“it’s dangerous when looking into someone’s eyes makes you feel smarter and stronger and more beautiful. when their mirror makes a hero of you. because then you might want to live up to it.”

a perfect mix of romance, mystery, and thriller! elena is set to marry lorne, an established author who may not entirely be who he says he is. he has a nine year old daughter ivy who is also a little bit of a mystery, but a total sweetheart. between figuring out her new life and the intentions of lorne and his nanny, mrs. cross, elena has a lot of decisions to make. not to mention atlas covett, the owner of the hotel she and her fiancé are living in for the time being while their new house is being built. as time goes on, elena begins to notice discrepancies about lorne and things about atlas, too, like how he seems to be protecting her from her new fiancé. 

i absolutely adored elena and atlas’ story, and i have truly never hated a character more than i hate lorne (and mrs. cross). ivy is such a darling and i wish she received the love that she deserved in order to help her flourish as a curious nine year old, but i am so glad elena and atlas made it their mission to be her safe space. the slow burn, the spice, the tension, the longing, everything about this book was pure magic and i truly felt like i was living inside of it while i was reading it. another 5 star read from sophie lark that i will recommend to anyone who enjoys romantic thrillers!