Review: Blind Faith

Blind Faith (Sin Brothers #3)

by Rebecca Zanetti

Blurb:

A betrayal he couldn't forget . . .

For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another . . . until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there's only one person who can save his family: the very woman Nate swore he'd never trust again.

A love she couldn't deny . . .

The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He's just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there's an edge to him now that's as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can't refuse. But she has secrets of her own-secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives. .

Themes: paramilitary, contemporary

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

The third story in the Sin Brothers series was full of ups and down, surprises, betrayals, and the love of two very damaged, confused, and ultimately perfectly matched people on a quest to keep evil from continuing to spread darkness over their lives. I have enjoyed the previous books in this series very much but Nate’s story gives so much more depth to the emotions of these trained killers and I found myself rooting for him every step of the way.   I will admit this book got a little bit more complicated in terms of villains, but it was done so well that it just seems to flow and make perfect sense. The little glimpses of the other brothers and their women was interesting as well, and finally finding out the truth about their youngest brother made the story perfect. I am looking forward to where the series heads next.

Nate is a wonderfully dangerous man, one who lives his life determined to never make the same mistake twice and to protect his brothers—and now their women—at all costs.  He never imagines that he is fit to have a woman of his own, and really the only one he’s ever wanted is Audrey, the daughter of the woman he has hated all his life with everything in him.  She once broke his heart, but he never imagines he would find her working with the enemy and the truth of that shakes him up quite a bit.  As they get to know one another again, Nate learns that his instincts are not to be ignored and Audrey is more than willing to remind him of her true nature.  I liked Nate for the most part, though he annoyingly jumps to the worst conclusion about Audrey every time something that looks bad happens, but thankfully he gets over that near the end.  He is obviously a gorgeous man, but his arrogance comes from his skills and abilities more than from his looks or innate charm. It was interesting to see him interacting with his brothers and their wives and to see how his changes when the thought of impending fatherhood hits him.  There was a gooey softness at the center of that hard and thick shell surrounding Nate’s heart to be sure.

Audrey was my favorite type of heroine: a compassionate woman on a mission to save the world.  Or at least the portion of the world she had her life wrapped up in.  She is determined to bring down the commander for his horrible experiments without putting her mother, or the Dean Brothers into danger.  She is finally ready to enact her plan when things start to go terribly awry.  First Nate explodes back into the life, then she is placed into mortal danger when someone discovers her connections to the commander, and finally by the commander himself when she is forced back under his thumb.  Really Audrey just had a bad couple of days! But she never once lets herself lose focus on her goals, protecting herself, her new family, and bringing down the bastard who caused it all. Her love for Nate is obvious from the very first second and I loved how she forced him to accept that love and admit to his own feelings for her.  She is sweet and naïve in some ways, but worldly and dangerous in her own right in other ways.  Her very determination to not accept defeat is what makes her ingenuity and craftiness so much sharper. I liked how well thought-out her plans were, though I felt like she should have just cut ties with her sociopath mother a long time ago, but when those plans are turned completely upside down, she is able to roll with the punches (literally in some cases) and find a way to win every time.  An undefeatable woman on a mission to keep her loved ones safe—heady stuff!

Overall this series has caused me a few tears, especially the glimpses we get into the terrible “childhoods” (and I use that term very loosely here) that the dean brothers lived through. Even though Nate was trained almost from birth to be a killing machine—as were his brothers—he never stopped looking for a better, more normal life, including falling in love with Audrey at a young age and never being able to move on.  While Audrey may have given up Nate the first time to keep him safe, neither of them are willing to let their love go a second time, instead determining that only together can they defeat the commander and find a way to be happy and safe, together, forever.  Audrey was a great character, one of those women that you can hold up as a role model.  Overcoming the ghastly beginning to their lives, both Nate and Audrey show that the nature of love cannot be trained out of the heart, no matter how hard someone tries to change you.  Their ability to love was remarkable under these circumstances, but never for a minute did I doubt they would find their HEA and defeat the commander, one way or another.  I cannot wait to find out what happens in the final book in the series coming soon (I hope). Another hit series for Rebecca Zanetti as far as I’m concerned.

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.