We’ve learned bits and pieces about Violet throughout the first two Gilded Flowers trilogies, but if you sit back and think about it we really haven’t learned anything at all. She’s very secretive and private. I had always just assumed she was financially as loaded as the twins but now with the first installment to her trilogy we get tangible information about her.

A majority of this novella takes place five years ago. It builds and exposes her backstory. We discover her family dynamics are, well, much like the Lily and Dahlia, not exactly the Brady Bunch. Her supermodel mother was a mistress to an Indian businessman. Because she’s an illegitimate child, Vi’s relationship to him and her half siblings is inhibited. Throw in her father’s traditions and domineering behavior and it becomes clear why she has always desired control.

Perhaps the most surprising part, Vi has a softer and emotional side. In the past we’ve only seen her saunter from one conquest to another. In this we get a glimpse of what she could be like if she were in love. The question remains of whether or not she will find that love.

Here's the thing. I've read enough of these books that I'm not often surprised by plot lines. It's like there is some kind of unwritten formula and my left brained, analytical self is constantly trying to figure it out. With this author’s stories I've been surprised and sometimes shocked with twists and turns. There is enough plausibility to make the story romantic and erotic but enough fantastical to give it edge and make it a bit uncomfortable at times. The moral ambiguity and edge can be a tricky thing but it's what also makes it unforgettable.