Red-Haired Ash Reads

Bastian came from nothing and became known as Reaper, one of the best assassins out there. Now he is retired and running a casino in Vegas. The only part of his past he can’t forget or let go of is Lark, the female assassin who is determined to kill him for the death of their mentor. 

After reading the previous book and seeing Lark’s introduction, I was eager to know more about this female assassin and why she is so determined to kill Bastian. From the beginning I loved Lark. She was smart, capable, and deadly. I loved seeing her stand up to Bastian and the rest of the guys. I also liked that we got both sides of her: the deadly assassin and the hurt woman. It shows that she wasn’t a mindless killing machine, but a woman who made the best out of her life and is now hurting because her mentor wasn’t who she thought he was. 

Bastian was a controlling, and protective man who is determined to protect Lark. He goes out of his way to help her in every situation, even when she was trying to hurt him. I really loved that Bastian is all in for Lark from the very beginning and is just doing everything he can to convince her to give him a chance. Bastian was just a surprisingly sweet guy who refuses to believe he is actually nice, even though he repeatedly shows it. 

Their relationship was sweet, steamy, and intense. In between investigating the Red Ribbon Killer and dealing with what they learn about their mentor, these two fall hard for each other. While Lark does fall hard, I wasn’t surprised that she keeps her walls up and tries to avoid her feelings. She did lose her whole family and clearly struggles to let people in. I was a bit surprised by how Bastian handled her skittishness, especially in the last chapter. 

Overall, this was another fantastic book for this series. I am really loving this found family of assassins and can’t wait to see which one will fall next. 

TW: death of parents mentioned; grief; serial killer; death; attempted sexual assault (not of MFC); 

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

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Previous books and reviews for the series:

1. Burn the World Down