Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Review: Sweet Revenge by Zoë Archer

Sweet Revenge by Zoë Archer
Series: Nemesis, Unlimited, Book 1
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Genre: Historical Romance Sweet Revenge Cover
ISBN: 9781250015594
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4 out of 5
Original Review Link
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Zoë Archer Reading Order

When “Diamond” Jack Dalton escapes from prison, he has only one thing on his mind: vengeance. He’s determined to kill Lord Rockley, the man who murdered Jack’s sister, but when he steals into the inn where the nobleman is rumored to be staying, Jack finds three strangers instead. The trio is part of Nemesis, Unlimited, a group determined to deliver justice at any cost. They’re after Rockley as well, but to bring the man down they need Jack’s help. Jack has no interest in Nemesis’s mission, but the beautiful Eva Warrick soon manages to change his mind. Eva’s like no other woman Jack’s met before and before long he begins to fall for her, knowing there can be no future for them.

Author Zoë Archer delivers a high-stakes tale of vengeance with SWEET REVENGE. I was captivated from the first page by Jack’s action-packed escape and the Leverage-esque nature of Nemesis, Unlimited. Even when the pulse-pounding action slowed down, I remained engrossed in the story, thanks to Jack, Eva and some very intriguing secondary characters.

Jack is a powerful presence in SWEET REVENGE and I truly enjoyed the fact that he’s rough around the edges and quite different from the hero norm. He’s an escaped convict and a former bodyguard who has been told so often that he’s worth nothing more than his muscles that he believes it. One of the biggest pleasures in reading SWEET REVENGE was seeing Jack come into his own. I loved that Eva saw ALL of Jack, that she believed in him and wouldn’t let him devalue himself. And speaking of Eva, she’s a classic Zoë Archer heroine — smart, strong and dedicated to her cause. The building sexual tension adds a nice sizzle to SWEET REVENGE and the overall love story is wonderful.

The mission to bring down Rockley adds further action to the story, but it’s truly the characters themselves who fascinated me. From Eva’s fellow Nemesis operatives — particularly Simon Addison-Shawe — to Charlie, an acquaintance of Jack’s whom I just adore; Ms. Archer has me hoping for many more NEMESIS, UNLIMITED books. SWEET REVENGE is a highly entertaining book and I can’t wait to read the next NEMESIS, UNLIMITED story, DANGEROUS SEDUCTION.


Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

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