Convicted by Aleatha Romig

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Blurb

My Review

This book was…I thought…And maybe…uhhhhh…To sum it up…
FUUUUUUUCK! My brain hurts! I need a mental health vacation. I need unicorns and rainbows. I need a hug. I need a drink. I need my sanity back. Actually, that’s probably long gone now.

Having read all 3 books back to back, I can tell you all one thing. If you plan on doing the same, I suggest having reinforcements.

I imagine, that if I had a conversation with Ms. Romig, it might go something like this.

Me: Any words of advice for the readers about to pick this book up?

Aleatha:

Me: Allrighty then…I’ll take that as a no??

So what was going through your head as you were writing convicted?

Aleatha:

And there you have it. But guess what? That’s all that you’ll be getting from me too. It’s impossible to fully review this book without revealing spoilers, so I’m not even going to try.

What I can tell you? This series is unlike anything you will ever read. It’s dark, twisted, convoluted, fucked up, and so brilliantly written that even when you’re curled up in a dark corner and rocking yourself back and forth, you’ll still want to continue reading.

Aleatha doesn’t ease you in with Convicted. Fuck no! She throws you right into the deep end of crazy and doesn’t let up up until the end. There are so many twists, the book will keep you at the edge of your seat until the last page. It is not every day you can pick up a book and get a hero that by all accounts you’re supposed to hate, yet somehow the author makes you fall in love with him. Stockholm? Maybe! This series has taken over my life for a week. I will never be the same after finishing it.

I cannot think of words that will give this book the justice that it deserves. Is it something that I would read again? Not even if you paid me. I think that if I pick this up again, they will be carting me away to the nearest psych ward. Is it a series that I will ever forget? Not in a million years. I hated it. I loved it. I wanted to throw my kindle at the wall. I wanted to rage, scream, cry, and beg for mercy. But it never let up.

I had to sleep on it before leaving a rating. After much deliberation, I know one thing: Any book that makes you feel and think as much as this did, deserves nothing less than 5 brilliant stars. Yes, it was one crazy ride. But damn, it’s not one I will be forgetting anytime soon.

Me right after I finished
Review to come. Once I get some of my sanity back. Which might take a while. Or never? I don’t even know. Who are you? Where am I? Who’s that? What was I talking about? Tonyyyyyyyyy

la la la la la la la la

Buy Links

Amazon I Barnes & Noble

Truth by Aleatha Romig

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Blurb

My Review

Let me start out by saying that I hated…no that’s not right. I despised…no, that’s not quite accurate. I LOATHED Tony in Consequences. I kept asking myself how in the fuck people could be team Tony with such a cruel, brutal, and in my eyes irredeemable asshole. (Now I should probably admit that my internal masochist was silently hoping that he would redeem himself. That bitch is eternally optimistic and has a thing for irredeemable assholes. I just didn’t think it was possible with Tony.)

So imagine my surprise where halfway through this book I not only began to feel for him, and actually (gasp) like him, but became a full fledged team fucking Tony.

This book fucked with my head.

Claire once read that time doesn’t pass at normal speeds within a black hole. If one were to travel into a black hole for only moments and return again, centuries would have passed. That explained the sensation she felt, once again peering into his dark gaze.

Tony was a giant magnet. His pull affected everything, from the rotation of the earth, to her mind’s ability to reason.

Oh Claire, I feel for you. I was right there with you.

I’m not even sure how to go about reviewing this book without revealing any spoilers. So I’m not even going to try. I was questioning where Aleatha Romig would take this series. I struggled through some parts of Consequences. It was one tough fucking pill to swallow. This book? I have one thing to say to you, Ms. Romig

I forever worship at the altar of your greatness.

Holy shit. I’m speechless. My mind? Blown! My sanity? Well what little of it was left…gone! I will never be the same. Truth was a crazy thrill ride filled with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. And then when you read the end?

