A BRUTAL TENDERNESS by Marata Eros

A BRUTAL TENDERNESS by Marata Eros
(U.S. link: A BRUTAL TENDERNESS )

Advanced Reading Copy
To Be Released: August  26, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Star

Jess Mackey is the name she is using now, but she was Jewell MacLeod, and she is trying to get her feet back under her after a horrible tragedy that forced her to leave her family behind. She is slowly meeting new people but mostly keeps herself at a distance. Until Devin Castile, Cas to friends, refuses to stay at a distance and stirs up an interest she thought was long dead.

Cas is an FBI agent who has a vested interest in bringing down a serial killer intent on tracking down Jewell Mac!eod. Cas is expected to get as close to Jess/Jewell as he can, in order to manipulate her into luring the killer out. He initially feels no compunction about using the girl as bait, in order to save the lives of others. In fact he feels he has reason to hate her. However, when after two years of surveillance, he finally meets Jess/Jewell face to face, he finds himself strongly drawn to her. He can't lose focus on the investigation and no matter how much his instincts are telling him to protect Jess at all costs, he can't tell her the truth and jeopardize the operation.


Cas walks a fine line, going ahead with the original plan of drawing out the killer while at the same time trying to control his frenzied craving for Jess/Jewell. He is not always succesful and confuses her when he burns her up with his passion one moment, and then disappears for days at a time. But even though Cas has taken risks in exploring his feelings for Jess/Jewell, he has not lost sight of the fact that the killer must be close now. And he will do whatever it takes to keep his woman safe.......and by his side.

****

This is the story of Jess and Cas, from A TERRIBLE LOVE , but this time told from the point of view of Cas. This point of view certainly offers a fuller picture and a better understanding of situations and behaviours that may have seemed odd in the first book. 

Should both points of view have been written simultaneously, or at least alternated in one and the same book, would the storyline have become more obvious? It might have been possible for me to immerse myself more in the compelling characters and the flow of beautiful writing, instead of concentrating on the what and why of things that were happening. But then again, it might have interrupted the connective flow I built with Cas throughout this book. There likely is a method to Ms. Eros' madness, and who am I to question.

The book was intense, I spent most of my time reading it perched at the edge of my seat. Full of internal dialogue, it does give a beautiful insight into a highly conflicted but moral man, who finds himself utterly and completely captivated by a beautiful wounded survivor. I also needed a towel, to frequently mop my 'dewy' forehead........plenty of heat radiated off the pages and it wasn't just my hot flashes!!

I most definitely suggest this book not be read without reading A TERRIBLE LOVE first.......but read them closely together!! 

High in suspense, hot in passion and beautiful in word!!