Title: I Thee Take
Series: To Have and To Hold Duet #2
Author: Natasha Knight
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Release Date: February 23, 2021
Rating: 5 Stars
Told in the first person. Alternating persons.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Give Me Books Promotions and the authors. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising".
BLURB:
Scarlett
Cristiano is my enemy. He’s also the only man with whom I’ve ever felt safe. Protected.
But I have to remember that he married me with one purpose in mind. Revenge. I would be the bridge to his real enemies.
I can’t let myself forget that he isn’t the hero of this story. His hands are covered in blood. I saw that with my own eyes.
Cristiano
I thought I knew Scarlett’s past, but I didn’t know anything.
I thought I knew the worst of monsters, but I hadn’t seen anything yet.
Sometimes you have to lie to yourself to survive.
Sometimes it’s those closest to you who will bury their knives in your back.
Too many times it’s the innocents who pay for your mistakes. For your refusal to see.
I can’t let Scarlett pay for mine.
But I may be too late to stop it.
PURCHASE LINKS:
My Thoughts:
Cristiano starts the story off reminding the reader what a hard life he’s lead. Scarlett reminds the reader early on that she’s also had a tough life. For some, what happens during the course of this story may be considered a trigger. Even though some of the scenes are graphic, some is left up to the reader’s imagination – it’s not hard to fill in the blanks.
It’s easy to see how timid Scarlett is but at times she lets her inner fire pop to the surface. In this part of their story, Cristiano helps her get to know her sensual side. Our author had me wondering if a fan was going to be needed. But the author always put a roadblock in their way.
Each scene gets the reader ready for what comes next. They flow nicely and nothing feels out of place or that something extra was added even though it was not necessary. Every once in a while, it seemed as if a piece of a puzzle was added and that was part of what made this story a page-turner. I found it very hard to turn away – this story had no good stopping points to it. This was a time that I was glad I had the day off because once I got started nothing was going to stop me. But since I did have to go to work the next day, eventually I did have to put it down. But first thing in the morning I knew I would have to finish before leaving the house.
Our author was very good at creating evil. It takes a very creative mind to create something you can picture unfolding and almost physically shiver at what she paints. I know this series only had two parts but it felt unfinished. Our main characters end up happy but it was the secondary characters that left me with a question mark. Was this done on purpose? Do I smell another book coming? When will I have my answer?
ALSO AVAILABLE:
AUTHOR BIO:
Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over half a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.
