Reviewed by Desere
Incredible book of the year alert! This read was absolutely stunning from each and every angle you look at it. It had action, drama, passion, romance, emotional heartache, new found respect, self discovery and so much more!
The read is about Reiko, to the outside world she seems to have it all, power, knowledge and wealth. But what lies beneath her silk gowns is a woman in torment and sorrow over a life changing decision she can never undo.
Her as perfect as can be life goes from "my way to the highway" in less than 60 seconds when her old lover tie-me-up-with-ancient-torture-devices-and-do-with-me-as-you-please Damion offers her a proposition, I should rather say a command to help him trace a lost painting as a last honour to his grandfather.
And right here ladies is where this author shows how incredibly good she is at what she does, and this is only her second book so that believe me says a lot, as some authors get it right the first time and then only again around book four or six.
The author takes the lives of two people bound to each other through love and exposes each one's vulnerability by pealing back layer by layer of insecurities, threats of possession, fears and happiness with such exquisite detail it brought me to tears, and left me hanging onto the edge of my seat in anticipation of what will happen next.
The main characters were both simply gorgeous and so exceptionally well written. I loved that Reiko was strong in fighting back against her inner demons, through her the author showed that it takes so much more than saying move on to overcome a inner darkness that can overwhelm your soul.
Damion was totally delicious and oh so very ruthless in getting his way, but I loved that the author showed he was truly connected and in tune to Reiko in knowing what she needs and not taking no for an answer to achieve his goal.
The backdrop settings were marvellous as France come face to face with Japan! I loved the absolute precision that author used to describe the characters surroundings, I truly felt as if I could touch the art being described ,I could see the colour and feel the texture and smell the paint! Brilliant work Maya!
The dialogue was laced with passion and emotion so strongly written by the author if was if I wanted to climb inside this read and help Damion and Reiko find their happiness and fight off anything and anyone even daring to tear them apart.
I highly recommend this read, if you love a truly good romance intertwined with emotional understanding as to what someone else is facing, action packed chases to the search for happiness, mind blowing passion and exquisite attention to detail this is the read for you, trust me you will not be disappointed .
5/5 star review
"Facing your fears whilst staring into the eyes of love"
Reviewed by TashNz
I have run out of fingers and toes to count the ways how perfect The Sinful Art of Revenge is. I’m literally afraid that my humble words will not give this story the justice it deserves to describe how it’s more perfect than perfect to me.
I gave Maya Blake’s debut novel The Price of Success 6 stars, I loved it that much. It was original (to me) and also had me captivated and my heart racing till the end (pun intended if you've read it and if you haven’t – please, please do) and I couldn't wait until the second release. I’m so so SO pleased to Maya Blake's second story The Sinful Art of Revenge has indeed delivered to me everything I loved, if not more, about the first.
Damion hauls Reiko back into his life after a five year absence because she is the only person who can help recover a highly prized family possession. It’s clear from the very start they have a history. The first chapters are crafted in such a way that I was immediately captivated and completely consumed until the very last word.
I fell in love with Damion and Reiko. I loved their story. They are two completely different people but so perfect for each other that I’m almost jealous I’m not Reiko. I felt that Reiko was written so well she could be a real person. I liked that she wasn't perfect in terms of her physical appearance and in terms of her reactions. I liked that she had more to overcome than Damion because the romantic-at-heart in me loves the idea of that perfect someone making everything better and loving me for me.
The feelings The Sinful Art of Revenge evoked in me is almost unequaled to other books. It was an intense, emotional, dramatic, intriguing, passionate, breathtaking and quite perfect read. To top all that off it was laced with delicious humor that made me giggle out loud.
The “greenie” in me loved Reiko telling Damion “Francois suggested foie gras, but I've convinced him to change his mind” but the inner-romantic-still-believes-in-happily-ever-me’s favorite line in the entire book was when Damion looked at Reiko and mouthed “You’re mine”. Getting to this point in the story I think it was the first time reading a book in this genre I have ever thought “I wish that was me”.
The Sinful Art of Revenge is a must-read if you’re a romantic at heart, a fan of reunion stories, if you've read the debut novel The Price of Success do-not-miss this, if you're a fan of this genre, if you're looking for a book to read... in case this doesn't cover you, I still recommend it for you :)
Just perfect!
