A fight he must win...

Piper Oliver knows she can't trust him. They warned her that the tall, dark, and sexy black-ops soldier Jory Dean would try to win her over with his steel-gray eyes and deadly charm, but she won't be conned by this man they call a traitor. All she has to do is figure out the science necessary to save his life, and she's done. Something isn't adding up, though, and she won't rest until she uncovers the truth-even if it's buried in his deep, dangerous kiss.

A passion she can't resist...

Jory will do anything to reunite with and save his brothers—even kidnap the gorgeous woman who's working to deactivate the deadly chip in their spines. But the forces determined to destroy his family won't let them go so easily. Keeping Piper alive is more than he bargained for—and so is his burning desire for her. But with every second bringing him closer to certain death, can he afford to lose himself in her hot and willing embrace?

I would warn you about spoilers for Books 1-3, but honestly the cover copy already gives away stuff so if you’ve made it this far, I’ll assume you know what you’re doing.

Finally, it’s time for Jory! I have been waiting for this freaking guy for years, and he definitely didn’t disappoint. Those who’ve read any other books in the series know that Jory is the fourth and youngest of the Dean brothers, shot and presumed dead. He was definitely shot as his brothers feared, but he survived…and is awesome! At the start of the book, Jory is being held by the Commander. Just like his brothers, he has a kill chip in his spine set to go off in a matter of days, but unfortunately his chip was damaged when he was shot and it can’t be disarmed. No one knows what will happen when the time runs out, but the Commander doesn’t like not having control, so he brings in a hacker, Piper, to try and get things working again. Jory sets about convincing Piper that the Commander is actually the bad guy, not him, and that he needs her help to save him and his brothers. Eventually she gets on board and she, Jory, and the rest of the brothers have to save everyone before time runs out.

That’s all the summary I’ll give because there are twists and turns in this book that I wouldn’t want to ruin for anyone. The story does start a tiny bit slow, but once it picks up steam it’s fast paced and exciting. While I’ve enjoyed some of the romances, the real draw for me has been the larger storyline about the Deans and their journey. Listen, I know that this plot line is a little out there and the world building isn’t always perfect, but for me these books have been crack-y and engaging. I thought that this book satisfactorily and logically resolved the continuing story, and it was much more emotional and touching than I expected. (There’s a new character introduced, Chance, and his story is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal parts.) I was crying near the end but still feeling warm and fuzzy, always a nice place to be. I was kind of disappointed in the resolution of the Dr. Madison character and wanted to see something more definitive. (Unless it was setting up some kind of sequel? I admit I don’t know what to think.) The Commander definitely gets what he deserves, though, which is good because yikes is he an evil SOB!

But let’s talk about how much I love Jory and Piper. Jory is my favorite brother by far. He’s got the extreme possessive and bossy thing all the brothers have, but I felt like his was tempered with a sort of humor and emotion that just made him yummy. I’m sitting here struggling to describe him, though, because in no way is he soft. In fact, I’d almost say he is the strongest of the brothers, not because they’re not also strong but because he was always the smallest and weakest and had to learn what to do with that. Jory’s position as the youngest has made people underestimate him, even his brothers, and it’s given him a quiet motivation to save those who always saved him. He’s a genius computer hacker, too, and his geeky side is so cute. While he absolutely bosses Piper around just like his brothers do to their heroines, Jory does it with at least a smidgen more respect for Piper’s wishes. He’s bossy in the bedroom too, but there it’s hot (whew!) and definitely the way Piper wants it.

Piper is SUCH a great match for him. She’s also a genius hacker, and she just wants to do the right thing by everyone. She plays a major role in the story, and she and Jory save each other equally. She stands up to him when she needs to, but she’s not stupid and doesn’t fight him when he’s right. She isn’t afraid to laugh in Jory’s face when he’s being ridiculous, too, which I thought was just so perfect because sometimes he WAS ridiculous and needed to be laughed at! Their chemistry was smoking, and it was clear they were both made better by the relationship. I loved them.

Many of my criticisms of the previous books still hold true in this one. I felt like there were some silly characters, and some of the plot was a little too coincidental (i.e., the mystery of who shot Jory). The attraction between Jory and Piper moves ridiculously fast. Still, I was left smiling and happy-sighing when I finished the book. It was worth the wait.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

Sin Brothers

A betrayal he couldn't forget . . .

For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another . . . until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there's only one person who can save his family: the very woman Nate swore he'd never trust again.

A love she couldn't deny . . .

The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He's just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there's an edge to him now that's as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can't refuse. But she has secrets of her own--secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives . . .

(90,000 words)

This is the third book in the Sin Brothers series. I reviewed Book 1 here–I was totally engrossed in the larger story, even though I didn’t love the romance in that book. I went on to read Book 2, Sweet Revenge, which had a hero I liked a bit better and further sucked me into the saga of these three brothers. So when Book 3 came out, I was eager to read it. I’m happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Blind Faith.

First, let me start off with a warning that you can’t properly review Book 3 without giving away some spoilers for Books 1 and 2. I’ll try to keep it to a minimum, but if you haven’t read the other books and don’t want to know any details, this paragraph is my quick spoiler-free summary opinion. Blind Faith packs a bit more of an emotional punch than the other two books in the series, in my opinion. Nate and Audrey have a long, tangled, painful history together. Their heartbreak is acute and palpable at the start, and while it’s clear they still have feelings for each other it seems impossible that they could move past their baggage. The way Zanetti brings them together was great, and by the end I was 100% behind the couple. Audrey is a great heroine for Nate–she’s eyeballs deep in the complex mess that is the Dean brothers’s past, but that’s what allows Nate to face his demons with her honestly. I like Nate the best of all the brothers so far. In the other books, he seems like the cynical, practical brother who’s above pesky emotions for anyone but his brothers, but here we can see that the cynicism really hides his deep fear and heartbreak. I wouldn’t call him a softy, but there’s definitely a hint of the vulnerable little boy inside that makes him seem human! And here ends the spoiler-free part–you’ve been warned!

While I enjoyed the romance in this book, it’s really the larger Dean brothers story that keeps me coming back to these books. I enjoy the pacing of the larger story–Zanetti reveals just enough in each book to make you feel like that story is moving forward but not enough to remove the suspense. In Blind Faith, we get more details about the program that created the Deans, and we get some really fascinating glimpses of the Commander and Dr. Madison. They’re still “evil” and obviously have no compassion, but this book reminds us that they’re humans, not cartoon villains. It’s really fascinating to see Audrey grapple with her own relationship with the Commander and especially Dr. Madison, which is one more obstacle between her and Nate that must be resolved. We all know that the brothers have very little time left to live at this point due to the “kill chip” set to go off in a matter of weeks. We’ve seen their romances though, and we know how much they all have to live for now, which only increases the stakes. I found myself physically feeling tense at the end of Book 3! Even though I know these are romances and so will presumably end with HEAs all around, a little part of me can’t help but worry about the outcome.

As with the other books, some parts of the plot still don’t make tons of sense. Some of the secondary characters in Book 3 are kind of silly, and Audrey’s “plan” to stop the Commander was pretty naive for someone who knows him so well. Still, the overall ride is so exciting that I find myself overlooking lots of the nonsensical parts. Unfortunately, Book 4 in the series isn’t slated to be published until March of 2015! (I won’t spoil it by naming the hero, but if you’ve read the other books in the series you’ve probably already guessed.) I guess I’ll just have to worry about the fate of the poor Dean brothers for a while longer.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Sin Brothers