This book will keep you guessing until the end, it will make you question EVERYTHING and you will still not be close to what the truth is. I couldn’t put it down. My brain hurt. I was going crazy. I needed a shot or 5 of vodka once I finished. But FUCK! What a ride!

Buy Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

MacRieve by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Hot and Hotter stars










“You’ve let me tend tae your fire, and tonight it’s searing me clean. I can be what you need.”



He was so domineering. And a dirty talker. Apparently, she liked both.

Book Blurb:

My Review

That is totally me right now. Yes, fairy wings and all. Why you ask? Well, because I’m fun and eccentric that way. But mainly, it’s because I just read a Kresley Cole book and IT.WAS.AWESOME!

I admit that after reading some mixed reviews on this book, I had put off reading it. I have loved every book i this series, and I was terrified that book 13 might take me off of my IAD buzz.

I should have known better. Kresley definitely did not disappoint! MacRieve turned out being so much better than I even hoped. Now this might have been a case of not having any expectations while going into the book. But whatever the reason may have been, I couldn’t put it down until I read the very last page.

The one thing that I have to give praise for, is to this day IAD books continue to focus on only 2 POVs. While there is a whole lot of world building and action that takes place, I never see it take away from the main couple. There are no unnecessary side characters POVs. We get to touch base with many favorite characters, like my personal favorite Nix (and her bat), but the main focus is the couple.

The one thing that I definitely did notice change, is the books are certainly becoming much more sexual. Or at least this one was. Which you will not find this girl complaining about. But then again, I’m a smut connoisseur 🙂

So finally we get the story of the first half of the Hot and Hotter twins, MacRieve. And let me tell you, it was quite brutal. Poor Will has been through quite a bit in his long life, with the recent addition of his stint in The Order’s prison and favorite play thing of a demented scientist.

When he escapes the prison, he’s not quite right. And then his life takes a turn when he unexpectedly finds his mate.

Kresley Cole has yet to write a heroine that I haven’t loved, and Chloe was no exception. I loved her sass, and the way she stood up to everyone, even MacRieve.

Of course we had to get some angst, when a particular secret comes out and throws their mating for a loop. My sexy MacRieve goes from sweet to complete and utter asshole in no time flat.

Luckily for me, I like that sort of thing. When the hero makes mistakes and treats the heroine like dirt, but then has to grovel to make up for it? Oh yea! I am ALL over that.

He also happened to be a dirty talker. Which if you follow my reviews, you know is an Achilles heel of mine. Plus the steam in this book? Sweet mother! I’d say this is the steamiest book in the series.

I can see why some reviewers found him to be a little excessive in his anger. but considering his past and what he’s been through, I understood it, and it didn’t bother me much. Considering that he was able to (view spoiler)[suppress his beast on a full moon for her (hide spoiler)], which was huge, he did his best to make up for his mistakes with Chloe.

We also get the set-up for Munro’s book, which was a hell of a start. I’m really looking forward to finding out what happens there. But according to Kresley Cole, we will be getting Lanthe and Thronos next. Can’t wait to see what that brings. I’ve been looking forward to their book since Demon From The Dark.

13 books in the series, and still going strong. This has definitely become one of my favorite PNR series, so a huge rec from me.

If you like tortured, dirty talking heroes and sassy, strong-willed heroines with fun side characters and amazing world building, snark, humor, and steam, you must check out this series.

Buy Links

Unattainable by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love, they say, has the potential to kill a person if they aren’t careful. I wasn’t careful. I let that love blossom uncontrollably until it was in full bloom, exploding from within me, with nowhere to go.

Well Madeline Sheehan has done it again, she has taken broken, damaged, and completely imperfect characters and managed to write a dark and gritty book that you will not be able to put down until the very last page.

I was not a fan of Tegan from the past books, and I’ll be honest that I wasn’t thrilled to be reading a book with her as the main heroine. But I love this series, and I loved Cage, so I thought what the hell. Well I am eating my words, I’m not too proud to admit that, because this book was fucking awesome!

