4.5 Stars

Brief review follows:

This was an excellent - though difficult romance to read. I am still not sure it is fully a romance despite the conventional HEA that we do get. This is a mélange of gothic vibes, erotica (ish) and romance which makes for a pretty compelling package. I was quite surprised at how readable this was and how compelling I found the story - even though I wanted slightly more romance in the end (

Spoiler

I wanted the hero to grovel a little more because he won his HEA a little too easily for me to be happy with him

).

For me the most compelling this was that there was actual plot in this "erotic romance". The couple's lust and obsession for each other didn't overcome the issues they had and there was drama and angst which kept the book interesting. It's probably me, but reading about sex-scenes gets boring after a while if there is no emotion or plot happening.

Surprise of the month - I would have given this 5 stars if the ending was a little longer.