Ronin and Cat

Ronin is an Ancient overlord of London and Catherine is the wonder of V Date. They hate each other so much but can’t resist each other. Eventually that hate turns to tolerate then turns to more and they can’t get enough of each other. This story was action packed, intense, and fun to read. Ronin is in all the books but this is his story and I feel for his past but I’m so glad he found Cat. She didn’t have an easy past either and I think because of that they found in each of a kindred spirit to help them through their long lives together. ( )

REVIEW: [b:THAT KILLER SMILE|36403667|That Killer Smile (Bite Nights #3)|Juliet Lyons|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510689884s/36403667.jpg|56310306] (Bite Nights) by [a:Juliet Lyons|15118466|Juliet Lyons|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480099602p2/15118466.jpg]
FORMAT: Kindle Edition
PUBLICATION DATE: February 6, 2018
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
REVIEW BY: Noetical
RATING: 5/5 Stars
POV: Dual alternating H/h first-person

THAT KILLER SMILE by Juliet Lyons is another excellent book in the Bite Nights Series. In the first two books of the series, we learn that vampire Catherine Adair and London's Vampire Overlord, Ronin McDermott, have a past. In this book, we discover what that past entails. Unlike the first two books, neither character is human, which allows for a much more in-depth and complex history and characterization of both. The alternating dual first-person POV provides an intimate view into the fears and insecurities each must surmount to find their happily ever after. Their surrender was that much sweeter for having overcome a bitter and painful past.
The publisher provided a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. However, I enjoyed it so much that I purchased my own copy from Amazon when it came out.

SEXUAL CONTENT: Suitable for people 18 and older. Several scenes of hot M/F vampire sex, mostly within the context of a relationship. Some explicit sexual activity depicted without being excessive or crude.
VIOLENCE: A few scenes with vampire-related blood and gore. Backstory alludes to rape and abuse with some graphic detail.
PROFANITY: About 80 instances of a few different bad words occur in the story. However, it blends within the storyline, such that none of the characters seem crude.
HUMOR: I laughed out loud several times.
ENDING: Satisfying HEA without a cliffhanger. Ties up most outstanding threads from earlier books in series.

RATING BREAKDOWN
HERO: 5/5 Stars
HEROINE: 5/5 Stars
CHARACTERIZATION: 5/5 Stars
ROMANCE: 5/5 Stars
SEX SCENE WRITING: 4/5 Stars
PLOT: 4.5/5 Stars
DIALOGUE: 5/5 Stars
STORYTELLING: 5/5 Stars
STORY ENDING: 5/5 Stars
*******************************
OVERALL RATING: 5/5 STARS

Is sex the central theme of this book? NO
Do I recommend this book? YES
Do I recommend this series? YES
Do I auto-buy books by this author? YES ( )

Where has this series been all my life? :) I loved Cat and Ronin--such fantastic chemistry; I can't wait to go back to the first two books and see how they were from the beginning. It'll be all that much sweeter knowing how they're going to end up!

I really liked the world that Ms. Lyons has created here in her Bite Nights series. She does a nice of job explaining the details too, without giving us crazy info dumps. There's a good balance of suspense, mystery, and romance here, and I loved how she really made both Cat and Ronin work for the HEA they eventually create. (Though, quick question--what's up with the dark hair on the cover model? Ronin's supposed to be a redhead...)

That Killer Smile is the third book in the series, but worked just fine as a standalone..."just fine" translating into "OMG, I need to read the first two books ASAP!" of course.

Along with a great story and fabulous characters, we also learn a very important dating lesson here from Wentworth (Cat's cat)--if your cat doesn't like him, dump his sorry butt, people! ;)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )