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javalenciaph's review against another edition
4.0
Note: An ARC was provided by Wildfire Marketing Solutions.
Exposed is the second book in Willow Aster's Kingdoms of Sin series and follows the story of Elias Lancaster and Mara Catano. With both characters having been part of the series starter, Downfall, and with characters from there recurring, I'm going to recommend you read both books in order. I know a lot of authors prefer to promote their books as standalones, even if they happen to be part of a series, but experience has taught me that when a book is connected in one way or another to books before it, reading them in order is best. But hey, maybe that's just me.
With Mara making the impression that she did in the first book, I wasn't exactly a huge fan of hers. It took a good, long while, but I did manage to warm up to her, especially since her main motivation for doing the things she did was love and concern for those who meant the most for her. Elias was complicated, but I loved getting to know him better and seeing him open himself up to actually to having his own chance at happiness with Mara. Exposed turned out to be a fun read, and it easily gets four stars. I look forward to reading the third book, Ruin, this March. ♥
Exposed is the second book in Willow Aster's Kingdoms of Sin series and follows the story of Elias Lancaster and Mara Catano. With both characters having been part of the series starter, Downfall, and with characters from there recurring, I'm going to recommend you read both books in order. I know a lot of authors prefer to promote their books as standalones, even if they happen to be part of a series, but experience has taught me that when a book is connected in one way or another to books before it, reading them in order is best. But hey, maybe that's just me.
With Mara making the impression that she did in the first book, I wasn't exactly a huge fan of hers. It took a good, long while, but I did manage to warm up to her, especially since her main motivation for doing the things she did was love and concern for those who meant the most for her. Elias was complicated, but I loved getting to know him better and seeing him open himself up to actually to having his own chance at happiness with Mara. Exposed turned out to be a fun read, and it easily gets four stars. I look forward to reading the third book, Ruin, this March. ♥
lindseydomokur's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me a while to finish, and I will tell you why. It is because I was scared to read it after how mad I was after I read Downfall. Mara was a character I wasn’t sure I cared to know about, sorry Willow.
Mara was an incredibly tough character to like. The one thing she had going for her was her love for Elias. She was constant. She loved him from childhood and would NOT give up on him. Elias had a lot of issues, and pushing Mara away constantly was painful to witness because the love she had for him is really all that made her human in my eyes. She is the most prickly, opinionated character. She thinks she is right and knows everything. As the book goes on, you find out more and more tidbits of information about why Elias is the way he is. Stories start to unravel and love is tested.
In the end, Willow won back my trust. I enjoyed this book more than Downfall because Mara was redeemable. Elias needed at least seven hugs and a cuddle. Once Mara let guard down and was able to see the truth, she became softer. Softer Mara is a good thing.
Mara was an incredibly tough character to like. The one thing she had going for her was her love for Elias. She was constant. She loved him from childhood and would NOT give up on him. Elias had a lot of issues, and pushing Mara away constantly was painful to witness because the love she had for him is really all that made her human in my eyes. She is the most prickly, opinionated character. She thinks she is right and knows everything. As the book goes on, you find out more and more tidbits of information about why Elias is the way he is. Stories start to unravel and love is tested.
In the end, Willow won back my trust. I enjoyed this book more than Downfall because Mara was redeemable. Elias needed at least seven hugs and a cuddle. Once Mara let guard down and was able to see the truth, she became softer. Softer Mara is a good thing.
lacy23's review against another edition
I dont think I have read a Willow Aster book without absolutly loving it. Exposed just proves it even more! As a second to downfall you get to know some of the previous characters more, I for one am glad! I could not stand Mara in downfall but now I see her in a new light. To say that this book is amazing is an understatement!
sonja_ahrb's review against another edition
5.0
O.M.G. This book is off the charts amazing! Like seriously, Willow Aster our did herself.
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, but this one is on a whole other level of awesomeness! Every time life got in the way while I was reading this, I got so aggravated, I didn’t want to put it down.
Willow Aster has created a fantastic new world of royals, sex, and drama. I don’t know how she’s going to top Mara and Elias, but I sure can’t wait to see what’s to come. I’m hooked!
