Tag Archives: Penelope Sky

Review: Second (Betrothed #6) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Second
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Barnes & Nobles Press 5/5/20
Length:  198 Pages
Series:  Betrothed #6

Overview

She’s gone.

But the fortune can’t be true because she means nothing to me.

Nothing at all.

But the doubt starts to creep in. My thoughts only focus on one thing. The other women no longer satisfy me.

It starts to drive me crazy.

When I finally confront her, the horror shatters me.

She’s marrying someone else.

My Thoughts

At the end of the first book we had to watch Anna marry her ex husband again – truly believing that he was the right choice for her at this point in time since a future with Damian was off the table and Liam seemed to truly regret and repent for what he did. This of course crushes Damian and we have to wonder what that will mean for the rest of this book.

Throughout this second installment of their story although the sixth of the larger series, we watch Damian try to move on with his life as best he can although that doesn’t mean that he’s really interested in moving on with another woman. Can’t stomach the idea. When one is put in front of him, he uses the situation for what it is, but hates that any time he crosses paths with Anna, it turns to a jealousy thing. He truly wants to find a way to be around her knowing that he walked away from her to protect her. The threat that his lifestyle proved to all of those that were close to him was too much for him to risk, even if it sacrificed his own happiness.

We watch Anna try to be happy – to be the wife and partner that she should be with Liam. She truly believes in the vows of marriage and will do anything to make it work, even though she’s admitted that she’s not over Damian. Liam is willing to take all the time that’s needed in order to get her to love him the way that she used to, but i think that as readers we all know that it’s never going to happen. He promised to give up death fighting to be with her and that’s something that we know will come back to bite him. curious to see if Damian is his opponent.

It’s a rollercoaster of emotions that we go through in this story. Watching Anna and Damian try to figure out how to be friends since they are in the same circle. Watching them both clearly love each other but never admit it out loud or even to themselves. We watch Anna move on with her life and then at the same time we watch Damian go through the motions.

If romance and love wasn’t enough, we also have the Skull King as a pain in our butt through out the story as well. Heath continues to be a thorn in their side and since we all know that he’s a loose cannon even outside of these guys, it’ll be a huge question of when he’ll go off the rails and what that will mean. Damian is adamant about killing Heath but doesn’t have the right plan yet since his only option isn’t in the game before. (you guys will all remember a man named Bones right?)

So….we are left at the end of this story on so many open paths. what’s going to happen with Anna and Liam since there’s definitely no way that he’ll keep up his end of the bargain. At the same time, we also have to wonder what’s going to happen to Damian since we know that he’s a masochist but this is taking things a bit far for even him. And then there’s Heath – what will happen there. Only way to find out is to read on to book 7 now – which i’m going to try to do. Enjoy!

Review: First (Betrothed #5) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: First
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Barnes & Nobles Press 3/31/20
Length:  206 Pages
Series:  Betrothed #5

Overview

Hades retired from the business. 

Now it’s just me. 

Look at me now… Bitter… angry… depressed. I resent my former friend so much, even hate the guy, but I’ve never been the same since he refused to forgive me. 

I meet a woman. She’s like all the others…beautiful, interesting, good at the fun stuff, but I don’t feel anything. 

One woman will love you for you, not your money or your power, but you’ll lose her. And once she’s gone…she’s gone. 

That gypsy wasn’t right about me too, right?

I’ve got trouble on my doorstep when the new Skull King shows up. He wants a cut of my business. 

Like he’s getting anything. This is all I have left. 

Once again I become swallowed by the underworld. 

Will I survive it?

My Thoughts

The way that Ms Sky has evolved this story has really taken us on a journey that makes it both necessary to love Hades and Sofia in order to push Damian forward but also hate them because this story wouldn’t happen if the struggle wasn’t real. What we have here in this first installment of Damian’s story is the path that his life takes now that he’s not in a good place with Hades and likely never will. Maddox is dead, so he’s now the sole owner of the drug business and yet at the same time he’s still partnering with Hades in their bank. Every day is worse for him and all he wants to do is drink himself into oblivion, that is until Anna walks into the bank one day to get his help and Damina’s life is changed forever.

