My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

I cannot tell you how much I loved Defied! When I saw the blurbs and covers for Sworn and Defied, I straight up went into stalker mode to get my hands on the blogger’s copies of these books. Defied is the conclusion to the Blood Duet by Maria Luis and let me tell you, it was a truly fantastic read! Of course, as a duet, it must be read in order and I would not attempt to read the second book without first reading Sworn. If you like reading about a criminal underworld, sexy bad boys, and heroines who aren’t afraid to save themselves, then you need to get your hands on this duet and start reading asap!

The Blood Duet is simply too great to pass up. I’ve been reading Maria Luis for about a year now and I love her words… all of her books have been at least a 4-star read for me and I often recommend her to others. I find that her books are sexy as hell and expertly written. I can get lost in the words and before I know it, hours will have passed. Defied was all these things and more. It’s absolutely a 5-star read. I would even argue that when read in conjunction with Sworn, so that the full dimension of the characters and plot can be realized, it’s a 5+ star read. In Defied, Maria (again) departs from her norm – contemporary rom-coms and hockey romances – for a slightly darker romance. The keyword being slightly; it is not categorically a dark romance. The mystery in this duet is multidimensional and just when I thought I had it all figured out, Maria would throw in a curveball that would literally leave me gaping at my kindle! I loved how well she layered the sexy with the suspense as it was the perfect combination.

Another reason I just loved the Blood Duet was the characters – Lincoln and Avery. Their complexity and growth was fantastic. I love heroes and heroines that I can really get to know as we did with Lincoln and Avery over the course of the duet – I saw them come to life before my very eyes! As far as heroes go, Lincoln was top tier. He’s just what we all love in a book boyfriend – he’s mysterious, dirty and delicious in the bedroom, protective of his woman, has his ‘asshole’ moments 😉, and more… so much more! I love the side of him that only Avery gets to experience. The secrets he keeps weigh on him and broke my heart. And Avery, oh gosh, did I love Avery!!! She’s stronger then I would have guess with Sworn and so we’re clear, she was not a pushover in it! She’s lived a life that would break so many and still she stands tall. Her perseverance and determination really pay off by the conclusion of the book and justice is served.

I hope that if you had any doubts about Sworn and Defied, I have helped you settle them. Obviously, I am routing heavily for you to read the Blood Duet! I can’t name a single book that I have read by Maria that wasn’t wonderfully entertaining and downright deliciousness and the Blood Duet is my favorite stories she’s written to date. I’m excited to see where her characters lead her next because one thing is for sure… She’s got a stalker fan, I mean FAN 😉, for life! BUY this Duet and get started – I could not put it down and I think you’ll love it as much as I did!

View all my reviews