~ Lia, 6 Stars
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, but this one is on a whole other level of awesomeness! Every time life got in the way while I was reading this, I got so aggravated, I didn’t want to put it down.
Willow Aster has created a fantastic new world of royals, sex, and drama. I don’t know how she’s going to top Mara and Elias, but I sure can’t wait to see what’s to come. I’m hooked!
~ Lia, 6 Stars
gretareadsromance's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.
So much going on with Mara and Elias. This friends to lovers story gave me all the feels - such an intensly good book! This is book 2 in this series and I recommend reading Downfall first. Another great ready by Willow Aster!
So much going on with Mara and Elias. This friends to lovers story gave me all the feels - such an intensly good book! This is book 2 in this series and I recommend reading Downfall first. Another great ready by Willow Aster!
profromance's review against another edition
4.0
Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Elias, she was wrong. It doesn’t matter what we’re born into, how wealthy one of us is, or how smart, or strong…we’re the same. Our hearts are the same.”
There is this idea that we should only get what we deserve. That there is some random assignment of pleasure or privilege afforded those with the most promising traits. In the end, this is simply that…random. In Willow Aster’s second book from the Kingdoms of Sin series, Exposed, this seems to be the prevailing ideology.
We meet Elias and Mara in the first book of the series, Downfall, the story of Mara’s brother, Luka, and his journey of love. In Downfall, Mara is horrible to the heroine, Eden, and readers like me assumed it could be difficult to accept a story about a character who is vain, shallow, and mean-spirited. Yet, Aster, through her astute storytelling, helps us empathize with Mara in Exposed. We find out quickly that Mara’s behavior is a consequence of conditioning and emotional/mental abuse. It becomes clear quickly that Mara simply wants to be seen, cherished, and loved for herself. She finds this with her friend, Elias, and her brother, Luka, in her youth and teenhood. However, complications in her present separate her from Elias and set her up as an enemy towards her brother. All of this occurs because she simply doesn’t have all of the parts of the story. Aster also shows us through Elias that choices from their past have separated them, even though it’s clear from the first page that Elias and Mara are destined for each other. Exposed is a journey of a 1000 deaths as Elias and Mara struggle against each other. While these two seem fated from the start of this book, they spend much of the book apart because one cannot accept that he can have what he wants and the other believes she isn’t worthy of him.
To begin, you should know that I loved Downfall, the first book in Aster’s series. Yes, there were times when I wanted to reach into the book and strangle Luka for his torturous ways with Eden. Yet, Aster uses his bullish ways to illustrate his internal struggle against his familial responsibilities. In the end, he redeems himself with Eden, and that story finds a most beautiful happy ending. To say that I was excited about Exposed would be an understatement. I’m a fan of authors taking the most unlikeable character of a story and enlisting me to fall for them. In Downfall, Mara is tied for this role with her parents, so going into Exposed, I was ready to be challenged and encouraged to accept Mara.
And to a certain extent, I did. It’s smart that Aster allows us to see Mara’s past. In fact, it’s necessary as it helps us empathize with her. Mara has borne great abuse on herself, and it has transformed her into a spiteful woman who views herself as only something to be possessed. She doesn’t recognize her talents and abilities for most of the story. What can be frustrating about Exposed is Mara’s continual self-sabotage. She’s the queen of it in this book, and it grates on your soul because she makes choices time and time again that leave her dejected and broken. This is more than Luka’s bullish ways in Downfall. There were many times when I found myself yelling at the book, yelling at Mara, to stop. Some might find this frustrating, but I believe this is Aster’s capability to pull us into her world. When authors provoke us to feel deeply for their characters and respond vehemently to them, I think they’ve done their job. Aster achieves this distinctly in Exposed through Mara’s characterization.
Similarly, Elias produces the same results. He’s stubborn and obtuse in his characterization. Honestly, it takes much of Aster’s book for Elias to finally understand his relationship with Mara. Every other character in the story recognizes his connection to Mara except Elias. Just like Mara, this is biting. For all of his intelligence and power as the king’s advisor, he too self-sabotages and remains dense for much of Exposed.
