King of Spades by Alta Hensley

We first met Nick Hudson and Lyriope Bailey in Silver Bells, a short story featured in Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. King of Spades is their story and expands on their dark and dirty entanglement as Lyriope navigates the dangerous world of Bishop's Landing. Lyriope happens to be the illegitimate daughter of Bryant Morelli and this secret has made her an unwilling pawn in the running feud between the Constantine and Morelli families. As with most books, I like focusing on the romance and chemistry between the characters and the sexual tension between Lyriope and Nick was so palpable and electric that it had me wanting more. Much of the book was a huge tease because Nick was playing games with Lyriope. While I did find them titillating, I was also frustrated by it because of the subsequent sex scenes that we got. They were sexy and taboo but not something that I personally enjoy reading.

"Nothing about what I'll expect from you will be simple. Nothing about me or our situation is ordinary."

If you like your anti-heroes possessive, dirty, dark, dangerous, and a little bit crazy then Nick Hudson definitely has that in spades. I was certainly surprised by him and the lengths he would go to keep Lyriope. As for Lyriope, she was incredibly stubborn, prideful, and defiant. Her attraction to Nick forever changes her world as she is thrust into his deviant mind games with no way out. In many ways, Nick is the Mad Hatter and Lyriope is Alice in Wonderland. This is simply the beginning for these two and I can't wait to see how the story unfolds, especially because Lyriope's "contract" with Nick is still in play. Nick is dirty and unapologetic about his mind games and while Lyriope is innocent in many ways, there is no denying that she is his perfect match because these two burned up the pages.

"He's the villain. He's the monster in the story. He's not my knight in shining armor."

In the end, I enjoyed reading Lyriope and Nick's story and will be highly anticipating Queen of Hearts. The book ends with a cliffhanger and Lyriope is between crossroads—choosing to stay in the safety of Nick's arms or freedom. Although she is fiercely attracted to him, Lyriope is also independent and prefers solving her own problems. Fans of the Midnight Dynasty world will enjoy this surprising addition to the Morelli side of the family. Although Lyriope and Nick's story can be read separately and is a standalone series, I highly recommend reading Lucian's (The Monster and the Doll), Leo's (Beast of Bishop's Landing), and Tiernan's (Dangerous Temptation) books for additional context.

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

Rating: ★★★★☆