Lovin' los libros

Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

My Review: 

POW! Dante is flippin' back ya'll! Woooo! I missed him so. I don't really even know where to start! It's always difficult to write reviews for sequels because we definitely don't want any spoilers. Ok! Let's just do this. Dante would kick my butt for beating around the bush.

The Liberator picks up where The Collector leaves off: Dante is sporting a shiny new cuff around his ankle- of the good variety. No longer is he working for the Boss Man, but he's now on Team Big Guy. This should be a great thing for good ole Dante! He gets to do good and be good and everything's all kittens and puppies, right?! NO. Dante is bad. Always has been and always will be. At least according to him. This presents a bit of a problem, obviously. His first mission as a Liberator is to go help a girl named Aspen. A girl who is basically him, but with boobs. Dante knows he has a mission to do and he wants to get back to Charlie ASAP. However, it's so easy to forget his true purpose and slide right back into his old ways.

I'm glad Victoria came right out and said she didn't like love triangles because when I first saw this I thought- here we go.... Knowing there would be no love triangle, I was able to go in and really enjoy Aspen without feeling like I was betraying Charlie. Aspen is a little spitfire. She's got attitude, but there's a raw part of her too- a part that's really hurting and Dante is able to zone in on that. There's so much more to Aspen than meets the eye and I really think Victoria did a great job of unraveling her storyline because she has a pretty big part to play.

Charlie is a lot different in this book too. We definitely get to see a different side to Charlie. At the beginning I felt bad for her because she was trying to be someone that she wasn't- for Dante- and she was upset with herself for it. He wasn't very happy either because he loves her just the way she is. However, we all know Dante- he tends to put his foot in his mouth sometimes and say things he shouldn't. Charlie comes to terms with the fact that she is who she is and she isn't going to change because of it. (You go girl!) And Dante falls a little more in love with her because of that.

Can I just squeal a minute about Dante and Charlie's relationship? I won't lie- I was a little bummed The Collector didn't have very many swoony scenes. That's ok folks! The Liberator MORE than makes up for that! Mmmhmm. That's right. Bow-chicka-bow-bow! There are so many adorable moments between those two and Dante Walker you are not as bad boy as you think! Dante can act as bad ass as he wants- when it comes to Charlie Cooper, she's his kryptonite. Dante- you big softie!

And we can't forget the gang! They're back! And more fun than ever! I love the unyielding friendships Victoria has created here. They would go to hell and back for one another and wouldn't hesitate to step in the line of fire to protect of their own. I was a little mad at Annabelle in the beginning because I felt she was letting Charlie get a little out of control, but at least she was with her just in case the shit really did hit the fan. Luckily, that got resolved pretty quickly. All of Victoria's characters have a part to play and I love that she doesn't just throw characters in for filler purposes.

My only issue with this book was that it did feel a little slow at times. But gosh, once you hit the last half of the book, forget about it! It's ON. I was tearing through the pages like it was going out of style because I had to see how this would all play out. And there were definitely a few gut-clenching moments where I was afraid of where Victoria was going with everything.

I really thought this book would just be focused on Aspen and trying to liberate her soul, but wow. Victoria took us in a whole different direction! I think the way she intertwined Aspen's story with Dante, Charlie, and the rest of the gang's was brilliant. And the ending?! POW! Thankfully, it's not a cliffhanger but at the end I was all fired up ready to go and.... I have to wait for Book 3.

Overall my fellow Dante fans: he's back and he's ready for you.

"I nearly gasp. No girl has ever called me on my crap before. I'm a little thrown off, but recover quickly. If she wants to play this nothing-fazes-me game, I'll be her huckleberry. Because no one can pull indifferent like I can."- eARC 59

Here's a little sneak peek of what little Miss Aspen is all about:

"Why don't you calm down D-Dub. I know you're menstruating, but everything's going to be fine. Once we get inside, I'll explain all about maxi pads, personal hygiene, and the feel of a man's penis."- eARC 103

 

Author Links: