Dearly Beloved by Amelia Wilde

Amelia Wilde returns to world of the Wealth and Power series, which featured both Mason Hill and Gabriel Hill as its main protagonists. Dearly Beloved focuses on Jacob Chambers and Catherine Bettencourt, who were previously side characters in Gabriel and Elise's story, and I was delightfully surprised by their story so far. There was more to them than meets the eye. What started out as a revenge story in the beginning has turned into a happy ending for the Hills family but some are still haunted by the evil deeds of their father. Despite his charming outward appearance, Jacob is a broken and tortured man who feels guilt-ridden over the lives that his father has destroyed. One could could argue, however, that he had already paid for the sins of his father. In any case, I found his relationship with Catherine to be unique because in addition to saving her from her father, Jacob also protected Catherine by entering an arranged marriage with her. As they spend more time together, both begin to develop feelings for each other but there seems to be outside forces who want to destroy their happiness before its begun.

"I'll never stop thinking of her. It will probably always hurt to breathe, thinking of her.

In the end, I really enjoyed Jacob and Catherine's story because there was angst, romance, and sweet moments with characters from previous books. I absolutely can't wait for Dearly Departed because this book ends in a shocking cliffhanger. I do wish that Amelia Wilde could have provided readers with a synopsis of the story so far and/or index of her characters because I had a difficult time remembering what happened due to not having read some of her previous books. Fans of Amelia Wilde will not be disappointed by this angsty and spicy story because I was really surprised by the sexy scenes. I should have known since Jacob and Gabriel used to be in a relationship but I commend the author and Catherine for taking a chance on this kink. Jacob is a sweet but broken man but he perfectly complements Catherine who is kind, open-minded, and wants to explore her sexuality with him.

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

Rating: ★★★★☆