Cage is the son of Deuce, the president of the Hell’s Horsemen MC, and he’s also the asshole manwhore responsible for breaking little Tegan’s heart at the tender age of 16.

Considering the woman didn’t have a sound below screeching, it’d be hard not to. She’s a vulgar, rude, mean, mouthy little bitch. But considering what she has been through in her 24 years, it’s somewhat understandable. Tegan is the the daughter of Dorothy, a “club whore” and has been in the MC life since she was eight. She has also been in love with Cage just as long, up until he shattered her world and her heart when she was 16, and she hasn’t been the same since. She learned one very tough lesson from all of it

You stupid bitch. You ignorant, stupid bitch. Love isn’t a fucking answer. It hurts more than it doesn’t, it’s harder than it is easy, it takes work, guts, and perseverance.”

Tegan escaped to California for college and to be as far away from the club as possible. To say that she hates them and the life they lead would be putting it mildly. But now she’s back at the request of her mother, who’s still dealing with the fallout and issues following her gunshot wound the head courtesy of Jase’s wife a year ago, and Tegan is forced to come face to face with everything that she had hoped to forget.

Wow wow wow! The side story of Dirty and Ellie was one of the best parts of this book for me. I think they were the saving grace to Tegan’s constant screeching, yelling, and swearing. Ellie is Danny’s friend from UnBeautifully; she was the reserved and somewhat shy one of the group of friends. Dirty was a character that I barely paid any mind to from the past books…until he pretty much stole the show in this one.

My heart broke for him with every new bit of information I read. He was such a broken, dark, and damaged soul.

He was nothing. He was shit. He was a damaged, deranged, sick motherfucker who deserved to be put the fuck down. He shouldn’t have lived for as long as he had; he didn’t deserve to share the same earth with people like Ellie.

Ellie was the light to his dark. I absolutely loved her and the way she treated Dirty. Their story was gut wrenching and beautiful at the same time. My heart broke for each of them and what they were going through.

Every day she was faced with his beautiful face, his long, lean, sculpted body, and his personality, so damaged, so fragile, she couldn’t help but want to fix him. He was a woman’s worst nightmare— beautiful on the outside, ravaged on the inside. A deadly combination.

Their story was the perfect yang to the ying of Cage and Tegan. Had it been just Tegan and Cage, the book would have been something close to 3.5 stars for me. But Dirty and Ellie added that dark and damaged softness that this book so needed to bring it to a beautiful 5 star read.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Madeline Sheehan has a writing style that’s dark and gritty but at the same time so incredibly emotional that I’ve come to fall in love with it. There’s been plenty of MC books I’ve read before and after, but not one of them compares to her books. Not even close.

There was so much that happened in this book that I don’t want to go into since I don’t want to spoil or give anything away, but prepare yourself for another roller coaster of emotions.

ZZ, oh sweet baby jebus! I cannot wait for his book. The event that took place toward the end of Unattainable

I can’t even imagine what his book will bring. Wow, just fucking WOW!

And of course there was more Dorothy, Hawk, and Jase. I can’t wait to see what happens with them.

Madeline Sheehan just keeps getting better and better with each new book. Yes, her characters are far from perfect. Yes, they will piss you off more than make you happy. And yes, her stories will gut you and at the same time make you feel eeeeeeverything. You will hate it, you will love it, and you will be unable to set it down.

But that is enough gushing from me. You will want to drop everything you’re doing and READ. THIS. BOOK. And I thank you

Buy Links

Craving Constellations by Nicole Jacquelyn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Raw, gritty, and completely captivating stars

“I know, baby. I know you need control. But with me, you aren’t gonna get it.”

In my head I reminded myself that he was taken, but I couldn’t get over the feeling that he had always been mine.

I went into this book with absolutely zero expectations. I’m a sucker for MC books, but after a recent string of very mediocre reads, I wasn’t expecting much from a debut novel.

