Chanel Cleeton

A sexy new thriller about love and revenge from the author of the Capital Confessions and International School series... X lives by three rules: Show no weakness. Trust no one. Don't get caught. She lives by the rules they gave her. The Academy--set in London, shrouded in secrecy--it trains spies, computer experts, and assassins. Their mission? Dispensing justice and altering the course of world politics. Or so they think. In a world where secrets are weapons and some kills are impossible to forget, everything X thought she knew about her life is about to change. They taught her to fight. To blend into the shadows like a ghost, to operate on the fringes of society, to change her identity with ease. They taught her to kill. She'll need every skill they taught her, to stay alive.

Between Shadows

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I've been a fan of Chanel's work since I first picked up I See London nearly two years ago. It and the rest of her International School series was fantastic. I was obsessed with her Capital Confessions series last year. Steamy hot romance based in DC with as much politics and scandal as you can handle? Yes, please. When I learned Chanel was writing a new series based around a group of assassins, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the first book. And oh boy, was it good! 

Between Shadows starts out with quite a bang. I was completely sucked in from the very start. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat as I kept trying to put all the pieces together to figure out what exactly was happening. The romance was great, too. I love a good second chance romance. X and Luke gave me just that. To say their history was complicated would be a HUGE understatement, but I had no doubt they belonged together. It was just a question of whether they would both make it through to the end to be together.

I loved the characters in Between Shadows. X was fascinating. Talk about a kickass woman. Yes, she could be a little cold – she was an assassin after all – but there was much more to her than met the eye. Her weak spot was her sister Grace. (And Luke.) Luke was a badass with a heart of gold. (At least when it came to X.) I absolutely LOVED the two of them together. Romance is a big part of this story and there's some kissing (and more) but it's not quite as steamy as most new adult books I've read. Surprisingly, I kinda liked that. It worked for the two of them. They had far more on their plates than sexy times. You know, like figuring out who was trying to kill them and staying alive. 

Between Shadows was a great start to a unique new series. I'm not sure what's next, but I'll be waiting to find out and I'm sure I'll have a total case of grabby hands for the next book. 

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

  I do the job I was born to do. But sometimes it’s not just the job, sometimes the scales call to me like a siren’s song, winding their way through my fucked up head and dark heart. Sometimes it’s not the darkness that calls to me, sometimes it’s more. It’s justice, and vengeance, and the urge to bring balance to a world that doesn’t give a shit about fair, or right and wrong.
And sometimes I’m just a girl, wanting to kick some ass.


  Sometimes justice fails. I provide a different form, one that has nothing to do with courts of law.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

What a thrilling, heart-pounding read! I love books that take me to the edge of my seat, and Between Shadows did exactly that. It’s suspenseful, fast-paced, and filled with action. There’s also a swoon-worthy romance with a dreamy hero, so what’s not to love about this book?

X is an assassin for the Academy – she’s been trained since a young age to be a deadly weapon. The most important thing in her life is her sister Grace, but even her love for Grace can’t bring X out of her cold heart ever since she killed the one friend she had. But everything in her life is turned upside down when Luke is still very much alive and comes back into her life to handle a mission together to bring to light the truths that the Academy has been lying to them about.

We were always together, and then one day I looked at him and I couldn’t look away anymore.

As X and Luke travel around the world to find out the Academy’s secrets, they’re constantly looking behind their backs. Chanel Cleeton did a fantastic job writing the suspense – every moment of the book is a nail-biter, and I kept wondering about what would happen and whether X and Luke would survive. Between Shadows is definitely a page turner, so if you’re a fan of thrillers, you should definitely pick this book up.

X and Luke were both fantastic, well-written characters. X is fierce, brave, and badass, yet she still has vulnerabilities that make her likable and relatable. Luke was X’s first everything – but the years Luke was away have turned him harder, more dangerous, and infinitely more sexy. I loved the two of them together after they reconciled the past. Luke is so sweet and patient with X, and I seriously fell for the way he cares so much for her.

“There’s a lightness about you despite everything else going on. How do you keep that lightness with you?”
He’s silent for a long time.
“Because there’s something I love more than I hate myself.”
Every muscle in my body stills. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I feel like I’m having a strange out-of-body experience, one I have no idea how to handle. He can’t mean–
“I love you, X. Always.”

I thoroughly enjoyed Between Shadows. It’s well-written, unique, and action-packed. I would’ve loved a bit more romance, but I could appreciate the book being focused on X and Luke’s goal, rather than their relationship. This was a great first book to a new series, and I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for us next!

Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1Tsu6qi

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Between Shadows

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