SOUL CRUSHING is the fifth book in L.P. Maxa’s paranormal “St. Leasing” series. Jace Franklin meets Axie Contreau while she’s reluctantly on a mission from her father to get info out of him. This promises to be an inauspicious beginning to a relationship. Even though he thinks he can’t afford to get mixed up with Axie, he eventually gives in to the pull of a mate connection. Jace and Axie have more similarities than they initially would think and it’s fascinating watching them struggle with their connection.

Axie and Jace both come from evil shifter fathers. Jace’s is dead and might’ve been a bit more cunning and successful at consolidating power and crushing his enemies, but Axie’s dad makes her life miserable. These two characters respond differently to their fathers’ influence on their lives, For Axie, she chose to go wild and indulge in things that numb her from the emotional pain. For Jace, he built his life around control – since his father controlled so much of his before his death. Despite their core similarities, this is actually a perfect book for romance readers who enjoy the “opposites attract” trope. Through their attraction, I think Axie and Jace learn a lot about each other. Although this is a paranormal romance, I feel like the focus is on the character-driven stories and emotional journeys rather than any paranormal shenanigans. This is also a good book for readers who enjoy the “New Adult” romance subgenre.

SOUL CRUSHING is an intriguing mix of suspense and sexy times. I couldn’t help thinking that Jace would make a good Batman as I read SOUL CRUSHING and Axie was a tiny bit Harley Quinn-like to his Batman. This is a story with complex and damaged characters who find love and heal. Riley was a good friend to Jace in SOUL CRUSHING and I can’t wait for his story. I look forward to L.P. Maxa’s next book.