Customer Reviews

Assassin's Heart (A Novel of the Order)

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I got this book as an advanced read, and I really intended to read it over at least two days - I really did! But then I started and I just couldn't stop. If you liked Assassin's Honor, you'll love Assassin's Heart.

The Setting -- deviates from the Chicago and New England setting of the previous book. Assassin's Heart picks up with the search for the Tyet of Isis which began in earnest in Assassin's Honor. The setting is in the heart of Rome, visiting many historical landmarks and brushing history its self. Because of the peculiar nature of the main set of characters in Assassin's Heart several pieces of the story take place in the past, like in the days of the ancient Roman Empire past. The world of the Sicari is vivid and rich with history that makes you want to believe in it.

The Characters -- are, once again, phenomenal. Lysander piqued my curiosity in the first book and I was really excited when I learned that the second book featured him. The characters in Assassin's Heart have a lot to overcome; brutal deaths, torture, inner demons and past pain. I liked how both of the characters experienced uncomfortable growth. Not only did they have to face some things they really would have preferred to never deal with, but they had to get over themselves and learn how to apologize and trust and work together. I'm probably completely biased too, because I liked Ares, but loved Lysander. I couldn't help but feel for him.

The Plot -- picks up the search from the first book. The Assassin's books really should be read in order because of the over arcing plot that spans the books. There is at play the constant struggle between Sicari and Praetorians. And then there are the stories of Lysander and Phe, and Atia and the Sicari Lord, long lost missing children, and secret loves! I like my romance books with plot and this one delivers a punch and jab! You cheer on the romance and bite your nails during the action. There's this really awesome fight scene towards the end that I reread to get a really good minds-eye-view of what was going on; part of me wants a movie based on these books - because they're that exciting, and movies these days just can't hold a candle to some of the books I read.

Thank you Monica Burns. Can we fast forward to the release of the third book? I can't wait to hear Cleo on paper again.

The story
The Sicari are deadly enemies of the Praetorians. The praetorians are evil murdering religious zealots. Lysander get caught in a praetorian trap and ends up finding out his father is a praetorian, that's why he is a telekinetic and telepath. The praetorian raped his mother. Crushed and scarred for life Lysander won't let his love, Phaedra, heal him for fear of her finding out what happened. Phaedra's parents were killed by praetorians. To protect her he won't let her near him, he shoves her away for a year. Phaedra is recruited for a mission in Rome - praetorian territory - to find the Tyet of Isis. Phaedra and Lysander must work together where neither is able to ignore their feelings.

Thoughts
I really liked the plots in this book. I enjoyed the story line. There are glimpses of the past with Maximus and Cassiopeia. Lysander has dreamt of Maximus since he was a child. I liked reading their story line. This book is filled with mystery, betrayal, love, sacrifice, unity and family. It was intriguing to read Atia's story, her love and her love lost. I can't wait to read more, especially Atia's and her daughter Cleopatra's story. There is a lot of push/pull between Phaedra and Lysander. At one point I thought enough is enough, but that was the end of it. It was interesting to read where the Sicari and the Praetorians came from and more of the inner workings. I can't imagine the pain of being tortured by your father, awful. Lysander grows in this book, Phaedra as well. I can't decide if I liked this or Assassin's Honor more. They were both great. THe only complaint I have is throughoutthe book cuss words and terms of endearment are in Italian? Anyway, I had to look up the translations, curiosity got to me.I would have been nice if they gave the translations in the book so we the readers could know what they're saying.

Lysander Condellaire has never recovered from the wounds inflicted upon him a year ago. All damage was made worse when he learned that the very Praetorian who inflicted is wounds is also is father. After being rescued by his fellow Sicari, he pushes the one person he cares for most away in fear of what she will think of him. Now in present day Rome, he dreams of an ancient time that feels all too real and is the only place he can be with the woman he loves.

Phaedra DeLuca has spent the last year suffering in silence at the loss of Lysander. Being the Sicari's best healer, she is sent to Rome to help find an ancient artifact that must not fall into the hands of her enemies. While there she also has vivid dreams of another time. Both learn that these dreams may be the key to unlocking the location of the artifact they seek and their chance at redeeming their lost love.

The worst part of Lysander's torture was learning who is father is. After the shocking news, he sees himself as tainted and pushes Phaedra away from him in fear of what she would think if she ever found out. It really tugs at your emotions to read the thoughts that go through his mind and Phaedra's pain of being without Lysander. She knows their time spent in bed together was more than just physical need and is confused and hurt by his sudden rejection. A year later they are forced together on a mission that sends them looking for The Tyet of Isis. While in Rome both dream of Maximus and Cassiopeia, the first Sicari Lord and his wife. These glimpses into the past were both beautiful and heart breaking to read. Aside from helping them on their mission, the connection and feelings their past lives bring up helps to bring Lysander and Phaedra closer together.

