This is a hard one to review. I really liked both characters. Nartan was a bit of a hard ass, but not in an overly bad way. He knew what he wanted and would go out and do his best to get it. But he was caring, considerate, and lovable at the same time. I loved how in touch he was with his heritage while still living his own life. Celeste is running from a bad past and a bad person. But she is still incredibly strong and independent. While she may be avoiding romantic relationships, she is still living her life and enjoying it. See - two really great characters. Both had depth and development, flaws and strengths. So why the two star rating?

I really didn't like them together. They did not make a good couple. I found it hard to believe that head strong in independent Celeste would ever "bow" to being pampered and cared for by Nartan. This was a big point of contention between them several times - but he just seduced her and it went away. I just didn't find that very believable and it somewhat took away from Celeste's character for me.

When Celeste's ex came into the picture, I thought things would get better. And I really enjoyed the level of tension he created with his nastyness and slightly psychotic behavior. It added a great dose of suspense to the story without turning it into a true romantic suspense. The ending was beautiful and if I hadn't read how they came to that point, it would have been perfect.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*