Inferno's Kiss
4 Stars

Synopsis:
As the heir to the Sicari Lords, Dante Condellaire is willing to make any sacrifice to be a good leader until the moment he meets Cleopatra Vorenus and his willpower is tested beyond its limits. Cleo is a fierce assassin for the Order but has always seen herself as an outsider. Now with Dante, Cleo feels she may have finally found a place to belong, but can she fit into his world, and can they overcome the threats to their happiness both from within and without.

Review:
This is a highly entertaining series and I hope that it continues. I’m actually surprised that there hasn’t been more hype about it.

Cleo is a tough, no-nonsense woman who has been hurt in the past and must learn to trust again. Dante is very much in control of his actions and emotions, and finds it difficult to cope with the new and intense feelings that he experiences with Cleo. They are an amazing couple who has incredible sexual tension and explosive chemistry. Their ability to communicate with and without words adds another intense layer to their relationship and marks them as unique among the couples in the series. The side story of Marcus and Atia's steamy reconciliation is also compelling and enjoyable.

The overall plot is interesting but it lacks the twists and turns that characterized the other installments in the series. The ideas behind the Tyet of Isis and the search for Alexander’s potion are not developed any further, which is unfortunate, and the identity of the traitor within the Order is obvious early on. Moreover, when the villain from book #2 gets his comeuppance, it is not as impressive and satisfying as it could have been.

In sum, Inferno’s Kiss has everything one needs in a paranormal romance – well-developed characters, sizzling romance, gripping action scenes and an intelligent plot. The series should be read in order so that readers can gain a complete understanding of Burns’s exceptional world and the characters that populate it. ( )

We rejoin the world of Sicari right where we left of with the last book, Assasian’s Heart. We actually backtrack just a little bit because Phae is still in a coma when we meet up Atia. While Atia is not the main focus of this book, she and Marcus play a vital role in this book. They have been featured as a secondary couple in the past and their relationship continues to be volatile as they fight their feelings for one another. Having their story featured in Inferno’s Kiss worked perfectly next to Dante and Cleo’s. Like mother, like daughter and both Cleo and Atia are stubborn till the end leaving the men in their lives fighting to let them in. Both relationships followed similar paths, so having both of them featured in Inferno’s Kiss was perfect. It also gave finality to an entire family’s future, both relationships affecting the other in some way.

Inferno’s Kiss has a very slow burn when it came to Dante and Cleo, which was good and bad. I loved it because it gave their feelings time to develop and grow, but it also drove me crazy because Dante was being so stubborn! Here is the quick version of my frustration with him. Dante took a vow of celibacy when he was fifteen, many encouraged him to not rush into this choice because he was so young, but he thought it was his duty to honor this vow. But at fifteen how many of us really know what we want out of life? I don’t think many do, and Dante should be included in this group. His desire to please his mentors and have a sense of belonging clouded his judgment and led him into a vow that would always put his needs second. It is a choice he never regretted, until the first second he laid eyes on Cleopatra. While, it does take them a while to finally give into their initial feelings once they do it is hot! Monica knows how to build up the tension until it is practically spilling out of the pages and the anticipation can be just as good as the main event. I enjoyed watching Cleo slowly show Dante there is more to life than duty and in return Dante showed Cleo that letting people in does not always mean you get hurt. The couple complimented each other well and I appreciated Monica taking the time to develop the characters fully, both separately and together.

The mythology in this world continues to blow me away. The Sicari and Praetorians are a group of people I never heard of until this series and each novel brings new information that affirms my love for these characters. Past lives, telepathic and telekinetic abilities, ancient civilizations and romances that can span lifetimes blend together in this world and leave the reader aching for more. It commands your full attention and makes it easy to fall in love with the lore and the people whose lives it affects.

The ending of this book was a blur of action and revelations that were both shocking and heartbreaking. That is one of the things I have come to admire about Monica’s writing, her ability to write great plot twists. In Inferno’s Kiss, there is a traitor in the Sicari ranks and I had absolutely no idea how deep that betrayal was going to be. Once their identity was revealed, I was staring at the words open-mouthed in complete shock. Looking back now, the clues are there and it made sense, but it caught me off guard and my heart broke for the character’s lives that were impacted because of the traitor. I am eager to see what will happen next because of events that unfolded in Inferno’s Kiss.

Overall, this series just keeps getting better with every installment. Monica has created a fascinating world filled with an intriguing mythology and well developed characters that will keep you coming back for more. I have not seen any mention of a fourth book yet, but I am keeping fingers crossed that we get to see more in the Sicari world. As long as Monica keeps writing them, I will keep reading them! ( )