Keeper's Book Reviews: Review: The Professional: Part 1 by Kresley Cole

He makes the rules . . .
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken . . .
PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…

~Owned as Kindle eBook; 120 pages

The first time I saw this book it was through an email I got from Netgalley, asking me whether or not I wanted to request it since apparently it matched my tastes. Deciding to take the (very high) chances of a refusal, I requested it. On the bright side, I never was refused. I wasn't accepted either though; I guess I'm still on their waiting list. I pretty much completely forgot about this book again until one of my Goodreads friends started reading it. Reading the synopsis again, I downloaded the book on my kindle, determined to read it right after I finished the one I was currently reading at the time. It was about 1:00 A.M. when I started, and almost 2:45 A.M. when I finished. Let's just say I'm glad I read this book.

I went in expecting a lot since I've had experience with Kresley Cole, and she's never let me down before. Amazingly, that stayed true, though I do have one specific disappointment. We'll get to that later. The entire book is told from Natalie's POV, and she meets Hot, Russian Dude, aka Sevastyan, almost immediately in the first chapter. It was definitely the first "this is so HOT!" scene in the novel, what with Natalie aka The Not-Nun Virgin asking Sevastyan if she could buy him drinks, a few questions in between, and Sev storming out of the bar with disgust and desire in his eyes. That's basically the background of the whole novella.

I really liked Sev, and dang was he obviously one of those BDSM cases. It doesn't specifically stated in the book, but in a way, it really does. I'm guessing Sev has a scarred past and all, but let's get this straight: this is NOTHING like Fifty Shades of Grey. They are two completely different things, although if you liked that, this might be something to take a look at. For people who hate Christian Grey with every gut in their body, the two books are still very different, Sev is more manly, and - at least in this novella - the BDSM stuff is toned down, though still very intense. Judging by the synopsis and the end of this book, I don't think I'll be able to say the same for the others in the series.

So my disappointment? Believe it or not, I was kind-of, sort-of hoping to read about the "decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy" mentioned up in the synopsis. I know, I know, I'm a freak. But what can I say? My curiosity has gotten the better of me. Ignoring that though, this book was great, including everything from a Russian mafiya to a kind of creepy, flirt-errific cuz. And no one can forget about Sev, the killer commonly referred to as The Siberian, who says some amazingly romantic things to Natalie, such as “Understand me, girl, I will eliminate any threat to you, pitilessly.” (I'm not sure if I meant that sarcastically or not...probably not). Anyhow, I really enjoyed reading this book, and can't wait to read the next book when it comes out...wait for it...in exactly 6 days!!