The Dancer and The Masks (Their Obsession Book 1)

Seductive, ensnaring, and mysterious, The Dancer and the Masks is a brilliant dance in the darker side of Bea Paige. It’s alluring and engaging but also psychologically complicated- an intoxicating, page-turning concoction that tintilates and intrigues.I won’t say much about this plot, because truly this story is best experienced going in blind. Coming into this story I knew to expect something different, darker, more twisted than Bea’s more recent work. The blurb, the trigger warning, the cover and all the reviews will tell you that. Even so, I wasn’t quite prepared for what this story was going to be- not because it is so dark (for me, it’s not the darkest I’ve read). More so, it was the unexpectedness of the narrative- and these characters. This story was unpredictable from start to finish- and like our heroine, we never quite get our footing. Bea keeps us on the edge of knowledge the entire story- teetering on the edge of reality and allusion. The truth, or the totality of it, is always just out of our (and our heroine’s grasp). It does make the story feel like a particularly extended exposition in places- but a really compelling tense, and intriguing one. Bea has always been such a meticulous and creative world builder- and she invests in that here. The Masks, the Menagerie, the politics of the castle, all the mysteries and secrets are deftly created- and the realities and truths slowly meted.Unlike Bea’s other stories, this is not a story heavy on plot or action- though we have a few high adrenaline moments. More so, this is a psychological character study- and she smartly keeps the action minimal, the proximity tight, to force us to SIT in the complexities of these characters, to really unravel them. Their emotional juxtapositions, peculiarities, their buried truths and evolving identities. And not just out anti-heroes, our heroine Christy too- as we soon find her confronting the unrealized parts of herself. And given what she’s up against, I loved how Bea has given us such a clever, strong, fierce but empathetic character in Christy- a perfect foe and love for the masks because she has the fortitude to challenge them but the emotional courage to also try to understand them. And Bea also forces us to sit in the discomfort of what she learns as she examines them- the Masks are intriguing but not lovable, tantalizing but unsafe, depraved but loyal.At its core, this is a story about characters that wear masks- and not just the literal kind. Good or bad, depraved or innocent, every person in this story is covering some aspect of themselves. Past pain, failed dreams, insecurities, emotional imperfections, longing, proclivities or emotional intelligence- all securely hidden behind their painstakingly constructed artifice. Christy, the Masks, the Menagerie- they’ve all hidden pieces of themselves so convincingly for so long, they’ve convinced themselves those pieces are carefully guarded or dead- because they have to in order to survive the very thing they’re masking. Secure until being thrust together starts to crack, then shatter, their ability to mask themselves, or perhaps even more compelling, their will to do so. But it’s not even the characters that are illusions- their world of darkness itself becomes an illusion too- so much so that the more we wade into the murky waters of the Masks and their Menagerie, the more we ourselves are struggling to discern what is a facade and what is truth, perception vs. reality. And that’s where the psychological intrigue of this story excels in its intensity- our characters themselves don’t know their truth anymore. Because Christy is just now discovering herself, and because the Masks are rediscovering. Because they’ve all hidden pieces of themselves for so convincingly for so long, they thought they were dead.Masking isn’t just about repression- it’s about survival. And it’s also about power. And Bea explores and tangles with both themes so brilliantly. Everyone in this story has buried and hidden pieces of themselves to survive- the adapt and evolve. But their collision threatens that- and thus, threatens everyone’s survival. It makes for a heady and mesmerizing dynamic- characters both reborn and threatened all at once by their connection to the other. As Christy exposes more of herself, she finds more power, but it threatens her survival. And the masks are desperate to maintain the control they have- not over others, but over themselves. The more they unmask themselves, the more their power is at risk- but is it the means to salvation and true survival?Ah, well time will tell. Just when this story really picks up, we’re careened towards a jaw dropping finale that has me reeling. We still have so much we don’t know or understand- including our seductive masks. The narrative itself is exposed to be an illusion- as we quickly find out behind the smoke and mirrors there is MUCh we have yet to understand. Part 2 can’t come fast enough- my heart and soul need to know just what path there is forward.A note on triggers: As far as darkness goes, this is by far the darkest book I’ve read from Bea, but as a dark-romance aficionado, this is definitely not the darkest story I’ve read. But there are certainly very dark and twisted components...and triggering elements: kidnapping, grooming, non-con, humiliation, blood play. The darkness was less erotic and more sensual (often it was more so the threat of dark elements vs. them always being actualized) and did feel organic to the characters and story- ie not darkness for darkness sake, but if you have triggers or don’t prefer darker stories, tread lightly.