While the summary above reminds me that Damian got a prophecy from the fortune teller years ago, that really doesn’t come up in the context of this story so we almost forget about it. Anna is newly divorced from a powerful man who ironically she wants nothing from aside from getting off of anything that’s attached to him (namely his bank accounts). at the same time she really wants to start a new life for herself which means she needs to clean our her only personal account so that she can buy an apartment. This transaction not only puts Anna fully on Damian’s radar, but that means that we get to be on the peripheral of another guy that we likely do not want to ross (Liam – her ex).

The story that we have from here is one that really results in a lot of pain and suffering. Damian still has lost his best friend, the only person that means anything to him and as a result, he’s also lost Sofia since there’s no way to co-exist there. At the same time, he’s found this attraction to Anna but he knows that he’s neither in a mindset in his life to be a good guy for any one single person, nor does his professional life lend itself to being safe for anyone else. Yet that doesn’t stop either of them from the attraction that’s shared and we have a wild ride come out of it. (Anna’s no stranger to danger given that her ex is a death fighter so the shock is minimal here).

We see positive momentum come from their relationship and then we see it crash and burn when tragedy hits. Some of our favs from other Penelope Sky series come back in this one, in the form of the Skull Kings where we get to see Heath in his role as King trying to take what he feels he’s owed by Damian. Pride of course gets in the way and what we have is a kidnapping, death and fear. Every time i think that we’re about to see something good happen, a truce with the Skull Kings, a change in the trajectory if the relationship with Hades and Damian, hope for romance, another curve ball is thrown and makes us realize that hope really is lost.

We end this first installment at a wedding and then we wonder what the future will bring. So on that note, i’m picking up the next book to see what happens next for everyone! Enjoy!

Review: Committed (Betrothed #4) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Committed
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Barnes & Nobles Press 4/2/20
Length:  220 Pages
Series:  Betrothed #4

Overview

Hades has done everything for the woman he loves. Now it’s time for Sofia to do the same for him.

I never broke the curse…I just changed it.

Now I’m forced into a partnership with Maddox, and since I can’t kill him, I have to tolerate him every day.

So Sofia leaves me.

I’ve sacrificed everything for her, but it’s never enough. My love for her doesn’t change despite the betrayal. The torture continues.

What am I gonna do?

I have one option. I said no the first time, but I’m not sure I can say no again…

My Thoughts

Penelope Sky is one of my favorite authors these days i think, and getting back into the story of Hades and Sofia is exactly what i needed during these insane times. We left off at a point in the story where it seemed like everything was finally about to go well for Hades and Sofia – they were happily in love, they wanted to be together, and then Sofia was kidnapped by a psycho Maddox, Maddox forces Hades to trade places with her, and he loses his freedom and his business to Maddox. And all during that, Sofia learns that she’s pregnant. She’s not in a place where she’s having a child, her husband is now the ‘bitch’ to a man who will torment him forever, and the unspeakable things that Maddox did to Sofia while he had her means that she can never stay with Hades in Florence if Maddox is part of the picture.

The decision is made and Sofia leaves Hades – which causes the biggest rift imaginable. She asks for a divorce and he doesn’t fight for her to stay, so we now see the story take two paths, one in Florence where Hades is left to a life of misery and slavery basically and then one with Sofia in Rome with her mother, rebuilding her life as she waits for the birth of her son.

Throughout this series, all we have seen is the nature of this relationship, and how there’s literally nothing that will keep them apart since their souls are so intertwined. The challenge now though is that there’s truly so much between them, and the fortune teller never implied that this would happen that all hope and faith is lost. In true form of all men in this genre when their heart is broken, Hades dives into work, and into the bottom of bottle after bottle of Scotch, where nothing makes him feel any better anyway. His friendship with Damian is so far past repair and that likely would have helped him out, but at least on the flip side his relationship with his brother Ash is repaired, which is a bridge between him and Sofia since he’s in Rome and he’s still friendly and in contact with Sofia.

This is a dark and depressing fourth installment. Every time you want to hope that something good can happen, you realize that the obstacles in front of them are far too high. Sofia made her decisions to protect herself and her child, and Hades doesn’t seem to want to come to terms with that. He instead resents her for walking away and that turns into hate. Even though we know that he loves her and can’t live without her, he still does his best to push her away when all she needs is a partner as the baby’s birth comes near.

Once Andrew is born, we see this story take a variety of turns. Relationships grown in some cases and fall apart even faster than previously imagined. There’s yet another trip or 2 to the fortune teller and the worst option is the only option in order for Hades to break the curse. That choice means that every path that we want to see at the end of this series is impossible and that’s a direction that i honestly can say i’m surprised to see our author take. I think that the way that this story resolves is one that is worthy of the journey, but the path to get there was very complex and twisted.

