Why I picked up this book:

I adore C. J. Archer’s Glass and Steel series, and I’m eagerly awaiting her 5th installment, but I wanted to try one of her more adult novels.

After reading The Charmer, I absolutely fell in love with Cole’s character. So naturally, once I knew there was a book about him, I picked it up right away.

This review may contain spoilers.

The Rebel (Assassin’s Guild #2)
	Cole’s heart is dark. He’s a mystery, even to those closest to him in the Assassins Guild. All anyone really knows for sure is that he’s ruthless, grim, and cares little for his own life. So when he loses his memory during an attack and thinks himself a naive eighteen year-old youth again, no one can really believe the transformation. But as his memory returns, so do the nightmares and the dark reality of who he has become.
Lucy’s world is bright. When gentle-natured Lucy falls in love with the damaged stranger, she thinks him a smiling, amiable gentleman. But rumors of a murder in the nearby village have her suspecting that her patient may be hiding a terrible secret. Can opposites really attract? What will happen when Cole regains his memory and his past catches up to him?

   

What I loved:

I loved Cole’s darkness, when he was dark. He has this brilliant stubborn, gruff, no-nonsense type persona, and I absolutely adored it.

I also really like the tie-in to the Cowdrey family from the first novel in the series, and that this book explored a little more of the Sutton Grange area. And you get to see a few of the characters from The Charmer, which is great. I look forward to seeing more of everyone in the next two books.

Areas needing a touch of refinement:

This is purely subjective, but I didn’t like that much of this book focused on Cole as an 18-year-old. It’s great backstory, but he was just too childish and naive for my tastes. Dark-hearted, rebel Cole is a much more interesting character. Chances are someone else feels different.

I didn’t connect at all with Lucy’s character. She was interesting at first, but after three days descended into clingy, needy, girlfriend mode. It dissolved all the romantic tension and I was secretly hoping she’d accidentally get shot. *Sorry* Again, this is purely subjective on my part. Her character seemed badly mismatched with the real Cole.

The last 25% of the book was rushed. I would have liked to see a lot more tension, grounding, and sensory detail to smooth out the pacing.

Overall:

Overall this was an enjoyable read, but I think I wanted more from this book. I was disappointed with the ending, especially how things closed out with Cole’s father and brother. It was all a little too neat. Though, if Archer ever wrote an exploration of Cole’s descent into darkness after leaving home, I’d probably be all over it. I have a love of dark and self-destructive characters.

Want to read more reviews like this? Be sure to subscribe to my blog and be the first to know when new content is posted.