistake of her life? How many secrets will she uncover before it's too late? I ripped through this book in just two days time. It was a fairly easy read and I just couldn't help but get caught up in the storyline. I was a little angry when I read the last line, but I won't spoil it for others. I really enjoyed this book. There were a couple times throughout the book that I got a little confused as the transition wasn't as fluid as it was in other places. All in all, it was written nicely and kept me interested. I rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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- Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021
