Killing Sarai (In the Company of Killers #1)

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.
Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.
While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.
As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.
This is their story…
~ Goodreads

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Fluttering Thoughts:

Worldbuilding: The world of Killing Sarai was dark, gritty, depressing, infuriating and entirely fascinating. From one end to the other, nobody is innocent, and I was entirely in love with it. The Order was a fascinating concept and I can’t wait to explore it further.
Characters: Sarai was very easy to like and feel for. Her perspective on life and her past experiences had me rooting for her from Chapter 1. She was a survivor, fearlessly fighting to make it, which had me impressed. There were moments when I choked back tears, when she tried to process her relationship with Javier, the guilt, the fear, the anger… I loved how everything seemed so ambiguous, no clear black or white, only deeper and deeper shades of gray.
Of course, my favorite was Victor, for obvious reasons. While Sarai was a survivor and an interesting, twisted character, Victor topped off the twisted department and rode it like a boss. If the assassin career wasn’t enough, his very own brand of charm and charismatic presence had me falling fast and hard. As the story progressed, I found out more about him, and loved him all the more for it too.
Victor and Sarai made sense in a desperate, raw, darkish kind of way. Their chemistry was almost palpable, the hotness of their contact off the charts, and depth of emotions they awoke in each other completely intoxicating.
Plot: The story was pretty much a crazy roller-coaster from one end to the other. Rapid pace of events, some violence and chasing happening at all times pretty much, and a lot of tension on all accounts.
Writing: First person, present tense narrative, from his and her POV. And this is, I think, what kept me from really enjoying this novel to the max – the present tense. It has a really annoying ring to my “ear” while I read, and it constantly snaps me out of the story. I don’t do present tense well, sadly, it’s something I’ve noticed with many reads.
Curb Appeal: Goddamn brilliant cover, hooking blurb, awesome darkish trope – how could it not to trigger the impulsive buy instinct?

All in all, this was a fast, raw, intense read and I fully recommend it if you’re less into vanilla stories, vanilla characters or fluffy romance. It’s gritty without going into nasty, it’s emotional, exciting, and will leave you itching to read the next one in the series.

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The_Butterfly_Livia

Book lover, customizations OCD-er and list-lover extraordinaire. Unrepentant coffee addict, smutty romance and sexy bad boys/villains lover of doom.
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