My honest thoughts here are wondering why i can’t find a man who’s willing to give up his livelihood and his life to be with me and to make me happy. That continues to baffle me to know that these types of men are only in books, and perhaps that is the biggest reason for my hopeless romantic nature – and this quarantine time doesn’t help much! Anyhow, i’ve picked up First which is book #5 and Damian’s story which is long overdue. I can’t wait to see how this one plays out since he’s left in quite the precarious and down state in this book. So on that note, Enjoy!

Review: Lover (Betrothed #3) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Lover
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Penelope Sky 1/5/20
Length:  195 Pages
Series:  Betrothed #3

Overview

I lost the only thing that matters to me.

My wife.

And I’m the only one to blame.

I will sacrifice my life, my pride, and everything else for the woman I love.

Whether she loves me or not.

My Thoughts

When we parted ways in the last book, we knew that Hades was still far gone over Sofia, knowing that she was the one woman that he loved, the one woman he couldn’t live without, but knowing at the same time that she hated him and never wanted to be with him. He stood for all that she didn’t believe in and she wanted to take away what she felt was hers and wha she worked so hard to achieve.

In this third book, we see how things can change and how they can evolve when they both realized that the choices are out of their hands. Sofia is forced to come to terms with the fact that she will have to marry Hades, even after she turned him down and they parted ways. It’s the best thing for both of them, and it’s inevitable. From that, we see how their lives change.

They create a relationship and a bond that becomes more than they each anticipated. They both found that there’s more to the other than they knew, and it’s enough to change how they feel towards one another. Or at least how she feels about him since he’s been so far gone in love with her from day one it seems that there’s no where more to go.

If we recall from the intro to the series, there was a fortune teller who has laid out what Hades future will be. When he’s not willing to accept that, he goes back and tries to understand what he can do to break the curse. He’s told either he can make Sofia forget about him or Hades will have to atone for his greatest evil, which was killing his father. That means that he some how needs to gain the foregiveness of his brother Ash, and that’s an impossible task.

We spend much of this story watching that play out – watching the failed attempts at a reconciliation and it’s a pipe dream that there will be a way to make things better so that Hades can live the life he wants.

Just when it seems as though they have turned a corner – when things seem to be settling across the board, an enemy comes at them again and again, and it’s through some stupid decisions made by Damian that we see everything crash and burn. Sofia is kidnapped and this adversary is so good that there’s no way to track him down to save her.

The remainder of the story from here is a dark one. There’s torture and pain. There’s fear and depression. There’s the notion that Hades and Damian will never be friends again because Hades puts all the blame on Damian for making rash and stupid decisions. We see Ash take a role in things and we have a glimmer of hope that’s very short lived.

There’s no way to get a step ahead in this story. There’s no way for Hades and Sofia to come out on top because every time it seems like they may, something happens and that something is Maddox. A man who inflicts pain, who has some weird motive and obsession, and a man who is impossible to beat. It’s because of this man that we are left at the end of this third book with everyone walking away. There’s no protection, or safety or security left, and we can only hope that perhaps in book 4 we will see his demise. I’m not so sure, but it would be interesting. So, on that note, i now have to wait for the next book but i’m excited to see how this plays out. Enjoy!

Review: Husband (Betrothed #2) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Husband
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Penelope Sky 12/10/19
Length:  188 Pages
Series:  Betrothed #2

Overview

Two years of bitter loneliness have passed. The woman I love is now the woman I hate. I lose myself in beautiful women every night and tell myself that fortune reading was nothing but a scam. 

But then her mother asks me to marry her. 

I say yes. 

Now this woman will be mine forever. 

Maybe the prophecy really is true. I’m committing to a woman that will never love me in return. 

But it was better to be her husband than allow someone else to take my place. It was better to conquer her body every night than be lonely with someone else. 

Much better. 

My Thoughts

well, i love all things that our author Penelope Sky writes so this second installment to the series featuring Hades and Sofia is at the top of my lists for great ways to start of 2020. There was such a connection between these two characters from the moment they met with Sofia was just a teenager, that to see it blossom in book one was amazing. And then it crashed and burned.

