The world can be an ugly place- fictional or otherwise, and these characters are no stranger to it. In fact, some have contributed to it. What I’ve always found so compelling about Bea’s writing is how she never shies away from that architecture- building worlds and stories that embrace not only the grey all around us but the grey within. Pain, trauma, despair, hopelessness- it’s as much a part of our humanity as breathing. But though it all the light is ALWAYS love. Love heals, love inspires, love fulfills, love hopes. And love can transform- take the worst of us and help us find the best, EVEN in the darkness. Even in the pain. And the Deana-dhe are tragically beautiful reminder that destination can outweigh the journey, that LOVE is stronger than the worst we can face- and it’s always worth the fight. It’s worth LIVING for. And if we LIVE with love…well, Cras es noster…Tomorrow is ours. Tropes: enemy to lover, PNR, RH romance, dark romance, bully romance, fated mates romance, mystical romance This is the sequel to Debts and Diamonds. It only makes sense if you’ve read that. And it makes the most sense if you’ve also read Academy of Stardom, and The Dancer and The Masks duet. It may be a love-hate relationship between most of them, but the tension is so delicious I just love them. Cyn is a mute girl and made a vow that she will never ever squeak, scream or speak a word around them. And what do these men say? "Challenge Accepted".

Nothing made sense in this book. Nothing. It was like they threw everything and the kitchen sink in. Characters from her other books thrown in while adding nothing to plot. What, just so they could say hi? There was also the case of the narrative feeling a little slow at times, as if there was no progress within any movement being had. Which is what caused my attention to wane in those moments. Some of the things they did to Cyn were downright awful but there were also so many sweet moments too mixed in. They were clearly fighting their attraction and connection with Cyn at every turn and failed more often than not and then would punish her to reset that boundary. Those moments were really hard to read especially the tree scene. I don't often like to bounce between the past and the present but I'm really grateful that Bea chose to splice the two together. For every chapter or event in the present that they experienced, we got to see the history that sparked that turmoil for them.I’ll be honest, Academy of Stardom is one of my favorite RH series....that said, all the books that Bea Paige has put out since then have been not bad, but just okay. So, I was pleasantly surprised this was very enjoyable. It’s definitely the best thing she’s written since Finale. The villain 🦹🏻‍♂️ was so pathetic… Ooooooo he has the bones of his prior victims in his bedroom. Oooooo he was tattooed like a skeleton….. Yawn…… The heat in book 2 is HOT and many developments occur. There are scenes of MM and MFM so if that is not your thing then skip ahead! Overall, the book was written well and the characters made you love the world. Thanks so much, Bea for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. OMG, this book may be my favorite in Bea's overall series. It's so angsty, powerful, and the most amazing enemies to lovers I have ever read. I had to devour this book in one sitting. There is no shot I couldn't put it down! In the present-day chapters, they’re all around 23/24. Cyn owes them a debt for finding the identity of her mom's murderer, and the guys have come to collect. They've brought her to their home (they live on their own island in a spooky old monastery) to make Diamonds for them (a special drug). But as the present day timeline unfolds, it becomes clear that Cyn has her own agenda and secrets. So once again, she has the upper hand, even though it initially seems like the guys hold all the power.

This has been my most anticipated book since I finished Debts and Diamonds and it did not disappoint! It was so absolutely alluring. For a dark book it was highly emotional. Way more than I was expecting. It was pure heartbreaking, gut wrenching emotion. It was raw and painful in parts yet beautiful and passionate in others. Definitely one that touched my heart and left a mark. This book hits some deep places. It’ll make you cry and smile and everything in between. It’s dark on some levels, yet no longer enemy/bully behavior we saw in book 1, thankfully. I loved the growth for all the characters, as we all the character crossovers! I would definitely recommend this book! They want me to make diamonds, a drug that has the ability to heighten the senses, and manipulate emotions. With that said, Cures & Curseswas still a decent read. Since Bea Paige was able to keep me reading on and not giving up even despite my issues.Bea you amazingly talented woman. I absolutely love this story. Not gonna lie took me awhile to feel any time of way about Cyn, there were moments she also tested my patience because she preyed on my pet peeves but otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The Guys were everything and more. I kind of wanted the book to get darker than it was if that was even possible but maybe that’s just me. I have no doubt in my mind part 2 is going to just as amazing as this book. There was always a change between the present and the past and that was done by having a chapter in the present and then immediately having one in the past. I myself had a lot of trouble with that at the beginning because I was more interested in the present, and didn't find the chapters in the past interesting. However, the chapters in the past are necessary to understand the storyline.

Breakers is book 3 of this amazing series and do an audiobook listen leading up to book 5’s release has made me fall for these characters all over again and I am going to be so emotional when we close the door on their story and lives (hopefully just for now!). We finally get the resolutions we had been waiting for, the walls come down even more, the steam is turned up a notch and more characters from the shared world make an appearance (love the Easter eggs and spinoff series coming from this one!). I loved every second of this book. Lyrical and Breakers are seriously tied for my favorites out of the 4 (and a lot of her other series’ - I mean Grim and Beast still are at the top though haha. So many laughs). The first book had mild heat and got spicy at the end but I felt like that was what the group needed. I enjoyed the development and plots as they all found each other again. The ending left me hanging on for more and I was glad that Cyn’s secret were revealed!The Deana-Dhe transition beautifully into leading anti-heroes. Bea somehow maintains their air of mystery and menacing aura while also humanizing them. She gives them substance, differentiates each, and layers dimension on dimension. They are certainly worthy of a full story- easily stepping out of the shadows. But Cyn is the star- I loved how Bea gives her a quiet and vulnerable strength. She’s clever, gently coercive, and enchanting. And her muteness adds an interesting layer to her connection to the men, empowering her allure and protecting her secrets.