Kane Archer hasn’t always been tormented; he hasn’t always hated himself or been full of rage. He hasn’t always lived his life with an overpowering sense of guilt that threatens to destroy him.
There was a time when his life was different. He was optimistic; he smiled and laughed; he loved passionately; he had it all.
Kane was content—until the unthinkable took it all away.
Two and a half years later and still reeling from his fiancée’s death, Kane returns to the one place he vowed he’d never visit again—Camden—with the promise to find the men who killed her and bring them to justice, regardless of the cost.
Emotionally numb, stricken by guilt, and haunted by the events preceding Aimee’s death, the last thing Kane wanted was to meet someone he connected with; someone who made him feel again.
As Kane gets closer to those responsible for Aimee’s death, he is thrown a curveball when he discovers a secret so devastating it rocks his world and threatens to destroy his chance at happiness.
Whitney Jareau packed up her life when tragedy struck her family, leaving everything behind. Finally free from the persistent and domineering family that insisted she do the one thing she couldn’t, Whitney found peace in Camden.
Two years later, her family wants her to come home and will stop at nothing to get her there. Wearing her heart on her sleeve for Kane Archer, a man so gorgeous it hurts to see the pain he carries, Whitney fights her family and refuses to return home to carry out their wishes.
Can Whitney stay strong without giving in to the demands of her family?
Can Kane let go of the past and move forward with the woman who brought him back to life?
Or, will he walk away from her and carry the burden of UNBEARABLE GUILT.
I was ripped from heaven with an angel, and tossed into the fiery pit of hell by myself with no way out. I wouldn’t ever allow myself to be released from its relentless grip.
Ladies, do you like your heroes brooding, tortured, alpha males, with a dash of asshole? Well then, meet Kane Archer.
Two and a half years ago, Kane lost everything that ever mattered to him. Watching your fiance die will scar a man, and Kane certainly carries the worst scar imaginable since her death; the guilt of being responsible for her death.
The only feeling stronger that the guilt that permanently eats at him, is the drive for revenge and finding the men responsible for the events that led to his fiance’s death. Forced to return to the place where it all started and the last place he wants to be, Camden, the town he grew up in and the town he left after Aimee’s death. Treated as the social pariah, everyone it town still suspects him of being his fiance’s killer, even his former best friend and now cop, Luke Gunner. Shunned by everyone, the last thing Kane expects is the attention of one beautiful blonde.
Whitney can’t help but feel attracted to Kane, the man is utterly delicious after all, even if he does exude danger from ever pore.
At first Kane thinks Whitney is just another ditzy girl that’s attracted to him almost as much as she’s intimidated by him. But soon he begins to see that there is much more to the woman than first meets the eye. Kane is not looking for another woman; he can’t. How can he move one when every single time he closes his eyes, all he can see is the corpse of his dead fiance.
Whitney sees beyond what the townspeople think, deep down to the vulnerable and broken man that lies beneath the tough and tatted exterior.
But Whitney has something she’s running from that is slowly catching up with her. Can she be strong enough to stand by Kane and help him heal, or will his guilt leave them both broken?
My Thoughts
This book gripped me from the first few pages. That epilogue doesn’t ease you in. It throws you right into the deep end, and doesn’t spare any gory detail. Wow.
I absolutely loved that it was written in dual First Person POV. It helped so much more to actually be inside Kane’s head and feel everything that he’s feeling. I’m not going to lie, his actions at times made me feel bipolar. I went from
to
But then again, I have this thing for the assholes. As much as I wanted to throttle Kane at times, my heart also broke for him.
I was a little afraid at first that I would not like Whitney’s character. In the first few chapters she comes across as slightly ditzy, and all she thinks about is how absolutely hot Kane is. I get it, the man can fill out a pair of jeans. I don’t need it reiterated at every chance. But I suppose such is the brilliance of Emma Grayson and her character development since she was able to make the reader see her the same way Kane did at first. So when the sudden change to her personality finally comes about, you’re left just as pleasantly surprised as Kane was.
As much as I hate to compare any books or authors, since I think that they deserve to be judged individually, I couldn’t help but get a little Kristen Ashley vibe here. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing at all. Maybe it was all the “babes” and Kane’s mannerisms? This book reminded me slightly of At Peace, which I really enjoyed. But it was also a very unique writing style and story, so it does stand very well on its own.
I found some of the nicknames that the girlfriends call themselves a little strange. I don’t have many friends that I refer to as “baby”, but that may just be me LOL.
As much as I loved Whitney’s tough girl personality, I really wished she hadn’t forgiven Kane as easily as she did. Yes he’s tortured and broody, but he was a straight up asshole to her at times. I wanted him to work for it, grovel a bit.
My other minor quibble is Luke. I hated the way he treated Kane. While Kane never corrected his perception of him, it still killed me to see the way that he treated him. (view spoiler)[When Luke finally found out the truth and apologized, I guess I just wanted a little bit more. It didn’t feel like enough after years of treating Kane no better than a murderer. (hide spoiler)] But those very few things aside, I truly enjoyed the hell out of this story.
What a gut wrenching, action packed, suspenseful and steamy as hell ride this book was. I enjoyed every minute of it, and eagerly anticipate any future books by this author. It’s always great when you can be pleasantly surprised by a new to you author. 
The thing about lines? They stop being dangerous the moment you cross them; they stop mattering too. And instead of admitting that, you just set another limit, raise the stakes, draw another boundary for your sins, and find a way to justify your actions.
