🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of Shades of Wicked by Jeaniene Frost

 

Title: Shades of Wicked
Series: Night Rebel #1
Author:  Jeaniene Frost
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 370 pages
Published: October 30th 2018 by Avon
ISBN: 0062695614
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

In this thrilling new Night Rebel series set in New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress world, sexy and ruthless vampire Ian finally meets his match!

The Rule Breaker

Master vampire Ian is unrepentant, shameless…and every shade of wicked. He’s made one too many enemies in his two centuries of existence, including Dagon, a demon who now lays claim to his soul. Ian’s only chance to escape Dagon is to join forces with a Law Guardian, but he’s never been able to abide by the rules for long.

The Law Maker

Veritas’ normal role is police, judge and jury to reprobates like Ian. But she has her own ax to grind with Dagon, so if she can use Ian as bait…well, all’s fair in law and war. As they scour supernatural hotspots to perfect their trap, Veritas soon realizes Ian’s devil-may-care, roguish image hides something much more powerful. And Ian discovers that Veritas has shocking secrets of her own. As they’re drawn to each other with a passion as intense as their peril, either love or justice will prevail. But each will have devastating consequences… 

Crystal's Thoughts:
Shades of Wicked is the much-anticipated, long-awaited book featuring Bone's (Night Huntress) rapscallion of a friend, Ian, and it is a must-read for fans of the series!

Ian has sold his soul to the demon Dagon and he only has a short time before the demon comes to collect. In true Ian fashion he spends those last days living it up, which is where Veritas finds him... in a whorehouse. Veritas is on a mission to rid the world of Dagon, and she knows that Ian is her key in doing so. She refuses to be sucked in by his stunning looks and roguish charm, but there is more then meets the eye with Ian and it doesn't take Veritas long to realize that. In order to find the justice and revenge that each of them seek, they must work together to lure the demon to their trap. But the closer they get, the more dangerous it becomes, for both of them. Will Veritas and Ian make it out alive, or will Dagon be claiming two souls by the end?

Non-stop action, explosive chemistry, and wickedly-fun dialogue abound in Shades of Wicked! This book picks up right after the last book in the Night Huntress world, and while readers receive some clarity to the shocking twists there, Jeaniene Frost dishes out so many more! Veritas was a surprise for me. I didn't expect her for Ian but I loved how she didn't put up with Ian's BS right from the beginning. She's a bit of a tough nut to crack, but carrying secrets that could mean an instant death sentence will make a person rather severe. Her and Ian balanced each other out well  in that sense. However, I did find her difficult to like at times. There is no denying the attraction between her and Ian, though it was somewhat of a love-hate relationship at first. In classic Jeaniene Frost fashion, she brings these two together with fiery passion and scorching prose.

While I enjoyed Shades of Wicked, I felt like there was something missing in the story-line. Maybe it was because I was expecting to have more of Ian, but instead 99.9% of the narrative was told through Veritas' point-of-view? Not sure... Ian did really surprise me here though. There is definitely much more to his character then what we saw in any of the previous Night Huntress world books! Speaking of; I adored having the rest of the Night Huntress crew pop up, they added a bit of familial love and humor to the overall story-line.

I have to say that the ending, when we finally got Ian's point-of-view, was my favorite. I am really looking forward to the second book, and perhaps the conclusion, to see just how far Ian will go to get what is his. All-in-all, if you are a long-time fan of the Nigh Huntress books, then I recommend you picking up this spin-off right away. And while Shades of Wicked does pick up after the last release of Into the Fire, if you're new to the world this is a great place to jump in, though you'll be tempted to read about the other characters once you finish reading - I guarantee it!



Suggested reading order:
Shades of Wicked, Book #1
Wicked Bite, Book #2