Read Our Lips! Book Review Blog: 5 Kiss Review: Tangled Web (Deizian Empire #1) by Crista McHugh

The deadliest assassin in the empire just got too close to her target…
Azurha, a former slave turned deadliest assassin in the empire, has just been offered the ultimate challenge—seduce, then murder the new Emperor. But Titus is not the tyrant his forefathers were, and his radical ideas might be the glimmer of hope the empire needs.
Titus Sergius Flavus has yet to master the powerful magic of his ancestors—magic he must wield if he’s to protect his people—but his father’s death has left him no choice. Rule the Deizian Empire and attempt to right his ancestors’ wrongs, or watch her fall to his greedy kin.

More than just Titus’ ideas hold Azurha captive. Night after night, he awakens desires she thought lost, and uncovers the magic of her hidden lineage. As her deadline approaches, Azurha is forced to make an impossible decision—complete her job and kill the man she loves, or fail and forfeit both their lives.

My Review:

When I first read the blurb on Tangled Web, I was instantly hooked. I had a feeling the book was going to be good, and I was not disappointed in the least. Every page was better than the previous one, and I just couldn’t put this read down. I completely fell in love with Tangled Web and I quickly immersed myself in this beautifully crafted world Crista McHugh has written.

Drop whatever you’re reading and grab this amazing read now! It’s filled with assassins, intrigue, magic, and hott scorching sexxy scenes guaranteed to keep you warm this cold winter. It will definitely turn up the heat!

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The Deizian Empire is eerily reminiscent of the Roman Empire, but its backdrop is a mixture of magic and sci-fi. The Alpirions are a peaceful race that were conquered by the Deizians – a powerful, magic-wielding race. The Alpirions became slaves to the Deizians and it wasn’t long before unrest settled over the new empire.

The list of the Empire’s enemies is vast, the strongest of which include barbarians who gather outside the Deizian gates and daily try to bring down the Deizian’s magical barriers so they can attack.

But the barbarians and the surging Alpirion unrest are not the only problems plaguing the Deizians. There is a heavy dose of civil war within the Deizian families struggling for control. Sudden mysterious deaths attributed to natural causes run rampant and everyone is on the alert.

Not even the emperor is immune from all the strife. It is his job to keep the barrier at the gates intact as his magic is the strongest. But though the royal family is powerful, they are also vulnerable. Titus’ father falls victim to a mysterious illness and dies, leaving the empire in his son’s care.

Titus is tired of all the strife. He longs to unite the Alpirion and Deizian races, and he disagrees with keeping them as slaves. He wrestles with the notion of freeing them, something that alarms the other Deizian families.

A plot is set to motion calling for Titus’ immediate death, before he can make any changes in the empire. The deadliest killer, The Rabbit, is quickly hired for the job.

The Rabbit is actually a woman by the name of Azurha. We see her tragic backstory at the beginning of the book and learn how she was sexually and emotionally abused by her Deizian master. She fights back and kills her master. When she flees, she encounters a man who becomes her mentor and changes her life. Her new mentor trains her in how to be a skilled assassin and it’s not long before Azurha is the best in the all the land. But hers is a hollow existence. She has no life and deals only in death. She has no friends or family – death is her only reality.

Still, a job is a job and Azurha readily accepts her new assignment to kill Titus since the only good Deizian is a dead one. Her beauty is unparalleled, and she goes into the palace undercover as a gifted concubine. But something happens when she first meets Titus.

It’s clear the emperor is instantly struck by her beauty and for the first time since she killed and escaped her former master, Azurha feels attracted to a man. She can’t believe what she feels for him, since he’s a Deizian, but he’s unlike any Deizian she’s ever met. Titus is kind, gentle, and drop dead gorgeous. He refuses to take anything from her, unless she’s willing to give it to him – even though she legally belongs to him as his concubine slave.

Little by little, he wins her heart and her body, and she overcomes all her fears and terrors of her past. But her employers grow restless. If she won’t bring about Titus’ death, then they’ll dispatch the whole empire to do the job.

Will Azurha be able to keep Titus safe? And what will happen when Titus finds out she’s really an assassin sent to kill him? Is a Happily Ever After ending even possible for these two lovers who sizzle their sheets on fire? You’ll have to read and find out! *faints*

Tangled Web features: