I’m not sure how Geissinger manages to make such dark subject matter feel so light and playful, but she has mastered that skill throughout this series.

Not only does Reyna have a reputation as a terrifying black widow, but Spider has also just agreed to a lifetime commitment to her niece. What’s supposed to be an uncomplicated, unemotional transaction quickly turns into anything but, as Spider struggles with his attraction to a woman who is completely off-limits. Except… Spider never factored in her stunning, viper of an aunt. He agrees to an arranged marriage that will benefit his boss, knowing there’s no chance that he’ll fall for his 18-year-old bride. Still reeling from an ill-fated crush gone terribly wrong, Spider has closed off his heart. Essentially, the story follows Spider, the sweet killer that we’ve come to know and love throughout the series. Just know that it was excellent! This can be read as a standalone, but the series is definitely better together. If you want to go in blind, then stop here. In fact, in trying to come up with one criticism for my review, I was going to say that it was too short… but it’s 400 pages, so I guess that’s just me being greedy. This might be the most over the top installment of the series, but it was also the most addictive, and it had zero trouble holding my attention the whole way through. The storyline is NOTHING like I expected, and I absolutely adored the unpredictable nature of it. His fierce protectiveness and unwavering care easily melted my heart, and the steamy scenes had such great intimacy to them. I loved the intensity of this sweetheart of a hero – he’s a jealous, possessive killer, but he’s also kind of a cinnamon roll who is starved for praise and affection. This couple is drawn together like magnets, and their chemistry lit up the pages. I was HOOKED from the very first page, and I devoured the whole book at an alarming rate – I loved it! There are times when you can tell that an author is having FUN with a story, and this is one of those instances.

Brutal Vows by J.T. Geissinger