Holy shit was I wrong. This book blew me away! It was raw, gritty, painful, emotional, dark, passionate, and unputdownable until the very last page.

Five years ago Brenna made the decision to leave the only life she’s ever known behind, in the hopes of building a different future for herself. Being the daughter of the vice president of a MC that runs guns is not exactly what she wants to be know for. What she doesn’t expect is to run back to her old life when the new one she though she was building comes crumbling down on her. Leaving behind a brutally abusive husband, she takes her daughter and runs back to the only family she’s ever been able to rely on.

Dragon is the Aces new lieutenant. When he first met Brenna at a club party he had just gotten his cut, and had no idea that the enticing woman that he felt such a pull to was his VP’s daughter. They share a night of passion only for her to take off and then reappear in his life with one huge secret.

Fuckin’ gone for five years. No one hears from you. Now, you come back, and I find out you had my daughter and didn’t tell me FOR FIVE FUCKIN’ YEARS?”.

Dragon is devasted that he was kept from his daughter for 4 years, and as much as he may blame Brenna for the decisions that she’s made and her betrayal he can’t seem to make himself stop wanting her.

Nicole Jacquelyn took two imperfect and fucked up characters and wrote them in such a way that you just couldn’t help but love them.

I am not typically a fan of heroines that are overly emotional but yet I felt for Brenna. Her life hasn’t been an easy one, and although she has made some mistakes she still struggles to bring back the strong woman that she once was. She left behind her life because she didn’t want to be the old lady on the sidelines while her man came home smelling like club whores. Dragon may not be perfect, but the magnetic pull between them is impossible for her to deny.

I went into the thing with Dragon looking for a little escape from reality, and I’d gotten way more than I bargained for. He wasn’t charming like Tony. He didn’t tell me sweet things. He was gruff and rude, and the things he said to me made me blush.

Brenna and Dragon are attempting to mend things between them, but
will the secrets that she still hold on to threaten to break them once and for all?

Their relationship was gritty, painful, emotional, but real.

We weren’t making love. It wasn’t sweet or soft. We were fucking, hard. Every movement was rough and needy, and for once, Dragon wasn’t talking me through it. We just needed to be as close as we possibly could before the world came tumbling around us again.

I loved how the relationship between them, while having it’s fair share of bumps and turns, felt real. Dragon may have been a rough around the edges, says what he wants with no holds barred Alpha man, but the way he felt pain broke my heart.

His pain bled through the pages to me. And even though Brenna was the sole reason behind this, I couldn’t bring myself to blame her. They were both broken and tortured souls, and my heart went out for both of them.

He was like a wounded animal, and I was the hunter who’d wounded him. I didn’t know if he would ever forgive me.

There was a point in this book where Dragon did something that I would usually not be able to tolerate or understand in a hero. The fact that I not only forgave him for it, but understood his pain and remorse for it after the fact speaks volumes for the writing.

If you’re looking for an emotionally charged, beautifully written MC book then you really need to give this one a try. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series (hopefully it will be Grease?)

Uncommon Passion by Anne Calhoun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Beautifully Erotic Stars

My God, he was broken. So broken, this frightening vulnerability protected only by pieces of bulletproof vest held together with razor wire, attitude, and a smile that broke her heart every time he flashed it.

He was in too deep, she was too deep for a man like him, and he didn’t have anything left inside to give her.

Anne Calhoun has this way with writing that is captivating yet understated. It’s erotic and beautifully passionate. The book draws you in from the first page, and the words will weave their way all around you, making sure you experience everything along with the characters; every smell, every feeling, every sound, every passionately erotic moment. Anne doesn’t write simple erotic romances.

I have fallen in love with her writing since reading Liberating Lacey, my first book by her. And I have been singing her praises every book since. I have yet to read a book by Miss Calhoun that I haven’t enjoyed, and this one was no exception. Dare I say this was her best book yet? Well it was definitely a favorite of mine.

