Review: The Swan & the Jackal by J.A. Redmerski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In the Company of Killers #3
Release: March 1, 2014
Length: 328 pages

Fredrik Gustavsson never considered the possibility of love, or that anyone could ever understand or accept his dark and bloody lifestyle—until he met Seraphina, a woman as vicious and blood-thirsty as Fredrik himself. They spent two short but unforgettable years together, full of lust and killing and the darkest kind of love that two people can share.

And then Seraphina was gone.

It’s been six years since Fredrik’s lover and sadistic partner in crime turned his world upside-down. Seraphina went into hiding and has eluded him ever since. Now, he’s getting closer to finding her, and an innocent woman named Cassia is the key to drawing Seraphina from the shadows. But Cassia—after sustaining injuries from a fire that Seraphina ignited—suffers from amnesia and can’t give Fredrik the information he desperately seeks. Having no other choice, Fredrik has been keeping Cassia locked in his basement as he not only tries to get her to recall her past—because she and Seraphina share it—but also to protect her from Seraphina, who clearly wants her dead.

But Cassia is a light in the darkness that Fredrik never believed existed. After a year subjected to her kindness and compassion, he finds himself struggling with his love for Seraphina, and his growing feelings for Cassia—because he knows that to love one, the other must die.

Will light win out over darkness, or will something more powerful than either further destroy an already tortured soul?

Goodreads | Amazon

My Review

Killing Sarai - ★★★★☆
Reviving Izabel - ★★★★★

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

Every thing I thought I knew about Fredrik... well that was thrown out the window with this book. This was his story and it was tragic, beautiful, devastating, illuminating, dark and twisted.

As we learned in the last book, Fredrik has some dark secrets and even darker pain. His past was absolutely atrocious and I felt the tragedy that was his life growing up. But as a man, he found some peace and her name was Seraphina. She was as savage and as twisted as he was. But she ultimately betrayed him and he's been hunting her for the last 6 years. That is until he finds a major clue, Cassia, whom he keeps captive in his basement. He's sure that she can lead him to his first love.

Although I had anticipated and had pretty much figured out the twist, I was still left devastated by it. My heart just kept breaking for Fredrik throughout the entire story. I wanted him to catch a damn break. I wanted the brief glimpses of his happiness to remain forever.

This is NOT a true love story. It is NOT romantic. It is a suspenseful thriller and it is incredibly entertaining!

XO