Three and half stars. 
 I received free copy of Cunning from the author. I have mixed feelings about Cunning, I liked second half of the book a lot more then the first half. The first half was slow paced and I found Nox very unlikable. He was such a jerk and almost abusive toward Charli in the beginning. He did improve a lot in the second half of the book. I liked all the political power play, all the secrets, twists and behind the scenes in the lives of "blue blooded" southern families. I also liked flashbacks told from Charli's mom, Adelaide, POV. Although she is not a likable character her flashbacks help us understand her motives and her actions. Aleatha Romig sure knows how to put hooks in her reader. I was not sure if I wanted to read the next book but when I got toward the ending interesting things started happening and more twists were introduced. Now I want to know what is going to happen next.