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Review

And back into the dark and dirty world of Sector 4 we go. Brace yourself for the smut!

There are eight sectors outside of “post-Flare” Eden, a seemingly idealistic dystopian world (that we don’t actually get to see). This series focusses on the sectors (particularly sector 4), where people fight hard for survival, power and control. Oh and they also party hard – real hard!

Sector 4 is ruled by the O’Kane Gang, or more precisely, by the ‘King’, Dallas O’Kane – the man who almost swept book 1, Beyond Shame, out from underneath the hero’s feet. He’s powerful, tough, violent and ruthless, but he has a huge heart and is ferociously protective of the people he considers ‘his’. You’ve gotta love him! And now we get to see the big tough guy finally let go and give into his intense attraction for the ‘unofficial’ Queen of Sector 4, Lexie.

“Let’s cut through the bullshit. We’ve been dancing around this for years.”

When Lexie publicly and boldly declares herself Dallas’ property by branding herself with his name, he makes the surprisingly possessive move of claiming her without delay, plunging them into a relationship that both of them are desperate for. Although it also unleashes a whole heaps of issues – mainly to do with control between these two very strong characters, and Lex’s shift from ‘unofficial’ to ‘official’ Queen, standing in partnership by Dallas’ side, in public as well as in private.

The UST between these two was sizzling in the first book, and I was so excited to see them come together. With two such passionate characters, I knew there would be fireworks, and fireworks there were!

“You want it rough and raw,” he rasped in a low whisper. “I’ll give you that, love. I’ll give you the fucking world.”

Having wanted each other for so long, the emotion between them is intense from the very beginning. Dallas wants nothing more than to make Lex permanently his, but even though Lex has secretly loved Dallas all of these years, she struggles to completely let go with him. As her brutal past is revealed, we come to understand why she is so tough, and why she protects herself so fiercely. She has a lot to overcome before she is able to hand over her trust to Dallas, and he knows that, and I love that despite his badassery, he is gentle with her and gives her what she needs so that she feels safe to let her guard down.

And when I say ‘gentle’, I don’t mean physically, I mean more that he never pushed her emotionally. Dallas is an intensely passionate man by nature. And with their attraction to each other bordering on obsession, when he unleashes in the bedroom… HOT DAMN!

“I’m gonna hold on to my self-control as long as I fucking can. And when I can’t…”
She held her breath until her lungs burned, but he didn’t elaborate. “When you can’t? What happens then?”
His mouth brushed the sensitive spot where her neck joined her shoulder. Teeth grazed her skin. “Then Lord have mercy on you, Lexie love. Because I won’t.”

Again, the smut in this book is INSANE! There is very descriptive sex, and lots of it. And not just between Dallas and Lex. Lex is still an active participant in Jasper and Noelle’s sex life (and we see a fair bit of them), and although Dallas is not keen on sharing, he does allow others to participate, and there is a really full on orgy scene. But it’s mainly one on one time between the two of them, hard and rough, with the occasional bit of kink. Their sexy time does take up a huge proportion of the book, so have yourself a fan handy or something, because it’s STEAMING!

But it’s not all smut, their relationship has a deeper side, and I loved those moments where we really get to see the emotion and tenderness come through.

“She was sated and relaxed, which was quickly becoming his favourite look on her. Her sleepy smile wasn’t meant to charm or soothe him. It wasn’t a mask. This was Lex, stripped of all that bullshit she’d learned in Two. Not trying to be anyone’s fantasy.
It made her his.”

There is more to the book than just the romance and smut. Following events at the end of the last book, there is turmoil brewing in the sectors and a lot of political wrangling going on, as other sector leaders make their play against both Dallas and Lex. With all of the game playing and double crossing, it’s not initially clear what their motivations are. But that, and the growing power base of sector 4, impact on Dallas and Lex in ways that neither of them could have imagined.

It gets crazy there for a while, and with the intense passion between them, Dallas and Lex have some killer fight scenes, as well as some pretty significant ups and downs. But their love for each other is really strong, and it all leads to some pretty freaking sensational swoon.

“I can’t do this without you. I can’t be Dallas without Lex.”

…

“I’ve always loved you.” A shudder worked through him, and he pulled her closer. “I’ve always wanted you. They don’t have a word for how much I need you. Everything good I am, everything good I’ve ever done…it’s all you. You make me a king. Without you, I’m just another psychotic thug.”

…

“I’ll be any man you want. A king or a beggar or a farmer or a killer. But I’ll never be the man who can let you walk away.”

As with the previous book, there is a lot of time spent with the other key guys in Dallas’s gang, and I loved seeing the interactions between them all. They are all very protective towards their King and Queen, which is gorgeous (and all very willing to ‘play their part’ *wink*), and I loved seeing their own stories develop further. Bren is up next, and I can’t wait for his story!

I enjoyed this one. It’s a hedonistic and unique world filled with memorable characters, and I’m looking forward to more.

3.5 stars

 

Beyond Series