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gizdawgs's review
challenging
dark
emotional
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
junyan's review
3.0
3.25/5 Can I have a hero who’s emotionally stable and able to do proper communications?
khris_with_a_book's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Book 2. Whole first half of the book was boring and it dragged. Second half was way better and moved pretty fast. Lots of back and forth between them, to be expected. Not bad but I just wanna finish this series already.
pattyfgd's review
5.0
Hearts Divine
The Santiago Trilogy, Book 2
By: Catherine Wiltcher
Narrated by: JF Harding, Sarah Puckett
Catherine Wiltcher continues to have me on the edge as book 2 of the Santiago Trilogy continues. Eve is left home, having to be harassed by the FBI as they try to pull out information about Dante from her. There is not way she would ever give them anything, but that does not stop the interrogation. Constantly followed, she is off to accept an award where she is kidnapped. Who would do such a thing? Yes, a smile came to my face when Dante once again has taken her. He is risking his own plans as his obsession with Eve has taken him over. But how will she feel about this? Will she be happy to be back with him? Will he be able to rebuild his empire and find the revenge is is seeking? And how will Eve fit into it all? There are so many complexities and layers in this story, and we are taken on a roller coaster of suspense, emotions and surprises we don't see coming! I am enthralled with this trilogy, and the cliffhanger just left me on the edge! I can't wait for the conclusion of their story and see exactly what is revealed in the end.
JF Harding and Sarah Puckett continue their amazing narration of this series. Harding is a favorite of mine and he plays the antihero so well. Dante is a complex character and each layer of this man is emulated perfectly. He's not overly emotional, but you can hear it in Harding's voice exactly how he feels. Puckett always gives me the perfect amount of angst without going overboard. I love their performance.
The Santiago Trilogy, Book 2
By: Catherine Wiltcher
Narrated by: JF Harding, Sarah Puckett
Catherine Wiltcher continues to have me on the edge as book 2 of the Santiago Trilogy continues. Eve is left home, having to be harassed by the FBI as they try to pull out information about Dante from her. There is not way she would ever give them anything, but that does not stop the interrogation. Constantly followed, she is off to accept an award where she is kidnapped. Who would do such a thing? Yes, a smile came to my face when Dante once again has taken her. He is risking his own plans as his obsession with Eve has taken him over. But how will she feel about this? Will she be happy to be back with him? Will he be able to rebuild his empire and find the revenge is is seeking? And how will Eve fit into it all? There are so many complexities and layers in this story, and we are taken on a roller coaster of suspense, emotions and surprises we don't see coming! I am enthralled with this trilogy, and the cliffhanger just left me on the edge! I can't wait for the conclusion of their story and see exactly what is revealed in the end.
JF Harding and Sarah Puckett continue their amazing narration of this series. Harding is a favorite of mine and he plays the antihero so well. Dante is a complex character and each layer of this man is emulated perfectly. He's not overly emotional, but you can hear it in Harding's voice exactly how he feels. Puckett always gives me the perfect amount of angst without going overboard. I love their performance.
kelly_reads_books's review
5.0
I loved this book!
Catherine Wiltcher's writing flows and she has an excellent amount of suspenseful scenes as well as great sexy scenes. It was fantastic to see the characters grow and change with each other slowly.
What a cliffhanger though. Wow! I can't wait for book 3.
Catherine Wiltcher's writing flows and she has an excellent amount of suspenseful scenes as well as great sexy scenes. It was fantastic to see the characters grow and change with each other slowly.
What a cliffhanger though. Wow! I can't wait for book 3.
thebookplatypus91's review against another edition
5.0
“You say that I’m your angel and that you ache to be a better man when you’re with me, but what good is a fallen angel with a heart as black as yours? I can’t bring you back to the light if you keep on crushing me with an iron fist.” He laughs then, but it’s an empty sound with no joy. “It’s so much fun corrupting you, Eve. You taste like fucking redemption. My angel, you have no idea.”
Book two is angsty as fuck. Like brutally angsty.
Dante’s flash backs into his past are incredibly dark. Some of the decisions he’s made along the way in his life I have a really hard time excepting as a reader. But his internal conflict with himself has made me battle my own opinions on him. I love this character so hard. He’s so broken and so twisted and dark. And I totally see why Eve falls hopelessly in love and forgives Dante over and over.
This is an incredible love story that is extremely unique. Because for the first time as a reader, I have found a antihero that I’m not sure I could ever forgive him for the things that he’s done in his life.
There’s two sides to book two, we have the hot and cold relationship of Dante and Eve. Eve wants Dante desperately to just say that he loves her. And he simply cannot do it. His internal battle with himself makes him feel like he doesn’t deserve being in love with someone. But he’s too selfish (his own words) to ever let her go again.
