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Review

4 magical stars

Sweet, smart, romantic and sexy, and all set against a distinctive and exciting backdrop of the Circus Spektakulär. This book is actually very character driven, and Lille and Jack’s story is beautifully told. The whole book is a bit of an experience, and I loved it!

Although this is technically a standalone, it does follow on from Six of Hearts, so I would suggest reading that one first – firstly because it’s a great book, and secondly because it will make this book all the more sweeter.

Lille is 21 years old. She lives at home with her controlling mother, living a boring life that makes her miserable. But she dreams of adventure, and wants desperately to experience everything that life has to offer. So when she is handed the opportunity to literally run away with the circus, she jumps all over it. Joining the Circus Spektakulär on their tour of Europe, Lille puts her passion for art to work for her, making money by painting the faces of circus guests, and enjoying freedom for the first time in her life.

Jack McCabe is one of the circus bad boys. A firebreather and knife thrower, he is gorgeous, dangerous, mysterious and intensely broody. Of course, Lille is smitten, but the reclusive man is not easy to get to know. He keeps to himself, not letting others in. But slowly, as Lille opens up to him, he starts to reciprocate and a friendship starts to develop. It’s sweet but meaningful, and there’s a bit of push and pull, but it’s only a matter of time before the chemistry between them becomes too much for them to ignore.

“You’ve got me under your skin now, Lille.” 

OMG, Jack is so sexy. His dirty mouth, his dirtier moves, and the way he wants Lille are all incredibly steamy, and together they are absolutely sizzling!

“Kiss me, Jack,” I begged, forcing myself to ask for what I truly wanted for once.
“I can’t,” he replied with a sigh of frustration.
“Please,” I whimpered desperately.
“When I kiss you, it will be everywhere. When I kiss you, I won’t stop there. If I taste you, I’ll want to taste everything.”

Their romance is absolutely beautiful, and I loved every moment of their time together. But their lives are anything but ‘normal’, and while Lille is escaping hers, Jack’s past still haunts him, and he carries a lot of pain from all that he has been through. Add to that, life in the circus is not an easy one, and dealing with the personalities that exist in their little circus community is funny, heartbreaking, dangerous, and a little bit frightening. I loved watching Lille and Jack find their way through the turmoil, dealing with their own issues, as well as all that is happening around them. L.H. Cosway has painted a beautiful world for her characters, and I love experiencing it all through Lille’s eyes. And it becomes all the more magical as and Jack fall in love.

“Why do you call me flower?”
… “Because when I touch you, you fucking bloom.”

I love these characters. Lille’s innocence about the world, and Jack’s anger and cynicism contrast beautifully as the two of them come together, and I particularly enjoyed watching Jack’s walls come down for Lille. These characters aren’t perfect, they are both flawed in their own way but there is so much development for them both throughout the story as they open up to each other, and I thought it was really realistically done.

I think breathing fire makes you feel alive, and I think you take the risk because it’s your choice and no one else’s. You’re the master of your fate, and whether or not you get hurt is all down to whether or not you fuck up.

The whole cast of characters is fantastic, they each add so much to the story and I genuinely cared about pretty much all of them (except psycho Julie of course). And the highlight of the book for me came from a very welcome cameo… 

There is a lot going on in the story, and I actually thought that some aspects of it really weren’t necessary – the mystery/crime storyline was interesting, but I honestly thought it wasn’t needed – the main part of the story was more than enough to carry the book.

But nevertheless, this is a beautifully written book that had me hooked from the very beginning. I couldn’t put it down and devoured every little moment. Lille and Jack’s story is intense but realistic, sweet, romantic, and passionately hot. I love the tease about the next book, and am so intrigued! Can’t wait to get my grabby little hands on that one.

I loved it – 4 stars

The Hearts series (All books can be read as a stand alone)