I liked this sequel a lot! It was nice and interesting to come back to Alexa's world and see how everyone was doing, especially after almost a whole year after reading Defy and not remembering anything that had happened in that book. 
 So to start, a few chapters into reading the story is when I get refreshed on all the details about what has happened. We remember that Damian had killed his evil father and taken the throne and became an honorable king, got rejected by Alexa countless of times, they tried to do right by the Antion people and help them in anyway possible, and then things start getting interesting when his uncle, King Armando, claims he wants to come visit Damian in his palace to talk to him. After only his entourage show up, with a very beautiful Lady Vera and some mysterious men accompanying her, all hell breaks loose. 
 An attempted murder, Prince Jax missing, poisoned food, Alexa and Damian pining for each other, intense action, Alexa being jealous of Vera and Damian, and the countless of suspicious lurking around make the rest of the story a good one. Sure, some might argue that Alexa spends a lot of her time pining away after Damian and this isn't a real good story because it basically is all about the romance, but you have to admit that it was well written nonetheless. There are elements of fantasy and it does have a good plot and mystery that has us wondering what happened to Prince Jax, and yeah it does spend basically the whole book on the whole Jax-being-held-hostage-they-want-Alexa thing, more than I cared to read about but there is no denying that it was necessary for the characters to grow and to help move along the actions of the antagonists for the next book. As was the case in the first book, the conflict in the story was well executed, and while there weren't lot a of surprises, it still had me wondering who was really the bad guys here: was it the Blevon people or the Dansii? And what were Vera and Rafe, and King Armando really up to? 
 Anyway, in my review of Defy, I mention something about looking forward to how this complicated relationship evolves. And that's exactly what happened in this one. Without spoiling too much, they end up in some steamy kisses and in certain situations that had me screaming at them for being too stubborn and a pair of idiots for not admitting how much they still care for each other and actually finally being together. But noo, Alexa had to drag it out, almost till near the end of the book when Damian's life is put in danger by Vera and she has to blurt out her feelings for them. Then things get interesting when she has to go back to save Jax from Rafe and Rylan gets in trouble and left behind. 
 While the romance was all good and dandy, (view spoiler)[they told each other that they love each other and Damian finally proposed to Alexa (hide spoiler)] I also hated that Alexa kept secrets from him, especially near the end when it was most important and it definitely mattered what Rafe did! It made me want to give her a slap so that she could get her priorities straight, because if she is to be a ruler/leader, she can't go around keeping secrets, she has to be someone that Damian can trust and depend on. (also I don't condone violence of any kind!) With that ending, thank goodness for no cliffhangers, it makes me anxious to read the next book to see what happens with Damian and Alexa and Rylen and the rest of the gang from this book. The ending leaves a lot of questions but nothing that makes it into a horrible bite-your-nails, pull-your-hair-out anxiety that you have to read the next book. It's a sort of quiet ending that calms you enough to patiently wait for the next book! 
 All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be looking forward to the next, (perhaps last?) book in the series, especially looking forward to the interesting twists and turns Sara B. Larson has created in this world and seeing where everything and everyone ends up as. Will they all get their happy ever afters? Or will something big happen in the next installment of the Defy series? Here's to another year of impatiently waiting for 2016 to come for our questions to be answered!