Holiday Reviews...Assasin's Heart by Monica Burns

HOLY SMOLY! This Saturday is the day...its Christmas! With that terrifying thought (I still can't find a Kindle at Target for the husband who keeps stealing mine!) lodged in my brain threatening my sanity, I decided to take a breather and blog deliciously (and quickly) about a few of my favorite things...er, reads over the past few weeks. Enjoy...

I have major love for this series, having discovered it in my very first ARC tour. There is something beyond sexy about a secret order of the Sicari, assasins (but not in the evil, bad guy, assassin kinda way...think, sexy, Italian, and secretive in that way that somehow just lets you know you want to be held captive.) Okay, maybe I went a tad bit overboard. What can I say?

From Amazon.com:

The half-angel, half-demon face that telepathic Lysander sees in the mirror is a reminder of the monster he must keep hidden to avoid expulsion from an order of assassins. His dreams of ancient Rome hint at a destiny with the woman he loves, but can never have.

When the gifted healer Phaedra travels to Rome in search of a legendary artifact, she works alongside a man who once rejected her love and healing touch. But her dreams of ancient Rome tell of an irreversible and possibly dangerous future. For the distant past and present are about to collide-with the one man she is destined to love.

I've always been intrigued by the legends and tales that surround ancient Rome...even as I walked along the ancient streets when I visited, I would imagine all the people who walked the same steps before me and marvel at the layer upon layer of history evident in each and every stone and building, relic and church. (Even as I cringed at the MacDonald's on the corner. Yuck.) Monica Burns brought back those feelings of wonder and made them even better, from the sexy Sicari men (and women) and the intertwining of past and present, to the use of Latin and Italian peppered in to entice...and the food *groan*! (I felt like I was back in my Nana's kitchen watching my big hunky Uncles cook...nothing cuter than a bunch of men, trying to out do one another with their culinary skills!) Not only a fantastic PNR, but this series has stolen my heart. and imagination...

Lysander may be damaged on the outside, but Phaedra knows there's something more beneath the scars and coldness. In her dreams, the man she knows is there, loving her in every way possible. But in the harsh light of day, she still wants to reconcile what her heart knows with what her eyes and head witness. Will searching for a legendary artifact bring them closer together, or will secrets drive them farther apart? There was something about Phaedra in Assasin's Honor that made her one my favorite female characters. Sassy and strong are two of my favorite characteristics of a smart heroine, and I have to say, I kinda want to borrow her wardrobe. And, silly silly Lysander...some men just need a girl to give them a swift kick in the, well, you'll just have to read more for yourself to find out what happens next...