Lysander is both frustrating and heroic (I've never wanted to hug and slap someone more than I did him) and Phaedra is caring and selfless in her healing. The relationship between Lysander and Phaedra is one of my favorites of the genre.

Aside from Lysander/Maximus and Phaedra/Cassiopeia's story, Atia (the Prima Consul aka the boss) has secrets of her own we are learning about. Her past relationship with Sicari Lord Marcus is coming to light and we learn the two have a painful history of their own. In Assassin's Honor Atia felt cold to me and just not a character I think I'd like. I can't say she is my favorite person now but her character gets more depth to it and her faults and secrets make her more feel normal. Also, the Praetorian are coming at the Sicari stronger than ever. They kill the male Sicari without mercy and do even worse things to the women. The Sicari have a rough road ahead and I look forward to being there for it all.

Monica Burns takes her already wonderful series to another level in Assassin's Heart. She truly does the Paranormal Romance genre justice. If you're a fan of romance, action, great world building and a bit of mystery and adventure then The Order of Sicari books are for you. Saying I'm excited for the next book in the series doesn't begin to cut it.

The Sicari are an ancient order of people and Lysander has lived his life fighting as one of their best. Now Legatus, or head of his order, it is a daily struggle to keep the demons and dark side of him at bay while he is the leader his team has come to expect. After being tortured at the hands of the Sicari's nemesis, the Praetorians a year ago, he is left with only one eye, and half of his face severely disfigured. To make matters worse, the Praetorian who tortured him happens to be his father, and now he has to deal with the fact that he is one-half the enemy, a deep, dark secret he can't bear to share with anyone.

Before his torture a year ago, he spent a passionate night with Phaedra, a Sicari healer. But after the torture, and the shame of finding out who his birth father is, he has pushed her brutally away. Phaedra is confused, and has been yearning for Lysander this past year. She could care less about his disfigurement, and only wants him to open up, and share what haunts him. As she pushes his boundaries, Lysander digs deeper into himself. They also have an important mission, the reason they are in Rome. They believe an ancient artifact, The Tyet of Isis is near, and with the rest of the crew, they go off on a search to bring a very valuable artifact into safe keeping, before the Praetorians get their evil fingers on it.

Assassin's Heart is book two in Monica Burn's Sicari series, and while I enjoyed book one, I think I liked this one even better. The prologue is completely antagonizing with the details of Lysander's torture a year ago. It shows how strong he is mentally, but it also shows the fear and pain he had to endure. I'm really glad Monica Burns included it, because Lysander is such a broken hero, it gives us a very good understanding of where he is coming from.

There are a lot of things going on in this book, but all the events work really well together and present a book that will have you interested until the end. First we have Lysander and Phaedra's dramatic love story. And I say dramatic because the angst and tension in this relationship will have you either biting your nails or banging your head against a wall. At times I became frustrated that Lysander would not give an inch and let Phaedra in on his secrets. I will say he stays true to his character until the very end, and for that I give Monica Burns a lot of credit. I wanted to grab Lysander and shake him, but Phaedra eventually does that for me. If you enjoy tortured heroes, Lysander is the guy for you.

We also get the story of Atia, the Prima Consul, or Lysander's boss in basic terms and her very complicated relationship with the Sicari lord, Marcus. I won't go into a lot of their story, but it is heartbreaking, and really adds a lot to this book. I really look forward to getting more from them further in the series. We also get some pretty bad dudes in the villain department, and some cool twists that make them much more than just villains looking in from the outside.

Now that I have read both of these books, I can say this is a series where I find myself anticipating the next one. With adventure and romance, angst and tension, this book is a really fun read.

From the back cover..

The truth of the soul.
Lysander Condellaire never understood why he had telepathic and telekinetic powers until the night his Praetorian father tortured him and left him for dead. Now, the half-angelic, half-demonic face he sees in the mirror is a reminder of the monster he must keep hidden or face expulsion from the order of assassins know as the Sicari. But his dreams of Ancient Rome hint at a destiny he finds hard to accept, especially when it involves the woman he loves, but can never have.

The consequences of desire.
A gifted healer in the Order, Phaedra DeLuca witnessed her mother's murder when she was just a little girl. The haunting memory makes her loathe everything Praetorian. When she travels to Rome in search of an ancient artifact, she must work alongside a man who once cruelly rejected her love and healing touch. But her dreams of Ancient Rome tell of an irreversible and possibly dangerous future. For the distant past and present are about to collide--with the one man she is destined to love.

My review:
I read a lot and read this book in one sitting! I just couldn't put it down after I started reading, I was so enthralled. The story that Ms. Burns weaves together was one of tragedy, torture, sorrow, adventure and love. Anyone who likes paranormal romance is going to love this book. I just read Assassin's Honor the day before reading this book and couldn't wait to see what Ms. Burns had in store for us.

