Book Review - Stealing Beauty

Review for STEALING BEAUTY by Julia Sykes

This book follows on from Stolen Innocence, and is the continuation of Adrian and Valentina’s story.

Valentina hasn’t seen Adrian for 10 years. Until he sits, with his blonde date, right behind her in church to celebrate the wedding of a young girl, Camilla Gomez, who had caught Vicente’s eye, whom she was marrying against her will. For 10 years, Valentina has been married to Hugo Sanchez, and was the perfect, loving wife in public. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Adrian, and his date, get into the limo with Hugo and Valentina.

When they arrive at the castle hosting the reception, Valentina leaves Hugo’s side and goes upstairs. When she finds a library, she closes herself inside, knowing she will pay for escaping Hugo later. Within minutes, the door to the library opens, and Hugo strides in.

“Get on your knees. Show me you’re sorry and I won’t beat the shit out of you when we get home.”

Adrian flings the door open, and barges into the library before Hugo gets to complete what he had planned. Adrian beats Hugo in a blind rage, then hoists Valentina over his shoulder.

“I’m taking you.”

23-year-old Mateo, Adrian’s friend, and right-hand-man, joins him to leave the castle. When they drive away, they’re followed. Adrian shoots the tyre out and the car loses control, but another is behind it. Adrian doesn’t get rid of the second as easily. They dump the car and Mateo secures another. They go in search for accommodation. Adrian is under the impression Valentina CHOSE to marry Hugo, to love him. That night, Adrian hog ties and gags Valentina on the bed to prevent her from escaping.

The following morning, Valentina tries to escape, but Adrian catches her and punishes her with a hard spanking. She decides to play the meek, obedient captive while making plans for another escape. They end up sleeping in a hostel dorm room – shared with 3 American men. Valentina makes a bid to escape after stealing Mateo’s backpack containing a lot of cash, and their new American passports. She was shot at before she made it to the harbor by paramilitary men from the jungle who take her hostage. In an attempt to escape, she screams and breaks one man’s nose, but her shirt was ripped from her and she was pushed into the dirt. She stopped screaming, losing herself in her mind.

“No one was coming to save me. No one ever did.”

2 men held her down while 2 others loomed over her, awaiting their turn. After hearing a gunshot and a scream, Mateo and Adrian search for her. Mateo shoots 2 men, and Adrian beheads another before making the last man suffer by cutting off parts of him with a machete, beginning with his hands that he ‘dared’ to touch his Valentina with. They secure a yacht to leave the city, and Adrian punishes Valentina with his belt during the journey.

When trying to get a flight from Panama City, back to the US, Valentina is recognized by 3 security men who try to abscond with her to return her to Hugo for the reward offered. Adrian and Mateo kill them, take the SUV, but can’t get on a plane to leave. Police will be waiting for them. But Adrian assumes she tried to escape with them to return to Hugo. Every year, on their anniversary, Adrian was sent videos of Valentina with Hugo, telling him and showing him she loved him.

After calling in a favour from Stephano Duarte - Adrian has to get rid of Pedro Renaldo – who has been an ally of Adrian’s for years. To get back to the USA, Adrian has to go along with it. They were forced to stay the night at Stephano’s home. Adrian finally explodes and tells Valentina about the videos he received every year. Valentina explains Hugo raped her every night for months, breaking her, and when she broke his nose, he broke both of her wrists.

They eventually arrive at Adrian’s palatial estate in California – in the middle of nowhere. When he shows Valentina her room, he tells her Vicenti would have killed her if he’d tried to come back for her. They finally get hot and heavy.

Valentina no longer wants to escape Adrian. She wants to stay with him, and expresses a desire to go to school. She meets up with Uni student, Sophia Hernandez, the daughter of Caesar Hernandez, who had promised her hand in marriage to Pedro Ronaldo whom Adrian has had to cut ties with. On leaving the coffee shop where the girls met to talk, the man whom Valentina thought was there to protect her, Tobias, shoves her into an SUV – with Hugo inside. OMG! Caesar organised Hugo’s travel to the US. Traitor! Valentina is drugged. Hugo call’s Adrian - Adrian’s life in exchange for hers.

Adrian demands Mateo abduct Sofia Hernandez, and bring her to him. Sofia is Mateo’s crush. Adrian calls Caesar on facetime, showing Mateo touching a bound Sofia.

“Hugo dies today.”

Caesar is told to be loyal to Adrian. Being Hugo’s captive at Caesar’s estate, Valentina knees Hugo in the balls to make an escape – at the same time Adrian kills Tobias for being a traitor. But Adrian didn’t kill Hugo – he was taken to a shed on Adrian’s estate where he mutilated him, and left him to bleed out after cutting his c**k off. Adrian calls Vicenti to tell him Hugo is dead.

“Columbia is yours. America is mine. And Valentina stays here with me.”

This is the conclusion of Adrian and Valentina’s story. Originally, I thought their story would continue on to the next book, Pretty Hostage, but I discovered the 3rd book (so far) focuses on Mateo and Sophia. There is a lot of action, a lot of killing (deserved in my opinion!), and some OMG moments. I got really invested in their story, and found myself willing them to have their happy ending. The good writing continues, and the story continues with the same pace as the first. As with the first book, Stolen Innocence, the author hasn’t provided any sort of trigger warning. I feel there should be one to alert readers who are susceptible to these types of portrayals. And my pet peeve was still there, too – lots of underlined text. Aside from that, I really enjoyed reading the conclusion to Adrian and Valentina’s story, and, if you don’t suffer from any triggers, I highly recommend reading Stolen Innocence before you read this one. This is another solid 4 star read.