I loved everything about this book; the story, the characters, the writing.

What I have grown to love most about Anne’s writing, is the way that she is able to write a heroine that strong, but in this incredibly endearing and understated way. This is how Rachel was.

Rachel has recently left the only life she has ever known inside a restrictive religious community. She may be sheltered and a virgin, but she knows what she wants and she goes after it. She wants to experience life without limitations, she wants to feel. She’s was like this butterfly taking flight after leaving the strict cocoon that was her upbringing.

The first thing she wants to experience is passion. When she meets the sexy Swat Officer Ben Harris at a bachelor auction, she knows that he is the perfect man to give her what she wants.

Ben is a broken and jaded man, trying to bury his pain in an endless haze of adrenaline jags at work, drinking, and sex.

He’s not looking for forever, he’s not even looking for next week. All he cares about is the here and the now. But when he learns that Rachel is a virgin after their one night together, he sets out to make amends. He knows he can’t offer her much, but what he can offer her is a no string attached sexual education and not lose her heart in the process.

Everyone was worried Rachel would get her heart broken if she didn’t get a ring and a vow and a happily ever after right out of a movie. But Rachel needed something more, something he didn’t know if he could give her. She had no shields whatsoever to protect her from anything.
Including him. The only thing he could teach her was how to harden her heart.

Rachel never imagined that this is what she was missing; this lust, this burning hot passion that sets them both on fire.

Ben may have been detached in his life and relationships, but he was certainly not detached when it came to teaching Rachel the darker parts of passion.

Just say cock.”
“I don’t use language like that.” He paused as if he were going to pull out, but then didn’t. Ensnared in need, she moaned and squirmed again. “Try ride me. Pound into me. Make me scream. Or go for the one that means all three. Try fuck me.”

The sex scenes in this book, while beautifully written, were also scorching hot.

Ben was definitely rough around the edges and loved things dirty and hot.

You should have…” she began, but that finger circled again and the words trailed off.
“Should have what, Rachel? Should have fucked you on the steps while they stumbled around? Should have made you be quiet while you took my cock deep inside?” She shook her head, as much response to the tumultuous cascade of sensation his words set off as negating his interpretation.
“Should have stopped?” The whisper was dark, taunting. “Not gonna stop, Rachel.” Two fingers slid inside her when he spoke, and a breathless little cry escaped her lips. “I want it right now, right the fuck now, against this wall now.”

All Ben wanted to do was to teach Rachel about sex, and have a little fun with her while staying his jaded and detached self. But he begins to see that she is not quite what he expected

People assumed virgin meant weak, naïve, insecure, even ashamed. Not Rachel. She was aware, thinking about what she did and why she did it, and strong enough to ask questions, plan, execute a course of action that left her alone in the world.

Rachel may have been sheltered, but she was not your typical virgin that you might read in a book. She had a backbone, she stood up for what she believed. But the way she went about doing it is what made her so endearing to the reader. She had a quite intensity to her. She didn’t scream, she didn’t cry, she didn’t make stupid decisions. She remained true to herself and her desires for life throughout the whole story, and I absolutely loved that about her.

Ben begins to see that there is a whole lot more to Rachel then the naive virgin he first thought her to be.

Rachel was wrong with him. Rachel and her dark hair and golden eyes and her ability to shine a light on the protective shield he held up between himself and the world. Just showing him it was there, let alone what it meant, or how thin it really was. Making him feel things he didn’t want to feel.

Can Rachel get past his defenses to the beautifully broken man inside? But will Ben allow her past his walls and into his heart without breaking hers in the process?

Loved, absolutely loved this book. If you have never read a book by this author, this is the perfect one to start with. You will fall in love with the characters and the story.

Purchase Uncommon Passion here: Amazon

Reckless by Skye Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5+ Panty-melting Stars

If this was passion, it was more intense that anything she’d ever felt. Overwhelming. Obsessive. Dark

So if my inner dirty girl had an imaginary interview with the characters of this book, wonder what it would go like?
Well no need to wonder, because I’ll appease your curiosity.

