Review: Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

July 26, 2014

358 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+

Contains: strong language, explicit sex

Source: Personal purchase

Step right up and meet Jay Fields: Illusionist. Mentalist. Trickster.

I think in triangles. You think in straight lines.

I show you a table and make you believe it’s a chair.

Smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, misdirection. I trick and deceive.

But most of all, I put on a good show.

The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn’t. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan.

Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her.
I want it for all six of us.

She doesn’t remember me, but she’s the reason for everything. She’ll be my prize at the end of all this – if I can hold onto my willpower, that is. Maybe I’ll slip up a little, have a taste, just a small one.

So go ahead and pick a card. Come inside and see the show. Look at my hands, look so closely that you can’t see what’s happening while you’re so focused on looking. I’ll be destroying your world from right here in the spotlight.

You’ll never see me coming until it’s too late.

I’ve only got one heart, and after I’ve pulled off my grand deception I’ll hand it right to her.

So, sit back, relax, and let my girl tell you our story. You’re in for one hell of a ride.

Jay and Matilda's story is simply magical. Or maybe not so simply. Actually, it is a complex, twisted, crazy turn of one event after another. It's mystery and illusion, truth and mirrors, revenge and redemption, friendship and love. This story really had it all.

Without giving away too much, in the beginning we are introduced to Matilda, dutiful daughter, a bit socially awkward, unlucky with men, but kind and witty and the kind of soul you want to get to know. Enter in Jay, master of illusions, charismatic, and downright sexy, wanting legal representation from Matilda's lawyer father to pursue a defamation suit. This seemingly innocuous introduction brings Jay full fledged into Matilda's life and she better just hold on for the ride. These two had a chemistry and a kindred spirit between them right off the bat. While Jay is quite mysterious and gives more illusion than straight answers, there is no denying how great their camaraderie is and how very much I liked them together.

Add to that a boatload of sexual tension, and this story at times is a big old tease-fest. But that's also what I liked about the writing. Because you get the feeling and the foreboding that there is so much more to this story than meets the eye, and you hope everything will come very clear before these two burst of sexual frustration. Truly, I loved Jay and Matilda. I completely believed in their love story, completely bought into the magic, and was completely mesmerized by the unraveling of events. The whole thing was brilliant. Now there was a small side storyline following a couple of characters that I found distracting and too much for me on a personal level, but this will likely not be an issue for most.

Cosway is a brilliant writer who brings such amazing, unique, and fascinating characters to light. I love the way she sees all the nuances of people and brings them to life on the page. Then the addition of complex, creative, and addicting storylines makes her stories true page-turners, and 'Six of Hearts' is no exception. To be honest, I am not a fan of illusionists and magicians. I find them suspicious and creepy. But Jay Fields is in a class of his own, and if he were real, I might actually change my mind about illusionists. Now that's good writing.

AMAZON ~ GOODREADS