Fleur sees the most achingly handsome and dangerous-looking man walk into the bar she tends.

"The only pretty feature about him was his eyes, crystal blue like the waters along the white shores of a tropical paradise. More brilliant than the sky on a clear day, but the rest of his face was harsh with sharp cheekbones, a jawline that could cut glass, and a mouth that looked like it could do more damage than a bullet from a gun."

Bastien was supposed to be a one-night stand to forget about her cheating husband, who refused to divorce her. This fling should have made her husband back down and accept her rejection, but knowing she was with another man and refusing to forgive him, he made threats to her that he would have this "new man" regret seeing her to trying to get her to change her mind about him and not see him again. Bastien is not just a normal man. He's powerful, lethal, and wicked, and his nickname of "The Butcher" is known all over Paris by the authorities and thugs in the city. No one messed with him, and now that he was obsessed with Fleur, the first woman he ever wanted to see more than the usual two encounters, he made sure her husband granted her the divorce she wanted.

"Trust is like glass, it takes time to heat and temper to make it transparent for both parties to see through, but once it's shattered, there are so many broken pieces on the floor that it's impossible to put back together. A year may pass, and you'll step into the kitchen barefoot for a glass of water and get a shard in your heel, and you'll remember how it got there."

Fleur starts to learn about Bastien's "job", but she doesn't fear him. She has never felt so alive, so safe, as when she was with him. He makes it clear that he wants her, respects her, and cares for her. What she didn't know was how opposite his family member was, and the trouble he's caused the city and Bastien. While Bastien deals with that issue, he makes it very clear about how he feels about Fleur and what he expects from her, and she is scared that she went from one relationship to another and if Bastien will break her heart too, but this time, if it end,s it will tear her apart.

There is side information discussed about his "job" and the trouble he deals with in the city, and the person behind it. It seems to just be a scratch at the surface, and I assume things will escalate in the upcoming books, and Fleur will be at the forefront of his mind, and he in hers.

This novella is mostly open-door spice that focuses on their growing infatuation with each other and their relationship as her previous one ends. It's fast-paced with some disturbing topics that aren't for everyone. If you aren't into dark romance, this book isn't for you. I couldn't stop listening.

I received an ALC from Netgalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to listen to the next book.

The Butcher - Likewise Book Reviews

9 Reviews