WARNING! This review contains a lot of quotes from the book. I'll need them to explain why I felt certain way. I don't know how spoilery they are (actually I think some of them might be very spoilery). I also should warn you that is very long review. I never highlighted so much is any other book and I need to vent it all out. But if you are sensitive about hero being abusive and consider reading this book, forget about spoilers and read my review anyway! 
 I love Kristen Ashley books. They are my guilty pleasure. They are not perfect and are often in need of better editing, but I still enjoy them greatly. In the last six moths I've read 21 of her books! So I know what to expect of her writing. And I know that while some of her uber-alfa heroes may be a bit too controlling, they never cross the line. Unfortunately in this book Lucien crossed every lines you can draw between alfa-man and abusive jerk. I felt offended and enrage. I hated him. He is not the hero I wanted Leah to stay with. And when she finally gave up under his pressure, I felt like she lost, like we lost. 
 Firstly, Lucien with mind control forced Leah to make a contract with him, which allowed him to drink her blood, f*ck her and basically made her his property. In my mind this was pure slavery. After that, he took her from her house, lodged her in his, took her telephone, computer, passport and wallet. Moreover he forbad her family to see her and threatened Leah that he would kill her if she ever run away. It is only the beginning of the book and already all the red flags are up. But if it is not enough, he demands her loyalty, obedience and respect for him. 
 As if he didn't want her to submit to his control, instantly acquiesce to his demands, all of which would be for her own good or her pleasure, even though she didn't understand this. As if he didn't want to show her that her life, entrusted in his care, would blossom beyond her imagining. 
 How patronizing! Do what I tell you, because I know it is best for you. And if she disobeys him, there is punishment. Leah is in constant fear of him. And he enjoys it! 
 Her fear spiked, the scent of it filling the hall and he felt his cock start to get hard in reaction as he felt her heart tripping against his chest. 
 Is it normal?! I don't know how anyone can root for this couple to work! All I was hoping for was that Leah would escape or kill him. 
 I was shocked by Lucien's treatment of his wife. Not an ex-wife, but very present-day wife. Yes, he is married and still decided to take Leah as a lover. So when his current wife rightfully stated her displeasure, Lucien went ballistic. 
 Therefore, he was in no mood to deal patiently with Katrina. He stepped out of the shower dripping wet and put a hand to her throat, silencing her invective. He lifted her clean off her feet and slammed her against the wall, her skull cracking against the plaster and held her there, his fingers squeezing. She clawed at his forearm with her nails to no avail. He held her squirming against the wall, deftly avoiding her kicking legs until he felt she understood his meaning. Then he dropped her. 
 This is so brutal! Now tell me that he is not abusive! 
 Furthermore, 
 "You must know I deserve an explanation," she whispered. 
 He didn't answer mainly because he knew nothing of the sort. 
 So he cheated on her and now blames her for being a bitch. Well, what did he expect? That she will buy him condoms and give her blessings? 
 If you think this is all, you are so wrong. 
 This was because I was witnessing something extraordinarily vicious. This was also because I was witnessing, no matter how indistinct, Lucien beating the shit out of his wife. If he ever got physical with me in that way he'd kill me in seconds. 
 "You just beat your wife in front of me!" I shouted. 
 "It wasn't the first time but, fortunately, it was the last," he replied indifferently. 
 After that Lucien explained that female vampires are as strong as males, so it is okay to beat them, they can take care of themselves. Do you feel reassured? I as hell don't! She still was his wife for some time. He loved her in the past. And now when he is done with her, he beats her and doesn't feel remorse. If I was in Leah place it would make me think what awaits me in the future when he will be done with me. And in this part of book both Leah and Lucien know that sometime in the future they will be done. 
 "And he had every intention of spending every night with Leah until he lost interest in her and released her." 
 And just to show you how really cold Lucien is, this is the final of his history with Katarina: 
 When Lucien arrived, Julian handed him the torch. Without delay, he threw it at the wood and kindling at Katrina's feet. And he gave her one last thing. Lucien held her eyes as she burned. When she was no longer of this world, he left, leaving Cristiano to gather the ashes and scatter them to the winds. 
 I know that she tried to attack Leah, but she was wounded, humiliated, dumped women. He should have be more forgiving, considering it was his actions that brought this result. 
 Did I forget to mention that he is also a stalker? He watched Leah for twenty years! He knows everything about her. 
 But I had to wait. Twenty years, Cosmo. I've lost twenty years. Or, more to the point, she's aged twenty years and I've lost that. 
 Oh poor you! She aged. How unfortunate for you, you big jerk! 
 And then there is part where he forces sexual relationship on her. And seeing as it is romance of course she tried to resist, but never succeeded. But even if she enjoyed it in the end, there still were very disturbing scenes. 
 The next second I was against the wall, his body was pressed to mine, his hand in my hair yanking my head back in an arc that was painful not only at my neck but in my hair, and his mouth was on mine. 
 Do you see the word painful there? 
 Another example: 
 Oh no. My body burst into a flurry of frenzied motion, a futile effort at escape. I knew this would have no effect and it didn't. My robe was gone in nary a second. My panties whisked down my legs in a blur of his arm. He spread my legs with his large hands and I opened my mouth to scream. The scream died in my throat as his mouth touched me. The sudden shock of his mouth moving on me killed my scream. 
 This scene is just pure rape! In other book (Wild Man) written by Kristen Ashley there is scene, where heroine tells her ex-husband: 
 "Newsflash, Damian, a woman is fighting you tooth and nail screaming, 'No!' at the top of her lungs, crying uncontrollably and begging you to stop and you still fuck her that... is... rape even if she is your goddamned wife." 
 Isn't it just what Leah was doing? She was fighting, and she was telling no. So why what in one book Ashley considers as rape in other she made as romantic interaction between heroes? 
 And in the end I was so so upset, when Leah felt in love with him. Her actions showed that femails are weak creatures who are ready to close their eyes on men's flaws as lond as these men are hot and give them a lot of orgasms. I am very disappointed! She hasn't just forgiven all his sins, she found explanations and justifications for them. 
 He wasn't taming me. He was taming that part in me that held me away from his differentness. He was showing me who he was, what he was, how he behaved and I had to accept it, all of it, without him being anything but Lucien. 
 Come on, Leah! He is an abusive bastard! You hated him larger part of the book and now suddenly it is your fault you couldn't understand his differentness? It is like saying that we should forgive abusive husbands because it is their nature to feel rage and they can't help to unload it on their poor wives. It's just the way God created him. And these are bad, bad women for not helping them feel better! Ridiculous! But I guess being hot gets you anywhere. 
 He could be bossy and annoying but that was just him and he was hot doing it so although we exchanged words because he was who he was and I was too. 
 I know that Kristen Ashley tried really hard to redeem Lucien bad qualities, but for me she failed. She tried to explain why he behaves in such manner, but I didn't care for her reasoning. In my eyes after everything he has done, Lucien can't be considered a hero worthy of love.