Holy crap! What a cliffhanger! Don’t doubt the warnings about this book, this one is definitely DARK! I do wish I would have read a couple of the other series before this one, there’s cross over characters {minimal parts} but they do take place before this duet.Anyway, this book dove right into the dark and depraved, needless to say I was hooked from the first chapter!

Love every twisted part of this book. Christy and the masks will definitely keep you guessing as to what will happen next. Loved this book.

So let me just start by saying that I have never read any other books by this author and while this book is the first in a duet, it is connected to some of the author’s other series and you see some of those characters in this book. Even though I’ve never read any of her other books, it didn’t take anything away from this one so you can read it without having read any other books from the other series.I love my books to be the darker the better, I have no triggers….this book was deliciously dark and everything I love in a book! I couldn’t put the book down and was absolutely bummed when I finished it. The characters just draw you right in and you can’t wait to see what will happen next.Christy is a seriously strong character and does not give up. She will fight against the Masks at every turn and she holds her own. She learns to pick which battles are worth it and how exactly she should go about handling situations with the Masks. The Masks were quite unique and so dark and broken. Every time one of them showed just the tiniest bit of kindness or caring, they tucked it away again and did something cruel to cover it up. I cannot wait to see in the next book how Christy breaks them and builds them back into kind people again.Beyond the main characters, I was fascinated by the whole idea of the castle and the Numbers and the Menagerie. I hope we see even more of all of it in the next book. The Numbers were all so different from each other and I would love more of their backstories to better understand what keeps them from leaving or even to see more interaction between the Masks and the Numbers.All in all, this was a great dark story and after that excruciating cliffhanger, I cannot wait for the next book. I highly recommend this book to anyone that’s like me and loves a dark and twisted romance book that messes with your mind a bit!

How the hell do you review such dark brilliance?The Masks were broken as boys and now as men their world, actions and words are darkness personified. Christy has seen them in visions that show her future with them but that don't reveal the full horror awaiting.The story is gripping, with many twists and turns, but has many ,many disturbing situations. I'm lucky not to have any triggers, but would advise careful consideration of the trigger warnings. That said, I would definitely recommend this book. It's Bea's darkest yet, but definitely the best so far! My only complaint is that the second of the duet is not out until January next year. But it is on pre-order ;)

I have loved Bea Paige since I read her Academy of Stardom series and then her Beast and Grimm series. I wasn’t so keen on the Avalanche of Desire series because it felt rushed and short. But still it was a nice little series to read just for someQuick fluff. However, this series was the one I was looking forward to the most. Since Christy mentioned in the stardom books that she had a vision of the masks taking her. I knew it would be a good story filled with darkness and debauchary. And let me tell you! It did. Plus ten times more! The book is dark dark dark! And not for readers who get triggered easily. If you’re too sensitive, don’t even bother because there’s no point you reading it just to whinge about it afterwards even though you knew it was going to be bad.The masks are broken men. They survive on pain, torture and being in control. And this has been their life since they were children. It is all they know. Until this redhead firehouse comes into their life and basically disobeys everything they tell her to do and make them question everything they’ve ever known. This is the whole bad boy that is only good for one girl Cliche. Not that I have got to any of that yet but I’m hoping for it in the second book.The plot is 4 out of 5. I’ve not seen this kind of book done before. So it’s nice to be reading something different. The spice level for this is probably only a 3 out of 5 at the moment as the boys seem to have some restraint. Though I’m hoping that all goes out the window in the next book. Because I’m dying for Christy to experience some tenderness and care. These boys are major red flags yet I can’t help wanting to see Christy break them upon just to fix them again. I also wonder if she will reveal her gift to them and tell them that she always knew they would be coming for her. So excited for the next book! Eek!

OK, so first off, those trigger warnings are there for a reason, this is a dark, dark book. I don't have many triggers, but there were a number of parts that I really struggled to read.I am in awe of Christy and her strength. Holy cow she's amazing. However, I currently can't see how the boys can possibly redeem themselves after this ending, after everything they've done to her... So I am very excited about book 2, but also kinda wary as apparently it gets darker before it gets better??Congrats Bea Paige on an incredible book

At first I wasn't sure if I really was going to be held captive from this book, but I persevered and enjoyed it. I didnt really find much of Christy's empathy or connection with either of the males but definitely believed in their obsession. My only criticism would be that nothing really happens in the story, I mean the she is kidnapped, she has a solo in a show and everything else is just tiny scenes with The Masks. The time and place of the full book hardly changes.

This was probably one of the darkest books I’ve read to date and at times I wasn’t sure I could get through the darkness but everything in there builds the story, painting a picture of The masks and their missing/hidden boys. You can’t help but want to love them and bring them back together whilst also hating them.Definitely pushed boundaries for me but was well worth it and after that cliffhanger I’m not sure I can wait until January for the 2nd book!