Ash’s review of Assassin’s Heart (Order of the Sicari, Book 2) by Monica Burns
Paranormal Romance released by Berkley 07 Sep 10

This book has one of my least favorite things in a romance, something that I avoid at all costs, and yet I still loved it.

In the first book I was immediately intrigued by the scarred warrior Lysander, who is said to have half the face of an angel and half the face of a demon. I was worried that once we got to his book, he would become an annoying, tortured hero who can’t get past his appearance. Thankfully that is not the case at all.

It’s only been a year since the torture that cost him his eye and gave him his scars, so he isn’t totally over it. He does mention that he thinks he looks like a monster, but he doesn’t brood over it on every page. He also has trouble accepting that his father is the enemy, and he worries about anyone finding out. I think this is done really well. It’s another instance where he could have become whiny, but Monica Burns handles all his emotional issues terribly well.

Lysander is  perfectly imperfect, and I love him and his relationship with Phaedra. He struggles with being with her, but he does try his hardest. He has his jerk moments, but Phaedra handles them and him well. She is a strong heroine and I have nothing bad to say about her. These two seem to have so many obstacles in their way and I got emotionally sucked into their lives.

Now for the thing I usually hate to read about. Phaedra and Lysander are the first Sicari Lord and his wife reincarnated. Throughout the book they have dreams of themselves in their past life, so we also get to see glimpses of what their life was like as Maximus and Cassiopeia. I thought I would hate it, but it fits in perfectly. The story of Maximus and Cassiopeia is so heartbreaking, it made their romance as Lysander and Phaedra that much more special. Other characters are also people reincarnated from their past lives, and it does get a little weird once they all meet up again, but it works out feeling right.

With all this going on, there is still the ongoing search for an ancient artifact that started in Assassin’s Honor. There’s also a storyline going on involving the boss, I guess you could call her, that I can’t wait to learn more about.

I’m actually a bit surprised at how much better I thought everything is in Assassin’s Heart, even with the over abundance of swears and endearments in another language (which didn’t bother me as much in this book).

The storyline, romance, and the characters just come together in a way that they didn’t in the first book. I am excited to see how the story continues in the next one, but I am looking forward to seeing if Monica Burns can top Lysander and Phaedra.

Grade: A-

Summary:

The truth of the soul.

Lysander Condellaire never understood why he had telepathic and telekinetic powers until the night his Praetorian father tortured him and left him for dead. Now, the half-angelic, half-demonic face he sees in the mirror is a reminder of the monster he must keep hidden or face expulsion from the order of assassins know as the Sicari. But his dreams of Ancient Rome hint at a destiny he finds hard to accept, especially when it involves the woman he loves, but can never have.

The consequences of desire.

A gifted healer in the Order, Phaedra DeLuca witnessed her mother’s murder when she was just a little girl. The haunting memory makes her loathe everything Praetorian. When she travels to Rome in search of an ancient artifact, she must work alongside a man who once cruelly rejected her love and healing touch. But her dreams of Ancient Rome tell of an irreversible and possibly dangerous future. For the distant past and present are about to collide–with the one man she is destined to love.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: