Hope Restrained Tour Stop!

She was meant to be his assassin
A forced player in a rivalry within The Estate
Yet her loyalty was to no person but herself
When Hope is taken captive by Xander Black
She becomes the one thing that can ensure Aaron’s reign

Raised within a rival crime network, Hope Delacroix wanted nothing to do with The Estate. A fierce warrior, Hope is given no choice but to kill Aaron Carmichael. Caught in her attempt, Hope is captured by Aaron’s top guard in an effort to discover who sent her.

Ever loyal and protective, Xander Black’s sole objective is to defend Aaron and Maddy. Willing to do whatever is necessary, Xander gives in to darkness in order to force information out of Hope.

As Xander enslaves Hope to break her down completely, he learns that in the two years since Joseph Carmichael’s death, dissension still exists within The Estate.

“I find it ironic that your name is Hope…especially considering that you have none.” ~ Xander Black

Well M.S. Willis has done it again.  She has given me another book in the Estates series that sucked me in, tore at my heart and made me even more addicted to the members of the Estate.  At least this time I was not destroyed, thank you Ms. Willis for that.  By being destroyed, I mean the one character that I always seem to fall in love with in each of her books didn’t die a horrible death this time.  Now I won’t tell you who my favorite was this time, you get to pick one of your own. 

Hope is my kind of hero.  She is a killer, fighter, destruction on two legs and one of the most beautiful broken souls that have been created in this series.  Maddy was also given a chance to show her strength in acceptance and bravery.  I have a feeling with these two women together, the Estate men will have no clue what hit them. 

Hope is beckoned by Estate members who want to take the new leader down.  In order to motivate her willingness to go against Aaron and Xander, they kidnap and torture her twin sister Honor.  These twins are night and day.  Where Hope is the pain seeking killer, Honor is the gentle artful soul who finds love and peace in all things.  With their mother dying years ago both girls were raised in the Network, an opposing group to the Estates, so Hope does not go into this mission naïve.  She knows the rumors of what has happen behind those walls and she has spent her whole life trying to avoid contact with these evil people. 

So many dark alleys and twisted turns in this book, I was once again flinching at times from the torture the characters endured, talking walks around to collect my sanity once again and yes messaging a friend begging her to tell me that this won’t end with me a sobbing mess on the floor.  With all the brutal images Hope is going to have to see, the torture she is going to have to endure, learning to accept Maddy’s advice is what is going to be the hardest for her.  Maddy reminds her before Hope leaves that sometimes surrender is the only thing that will save you.  I have to say on a personal level, those words were music to my aching heart.  How many times have we looked back and regretted the events that we fought so hard against and still lost the battle?  To have society look at us when we didn’t fight hard enough in their eyes and labeled us a victim?  Maddy was right, sometimes being victorious means to allow things to happen, to guard your heart and mind against it, while the body is being used and broken.  You might come out with bruises, broken bones and pain, but by surrendering you maintain your soul and mind.  It is up to Hope to decide if she can go in and save her sister while surrendering her body and will. 

It was nice to see Xander have more of a role in the Estates, of course Aaron will never be able to shed the shadow of Joseph BUT I am dying to see what Connor’s journal will bring to him.  Awwwwww Connor, I so miss that man.  Ms. Willis is brilliant with this series, there is no way to predict what she is going to do next and I can hardly wait to read the next book in this series.  As I told a friend of mine, I normally hate horror shows and books, I am not a fan of being scared of things, but M.S. Willis has created a series I am addicted to……….I welcome the nightmares they cause, the tears they bring, the fear that I feel………I am hopelessly addicted to allowing her to manipulate my heart over and over again just spend more time with the members of the Estate.