So we pick up their story in book 2 where there’s still such hatred between this couple. Sofia feels blindsided by what Hades truly does for work, and the fact that he paraded another woman in front of her was too much. Hades however has such intense feelings for her still, to the point of pain and when Sofia’s mother pushes the idea of marriage at him again, well, he jumps.

The journey that we go on in this second book in an interesting one. there’s the need to build some type of foundation here between the two of them sine Hades wants Sofia on the same page as him, even if it’s almost impossible. She wants to find happiness, but also is 100% opposed to the notion of love. She doesn’t trust easy, but she finds that the fact that he has such respect for her to be something that could go in the direction of strong feelings.

Add to that story Damian, Hades best friend that we met in the beginning of book 1. The same friend who was at the fortune teller in Morocco and who has a huge stake in everything that goes on in their business, which inevitably turns into a quest for too much power and greed, which results on catastrophic events happening from there. There’s a kidnapping, a bit of torture, and Hades is forced to make tough choices about his future.

Then add to that Hades need to figure out a way to prove the fortune teller’s premonition wrong which results in even more struggle and stress. What we do get from this though is the introduction of Ash (a name that i feel like i’ve seen in other Penelope Sky books), Hades’ brother, and a man who i believe will come in handy at some point.

We’re left in this story at a point where there’s been a huge betrayal and now there are consequences to those actions. One person’s choice has led us to the kidnapping of another person and we really don’t know yet how this will all play out.

If that story and plot line wasn’t enough to keep you engaged, we get what’s become to be something that i expect and crave from Ms Sky – the intense connection that she’s able to share and create for our main characters – something that makes you feel the passion and heat even when it doesn’t seem ideal. And to see the potential for romance and something deeper when they don’t believe it themselves.

Luckily i only need to wait until next tuesday to continue on this journey with some of the best characters.

Review: Wife (Betrothed #1) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Wife
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Penelope Sky 9/23/19
Length:  187 Pages
Series:  Betrothed #1

Overview

I was twenty-one when the gypsy read my future:

As punishment for your crimes, you will only love one woman…but she’ll never love you back.

I didn’t believe a word of it.

Until I met Sofia Romano almost ten years later.

I fell hard for this woman. Would die for this woman.

But she left me.

Now years have passed and Sofia needs a husband. Her father is gone and her mother is trying to marry her off to a man that can protect their family, protect their company. 

She’s looking for someone powerful.

Check.

Someone rich.

Check.

Someone handsome.

Double check.

Now it’s my chance to have the only woman I’ve ever loved…and I’ll make sure she feels the same way.

I have a lifetime to make that happen.

My Thoughts

I’m a huge fan of Penelope Sky which by now i’m sure that you guys have all realized so I’m happy that there’s a new series for me to sink my teeth into. In this new series Betrothed, we’re taken back to Tuscany, the setting for just about everything in her world, to see how the underworld mixes with the ‘proper world’ and how once secrets are reveled, life is changed.

This story takes place in a few different time periods. We open the story with our leading man Hades and his friend Damian on a trip to Morocco to celebrate Hades 21st birthday, and there his life is changed forever, but he doesn’t really know what that will feel like just yet.

Then we push forward a bit to where we meet Sofia, when she’s just eighteen and thinks that she’s mature but still has so much more to learn. She meets Hades at an event at her father’s hotel and is so attracted to him that she wants to pursue him, yet he makes her realize that she’s still got so much more to learn before that’s realistic.

Then we fast forward a few more years to see how Sofia has grown up now, out of university and trying to get a chance to run her family business now that her father has passed, she’s gotten an education, and wants to learn everything from her stepfather. Her mother seems to think that it’s a silly concept, to be left to whomever she marries, and there’s a lot there behind her words that we don’t know yet but will find out. Strong women are fully capable to run a business, but once we learn more about how the financing of the hotel has been done and who does business there, well it’s quickly becoming clear why there’s a need for a strong powerful man.

This is where Hades comes into play, but not in the right context. Sofia and Hades cross paths again and well, now that she’s experienced life, they some how manage to combust together, allowing the intense chemistry that’s been building for years come to a head and explode. What they have together is hot and intense and the exact connection that they both say they need. Neither is looking for a relationship with strings so what they have is great. until it isn’t.

Hades feelings come on strong and he’s quickly falling faster for Sofia than she is him. This i actually a huge trait that we have in most of Ms Skhy’s books if i’m honest. The man is the one to admit his feelings first and then he finds that it’s an uphill battle from there on to make things work as they should.