There is a big pay-off with this book, though. Aster plays on your emotions for much of Exposed, making us feel that journey of a 1000 deaths as Elias and Mara struggle with their connection. When they finally earn their happy ending, it’s blissful and well-deserved for her readers. But know, that you must traverse the pitfalls of their inane choices to get there. Reading Exposed is like walking through an emotional minefield. Once you begin, you cannot stop until its end as you can only gain respite from the tension of potentially stepping on bombs of emotion at its borders. Yet, the journey feels fulfilling, insightful, and worth the time you spent negotiating the challenges of it. In the end, Elias and Mara teach us that we are worthy, that we can be more than our pasts, and that love will always reign when we fully accept it.
“Mara has always been a part of me. I won’t ever be able to let her go.”
“Elias, she was wrong. It doesn’t matter what we’re born into, how wealthy one of us is, or how smart, or strong…we’re the same. Our hearts are the same.”
There is this idea that we should only get what we deserve. That there is some random assignment of pleasure or privilege afforded those with the most promising traits. In the end, this is simply that…random. In Willow Aster’s second book from the Kingdoms of Sin series, Exposed, this seems to be the prevailing ideology.
We meet Elias and Mara in the first book of the series, Downfall, the story of Mara’s brother, Luka, and his journey of love. In Downfall, Mara is horrible to the heroine, Eden, and readers like me assumed it could be difficult to accept a story about a character who is vain, shallow, and mean-spirited. Yet, Aster, through her astute storytelling, helps us empathize with Mara in Exposed. We find out quickly that Mara’s behavior is a consequence of conditioning and emotional/mental abuse. It becomes clear quickly that Mara simply wants to be seen, cherished, and loved for herself. She finds this with her friend, Elias, and her brother, Luka, in her youth and teenhood. However, complications in her present separate her from Elias and set her up as an enemy towards her brother. All of this occurs because she simply doesn’t have all of the parts of the story. Aster also shows us through Elias that choices from their past have separated them, even though it’s clear from the first page that Elias and Mara are destined for each other. Exposed is a journey of a 1000 deaths as Elias and Mara struggle against each other. While these two seem fated from the start of this book, they spend much of the book apart because one cannot accept that he can have what he wants and the other believes she isn’t worthy of him.
To begin, you should know that I loved Downfall, the first book in Aster’s series. Yes, there were times when I wanted to reach into the book and strangle Luka for his torturous ways with Eden. Yet, Aster uses his bullish ways to illustrate his internal struggle against his familial responsibilities. In the end, he redeems himself with Eden, and that story finds a most beautiful happy ending. To say that I was excited about Exposed would be an understatement. I’m a fan of authors taking the most unlikeable character of a story and enlisting me to fall for them. In Downfall, Mara is tied for this role with her parents, so going into Exposed, I was ready to be challenged and encouraged to accept Mara.
And to a certain extent, I did. It’s smart that Aster allows us to see Mara’s past. In fact, it’s necessary as it helps us empathize with her. Mara has borne great abuse on herself, and it has transformed her into a spiteful woman who views herself as only something to be possessed. She doesn’t recognize her talents and abilities for most of the story. What can be frustrating about Exposed is Mara’s continual self-sabotage. She’s the queen of it in this book, and it grates on your soul because she makes choices time and time again that leave her dejected and broken. This is more than Luka’s bullish ways in Downfall. There were many times when I found myself yelling at the book, yelling at Mara, to stop. Some might find this frustrating, but I believe this is Aster’s capability to pull us into her world. When authors provoke us to feel deeply for their characters and respond vehemently to them, I think they’ve done their job. Aster achieves this distinctly in Exposed through Mara’s characterization.
Similarly, Elias produces the same results. He’s stubborn and obtuse in his characterization. Honestly, it takes much of Aster’s book for Elias to finally understand his relationship with Mara. Every other character in the story recognizes his connection to Mara except Elias. Just like Mara, this is biting. For all of his intelligence and power as the king’s advisor, he too self-sabotages and remains dense for much of Exposed.
