Early Review: Wicked Lies (Dark Mission #4.5) by Karina Cooper

In this Dark Mission novella, Jonas Stone emerges from the shadows into his own story, and finally allows himself to have the same shot at love he's given his friends.

Jonas Stone has been given his first independent operation: rescue the insurrection leader's imprisoned grandson from the Mission. Getting the job done means more than getting Danny Granger out--it means staying with him while he heals. Staying too close, for way too long. 

Danny is everything Jonas isn't: confident, optimistic, honest--a man to be reckoned with. If only it didn't mean going against everything Jonas has planned. He's kept his secrets for years, hid behind a mask no one could see through...until now. Danny isn't the kind of man Jonas deserves. But he might be exactly the man he needs...

Yep, I did it again... I read out of order. However, it's a novella and sometimes you can do that. It's often used to get readers who have not read a series interested. However, some are inserted right in the middle where you have to have previous knowledge to really "get" the whole scenario. This was a bit of both.

While I had no trouble with the romance within, it was a bit of a head scratcher to get into the world. I didn't get much information, but I did get enough so I wasn't completely lost and it did perk up my interest into what had been going on. So, I do think that was a plus for the author.

The romance was intense. It starts out as a rescue mission where Danny is the victim being tortured and Jonas is the rescuer. Jonas helped Danny keep it together and so he developed a bit of a crush toward Jonas. Jonas was smitten with Danny from the start, but thought that any attraction given from him would be because of the hero complex and would not be true. Also, Jonas was broken. Not just psychologically, but physically as well. The physical really added to his view of himself and what he would accept.

Danny was always looking for "the one". Not always involved romantically, but had the confidence of youth on his side. His biggest worry was pushing it too far, especially if Jonas wasn't gay. I felt that his concern, even while being incredibly and horribly beaten was so sweet. He still could think about Jonas and how he was feeling.

What I enjoyed about this romance was that, although somewhat formula in the plot, it was also sweet. The victim became the one to help heal the one who rescued him. I also liked that although the lust was intense, both realized that the extreme circumstances may have also played a part in their emotions and were willing to slow it down to see if it would last. You don't get a complete ending, but I don't think you could in a novella. I suspect the romance will continue in the background of the other novels in this series.

I give this novella 4 stars. It was so sweet at times I really enjoyed it. It also made me curious about this world and how witches and their opposition play a part. I also liked that the author included a bit about her struggles in a note and made it about the "it gets better" campaign. This novella is set to be published on March 5th.

I received this eARC novella from Edelweiss and Avon and no compensation for my review was given.