Ivan

Regardless of the title, I thought this was really Maricela’s story. And I can’t say I was looking forward to Reading it. She seemed to be one of the blander characters in Sector One: the baby Rios, following the directives of Isabela and wanting to please Gideon. Boy, I couldn’t have been more surprised! I now appreciate Maricela as an extraordinarily intelligent, loyal, loving, and fierce woman. She feels marginalized by her family as the “baby,” unheard as decisions are made about her future, and used as negotiating fodder in Sector One power positioning. Everyone wants to hold onto or better their positions, and Maricela is a bargaining chip. She falls in love — with Ivan —and begins to fight for him and what she wants. And it seems like it’s the first time she’s doing that. I was happy to see her stand up for herself, even as she continued to champion those most important to her. Without spoiling the story, I’ll just say that we find out how Maricela once before fiercely fought for her family, affecting their survival and that of the Sector. She’s got the veneer of an innocent but she’s got the heart of a fierce warrior, protecting what’s most important to her at all costs. She’s not a fighter like Ana, but she’s just as lethal—maybe even more so. And as a fan of Kit Rocha’s “Beyond” series, I also very much enjoyed the additional detail and POV’s on the war between the sectors and Eden, and the commemoration of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Maricela Rios is a post-apocalyptic princess, sister of Gideon, the current leader of Sector One, and Isabela, the current leader of the Sector One religion, and granddaughter of the Prophet. Hers is a life of privilege and wealth, yet it comes at a price. After the attempt on Gideon's life Maricela is forced to have a bodyguard with her 24/7 up close and personal and her every movement is dissected. Even worse, everyone treats her as it she is made of glass with no will of her own. Maricela knows that she is expected to make a politically advantageous marriage that will cement alliances and bring further wealth to the Rios coffers but the only man she eyes for is her bodyguard, Ivan. Ivan is the son of a saint and the nephew of traitors. After his uncles were responsible for kidnapping and the death of another Rios princess which precipitated a civil war, Ivan and his mother were ostracised by Sector One. Barely able to scrape a living on the streets Ivan has been brought up to emulate his father and sacrifice himself to save others. Gideon saved Ivan and his mother and Ivan's life as one of Gideon's Riders means everything to him. The princess and the bodyguard, political marriages, intrigue and treason. This novel has all of Kit Rocha's brilliant world-building and drama but the heat is turned down to simmer. The predecessor series set in Sector Four, the Beyond series, was all about the erotica whereas this series is all about the plot and I loved it.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? Not much!!! I absolutely loved this book, as I have every book in this series and the preceding series. I loved the slow build between Maricela and Ivan, they way they held back because of the expectations in their lives. I loved the inevitability of their love, even with those expectations. And, maybe most of all, I loved the utter happiness they gave each other. Theirs wasn't an easy path to take but I loved that they finally found the courage to see where it might lead. All that being said, there were a lot of side relationships in this book that could be hard for some to follow. I know I was confused now and then. But if you've read the other books in the series it's not impossible to keep up. And this is definitely my favorite book of this series to date. Although... Hunter's book is next and that might just top it!!!