Lysander's story is so tragic and sad it made me want to cry for all he's had to endure. He was tortured by the Praetorians and they sliced off part of his face, but later we find out he has even more to endure and it seems like it might be too much for him. He has secret's and he's sure that if anyone finds out about them they won't trust him or love him.

Phaedra is a healer for the Sicari and she's been in love with Lysander for over a year, but he's keeping her at arm's length because he doesn't trust her to love him if she ever finds out his secret. They both have to get past the hurt of the past year when they are thrown together much to the dismay of Lysander, when they go in search of The Tyet of Isis. An ancient artifact they want to get before the Praetorian's get their hands on it.
Neither Phaedra or Lysander know that the other have been having dreams of the first Sicari lord and his wife and we get pulled into another heart breaking story as their dreams get more vivid and we find out they are dreaming about their own past lives.

As well as the past life story there is a romance story from other characters in this book that comes alive in a shocking way. Atia the Prima Consul and Marcus a Sicari Lord have a secret past and Atia has been keeping a huge secret from Marcus as he is about to find out. Their history and romance that barely conceals itself under the surface is sure to explode in the coming books from Ms. Burns. I liked this second book in the Order of the Sicari series even more than the first one if that's even possible. I think this series can only get better and more exciting as time goes by and we read stories about the rest of the characters.
This story within a story could have been so confusing if a less talented author had tried to write it, but Ms. Burns is incredibly talented and has found a way to bring a whole new world to the paranormal genre that fans are going to be talking about for years.

If you liked Assassin's Honor, you'll love Assassin's Heart.

I can not even begin to explain how wonderfully amazing this book is. I liked the first one but this one blew that one out of the water!! Im not going to tell you all about the book because it would take away from how amazing it is!!! I havent been i this in love with a book in forever! If you want it for the sex scenes they didnt pull you in, but with this book i just wanted to get past them and back to the story itself, which is not something that i normally do. So i really cant be a judge them. This book is a must read!!! I really hope you enjoy it as much as i did!!!

I'm not going to delve into the story line since many of the reviewers have already done that. Just wanted to say this is a great follow up to Assasin's Honor. You wouldn't NEED to read the first book but you'll get a better idea of who the characters are if you do. In Assasin's Heart the relationship between past and present..the development of the relationship between Lysander and Phaedra...the angst between Marcus and Attia all add up to a very entertaining read. It should be interesting to see how Cleo deals with the upcoming news and if Marcus and Attia will get their HEA. One thing I really appreciate in Ms Burns' stories is that although there are obstacles to overcome she doesn't make us beat our head against the wall the whole book only to have a miraculus resolution one page from the end of the story. Issues are dealt with in a timely fashion while still creating an intriguing and engaging read. Another characteristic of her stories that I enjoy is the way she ends her stories. Not only because we get our HEA but because the story flows until the last line. I find it somewhat distracting when other authors stop the story at a post climactic point and then give us a glimpse of the HEA in an epilogue. Well, that's just me. Pick up these books and you won't be disappointed.

A facinating book from an amazing author. I was hooked from first page to the last. I am desparetly waiting for the next chapter in the Sicari Order.

It is fabulous! This is the second in the series by Monica Burns. You don't have to read the first to love this one, but you will want to. Hot, sword carrying heros, a link to the ancient past, steamy love scenes... it has it all. Did I mention paranormal powers? Hot, Hot, Hot! Read Assassin's Honor or Assassin's Heart and you will be hooked on the Sicari.

One year ago the Praetorian Guard captured Sicari assassin Lysander. They tortured him, but that is not what disturbed him the most about his captivity. He learned to his horror that he is half Praetorian; every time he looks in a mirror he sees the monster he is and hides from his peers. After escaping, feeling less then worthy by not being a purebred Sicari, Lysander ended his promising relationship with healer Phaedra DeLuca.

He has successfully avoided her until now. Lysander and Phaedra travel to Rome together to search for the ancient artifact, the Tyet of Isis. The pair shares a dream about an ancient Rome couple Maximus and Cassiopeia whose lives ended tragically. As they struggle with their attraction and the strange nightmare, a Praetorian, aware of Phaedra's skills, plans to snatch her.

The second Order of Sicari romantic urban fantasy (see Assassin's Honor) is an exhilarating second chance at love suspense thriller. The keys to this fine tale are the fully developed lead characters, the Burns world that enhance the growing feelings that the heroes are in deep trouble and the dreams of the Ancient Rome star-crossed lovers. Assassin's heart is terrific mostly because of Lysander who psychologically feels unworthy of Phaedra as he fights against half his nature and, his love for his companion who desperately wants to heal him though he says no. Monica Burns provides a fabulous fantasy.

Harriet Klausner