Dual Book Review: One-Eyed Royals by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Reviewed by Ami and JustJen

Title: One-Eyed Royals
Author: Cordelia Kingsbridge
Series: Seven of Spades #4
Heroes: Levi/Dominic
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 366 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: September 10, 2018
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Cash Plays, book three of Seven of Spades.

Shattered by their devastating breakup, Detective Levi Abrams and PI Dominic Russo find themselves at war right when they need each other most. While Dominic is trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction, Levi despairs of ever catching the Seven of Spades. The ruthless vigilante’s body count continues to climb, and it’s all Levi can do to keep up with the carnage.

When Levi’s and Dominic’s paths keep crossing in the investigation of a kidnapping ring with a taste for mutilation, it feels like history repeating itself. Thrown together by fate once again, they reluctantly join forces in their hunt for the mastermind behind the abductions.

But the Seven of Spades hates sharing the spotlight, and they have an ace in the hole: a new batch of victims with a special connection to Levi. Their murders send shockwaves through Las Vegas and change the rules of the game forever.

The Seven of Spades has upped the ante. If Levi and Dominic don’t play their cards right, they’ll end up losing everything.

Ami’s Review: Even though Levi and Dominic are broken up, both men seem to keep falling into each other’s gravity. In One-Eyed Royals, the fourth book in Cordelia Kingsbridge’s HIGHLY ADDICTIVE “Seven of Spades” series, Dominic’s private investigation case and Levi’s murder case are connected, and they have to work together once again.

Well, this book enthralled and frustrated me at the same time.

Let me talk about what frustrated me first: Dominic’s unwillingness to admit that he doesn’t have his gambling addiction under control, and Levi’s inability to NOT meet every challenge head on, and sometimes with deep seething anger. At least Levi admitted that he has been seeing therapist for it.

But still…

I am not a patient person in real life – and I know that I may not have what it takes to deal with people who struggle with addiction. Which is probably I didn’t enjoy reading about Dominic’s denial. I wanted him to get better, like, in the first few chapters. I applaud Kingsbridge to stick with this issue and not give the easy way out, because it IS a huge problem, but it doesn’t mean that I enjoy reading it, does it?

And Levi – his anger scares me at times because I can see what he is willing to do when his loved ones are being threatened. I really do hope that the therapy sessions worked with him, but in this book, I can see that he has a long way to go.

Having said that … I LOVED what Kingsbridge did with the mystery. On one corner, The SOS seems to elevate whatever plan stored for Levi by making the latest victims to be personally related to Levi’s past. It was enthralling to read!! I couldn’t stop swiping my Kindle to get to the next page. On the other corner, the kidnap case was also great to read. Especially when one of the victims ALSO becomes personal to one of our main characters.

I really cannot wait for book five to be released. Luckily, I think Kingsbridge plans for the final book to be released in December? Well, I hope it’s true because I have my own guess about the SOS identity since the first book, and I want to know whether I am right about that. *laugh*

Ami’s Overall Impression: I really liked it!

Jen’s Review: Boy, do I love this series. It’s extremely well written, has a fabulous storyline brimming with mystery and suspense, with imperfect characters who are an amazing team, even when they aren’t together, which is the case here when this segment begins.

After the craziness of the last book where Dominic relapsed big time with this gambling, thankfully, Levi isn’t just standing by to continue being put through the ringer, at least not until Dom can admit to himself that he actually has a problem. Unfortunately, the two still love each other, aside from the gambling issues, and therefore, they find each other still drawn back for crazy hot sex now and then.

Now, while they are not together as a couple, they are continually thrown together, both with a case, as well as with the SOS. Ms. Kingsbridge manages, once again, to keep you on the edge of your seat, still guessing and cringing and turning pages for more clues and answers. The SOS gets even more personal with Levi this time around, presenting him with a birthday present of epic proportions.

It’s hard to say much more without giving too much away. Suffice to say that Dom and Levi each make some big strides and thankfully figure out they work better together, that they need each other and prioritize things a bit better for their relationship. While I am still pulling my hair out trying to figure things out, the SOS mystery is the only thing left up in the air at the end of this. I’m addicted to this series and though I’ll be sad to say goodbye to these guys, will be really happy to get the final pieces to the puzzle. Highly recommend!

Jen’s Overall Impression: It was amazing!

*We received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*