Full of Intrigue and Danger | Review: Sensuous by Katherine Hawthorne
5:40 PMContinuing on with my catch-up-on-reviews spam for Sinful Surrender: it's time for Sensuous! Don't let the cover fool you. It's a cringy design, but the content is more thriller and the polyamorous love is prominent but doesn't take the spotlight.
About Sensuous
by Katherine Hawthorne
Xander was an enemy I never saw coming.
A devastating betrayal shattered our relationship before it ever began, my attempt to escape going horribly wrong. But telling Xander it’s over proves to be a dangerous mistake, revealing a ruthless side of him I was only beginning to suspect. Surrounding me with bodyguards, he swears he’ll go to any lengths to protect me. I swear he’s keeping me prisoner.
Sin was a lie I believed from the beginning.
Instinct warned me we’d crash and burn. A warning I should have heeded. No less his prisoner than Xander’s, Sin is just as ruthless, his determined seduction unrelenting. My suspicions behind his motivations only intensify when he refuses to leave my bed, softening his threats of restraint with a wickedly suggestive laugh I no longer believe.
I was deceiving them both.
Two men who will stop at nothing to ensure I’m theirs. Two men I no longer trust. Yet I’m powerless against my own desires, caving under their dual assault, unable to resist a decadent temptation I’d only gotten a taste of. I tell myself neither man will keep me from my investigation, but as shocking secrets are exposed, I question where my loyalties lie and just how much I’m willing to sacrifice for justice. Ultimately, I know there is only one inescapable truth…revealing the killer will destroy us all.
Other Books in the Series:
Sensuous by Katherine Hawthorne
Rating: ★★★☆☆
As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.
Betrayal and cliffhangers. That is where we left off in Sinful's startling conclusion. This is why I was so eager to dive straight into the second installment, Sensuous. It was calling my name from the minute I finished the first book and I was so thrilled that I had the entire series in the palm of my hands. The Sinful Surrender quartet begs to be read all at once because of its inexplicably enthralling combination of chemistry, darkness and compulsively readable plot twists.
Katherine Hawthorne engrossed me with the qualities that Sinful possessed. The novel was mysterious, intriguing, sexy and full of dangerous plotlines. It was everything I didn't know I wanted from a story. Sensuous had a lot to live up to because of this. Mostly, I had questions. MANY questions. MANY desires. And I was ready to hop back into the exhilaration that is Belle, Xander and Sin's lives.
Hawthorne easily draws us back into the thick of things. She wastes no time in developing the story further and tangles readers up in the web that is Sensuous. The inability to put down this book is intoxicating to its readers--you tremble with the want to continue. Just one more page. Just one more chapter. Just one more mystery unraveled. Just one more new question to be asked.
While book one sets up the groundwork and mysteries for the remainder of the Sinful Surrender series, this book took readers on an even deeper journey. With the strength of betrayal from its predecessor, and the development of a complex polyamorous relationship we've only just begun to understand, there were so many things going on with this installment. Hawthorne develops the mystery in a way that is artful in comparison to her counterparts in the genre; the spotlight is shared, the genres mix together seamlessly, and readers are left breathless once more.
Sensuous lives up to its name, too. The sinful and dark moments that came before are slowly building into something potent, unforgettable and darkly woven. Hawthorne's characters are just as unexpected as ever. The steamy scenes raise themselves off of the page and leave us dizzy with anticipation of what's to come. Sinful was erotic and twisted itself into our consciousness, but Sensuous takes things to the next level.
And the danger? Hoo, boy. The danger is as present as ever. Belle's need for truth grows stronger in each installment and as more doors close, dozens more open with more and more questions behind them.
Much like with book one, there's an intensely erotic quality to Sensuous but its biggest strength lay not in the romance but the mystery. Hawthorne writes both erotic romance and action packed mystery and crimes expertly. She portrays her characters as they are meant to be: complex, flawed, individuals who are tied together in many ways.
There were a few flaws, however, to this installment that made me cringe a bit outwardly, and I struggled with what I wanted to rate it as, for various reasons. The novel was solid, but I can't lie to you guys and say that there was nothing that bothered me. Sensuous was near perfect if not for some scenes between Belle and Sin that could have--should have--been portrayed a little better/differently. Hawthorne's story is exactly as she meant to write it, and there's no denying that, so this is more of a personal preference thing that brought down my rating a little bit.
Ultimately, Sensuous was an entertaining installment that left me wanting to read the next book immediately after. (So, I did.) The Sinful Surrender quartet truly demands to be read in quick succession of each installment.
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