Power Play by Amelia Wilde

Love and revenge play a powerful role in the story of Gabriel Hill and Elise Bettencourt as they seek to destroy the consortium that Mason Hill was chasing in the Wealth trilogy. This is a continuation of that story and Amelia Wilde has crafted two fascinating and dimensional characters in Gabriel and Elise. I always thought there was a certain darkness to Gabriel's character but what I never expected was the conflict in him. Elise had her own burdens and secrets to bare—only to find out too late that she was merely a victim/pawn in her father's evil machinations. Power Play was much more than I bargained for because intertwined with the fleeting moments of passion and sweetness between Gabriel and Elise, their romance was always overshadowed by angst, cruelty, and heartbreak.

"This has never been about falling in love. Not for Gabriel, and certainly not for me."

As the second oldest sibling in the Hill family, Gabriel uses his charm and sex appeal to accumulate secrets. Behind that distant but charming smile lies a burning fire—fueled by self-hatred and a desire for revenge, that yearns to destroy those who murdered his parents. If I were to describe Gabriel Hill, he would be ruthless, calculating, cold, and broken. As the foil to Gabriel's character, Elise has been running away from her guilt and past for many years. After emancipating herself from her family at the age of eighteen, Elise has been living her life simply and independently as the baker and owner of her bakery shop. I loved how sweet, kind, caring, and hopeful she was despite all the suffering and pain she experienced at the hands of her own family and even by Gabriel. Elise is the type of heroine who loves with all of her heart.

"Nobody will ever hate me as much as I hate myself. She thinks it was her, but it was me. I'm the one who destroyed everything."

In the end, I enjoyed Gabriel and Elise's story even though it left me with tears and a heavy heart because of the way it ended. However, this is merely the beginning to their story and it will continue in Upper Hand. At first, I had a difficult time connecting with Gabriel because he was an incredibly complex and contradicting character. In addition to having a distorted view on love and pleasure, he punished himself for surviving and not doing enough. The persona he portrayed to the world and his family were merely extensions of himself and separated from his real self. Whether Elise will be able to save his heart remains to be a question. Fans of Amelia Wilde will not want to miss out on this continuation of the Hill family saga as Gabriel Hill seeks to destroy himself and those who played a part in his parents' murder. I recommend this to those that love angst and the revenge romance trope with a self-destructing and broken hero who does everything in his power to push away his sweet little baker.

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

Rating: ★★★★☆