A review by leahjanespeare
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

5.0

Wow, this was just as good as the first....maybe even better?? Dare I say it?? For a duology to work, the two books need to reflect each other in themes and plot, and Ruthless Vows was executed perfectly as the second half of Iris' and Roman's story. The tension between them is different now that they know each other's true identities and are openly in love, but what I can't believe Ross pulled off, and somehow continued till the very last page, is the same amount of tension as their anonymous workplace rivalry induced at the beginning. The only way I can think to describe it is utterly romantic in the most classical sense; beautiful, I wanted to savor every moment. Their dedication and confidence in each other's love never wavers and no time is wasted with fretting or miscommunication. Instead their love turns into a power force to reckon with. Which Oath desperately needs because the war has taken a somber turn, and as we follow Roman down to Dacre's realm, Ross' worldbuilding talent shines. I can't quite pin down the magic of how this story affects me so strongly but my heart raced, I kept putting off reading due to my emotional attachment and stress about it ending, and I can't say that's happened to me in a very long time. I already can't wait to reread it.