The Ravishing by Ava Harrison & Vanessa Fewings

The Ravishing by Ava Harrison and Vanessa Fewings was an interesting tale of revenge, forgiveness, redemption, and love. It was my first book by Ava Harrison and features the kidnapping for revenge plot that most books of this genre contains. What makes this one stand out is that the hero, Cassian, feels guilty for kidnapping Anya in the beginning even though her father killed his parents in cold blood. Although this book started off slow and frustrating because of some misunderstandings, the characters eventually grew on me and I even shed some tears for Cassian. This was one of those slow burn romances that focuses more on the story and characters than sex. There were some steamy moments but it wasn't the central focus and I appreciated that.

"We were always destined to meet… Destined to cross paths."

What I enjoyed most about this book was the slow and somewhat angsty romance between Anya and Cassian. They started off as captive and kidnapper but it became something more even though Cassian had a difficult time accepting that fact due to Anya being the daughter of the man who killed his mother and father. I loved their scattered moments and conversations together—especially after they stopped being antagonistic towards each other. It eventually blossomed into love, even after everything.

"Yet every journey had a first step, a beginning, and we would just have to find ours."

In the end, I enjoyed this redemption story by Ava Harrison and Vanessa Fewings because although it contains the familiar formula of kidnapping romances, it distinguishes itself by the changes in its characters and plot twist. Both Anya and Cassian had to go through some difficult trials to reach their happy ending. Even though it wasn't as steamy as I had wanted it to be, the moments between our hero and heroine were incredibly tender and emotional. If you are looking for a sweet contemporary romance that has elements of dark romance in it, then I highly recommend this book.

*This ARC was generously provided by the author and publisher for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★★☆