There is a big pay-off with this book, though. Aster plays on your emotions for much of Exposed, making us feel that journey of a 1000 deaths as Elias and Mara struggle with their connection. When they finally earn their happy ending, it’s blissful and well-deserved for her readers. But know, that you must traverse the pitfalls of their inane choices to get there. Reading Exposed is like walking through an emotional minefield. Once you begin, you cannot stop until its end as you can only gain respite from the tension of potentially stepping on bombs of emotion at its borders. Yet, the journey feels fulfilling, insightful, and worth the time you spent negotiating the challenges of it. In the end, Elias and Mara teach us that we are worthy, that we can be more than our pasts, and that love will always reign when we fully accept it.
“Mara has always been a part of me. I won’t ever be able to let her go.”
cassire's review
4.0
Exposed was an addicting read. I couldn’t put it down for long. It can be read as a stand-alone. I absolutely loved the heroine. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to say. She showed some real growth through the book. The hero was okish. He was caught up on not deserving the heroine. Honestly, at the end of the book, he didn’t really deserve her. I don’t think he was inherently a bad person. He spiraled. We never see the growth of him redeeming himself from it. That bugged me a little. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first and look forward to what is to come.
I voluntarily read an early copy.
I voluntarily read an early copy.
amor_fati's review
5.0
It’s just so easy to get swept away in this world Willow has created. At first going in, I was like Mara, she caused such trouble in the first book, but one chapter in and I was already feeling the pain as way she was the way she was. It was this yearning. And as the story when on and Willow weaved this story of Mara and Elias it was just proven more strongly that she was loyal. But you need to read to know just to whom all her loyalties lie because so much happens in this book. You will be not be able to put it down!
talonvictoria's review against another edition
4.0
"I've never forgotten anything, Elias. You are ingrained in my heart and always have been."
I am going to go ahead and just start out this review with the fact that I 100% could not relate to Mara. There, I said it. She was very unlikable. But even though I didn't care for her, Willow did a superb job with writing her character the way that she did. She was an awful person. But damn, did that girl love hard. I loved that about her.
Aside from all of that, I think all of the tension in this one was my favorite. I thought Willow did me in during Downfall but come to find out the tension (sexual, emotional, etc) was so intense I could have screamed! I LOVED IT! So. Much. Tension. And when Willow finally does deliver to us... that girl DOES NOT disappoint.
I thought Exposed was an addictive read. A book that once I started, I had a really hard time putting down. A huge part of that was Willow's writing. I think she's found her true calling with this series. The setting, the people, the story-line. I think this is some of Willow's best work to date.
Exposed is one of the best guilty pleasure reads that I have read in a long, long time. It's not usually a book I would pick up, but my trust in Willow runs deep. I have enjoyed taking this exciting adventure from the get go.
Disclaimer: I would 100% recommend reading the first book. I know that it's advertised as a stand-alone but I think that reading Downfall will be very crucial in understand the setting, people, etc.
I am going to go ahead and just start out this review with the fact that I 100% could not relate to Mara. There, I said it. She was very unlikable. But even though I didn't care for her, Willow did a superb job with writing her character the way that she did. She was an awful person. But damn, did that girl love hard. I loved that about her.
Aside from all of that, I think all of the tension in this one was my favorite. I thought Willow did me in during Downfall but come to find out the tension (sexual, emotional, etc) was so intense I could have screamed! I LOVED IT! So. Much. Tension. And when Willow finally does deliver to us... that girl DOES NOT disappoint.
I thought Exposed was an addictive read. A book that once I started, I had a really hard time putting down. A huge part of that was Willow's writing. I think she's found her true calling with this series. The setting, the people, the story-line. I think this is some of Willow's best work to date.
Exposed is one of the best guilty pleasure reads that I have read in a long, long time. It's not usually a book I would pick up, but my trust in Willow runs deep. I have enjoyed taking this exciting adventure from the get go.
Disclaimer: I would 100% recommend reading the first book. I know that it's advertised as a stand-alone but I think that reading Downfall will be very crucial in understand the setting, people, etc.