All character quotes came directly from the book, I’m not that creative 😉

ME:
So Jex, you’ve just been screwed over yet again by a beautiful woman that used you for your connections as a famous stuntman in the movie industry. How does that make you feel?

JAX:
I’m so sick of this bullshit.

ME:
Uh huh…Uh huh…I can understand that. Do you think it has something to do with the fact that you tend to pick your women just based on the fact that they’re good looking? OK, no need to glare at me…moving on.
So let me ask your good friend Wes his opinion.

WES:
You could try fucking someone with a few morals for a change. And the last thing I’m gonna say on this, because it’s really your problem, if morals don’t interest you, how about hooking up with a chick who’s at least nice to you for a change? I’m starting to think you’ve got some masochistic fetish.

ME:
Well since you’re flying to New York for a stuntman job on a new movie, we’ll come back to you in a few, Jax…
Now Lexi, so your friend Rubi just pointed out that your couture dress business is really lacking inspiration for fresh-new designs. Could it be partly because of your lack of…uhem…male attention recently?

LEXI:
Nice. Point out what a loser I am the night before I fly across the country to meet Martina Galliano to discuss to proposition of my career.

ME:
Well no need to get huffy here! Maybe you just need to just get down to business with the next hottie you meet? You used to be a model, you’re not exactly hurting in the looks department.

LEXI:
My name is Lexi and I’m a sexual train wreck.

ME:
OK. OK. No need to get melodramatic. I get it. You’re fed up of men only using you to be arm-candy, and not seeing past your looks. Gotcha. Good luck with your meeting in New York then.

ME:
So Jax, let’s get to the really important questions here. Tell me, what’s your penis size?

Jax:
I’m assuming you mean erect. 9” length, 2 ¾” diameter, which corresponds to 8 ½” girth.

ME:

Yep, I can definitely work with that. Now what kind of sex do you like?

JAX:
I like the fiery, fast sex so passionate your vision blurs.

I like wild, frantic, have-to-have you sex that burns you alive.

I like deep, driving sex where sweat drips off my chin, rolls down your spine, and tickles the dip between your ass cheeks

ME:

Uhhhhh…..give me a second here….I think I just had an orgasm. Don’t mind me, please continue

JAX:
I like secret sex in naughty places, and naughty places to have secret sex.
I like the kind of sex that includes sliding my tongue in all your very tight spaces.
I like any kind of sex that drives animalistic sounds from your throat.

ME:

Um…what now? Oh! Sorry! Got carried away here…
Moving on then…
So, Lexi, seeing as you just spotted Jax at the airport, and got a case of insta-love. What type of man do you crave?

LEXI:
This was the kind of man she craved – a rough-around the edges, blue-collar, hard loving man. A few tattoos, a dark background, confidence in the bedroom… or the bed of a truck… or on the back of a motorcycle…

ME:

MY FINAL THOUGHTS

I loved loved loved FUCKING loved this book! I don’t think I disliked one single thing about it! The characters were fantastic. I loved both Jax and Lexi. The steam? Good Gawd but did Jax know how to get things done!

I’m pretty sure I went through multiple underwear changes. What? TMI?

But in all seriousness, I have found a series to add to my auto-buy list. I am so excited that this will be a series, and it’s based on super hot Hollywood stuntmen! What more could a girl ask for? Cannot wait for the next book. I’m dying for Rubi’s book. She was such an awesome comedic relief in this story as Lexi’s BFF. I loved her spunk, and blatant flirtatiousness. I can only hope that her and Wes’s book will be next.

But what are you still doing reading my review. Go read this! Now! Seriously! The book is fucking awesome! Just make sure to bring Jax back to his rightful owner once you’re done with him. I’ve already branded him and everything. Mine mine mine. And once you meet him you will completely understand my obsessively posessive ways 😉

But that’s all the ramblings from this girl for now. I’m off to have some more dirty thoughts about Jax.
And I thank you!

ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buy this on Amazon

View all my reviews

If You Leave by Courtney Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 (I wish I could give it more) Beautifully Broken Stars


I knew going in that I can’t ever be with anyone. That I’m not whole. That I’m not normal. That I’m a monster. That I’m the bad thing.



She wants me. And I want her. Fucking her would be like harnessing a raging summer storm.

This book book gutted me, it broke my heart into a million different pieces, and then it put it back together piece by shattered piece.

The book starts off with a bang, as I’ve come to associate to books written by Courtney Cole. It grabs you with the first few lines, and doesn’t let you up until the very last page.

Gabriel is an Army Ranger, who is still dealing with the demons that haunt his nightmares since his last tour in Afganistan. Try as he does, as hard as he runs, he knows that he can’t outrun them. The bad thing has finally caught him, and he know’s there’s no escape.

Madison is dealing with demons of her own, though hers come from a different type of memory.

An accidental meeting behind a club in Chicago brings these two damaged souls together. What was supposed to be a few moments spent naked and sweaty between the sheets, get interrupted by a freak accident that bring Gabriel’s secret demons, that he’s been struggling to keep hidden, roaring to the surface.

Madison knows a fucked up person when she sees one. So as gorgeous as the dark haired stranger was, she leaves him with no expectations for their paths to ever cross again. Of course nothing is quite so simple, and she finds herself coming face to face with the beautiful and broken soldier once again.

Fighting issues of her own, the last thing that Maddy needs is to take on the issues of Gabe. But she has a hard time fighting the immediate and overwhelming attraction that burns between them.

I couldn’t get enough of both of these characters. Maddy is broken in her own way. And she hides her damaged heart behind a veil of a cold bitch. But Gabe is determined to win the game of cat and mouse between them, and to chip away at the cold exterior to the woman that she hides underneath.

Let me tell you, when these two finally get together…

IT.WAS.DAMN.HOT.

Madison begins to see beyond the shadows of pain, to the true damaged warrior underneath. But while Gabe helps her heal the wounds of her past, he maintains a strong hold on his own hidden demons. But little by little, Maddy begins to get bits and pieces of what broke such a strong man.

While she knows that she can’t force him to deal with his past, she knows that she wants to be by his side when he finally does.

Gabe, oh my poor damaged, completely fucked up Gabe. My heart absolutely broke for him. When each new detail of that dark came to light, I found myself crying like a baby. I just wanted to hug him. I wanted to fix him.

Courtney Cole did not shy away from any gritty, dark, and utterly devastating detail. It was gutting to read it, yet I couldn’t put the book down.

She took an incredibly dark and painful subject matter, and she painted an incredibly beautiful story. I loved that she spared no detail, and gave focus to Gabe actually DEALING with his PTSD. It was not glossed over, it didn’t fade to black. She took the reader on that journey along with Gabe, and Kudos to you Miss Cole for doing that.

While characters from the first book make an appearance in this book, (Maddy is Mila’s sister from If You Stay) it could easily be read as a standalone. The details from the past book are explained away, so you wouldn’t miss much. Though it IS a series, so I’d recommend starting from book one.

This book was utterly captivating, dark, gritty, devastating, heart breaking, and I LOVED EVERY SINGLE PAGE OF IT!

There is a sneak peak into book three, and the hero sounds like the ULTIMATELY broken and damaged asshole

Though I don’t know how I feel about Jacey being the heroine. I couldn’t stand her in this book. She was immature and just drove me nuts. Unless she overgoes a complete personality change, I can’t see myself changing my opinion of her. But I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out.

If you read and loved the first book, you will love this one even more.
If you were like me and the first book didn’t quite work for you, this one will completely blow the first one out of the water. I can’t recommend it enough. I still can’t stop thinking about it.

Seriously, Courtney Cole, bravo!

View all my reviews