Blurb:

Who do you trust when you can’t even trust yourself?

Everything I knew was a lie.

Everyone I loved betrayed me.

Everywhere I go someone wants me dead.

I’m no stranger to being alone. Even in my darkest hour, I knew I could count only on myself. Now, I have nothing and for the first time in my life I have to let someone else save me.

“Right now, I want to make you feel good and take your mind off this mess. You’re just going to have to trust me. Close your eyes and let me make you come so hard you’ll forget where you are for the rest of the night.” -Lucas.

My 4*Review:

Reign Of Freedom is book five in the Corium University series and concludes the duet about Lucas and Delilah. It is a dark romance with triggers that might upset some readers. We were left on a cliffhanger with Delilah going from one horrendous situation straight into another and Lucas shell shocked over her leaving Corium. Now they will have to fight their inner demons and their enemies to find a way to be together while both staying alive. 

Lucas is on a downward spiral while he tries to cope with everything in his personal life while trying to run the university. He constantly fights his protective feelings towards Delilah because he should be concentrating on developing a relationship with his daughter. By being together they are breaking all the rules but their connection and attraction to each other is all consuming. Lucas questions himself over how he thinks he can protect Delilah when he couldn’t keep Aspen safe. Would it be a betrayal to Aspen if he gave into his feelings for Delilah. The odds are stacked against them and the repercussions of helping Delilah could be dire but she is such a temptation. 

Delilah has lived a lonely life and I really felt sorry that she’s never had anyone she could count on. Everyone has lied to her, taken advantage or let her down and never given her a chance. I could understand how she felt safe with Lucas because he seems the only person who cares even after everything that happened between them. She should hate him but somehow he sees her as a person and not the enemy like everyone else. She can’t stay away from him even though his way of showing he cares is painful. She knows deep down he is a good man even when he shows her his dark side. 

Lucas is struggling to work out a way out of the darkness he feels and how to vent all his anger without returning to his destructive habits of drinking, fighting and hurting people. Violence is his coping mechanism and how he battle his demons. There is so much rage inside him that he feels he is past saving. He knows it is selfish to want Delilah but he finds a peace with her he has never known before. He is losing control because Delilah has become an obsession and he feels guilty over the way he uses her and knows he’s supposed to be better than that these days.

“How do you see any kind of light in me? All I see is darkness, but you keep finding the good.”

Delilah wants to show him they both deserve good things for once and together they can turn things around. She sees a different side to Lucas and realises they are both broken so is determined they will heal together. She lets him take his anger out on her and use her. The pain turns to pleasure and when their rage against each other consumes them, there is so much passion and fire. She has to show him that he can’t get rid of her that easily, even if he hurts and tries to push her away.

There a numerous shocking events for both of them as they navigate the ups and downs of fighting their feelings and finding a safe way to be together. Lucas has to deal with someone attacking his students as well as trying to keep Delilah alive. Then his past comes back and opens old wounds.

There is a bombshell of a revelation at the end which sets the next book up nicely. We find out that Touch Of Hate is going to be about betrayal and forbidden love involving the Rossi family. 

I have really enjoyed this series but felt this wasn’t as good as the previous books. It didn’t keep my interest the whole way through and I picked up on the hints the authors left for the next book.