(3 / 5)
Welcome back to Graham Reece, survivor of a crazy ax murderer from For You! You know Reece. He’s the guy Feb Owens hooked up with prior to being stalked by a serial murderer and getting back together with Colt.
Reece is clearly not in a good place when he shows up at the door of Zara Cinders, the woman he let walk away three years earlier. To make matters worse, Zara’s in no state to help him. She’s divorced, lost her store, and is about to lose her home. She’s sworn off men for good, and there’s no way she’s letting Reece back in after he broke her heart. Five months later, Reece returns determined to keep Zara in his life. For now, that means giving her a safe place to crash while she gets back on her feet. Later, he hopes it means sharing his life, his bed, and his heart. Despite his plan to protect Zara, fate steps in and shatters what little inner peace she has left while taking away the only family she’s ever known. Now it’s Reece’s job to make Zara see he’s the one for her and that together, they can do anything, including building a new if unconventional family.
I heart when Kristen Ashley gives tangential characters from other books their own story. Reece is super sweet, and Zara is heartbreakingly lonely. It’s easy to see how they fit together and build a life. What’s harder to take is Reece’s feelings on Feb. The two characters have a huge blowout about his relationship with the former heroine. I guess he makes it clear that February isn’t his love, but in a really round about Denver speak man way. I’m not sure I could have let go of my concerns based on Reece’s explanation. In other news, I love the return of Nina and Max. The scene at the Rooster is high-larious (as always). Bottom line, this is a really sweet love story. While there’s some mystery to it, no one’s life is ever in danger. No one’s running from any insane bad guy. It was sort of a nice break from the usual kidnapping routine in these books. Still without the typical drama, it wasn’t one of my all time favorites. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great book and a fitting next step in the series. Still almost anything is a little let down after reading the phenomenal Lady Luck and Breathe. This is a stand out series overall. You know me, though, I’m sort of a Kristen Ashley junkie.