"You must go on, love. For me. For us."

Consumed by bitterness, plagued with regret, he is the most important rescue mission of her life...this time, she will not fail.

If you've read J'nell Ciesielski's novel Beauty Among the Ruins, take that fairy tale retelling and imagine something the complete and total polar opposite.  And voila!  I present to you To Free the Stars, the second book in the Jack and Ivy series.

Do not pick up this story without reading The Brillance of Stars first! Set ten years after the first story ends, To Free the Stars had me on the edge of my seat!  The story is fast paced as the members of Talon work to eradicate a group of psychotic occultists. The tone of the story starts with a bright-ish feel before plunging into the dark and oppressively evil nature of the Order.  There were plenty of twists and turns to keep the story interesting and one twist in particular left me feeling pretty angry with one of the characters.  I enjoyed this adventure, even though it is a little darker than my usual read and left me with a heaviness in my soul.  It's the kind of story that you just can't let go of after you've finished reading.

If I were to get nit-picky... Once again, like the first book, I would not classify this story as Christian fiction.  Having read the first story I was prepared for the language included in this novel, but I still found it disappointing coming from a Christian publishing house. (b****rd, d***n, were used 11 times throughout).  There was also an intimate scene that was mildly descriptive and didn't really bother me but might be bothersome to others. Other content warnings: torture, drugs, gun violence, murder.

Choose as your next read if you like:
Revenge
Betrayal
Strong female main characters
Second chances
Justice vs. Mercy

If you liked Captain America - The Winter Soldier, or enjoyed The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E Pearson, I think you would like this book.

Thank you, J'nell Ciesielski, Thomas Nelson, and Net  Galley for the complimentary copy  of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

3.25/5 stars! This is the second installation in the Jack and Ivy series by author J'nell Ciesielski. I think this is one of those books where you really had to read the first book to get the storyline. It doesn't distract from the story, but it did leave me confused at several points. Additionally, I think my expectation was that this would be more assassin/spy thriller than a fictional one. The story was good and Ivy's character was beautifully written. It just wasn't quite what I was expecting.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This book starts ten years after the first one, The Brilliance of Stars. It is now the 1920s and Ivy is still mourning the loss of her childhood friend and husband, John, who she witnesses fall off the edge of a cliff ten years earlier. She and Philip, another childhood friend, who Ivy considers the closest thing she has to a brother, despite missing John, are still battling good against the evil in the world. The battle has intensified; however, they are determined to see justice done.

This is a fast-paced story of adventure, betrayal, treachery, and espionage. There are many twists and turns and, unexpected events and unforeseen surprises.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions and comments are my own.

If you love the Marvel movies, particularly Captain America, you'll love this book. It picks up ten years after the first, and is a race to finding what's been lost, redemption, justice v. mercy, grace v. reality. It's a story that pounds and waits. Races and whispers. Set in the 1920s, it was an enjoyable read with international intrigue and a trace of the fantastical.