He pushes her too hard and she pushes him away. He gives her one chance to redeem herself and it seems to work, again until it doesn’t. When Sofia is almost raped and hurt, Hades comes to save her and we all think that a corner has been turned, but no – Sofia’s walls are still up. Hades doesn’t read it the same way and makes a proclamation that changes the course of this story for good.

There’s now hated. They’re at am impasse. There’s no hope for redemption. And there’s jealousy.

We’re taken taken two years into the future again when Sofia’s stepfather passes away unexpectedly, Sofia’s mom is alone and deems herself too old to find them the right protection for the family and puts the weight of the world on Sofia. Sofia is forced into a situation that she never wanted, feared and abhorred. The question becomes who will save them and who’s going to be on the other side of the coin to hurt them and take them down? We know that the mafia in Italy is something intense (thank you for all the other series that we’ve read to learn the true depth and breadth of what it is that they handle and do to those who don’t comply).

Will the hate between Hades and Sofia be the family’s ruin? Will the premonition that Hades got when he turned 21 turn out to be true and what will that mean for the progression of things. How much can Sofia take before she breaks and who’s going to be the one to break her? So many questions and so few answers. I need book 2 to be out already so i can see how this plays out. Enjoy!

Review: The Lone Wolf (Wolf #3) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: The Lone Wolf
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Penelope Sky 8/20/19
Length:  200 Pages
Series:  Wolf #3

Overview

My gravest mistake was falling in love with my husband.

It crept up on me so slowly that I didn’t even notice it was happening until it arrived. I assumed he felt the same way every time he kissed me…every time he touched me.

Until he proved me wrong.

Kamikaze is dead so I don’t need him for protection anymore. Divorce is all I want now. I’ll find a man that will love me the way I deserve, that won’t bring home two strange women just to hurt me. 

I don’t need him. 

Now it’s time to start over.

My Thoughts

This story left us in a very bad sad and dark place at the end of book 2 and i don’t know that anyone wanted to watch the demise of the relationship that was but wasn’t meant to be. Where we left off – Arwen performed as she always does at these parties but this time it was a new song that put all her feelings of love and emotion out there to the world for Maverick to hear. He wasn’t prepared for that and I think that he’s still too afraid to admit that he has those deep feelings for her, so he screws it all up. He brings home two women, beds them and acts as though he’s allowed to do this. In true Arwen form, she drafts divorce papers and leaves him.

So the beginning of this third and final installment is watching Maverick come to terms with what he did, knowing that he’s pushed Arwen so far past her breaking point that he’s lost the one thing that mattered most to him. Arwen on the other hand has so much anger towards him, that she uses that to fuel herself forward. She gets a second job so that she can support herself living on her own, she finds men to keep her company at night, and even starts seeing a man regularly even though her heart isn’t open to someone else and she thinks non stop about Maverick.

He grovels, he repents, he apologizes ,but the damage is too drastic for Arwen to let him in. The shock here is that it’s Caspian, Mavericks father who gets in the middle of things. He goes to the bar that she’s working at, with armed men. Threatens everyone in the bar so that he can have a conversation with her – to make her see that without Maverick, she’s still not safe. not from others and definitely not from him. Caspian as you’ll remember still has a vendetta against Arwen for taking away his full revenge. He provides color to what she’s living and as a result, gets her to go back to Maverick.

The build from here is a slow one – where we know that there’s no trust but there’s a LOT of romance and emotion and we know that at least with that foundation, there’s hope. So Maverick is in it for the long haul, doing what ever he can without pushing too hard too fast to get Arwen to see him as the man she loves. We spend the rest of the story watching that relationship try to repair itself, but i’ll be honest, what Arwen holds onto makes it nearly impossible to make any progress.

The other story line that we have is the one of repairing the father/son relationship. As we will recall, Caspian became a deranged man when his wife was murdered and he’s never come back from that. Arwen sees that there’s something there worth saving and tries to meddle over and over again to get the family back together. She’s persistent and she’s stubborn and it’s a quality that starts to make progress. I think that watching this unfold is something that makes the story even more compelling.

