To call this book a sensual treat is an absolute understatement. This is a true mix of dark lascivious desires, thrilling adventure, and moments that will have you both laughing, crying, and screaming.

Lexi has truly solidified her place amongst the great authors in paranormal romance with this truly entrapting tale of a reluctant royal vampire that has a truly dark and twisted alpha presence, and his new “pet” Willow, the only woman in the world truly capable of bringing Ryder to his knees despite her decades of programming to submit. Add in a truly remarkable secondary character who’s natural relationship with Ryder brings about some of the most natural moments in the book, and you have the cast to make a truly amazing adventure. The hero, Ryder, is the character that all authors should strive to model their dark alphas after, being both the dominant and possessive bad ass in the sheets and resourceful intellectual out of them making him an absolutely lethal combination of raw magnetism and deadly schemer. And Willow is no toy (okay, except for in the bedroom, but hey), being a heroine that can truly be relied upon, built up, and set free to do whatever is necessary for not only her survival, but Ryder’s. She is the true other half to Ryder: a willing playmate in the bedroom but a feisty and resourceful warrior outside of it. Separate, each is an exciting character, but together they are absolute dynamite.

As always, the world Lexi draws you into is immersive, realistic, and exciting – and endless possibility of stories coming from such a similar but yet entirely different world than we have today. Rebel Bitten is the fourth book in the series, and while every book is technically a stand alone, there are moments of mention back to each book. However, this book is by far the crowning jewel of the series so far, giving us by far the best hero and heroine the series has contained. I actually found myself craving another book for these two. That is not to say that the previous four have not been a lot of fun and amazingly entertaining (hello, alpha shifter ménage? Yes? Wooooooow), but this just stands heads above the rest.

But let’s not forget the acting that comes from both Kale and Sarah. Let’s begin with Kale…

Kale is always distinct in his work, with a range that any voice actor for audio books should envy. He has narrated a lot of Lexi’s books to date, and for each one he brings the male characters to life in a way that makes you feel like a different actor is playing each one. He has a unique way of drawing out the voice that I can just hear the character using when I read it, showing the different levels of exuberance, age and experience that each player has. He is able to make each character easily distinguishable, and its a true pleasure to hear each one come to life just as I imagined them. But I have to say…Ryder….ya, this one is his best so far (and I am EXTREMELY partial to Issac and Sethios from the Immortal Curse series, which FYI, if you haven’t checked out yet you should go check out NOW). Kale is able to voice Ryder so well that you can sense every emotion and thought that he may have that isn’t even on the page. Truly, Kale is able to wrap the “reader” up in Ryder so much so that you feel like Ryder is actually telling you his story.

Now for Sarah…oh Sarah. I’ve said this before and I will say it again: there is no better narrator for a twenty-thirty something bad ass female. Really, I find myself almost disappointed any time I find that she isn’t narrating a paranormal series with a heroine in this age group (or meant to sound that way anyways). She has such a strong personality to her voice that makes each heroine come to life, and the emotions each character feels comes through clearly in her acting. When a character hurts, you hurt; when a character is confused, you are confused; when a character is…erm…excited, you betcha, you are going to get excited. And when it comes to love scenes, there is absolutely no awkwardness in her narration: she is able to charge into the scenes naturally, and doesn’t bother to throw in anything fake sounding. I’ve heard plenty of voice actresses that either don’t show the true emotion during sensual scenes that are necessary, or those that fake their performance like a bad actress in a 70s porno. Sarah, however, is perfect, which makes these novels feel so much more authentic.

Overall, this is probably the best voice acting I’ve heard from Sarah and Kale, and one of the best novels Lexi has written to date, which is saying a lot. Get ready for an adventure with plenty of sensual fun, biting, and action. Willow is no pushover, and Ryder is no stuffy royal: they are going to get their hands dirty, and if you’re lucky, they’ll take you along for the ride.

**I received a copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest feedback. All feedback contained within is entirely my own**