Thanks for the opportunity to read and review Eight Ways to Ecstasy. I've struggled to get into it so far, so I won't be reviewing at this time. If I do get to it in the future, I will review at that time.

3.5 stars

Eight Ways to Ecstasy is the second book in the Art of Passion series. In Seven Nights, you meet Kate & Rylan, who stumble upon each other in Paris, the city of love and art. They have a sizzling interlude where Rylan introduces Kate to the beauty and awe of Paris and Kate has a revalatory introduction to herself. She has an awakening to who she is and what she wants out of life.

Eight Ways to Ecstasy finds our couple torn apart by an omission. Kate has been deeply wounded in her past by men with money and power and therefore, has extreme trust issues with them. Rylan's omission of who he really was, the power he has been saddled with and the money he comes from seems like a massive betrayal to Kate and she runs.

Rylan has been running from his family responsibilities his whole life. He wasn't raised with love and affection but rather expectations and obligations, which creates a certain inevitability to his difficulty with relationships. For Kate though, he returns to his real life and the reality of his heritage. He has followed her and is desperate to right the wrongs in their relationship and make her trust him. Kate agrees to give him a finite amount of time to reveal himself to her and renew the connection they found in Paris.

I was unaware initially that this was a second book and therefore, I hadn't read the first book. For that reason, I had difficulty connecting with these characters. It took me too long to find the reasons to root for them, outside of the scorching sex these two have. I finally went and read recommended passages from the first book. I highly recommend reading these books in order! Both of these characters live in a prison of their pasts and find it extremely difficult to trust. The fits and starts of their relationship was somewhat exhausting without having the background and the connection to their essence.

Outside of that, the book is beautifully written. There is a depth to the book that is wonderful and if the author isn't an art lover, or even an artist herself, I'd be surprised. When Kate finally finds her muse, it is breathtaking and there is a reverance that is palpable.

All in all a good read with two very complex characters that ultimately remind us of the beauty and Art of Passion. Rejoin the Bellamy family when the author introduces you to Lexie in Nine Kinds of Naughty.

Review by AnnMarie

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