Add all those crazy story lines to a relationship that’s got so much heat and passion and you know that you’re going to have this amazing finale to the trilogy. The questions that we’ve wanted to have answered are resolved, and we see a glimpse into what could be. There’s no easy and direct path, but that’s what makes this such a great book to read. Ms Sky, our amazing author has done it again and now i’m sad to have to find something else to read. Enjoy!

Review: The Wolf and His Wife (Wolf #2) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: The Wolf and His Wife
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Createspace Publishing 7/23/19
Length:  169 pages
Series:  Wolf #2

Overview

Tensions rise and now I have two enemies that want me dead.

But I’ve never felt safer.

My wolf protects me. He cherishes me. And I think he loves me.

This arranged marriage was detested by us both, but now I look at him with new eyes.

My husband is strong, smart, and gorgeous. His coffee-colored eyes make me melt. My heart slowly starts to soften for this man and I fall deeper and deeper.

I fall in love with my husband.

My Thoughts

The dynamic between these two continues to get even more exciting and complicated. We see what happens between Arwen and Maverick change into something that’s a layer deeper, but outside forces make it impossible for there to be happiness.

In this second installment, we get to see how the story continue with Mav and his father and how no matter how much everyone tries, all hope is lost. They have the chance to kill Ramon, the man who murdered Mav’s mom, and that should have been the end of the story – a way to get revenge. The challenge is that Mav’s father takes things one step too far and takes Ramon’s wife and daughter as well and wants to give them the same fate as his wife. So, there’s no choice here but for Arwen to take matters into her own hands, free the wife and daughter and that means that whatever rifts were in existence with this family are even worse now.

That’s the path that we’re on throughout this book. There’s so much hatred, so many opportunities of breaking trust and worrying that nothing will ever make things ok that we’re left to wonder how far Maverick will take this ruse. It’s only when Kamikazee comes along again, and makes attempts at kidnapping Arwen and forces a war that things change.

I spend a lot of this story thinking that there may be hope at some point, that we may be able to see a happier ending, but i think that there are far too many obstacles to find happiness. There’s clear chemistry between them, there’s a sense of friendship between them that makes you feel like there’s a true foundation, but through a series of events, our world is turned upside down.

So, what to say now – i’m really left shaking my head at what happens at the end of this 2nd book. There are so many things that are now up in the air, and yet to be determined that we don’t know how this relationship will shake out. Mav does things, Arwen does things, and well, i’m unhappy with everyones reactions to everything. I have to now wait another couple weeks before the third installment comes, but i think that we’re going to have our minds blown however this ends up. On that note – enjoy!

Review: The Wolf and the Sheep (Wolf #1) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: the World and the Sheep
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Createspace Publishing 6/18/19
Length:  180 pages
Series:  Wolf #1

Overview

Till death do us part.

My father married me off to one of the most powerful men in Italy.

Maverick DeVille. But I call him the wolf.

He calls me his sheep. 

The arranged marriage was detested by us both, but we had to make sacrifices for the right reasons. He needed to avenge his mother and I needed protection from the mobs that want to torture me.

He’s not what I pictured for my husband. He’s ruthless, calloused, and cold. His walls are higher than mine. He possesses cruelty that makes him feared.

But it doesn’t take long for me to respect him…even like him.

I rely on my husband more than anyone else in the world. He provides for me, protects me, and chases away all my fears.

He lets me graze in the meadow…not a care in the world.

Because the wolf is always watching. 

“When people look in the darkness, they see shadows. I see monsters. And I kill the monsters that hunt my sheep.” 

I hated this marriage in the beginning, but now I realize how lucky I am.

How lucky I am to be the sheep the wolf protects…and doesn’t eat.

My Thoughts

I was worried for a moment when i finished The Skulls series that i would be at a loss for all things Penelope Sky however YAY i found this new series. We go back to Tuscany, into the balance of legal and illegal doings – where bad decisions have implications on your life, and people die for it.

In this story, we’re introduced to Maverick, our leading man who runs a legitimate family business off the tails of some less than savory things that his family had done in the past. Those underwold jobs that were done came at a price about a year or so ago when Mav’s mom was kidnapped, tortured and killed. That changed the man that he was, and killed the man that his father was – making him into this man who was out for revenge and who had no affection or emotion towards his children outside of hatred. When there’s a chance for Mavericks’ father to get revenge in the form of killing the man who killed his wife, he jumps. This means that Mav has to marry the daughter of the man who’s giving information on the whereabouts of the killer, and thats’ a deal that no one wants.

