Well - it was just Valentine's Day and I got a bit of a craving for a romance novel. Not really a genre I generally get into, but hey, everyone's allowed to branch out now and again. To be honest, the first time I ever read anything in this genre was Fifty Shades - and really only because of all the press it got (I can't let a book get that much publicity without seeing what it's all about.) But like I said...V-Day had me in the mood. So, I picked this one based on the "100 Best Romance Novels" list that popped up here in Goodreads' homepage the week leading up to V-Day (and it had SUCH high ratings - damn). It's what I was looking for. I can't really get picky about the character development, dialogue, realism, etc. because honestly, that's not what this genre is for or about so that'd be unfair. So 3 stars - cause it's exactly what it should have been, but (and here's why I only occasionally venture into romance) the formulaic setup was followed to a T, so I really feel like a 4 or 5 star rating isn't applicable. Maybe this is 4 or 5 stars compared to other books in the genre, but I don't have enough experience to say. So, generally, take this whole review with a grain of salt. But in the end - the sex scenes are solid and the dangerous emotional edges of troubled pasts and current obsessions do make for a page-turning, easy, entertaining read. Watch out though - this particular trilogy should definitely come with trigger warnings for sexual assault survivors.