Wayne was my favorite, I did like Tomas as well. I loved how Maria and Gayle were together! Devon I didn't like at all. I would like to know how Maria got her abilitys, and I really hope there is more to come.

This book inspired me ever since I saw the cover, when I read the plot even more and I can say that it seemed quite fluent to me

Masks by Sydney Ashcroft.
This was a really good read. I loved the cover and blurb.
Gayle maria/Balestra. I loved Wayne. How he was. I did like Tomas. I loved how Maria and Gayle were together especially when Maria kept trying to change the subject. Devon I really didn't like. I did like Rollins. I did like Rickard and Helen. I did like how Tomas and Maria were together. I would like to know how Maria got her abilities. But otherwise I did really enjoy this book. I really hope there is more to come. 4*.

3.5stars-MASKS by Sydney Ashcroft is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, slightly paranormal romance story line focusing on twenty-five year old business woman Maria Grayson, and Brazilian security specialist Tomas Dorrance.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including violence, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Tomas and Maria) MASKS focuses on the double lives of our story line couple. Maria Grayson is a business woman by day but a supernatural crime fighter by night named Balestra, a crime fighter whose ‘costume’ and ‘mask’ hides her true identity but with the uptick in a new designer street drug, comes a stranger, another crime fighter who is determined to help ‘Balestra’ in her nightly take downs, help Balestra does not want. Meanwhile, as Maria Grayson, our heroine doesn’t do relationships but the arrival of a security specialist Tomas Dorrance pulls Maria into a relationship from which she may never recover when her nightly excursions begin to point the finger at someone she knows. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Maria and Tomas, and the potential fall-out as Maria is willing to walk away when the truth, identities and reality are revealed.

The world building is limited in such a way that it is never revealed as to the nature of the heroine’s enhanced abilities yet the crime fighting ‘costumed’ hero is a familial legacy passed on from generation to generation. Very little is known to the reader; the inherent gifts and traditions are just there but never revealed, and in this I was somewhat confused and lost as to the precipitating factors of the who, what and why.

The relationship between Maria and Tomas begins as a ‘friends with benefits’ as Maria doesn’t do relationships, and refuses to accept more than one-night together. Tomas is persistent in his desire for our story line heroine but secrets revealed threaten the growing love between our story line couple. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Maria’s PA and friend Gayle, as well as Maria’s extended family: grandfather Wayne Grayson; her father Rickard Grayson, and mother Helen Martinelli, as well as Tomas’ sister Caroline, and their father Antonio Dorrance. The requisite evil has many faces.

MASKS is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, secrets and lies, family, forgiveness, acceptance and love. The premise is intriguing but left too many questions; the romance is intense but I didn’t feel any palpable attraction; the characters are energetic and dynamic. The story is left open-ended, perhaps the author has plans for something more.



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Superhero romance is one of my favourite genres. There’s just so much fun to be had with secret identities! So I picked up this book with high hopes and I’m sad that it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. While it has an interesting premise, the writing was a bit superficial and the characters felt more like archetypes than actual people I could relate to, which kept me from getting truly invested in the story. But if, like me, you love superhero romance it’s a fun way to pass some time.

The story takes you to another place. Another realm of possibilities. Walk in the foot steps of our leading Lady. Enjoy her triumphs. Hold your breath in a tense moment. And turn the page!

So much fun fora change seeing the woman be the superhero bc obviously we wear the capes! I have so many thoughts and cannot wait to share them as I am currently putting a full review together.

I'm a bit torn on this book. There were things I really loved like the relationship Maria had with her BFF, Gayle. They were sisters every way but biologically and had wonderful strong friendship evident in Gayle helping Maria transition between lives and in the teasing. Gayle was perceptive enough to see what was happening right before Maria's eyes. As Balestra she was a bad a** and reminded me a bit of a female Arrow (think CW arrow.) She was a playgirl with a rich family and a costumed secret. Their paths to costume were different but their strength and protecting their city was the same. I also didn't like Maria as she was a bit to cavalier about sex and that honestly weighed against her good works making her mostly a great and likeable character but one with slutty side.
Tomas was more like Maria than she and readers learn until much later in the book. He was a great alpha male with a strong appetite and a family focus that bordered on blinders. Skanda is truly morally gray but he too becomes a big part of Maria\Balestra's live and at times she is caught between both men as she is between both identities.
The book has a ton of spice, perhaps, an overabundance. I think sex should happen between episodes of a story. Said another way the spicy times should be part of the story but at times the spice overshadowed the story. It is hard to see a relationship building if it feels like only sexy times.
To offset that overindulgence, we had some fabulous moments like Cargill getting his for assaulting woman. Both Maria and Balestra took their turns besting him. Balestra's relationship with the police was also a strong point in the book and showed Maria had a strong moral fiber, not simply killing to kill. Skanda was much more morally gray as I said above. Together the overcome the obstacles presented by two costumed villains and upended this criminal enterprise.
We get a nice and spicy ending but the book leaves you wondering if with roles and relationships having changed if there is another book coming. In the meantime, I think I will check out what else this author has to offer.
Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A hot fantasy romance. Loved the interaction between the main characters and the superheroes and villains. Almost comic book but definitely more adult! Could have done with more information about the superpowers and the fantasy side of things, but definitely a hot read.