Review: 4 stars!  Fiendish Play, book 1 (2).  Art student James' past & present collide under the watchful eye of secret society Lappell
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 14, 2014
James's story is a duet, a spin-off story to the Pieces of Lies trilogy. It can read as a stand-alone duet, but to get the full depth you'd benefit from reading the Pieces of Lies trilogy first.Books in this duet must be read in order:Book 1: Fiendish PlayBook 2: Untitiled - Late 2014Fiendish Play (book 1) follows art student James Riley as he arrives at Cloverlay University to study modern sculpture under the renowned artist professor Liam Aston.  On his way home from drinks with his new roommate he encounters a girl in distress, Anais Aston and rescues her.This sets in motion a series of events (re-)introducing us to the secret society Lappell, which was featured in the Pieces of Lies trilogy, along with family of members of that series.As James' story unfolds an eerie link between his past and present starts to unravel taking us on a rollercoaster of danger, intrigue, mysteries, lies, deceit, suspense and even blackmail, all set against the backdrop of the watchful eye of the all-seeing Lappell....JAMES RILEY: 21 years/art student, Cloverlay University/$$$$/brown hair/green eyes.James Riley falls in the category of "oh so sweet hero".  James in present time was at times too young and in flashbacks too mature and I felt his POV was partly too talkative and long-winded.  Seven words to describe James: Talented, nave, honest, caring, noble, talkative and smart.ANAIS ASTON: 21 years/philosophy student, Cloverlay University/$$$$/dark brown hair/brown eyes/virgin.Since story is told from James' POV I wasn't able to connect as well with Anais Aston.  Six words to describe Anais: Enigmatic, nave, despondent, conflicted, impressionable and sweet.At the 43% mark the full impact of the plot hit me and some of it was absolutely brilliant! But then some aspects were like trying to fit all the pieces in a puzzle that isn't meant to be.  So far the timeline was handled well, but I was torn apart by some revelations and worry about the effect once the truth is out.As mentioned James fall in the "oh so sweet hero" category and part of was more interested in Byron's story.  That said I can see that plot might be heading towards a full-blown good versus evil and so James has an important part to play.  Then again this might well be a battle that has to be won by evil...Interesting and Intriguing plot, rich on legacy and mystery!  Secrets, lies, deceit, danger and more... I'm giving it 4 stars for the potential the story holds, but as of now Byron is more my kind of hero.***Hero rating: 4- starsHeroine rating: 3.5 starsSex scenes rating: 3.5 starsSex scenes frequency: 3.5 starsStoryline concept rating: 4 starsStorytelling skills rating: 4 starsStory ending rating: N/ABook editing rating (5 = no edits spotted): 4.5 stars************************************************Overall rating: 4- starsWould I recommend this series: Yes as NA.Would I re-read this series: Probably not.Would I read future books by this author: Yes.A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.