Sooo much personal growth mixed in with ruthless killing, sexy trysts, and a super unforseen fucked up cliff hanger. I have 8 hrs before the next book drops and I feel like my skin is crawling. It's sooo good.

3 stars means I liked it. Sadly I didn't. If 3 stars meant it was OK the this would have been a 3 star book. 2 stars just seems mean but sadly this story was JUST mediocre.

I had high hopes for this book. A story focusing on an immortal baby was different and exciting. Sadly there was a big time jump so no actual baby time and limited interaction.

The "love story" between Allie and Magnus was just impersonal. Basically everyone else did the heavy lifting. Life mates were explained, the need to be turned, and even the damn wedding was directed by a bunch of busy bodies. I felt bad for Allie. Everyone BUT Magnus can read her, she was a ball of anxiety and doubt and freaking out yet they all ignored it and must kept pushing their want/desire to have her join the fam asap.

I can't even blame Magnus for not being more aggressive because he was being blind sided and walked over as well. This book was dangerously looking to be a 1 star and I was going to go TF off if not for the turn of events and FINALLY in the last few chapters seeing a connection between this couple.

Next, when this rouge leader got away several books ago and the overall storyline shifted to the evil doctor I felt some kind of way. While I love the evil doctor plot I wanted to see this rouge be hunted down and killed. So when he was mentioned, I was too ready for this showdown.

Sadly the confrontation was anti-climatic and I feel cheated. I want a re-write!!! I feel like large portions of this book were very UN-Lynsay like. I don't know if she had too much going on, or if her editor was a high school intern, I just wasn't feeling it and that pains me.

This is the third series that I've read by this author and I am so impressed with the difference in each one. Black Roses (4 books) was told by the female's POV and reminded me of a gritty boxing drama. Dirty Broken Salvages ( 1 of 4 books read/released) was told by multiple POVs and was dark and action backed. I suggest reading both.

So far The Dark Elite which is told by multiple POVs is so emotional. I love and prefer the multiple POVs. Right out the gate there is action and sex but also raw emotional turmoil for all 5 characters. There is so confusion, betrayal, and lust.

This series is consuming. My heart keeps getting pulled in so many directions. I will save my character breakdown until after I finish the series. But I will say that I like Grace. Which makes 2 out of 3 female leads for this author. River from Kings of Chaos is perfection in my eyes. Mercy was just childish and annoying. 4 books and the chick never won me over. But Grace, there is nothing to dislike. She's smart, strong, adapts quickly, has a kind heart, she's analytical, and just all around a good person. Now in the first book I did roll my eyes a little at some of her choices but that was just her fight or flight instincts kicking in.

I experienced soo many feels reading this book. I commend Lynsay for putting so much insight into the healing of a sexual assault victim as well as the need for a partner to be understanding and patient.

Personally the dating and going slow was not interesting to me. I really wish Vasco had made an appearance and explained to G.G. his suffering from watching and losing his lifemate. Versus how it went down.

The prologue was very misleading. I can only hope that Jack was introduced for a reason and the hints of more stories about the South American enforcers and Vasco's pirates are real and not just in my head.

I waited a few hours after finishing this series to reflect on it beginning to end. I'm pleased to report that I was unable to find any flaws. No interaction or exchange with the guys or Grace that left me feeling unsatisfied. Instead it's the opposite. I can think of many scenes that were so incredibly satisfying on several levels. This series as a whole was emotional. There was an incredible amount of personal healing and growth for several of the characters. The bond between the men and their love for Grace individually and as a group was admirable. I like that they had a history with her. This is the first reverse harem I've read where every member had a long personal history. The overall storyline with the mafia and the conflict with the other syndicates as well as the biggest threat was action packed. I'm pretty new to this genre but the conflict and tit for tat was fascinating and better than many others that I've read.

Grace was very relatable and likable. Despite being raised in the life of a Mafia Princess, she wasn't a gun wielding ass kicking heroine. She was strong and a fighter but she wasn't lethal. She had a delicate disposition and a kind heart.

Ciro was my favorite of the guys. His backstory and the demons he carried just tugged at my heart. I think I held my breath every interaction he had with Grace.

Lucas and Zaid aka the twins. They were fun loving, laid back, accepting, and had the best communication skills out of the guys. They provided comedic relief.

Hale... I have a lot of mixed feelings about Hale. I feel bad because I am comparing him to Sloane from the Black Roses. I know I shouldn't, especially since his communication is more open and honest a lot sooner. His struggle with opening up and sharing is pretty standard. There is always that ONE alpha leader who struggles. Sadly that moment where we all fall in love with him never came for me. However his bromance with Ciro was admirable and did it for me more than his relationship with Grace.

Overall the violence and intensity level of this series is pretty low. But I liked it.

Think 40 Days & 40 Nights mixed in with SUV and NCIS.

This is my first book by this author(s). It was suggested by someone in an Eva Ashwood group. I am so glad that it was. This was so different than anything I've ever read. I don't even know how to classify the genre.

Dez changed my world. The violence she survivor, her journey of healing, the drug addiction, her fear of being touched, there was so much sorrow and fragility in her. So the fact that she refused to be a victim and shifted from scared little mouse to strong leader was so admirable. I was rooting for her and all the other flawed characters in this story.

Chance was okay. His back story wasn't really original, but I admired his patience and understanding when it came to Dez. His honesty and protective nature was what she needed. I like it when men have superior communication skills which he did.

I look forward to reading all the books in this series. I feel like I learned a lot. I'm not a gamer but prior to reading this book, I had witnessed news stories and youtube videos discussing the sexism in the industry. Gaming is a sport so it's not surprising that women are treated as second class as it's been that way for years. Female ESPN reporters have shared their social media threats. You can google Congress woman AOC reading her own online threats that include violence and rape.

Such a sad world we live in but we won't get change unless we expose and address it.

If you are reading this and wondering who Kate fits into this bad ass gamer girl world don't worry, you are not alone. I was super confused by Kate. She lacks the gamer brain of Dez or the bad ass player skills of Riley. She is a timid little thing that is simply dipping her toe in.

BUT in the world of he-man woman haters anyone with a vagina is the debil!!!

This for me is a more traditional love story than the other two books. This is a gamer girl series and while I am not a gamer I have learned a lot of lingo and developed an interest to explore the gaming world. So in a way I can relate with Kate a bit. The thrill and excitement of finding and learning a new hobby.

Adam aka Ice is such a goof. Not gonna lie I was curious why he wasn't in Denver so I was excited to see that he was the male lead. He and I have so much in common. I live in Ohio, I have a racially blended family, I... okay that's it. I don't think letting it slip that Adam and Ice are the same person is a spoiler. You would have be brainless to not pick that up by page 12.

As I stated this reminded me of a nice contemporary love story. I was rooting for both the girl and the guy. This story put a lot of things into play for the future of the series. If at any point you are reading it and think it's not worth the read or that it could have been skipped, you are wrong. It's vital and cute. However I would say with the ending, it really can't be read as a stand alone in my opinion.

We have circled back to Riley. Or at least that's what I thought. This story gives us a peek at several other characters that are dealing with their own struggles. This is probably the most woke of all the books so far. All the hot topics are in it, abortion, gun violence, race issues, lgbt issues, sexism (that's the entire basis of this series, slut shaming, family values, religion, sure there is more.

I can't tell you how many times I had to pause and just say DAMN...

I love this entire series but this one book could probably be made into a movie and win some awards like it's that damn good. Right from the start it popped off and just steady stayed intense and full of surprises.

Netflix needs to get on making this into a mini series so I can eat pop corn and cuddle with my man and our dog while reliving this wild ride.