ARC Review: Illusions of Evil by Lily White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - Illusions Duet #1
Release - October 18, 2017
Genre - Dark Romance
Multiple POV - 1st person
Heat - 4.5 out of 5
Length - 426 pages

CONFESS.

It's what he said to me across his altar, what he demanded so that I would be pure.

In the moment he blessed me with his virtue, I was no longer the woman I'd once been.

I was Eve.

His light. His salvation. His bridge to Heaven's gate.

I failed him because my faith was not strong enough.

He punished me for not giving in.

Resisting temptation is never easy.

Not when his hands, his teeth, his heat and hunger were the greatest of my sins.

Find your copy of Illusions of Evil here:
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MY REVIEW

I swear, this book needs to come with HUGE warning labels. And I mean HUGE!! At one time, Eve was known as Sedra, a relatively ‘normal’ child with loving parents and a protective older brother. When she was 10 years old, her parents moved them to a community that was supposed to better for them - a nurturing environment. And that’s where Sedra’s life spiraled and she soon became Eve, the obsession of the cult leader, Elijah. Elijah was handsome and charismatic, convincing his followers that he was full of purity, that Eve was key to their salvation, and that together, the commune needed to help him either turn people to their cause or eliminate them. Jacob was Elijah’s identical twin brother, who also happened to be a priest, and his parish was in the neighboring town. These two brothers couldn’t be more alike and yet they were so different. This story tells of the darkness that lives inside each of these characters and it’s not only dark and depraved, it’s also twisted, eerie and wicked.

While I had sympathy for Sedra/Eve, I was a bit confused by her behavior. I guess I couldn’t understand how she was brainwashed so easily. She didn’t seem so susceptible in the beginning. Elijah definitely ruled this story. He was the beginning and the end and a part of me couldn’t help but see everything through his eyes and try to understand. Between him and Jacob, I wasn’t sure who to root for because both had a black hole growing exponentially within them. I honestly don’t even know how I feel about this story. It’s definitely not over and I’m curious to see if there will be any light in part two, Fear The Wicked.