“I can’t keep up with you anymore, Dante.” His name catches in my throat. “One minute you’re mouthing the sweetest things. The next, you’re breaking my heart.” “Just…love me.”
And then we have the mafia aspect. That’s full of drama and suspense. There’s a ton of twists and turns and no one is who they say they are in this book. That’s for sure.
This book leaves off on a crazy cliffhanger. We have side characters we know well, one being Eves best friend and Dante’s second in command.
Eve’s BFF gets kidnapped by the man Dante has been after. I can see that book three is going to be one hell of a ride!
Book two is angsty as fuck. Like brutally angsty.
Dante’s flash backs into his past are incredibly dark. Some of the decisions he’s made along the way in his life I have a really hard time excepting as a reader. But his internal conflict with himself has made me battle my own opinions on him. I love this character so hard. He’s so broken and so twisted and dark. And I totally see why Eve falls hopelessly in love and forgives Dante over and over.
This is an incredible love story that is extremely unique. Because for the first time as a reader, I have found a antihero that I’m not sure I could ever forgive him for the things that he’s done in his life.
There’s two sides to book two, we have the hot and cold relationship of Dante and Eve. Eve wants Dante desperately to just say that he loves her. And he simply cannot do it. His internal battle with himself makes him feel like he doesn’t deserve being in love with someone. But he’s too selfish (his own words) to ever let her go again.
“I can’t keep up with you anymore, Dante.” His name catches in my throat. “One minute you’re mouthing the sweetest things. The next, you’re breaking my heart.” “Just…love me.”
And then we have the mafia aspect. That’s full of drama and suspense. There’s a ton of twists and turns and no one is who they say they are in this book. That’s for sure.
This book leaves off on a crazy cliffhanger. We have side characters we know well, one being Eves best friend and Dante’s second in command.
Eve’s BFF gets kidnapped by the man Dante has been after. I can see that book three is going to be one hell of a ride!
theblackstepford's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
2.75
So this is the reason I don’t like cliffhangers, trilogies, etc… this was a filler book. Eight and a half hours when it could have been 3. There was some excitement but this trilogy could have been a two book deal.
bookgramsaga_'s review against another edition
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (reread)
''How far are you willing to travel into the darkness for him?''
Safety warnings:
- H 38? / h 25
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- BBS
- Human trafficking
- Mention of child abuse/assault
- Violence/torture/d*ath
- Cliffhanger
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
We jump back into the story and how both Eve/Dante are dealing with their 6-month separation. They have no contact with each other, but you know damn well Dante has been keeping a close eye on her even if Eve has no idea how deep his protection goes.
Eve is stuck back in her life in Miami, she is back to working as a journalist but focusing on writing articles and investigating everyone but the Santiago world. She is also being harassed by FBI Agent Peters, he randomly brings her in and keeps asking her about Dante but of course Eve is not speaking and playing dumb.
We get to see Dante and what he is currently up to, and he is going around the world destroying a massive Human Trafficking ring. We also find out that his brother lied to him in the last book, and he did not kill Dante's daughter Isabella but instead had her sold at 4 years old to the traffickers and has been either sold throughout the years or possibly died but Dante is determined to find everyone connected and destroy them to avenge the little girl he failed.
We also get a lot more backstory about Dante, starting from his childhood up to the point he is an adult and leaves his family to join the Military. It won't come as a shock to see Dante and the way he was raised by his father and how he was forced into the darkness. His mother killing herself was the last straw for Dante and the last light he had within him, and it died alongside her.
We also find out something extremely disturbing and that is that Eve’s DEA father has been helping the sex traffickers with shipments and girls, all of this has been proven by multiple evidence and when Dante finds out about his part in all of it he loses his mind and basically destroys the relationship he has between Eve as he thinks she knew and she protected him knowing all of this. He kicks her out of the island and sends her back unprotected to Miami and spends the next week drinking himself away and even pushing Joseph out. He comes to after his bender and realizes his mistake and goes to Miami in search of her.
We meet a few new key players and one of them is Andrei Vetrov who is the brother of Sevastien, the man in charge of this trafficking ring that both of them want to get rid of. Andrei lost his daughter due to Sevastien and we find out that Agent Peters is actually the illegitimate son of Andrei whose twin sister was the daughter Andrei speaks of.... the only reason he was harassing Eve was to make sure she could be trusted and not end up being a snitch.
This book deals with much darker themes as we dive into the world of sex trafficking and child abduction. It's heartbreaking to think Isabella was a victim of this world and even though I know what happens as I've already read this trilogy; you can't help but feel for the little girl and the life she could of had if she hadn’t been the pawn in a bigger scheme.
