I want to preface this by saying that I think this is a good story and I know people will enjoy this series but it’s just not for me. I think the reason it didn’t work was the writing style. It waffled between being over descriptive and repetitive to expecting us to know things that happened off page. 

My second biggest complaint was the complete lack of groveling. Soren was a dick the entire first book which I didn’t mind, it made it a true enemies to lovers so I was eating it up! But if you’re going to make him that horrendously mean, then he better WORK for her forgiveness the second he realizes his mistake. Rooke even says “you’re going to have to beg for my help” at the end of book one but then it’s business as usual in book two. We get some inner monologue pining from Soren, a few growls and that’s it. None of the characters from the inner circle ever say the words “I’m sorry” for the terrible way they treated her in the first book. It just made the payoff at the end barely worth it. I skimmed the one spicy scene we get because I just did not care about their relationship at all. 

All that said, I think if you like J. Bree’s writing style you’ll love this series. If you didn’t like her previous series, you probably won’t like this one either.