That’s where we meet Arwen, the daughter who’s live is now being promised to someone else. She’s young, at the peak of her career and in a relationship that’s going down the road to love. What she doesn’t know is that her father is dying, and not only that, he’s made so many bad choices in the past that their fortune is gone and there are ‘bad men’ who want to collect. When her father dies, there will be no one to protect her and that’s why he makes the deal to marry her off.

So you can imagine the direction that this story is going to go in. Two very attractive people who are strong willed and who don’t have a say in their futures and are quite unhappy about what it means. But who both at the same time can’t say no to their fathers for a number of reasons, so married they will become.

The dynamic between these two is a fresh take v. the intense and immediate attractions that we’ve seen for all the other couples in Ms sky’s worlds. Maverick and Arwen both appreciate the physical qualities of one another, but they are both so guarded and closed off that there’s really no chemistry at all between them and no hope for it.

Of course it’s when someone’s life is threatened, and when someone’s shot and when someone is on the verge of being killed that things start to change and that means that the next installment of our series will be compelling and exciting. I’m constantly wondering what the turning point will be for them, and what the sacrifices will be when their lives take the turn. Who will have to give in more than they want, and who will be hurt for it. We know that Mavericks’ father always believes that his son is a coward and not capable of doing anything, and at the end of this installment we see Arwen take matters into her own hands for something serious and that means that now she’s a target as well.

So many questions, so few answers, but i can only assume that the heat will come soon, the angst will come soon and their paths will cross, converge and become something intense. on that note – off to read book 2. Enjoy!

Review: The Skull Ruler (Skull #3) by Penelope Sky

Posted on by
Reply

Title: The Skull Ruler
Author:  Penelope Sky
Publisher/Year:  Createspace Publishing 6/4/19
Length:  345 pages
Series:  Skulls #3

Overview

Instead of handing me back to Lucian so Balto can get everything he wants, he keeps me.

He pledges to fight for me until I’m free.

But as the weeks pass, freedom isn’t as appealing as it used to be. This place has become my home.

This man is my home.

I’m not sure if I’d ever want to leave…even if Lucian was dead.

My Thoughts

This is the first time that i’ve had to wait for the next installment in a series and i don’t know that i liked it! Because i’ve been so immersed in the other stories that our amazing author has penned, it took me a second to get back into the swing of things with Cassini and Balto. Once i got a few pages in though, it was like i was back where we were with them.

The dynamic here is an interesting one – we know that Cassini was forced into all of her situations, being with Lucien because her boyfriend at the time got mixed up in a few things (until we learned that wasn’t really the case and he was paid to hand Cassini over), and then Cassini found herself ‘willingly forced’ into her relationship with Balto. There wasn’t a safer place to be, but the struggle here was real.

In this third installment, we come to the point in time where Balto has to make the trade back with Lucien to get his skull diamond – that means giving Cassini back which in his head isn’t such a hard task since he’s the Skull King and being in a committed relationship isn’t in the cards for him. When the time comes though and Cassini makes it clear that she’s got nothing to live for and she’ll just kill herself if she goes back, well that pulls at Balto’s heart and we find ourselves at an impasse – where the trade doesn’t happen and we know that there will be implications.

That’s the undertone for the remainder of the story. When will Lucien strike since we know that he considers Cassini his property, and who will die when this interaction happens. Lucien is a wizard with explosives, so that makes things more complicated since Balto isn’t willing to mindlessly go into anything with him without preparation. The choice is taken away when someone they love is taken as collateral, and our story takes yet another turn.

Just when we think that these interactions are bringing Balto and Cassini closer together, we find that Balto is so set in his ways that it tears them apart. He gives Cassini her freedom, and with that, she still chooses him. that’s not an option for him and he does everything that he can to push her away. Similar to how we see this play out in all of Ms Sky’s stories, we end up seeing Cassini find her footing in a new life, with the help of her brothers. Yet more unexpected things happen now that she’s without Balto, and of course that means that our story will take more weaves on this rollercoaster.

The questions still beg to be asked, who will make it out alive and who will be happy. What roles will Heath, Case and Dirk play in everything and what does the future hold for the Skull King? Is Cassini strong enough to be on her own, create a new life and move on? Well we know the answer to that since all Penelope Sky leading ladies are beyond capable. I’m sad to see the closure come to this story and i can’t wait to see what’s next. Enjoy!