Filthy Beautiful Lust by Kendall Ryan | Rating: ★★★★★

"Who I was before became irrelevant the moment I met you." 

It's fairly obvious how shameless I am about my love of books penned by the incomparable Kendall Ryan. The third installment of the Filthy Beautiful Lies series, Filthy Beautiful Lust, is no exception to this rule. Just as slow of a burn (and that delicious ache of a good love story) as her impressive archive of books, there's no shortage of steamy scenes and fiery characters for readers to swoon over. Although readers were surely sad to close the story of Sophie and Colton in Filthy Beautiful Love, it's no doubt they will find themselves just as fond of Kylie and Pace.

Best of all, we do get glimpses of both Sophie and Colton in the duration of Filthy Beautiful Lust. Which should be  unsurprising--given that the series is about the delectable Drake brothers. Catch me, I'm swooning. I wasn't sure I would be down for these two--Pace was a great side character but I was skeptical of if I'd like him in his own narration--but holy crap, they are blazing through the pages at me.

Kendall Ryan drives her plots straight through your heart. The character of Kylie, for example, just might be my new-favourite Ryan heroine. She is easy to root for and not without flaws, aka the best kind of character. I loved the glimpses we got of her during Sophie and Colton's stories, but there is so much more of her to be explored in Filthy Beautiful Lust. I love how strong of a lead she is and how attentive she is to her young son, how determined she is to do what's best for him always--the number one thing a parent should do.

Further, I loved seeing how Pace fit right in with Kylie. They truly became a family unit without even trying. While I was nervous of Pace and how his story would go, I adored everything about him as he grew into the man he'd always meant to be. This thankfully didn't feel like a choppy, "Womanizer reforms himself out of the blue!" sort of story.

(Then again, Kendall Ryan's work has always been crafted beautifully. So, this, dear reader, is not a shocking thing to note.)

His scenes with Max were heartwarming and of course his chemistry with Kylie was the variety that could make a girl melt into a puddle straight away. There were several turning points in the novel for Pace. My personal favourite was when he realized how much Kylie and Max had grown to mean to him. We saw that softness in him the first time we glimpse him interacting with Max, all the way back in Sophie and Colton's story, but it only grows from this point on.

(HOW CUTE IS IT SEEING MAX CALL PACE PAPA? Kill me.) 

I liked the trust that built between him and Kylie; it is a true partnership that is built solely on respect of one another. They are equals. They better each other. And, yes, they lose themselves in all that captivating chemistry. Basically--they are what dreams are made of when it comes to relationships and I couldn't have felt anymore warmth towards them.

Another thing I loved was how Kendall Ryan approached Kylie being a single-mother. All the things that go through her mind about what's best for Max, her needs being second to his, the aftermath of Max's father (who was a total prick, obviously, and I really wanted to slap him when he pops back into Kylie and Max's life) and all that jazz.

Her background is compelling and realistic. When I said you can't help but to root for her, you really can't. Kylie just gets a hold on your heart and doesn't let go. Similarly, so does Pace. Which is why they are so perfect for one another and I'm definitely in a puddle on the floor with the way their story concluded. I loved them!

Long review short--Filthy Beautiful Lust is an emotional rollarcoaster that will leave readers with this tingling feeling of love and lust afterwards.