Oh, this one is very sexy. Ostensibly a heist story, but by the time the story's over, there's a lot more time spent on romance. Lola is a headstrong and complex heroine with an emotional wall up that makes it difficult to connect until later in the story as more of her own history unfolds. The romantic options are both competently crafted brooding boys with traumatic backstories and tender hearts (probably) with plenty of tension to go around (especially as one can literally feel her heart race every time she encounters the other). There's a very sensual dance sequence in particular that really hits all the love/hate points of the romance aspect, and I really loved it.

The world-building is complex and interesting, if not entirely fleshed out in the first book. The world outside the casino gets very little attention, although it's implied that what follows will be much bigger, probably with politics involved. There are different types of magic, and it's not always clear how each of them functions, but watching the players in the tournament have to plot how to approach their challenges was a really fun show, with plenty of promise for future interactions.

The one thing I feel I missed out on was the heist itself. With the tournament as the major setting, and a LOT of romantic drama, it became kind of easy to forget that something was getting stolen, and the plan to actually achieve the steal came fairly late in the game. Read this book for the sexy lies, romantic twists, and sensual mind games. Don't read it if you need to see the MC cleverly outmaneuver some boys and escape laughing into the night.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.