The ending though! Anna getting kidnapped was still hard to reading about because again I know what happens and her storyline will get her own duet alongside Joseph. Her books are a hard pill to swallow tbh....it's a dark book.
-------------------------------------------------
August 2021 (original review): I enjoyed this much more than book 1. The reveal about Eve's father was disturbing and I was not expecting it.
The scene where Dante finds out about his connection and throws her out of the island made me need a minute. I knew he would come to regret it but I still was not prepared for that reaction.
That ending though....
''How far are you willing to travel into the darkness for him?''
Safety warnings:
- H 38? / h 25
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- BBS
- Human trafficking
- Mention of child abuse/assault
- Violence/torture/d*ath
- Cliffhanger
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
We jump back into the story and how both Eve/Dante are dealing with their 6-month separation. They have no contact with each other, but you know damn well Dante has been keeping a close eye on her even if Eve has no idea how deep his protection goes.
Eve is stuck back in her life in Miami, she is back to working as a journalist but focusing on writing articles and investigating everyone but the Santiago world. She is also being harassed by FBI Agent Peters, he randomly brings her in and keeps asking her about Dante but of course Eve is not speaking and playing dumb.
We get to see Dante and what he is currently up to, and he is going around the world destroying a massive Human Trafficking ring. We also find out that his brother lied to him in the last book, and he did not kill Dante's daughter Isabella but instead had her sold at 4 years old to the traffickers and has been either sold throughout the years or possibly died but Dante is determined to find everyone connected and destroy them to avenge the little girl he failed.
We also get a lot more backstory about Dante, starting from his childhood up to the point he is an adult and leaves his family to join the Military. It won't come as a shock to see Dante and the way he was raised by his father and how he was forced into the darkness. His mother killing herself was the last straw for Dante and the last light he had within him, and it died alongside her.
We also find out something extremely disturbing and that is that Eve’s DEA father has been helping the sex traffickers with shipments and girls, all of this has been proven by multiple evidence and when Dante finds out about his part in all of it he loses his mind and basically destroys the relationship he has between Eve as he thinks she knew and she protected him knowing all of this. He kicks her out of the island and sends her back unprotected to Miami and spends the next week drinking himself away and even pushing Joseph out. He comes to after his bender and realizes his mistake and goes to Miami in search of her.
We meet a few new key players and one of them is Andrei Vetrov who is the brother of Sevastien, the man in charge of this trafficking ring that both of them want to get rid of. Andrei lost his daughter due to Sevastien and we find out that Agent Peters is actually the illegitimate son of Andrei whose twin sister was the daughter Andrei speaks of.... the only reason he was harassing Eve was to make sure she could be trusted and not end up being a snitch.
This book deals with much darker themes as we dive into the world of sex trafficking and child abduction. It's heartbreaking to think Isabella was a victim of this world and even though I know what happens as I've already read this trilogy; you can't help but feel for the little girl and the life she could of had if she hadn’t been the pawn in a bigger scheme.
The ending though! Anna getting kidnapped was still hard to reading about because again I know what happens and her storyline will get her own duet alongside Joseph. Her books are a hard pill to swallow tbh....it's a dark book.
-------------------------------------------------
August 2021 (original review): I enjoyed this much more than book 1. The reveal about Eve's father was disturbing and I was not expecting it.
The scene where Dante finds out about his connection and throws her out of the island made me need a minute. I knew he would come to regret it but I still was not prepared for that reaction.
That ending though....
katrina_8505's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, is all I can say.. it was hot and sexy, then it had me in tears where I kinda hates Dante a bit then I forgave him, lol.. This book was so good
hollyannebrady's review against another edition
4.0
Hearts Divine is the second book in The Santiago Trilogy. This book is the continuation of Eve and Dante's story. This book is told from their points of view.
Dante is the head of one of the most wanted crime families. Eve has been trying to find out info on him to take him down. However, now that she knows who he is her feelings have changed.
The FBI wants Eve to tell them where Dante is and to give him up. She has mixed feelings.
Some secrets come out about her father, and she's not sure who to trust. Will Dante and her get back to each other? Or will their separate lives tear them apart for good?
I can't wait to see what happens next for Dante and Eve.
Dante is the head of one of the most wanted crime families. Eve has been trying to find out info on him to take him down. However, now that she knows who he is her feelings have changed.
The FBI wants Eve to tell them where Dante is and to give him up. She has mixed feelings.
Some secrets come out about her father, and she's not sure who to trust. Will Dante and her get back to each other? Or will their separate lives tear them apart for good?
I can't wait to see what happens next for Dante and Eve.