I really liked this installment, even though it was a tad melodramatic.

Tal was a wonderful hero — in a very old-school, proud male way — and definitely different from all the others so far, which I enjoyed very much. An embodiment of the ‘tortured hero’ trope, if I ever saw one. BUT at the same time, he was so goddamn stubborn sometimes that he made me want to pull my hair out. As did his endless self-flagellation and martyr complex. I get that he’d sacrificed himself for the future of his race, but I also think that with just a couple different choices, so much suffering could have been avoided — not only Tal’s and Ishtar’s, but their CHILDREN’S, too. And DO NOT even get me started on that, because then it will be ME becoming a mama bear and I will ROAR. It was nice of Ishtar to finally remember that she'd had TWINS.

Back to the subject. Relationship-wise, this one really frustrated me. On the one hand, their epic, all-consuming love couldn’t be denied; on the other, the misunderstandings and lack of trust between them were simply staggering at times (in the past, and just after they’d reconnected). I hated the way Ishtar was constantly putting herself down, like she hadn’t been through hell on earth too. And the fact that she continued to blame herself for hurting Tal even after it turned out that she’d been mind-controlled by Anunit’s venom. In short: self-blaming fest. I still loved them as a couple, though — does that make any sense…? When they finally came together, their chemistry was just unbelievable. If that’s not True Love, then I don’t know what is!

Plot-wise, Pure Rapture really packed a punch and kept me on the edge of my seat. So many twists and turns and unexpected reveals packed into one little book! As always, can’t wait to see what’s next. ( )

[b:Pure Rapture|40213393|Pure Rapture (Pure/ Dark Ones #5)|Aja James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527316051l/40213393._SY75_.jpg|60757871] by [a:Aja James|970774|Aja James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1511880941p2/970774.jpg]
Genres; Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Suspense
4.5 Stars

It took me a while to decide on stars for this one. In the end I decided on 4.5 stars, and since I am one for rounding down that brings this one to 4 stars for me.

My reason for the drop in stars is the 1st half of the story. The first flash back with Ishtar in class with her sister was a bit to much dialogue and dragged for me. Once Ishtar skipped class it picked up again. There were a few of these instances for me throughout the first half that were about Ishtar and Tal's youth. The flash back would start off a bit slow for me, then pick up and become a lot more interesting.

Once I hit the 50% mark, everything took off at supersonic speed!

Tal will break your heart with all he has gone through. And you will absolutely adore and love Ishtar. She is strong & funny. Together they set the pages on fire. And a few beds!

Oh, you will HATE Anunit/Medusa!
She makes a great archenemy! She is truly wicked and cold hearted.

There are a lot of questions from the previous books that are answered, but there are new mysteries to solve. So the intrigue and suspense continues. The world of the Pure/Dark ones gets more interesting with every book. The depth that these stories and the characters are given will make you feel like they are very real and their world is the same world we live in.
At least while you're reading it! ( )