This series (given the cliffhanger, I am assuming this is a series or at least a duology) has a lot of promise. While there was a little unevenness in the pacing, I was fascinated by the premise and blew through the book in a day, which says a lot about the overall arc. While I am not certain where the title of the book fits in, the FMCs backstory is mysterious and sad, the MMC is not who he seems to be, and the peripheral characters are unique in how they are molding the overall tale. The book is spicy which I appreciate, but I always look for an emotional connection the characters, which makes it even hotter. Due to the trauma in their pasts (as hinted at but not explicitly stated), that connection was missing for me in this book, but I hope the next book opens that up a lot more. On the whole, a solid first book in a series, and a world I will be revisiting to get answers to the lingering questions.