Sweet Deceit
Author: Kate Brian
ISBN: 9781416967620

*Spoiler alert if you haven’t read the first three Privilege series books. Also, I’ve done this review a bit differently than I usually do. Both book summaries come first, with a joint review following beneath both book covers.

Sweet Deceit by Kate Brian is the fourth book in the mysterious Privilege series. This  latest installment picks up at Brigit’s funeral; Kaitlynn has brutally killed her to make way for herself to join the prestigious secret society Stone and Grave. Ariana vows to herself that she will make Kaitlynn pay for what she has done to Brigit and her other friends.

In the meantime, Ariana is fighting herself to prove that she’s worthy to be a member of Stone and Grave. In addition to juggling her new identity, keeping her grades up and keeping her relationship with Palmer, the most sought after guy at Atherton Pryce, she also takes part in a series of tasks to gain membership into the secret society.

Everything comes to a head at a Halloween party where not one, but two girls lose their lives in order to pave the way for Ariana to live the life she wants.

Pure Sin
Author: Kate Brian
ISBN: 9781442407682

Pure Sin by Kate Brian is the fifth book in the Privilege series. Life is finally going Ariana’s way. With Kaitlynn out of the picture, her membership in tact in Stone and Grave and friendships with the most popular girls at Atherton Pryce and an amazing boyfriend, Ariana seems to have it all. Briana Leigh’s grandmother kicks the bucket and Ariana learns that with her new assumed identity, she is now the proud owner of houses spanning the globe, a garage full of cars and a bank account with more zeroes than she can count.All of the murders, all of the lies and all of the scheming have led up to this moment. The moment where Ariana finally feels like she has control of her life.

But she does have one teensy little problem: Lexa.

Lexa Greene, the most popular girl at Atherton-Pryce is going crazy. And Ariana is the reason. In Sweet Deceit, Ariana set Kaitlynn up to attack Lexa. Then, of course, Ariana came to the rescue and killed Kaitlynn. In Ariana’s perfect scheme, Lexa and Ariana buried Kaitlynn’s body and Ariana thought her troubles were over. But Lexa isn’t as strong as Ariana originally thought…she may not be able to keep their little secret private for much longer.

Wow….Kate Brian has done it again! With each book she writes, I am more and more in awe of her writing style and her ability to make a reader turn the pages until they are finished. I read both of these books in the matter of a few hours because I was so completely sucked into this world.

The other thing that I am absolutely in awe of is Kate Brian’s ability to make me FEEL for Ariana. Let’s make one thing clear: Ariana is a murderer. She won’t let anything- or anyone, for that matter, stand in the way of what she wants. In a perfect world, a reader wouldn’t empathize with Ariana. BUT, because of Kate Brian’s brilliance, she has somehow twisted the story so that readers actually WANT Ariana to get her way, no matter what she has to do to get it. As I’m reading, I feel conflicted as to if I should be supporting Ariana or I should want her to get caught by the police and have the series end and justice be served. I think this is truly the sign of a strong writer to make a reader feel all these conflicting emotions.

I didn’t like the crossover in both of these book with characters from the Private series Kiran and Reed both making appearances. I like the direction Privilege has been taking and I thought re-introducing these characters took away from the already strong plot. It seems like Reed will play a more prominent role in the next book, but Kiran’s appearance seemed pointless and changed my opinion of Ariana to be even more negative than before. I do look forward to seeing how Reed will play a role in upcoming Privilege novels.

There was one small plot hole in Pure Sin that had me confused for a couple of chapters…in one scene, Lexa calls out the name “Kaitlynn” during one of her breakdowns. However, there was no way that Lexa would know Kaitlynn’s name, as Kaitlynn assumed the identity of “Lily” during her time at the private school. I thought this missing detail was pretty sloppy and I was surprised no one caught it in editing.

I did enjoy getting to know a new male love interest, Jasper, in both of these books. He is definitely a more suitable, mysterious match for Ariana than her cookie cutter, preppy boyfriend Palmer. Jasper adds a new element of intrigue and drama, as Ariana struggled to juggle two men, along with all of the other secrets she’s keeping.

I am definitely ready for the next book to come out. I’ve read around the blogosphere that the next Privilege book is the last, but I haven’t heard any details about its release or title. If you know, I’d love to hear about it!

Sweet Deceit: 4.5/5

Pure Sin: 5/5