Affliction by River Savage

When I said after reading “Incandescent” that River Savage had brought her “A” game to the MC genre I meant every word of it, and I having finished Affliction, I will say it again because DAMN!!
I am lost for words at the depth of the emotion that Ms Savage was able to infuse in this, one of the exceptions to the rule, a second book that is everything the first book was and more, one that leaves you doubting not only your emotional wellbeing but your ability to be objective, because if this series continues in this vein, I will have found my own nirvana.
It was well documented that this book would be Sy and Holly’s story but what was well hidden was the depth to which the author would assault not only your sentiment but your soul.
Running in the same timeframe and Nix and Kadence’s story, I could never have fathomed just how involved I would become in the story of their relationship, one that was not only highly emotional but ultra-sensitive but creatively astute.
Sy is the ultimate moody, dark, mysterious son of a bitch that even the guys don’t get, a persona that he hides his pain behind and one that has served him well.
He has been through so much and has experienced the kind of tragedy that is so painful, that finding the strength to open your eyes would be a challenge for most but when his eyes are open is the only time he can escape because his dreams and nightmares are plaguing his very being and he is quickly approaching his breaking point.
Holly is a phenomenal character, a gutsy woman who calls the shots when required but with Sy, her walls are breached and she is vulnerable, because this man has worked his way under her skin and she can’t shake him free. Willing to have him in whatever way he sees fit, they are nothing more than fleeting bedfellows for a short time, taking solace in each other’s company and enjoying the explosive physical attraction that they have between them. But Holly’s sees the pain beneath his surface and wants to be there for him, but letting her in is not on Sy’s agenda.
When tragedy strikes, it is Sy that knows he has been fighting a losing battle. His feelings for Holly are ones that he can no longer deny. But coping with her new pain, Holly retreats into her own world and lets no-one in, hiding behind her bravado and the mask that she wears so well. Can Sy show her what she means to him? Can they help each other to heal, and what will Holly’s secret do to Sy when he finds out?
Sometimes broken needs broken in order to become whole again and if ever two fractured souls deserved to be pieced back together then it was Sy and Holly.
Their story is one that will make you gasp when their secrets are unveiled, it will set the tears free to meander their way down your face without you even realising you are crying, it will wring your heart out like a wet chamois and it will hang you out to dry.
I loved the fact that when it came down to the final push it was Sy that refused to give up, refused to allow Holly to push him away and that determined that his life would be all the better for having her in it, it was him that saw past her charade and recognised the pain that she was hiding, because it takes one to know one. Holly was his woman and he would damn well make sure that not only she but everyone else knew that he had staked his claim!
He would fight who and whatever it took to get her, even if that meant fighting Holly herself.
Their happy ever after was one of the hardest earned that I have ever read, it wasn’t straight forward and nor should it have been, it needed to be hard fought because between them they had fought tooth and nail for everything they had, including each other.
But that is not all because it will make you laugh out loud, it will have you cursing like one of Sy’s biker brothers, it will wear you down but it will also give you enough strength to see that pain no matter how intense and crippling is only temporary, the will to overcome is stronger than we give it credit and the ability to not only love but to let ourselves be loved is the greatest elixir that a heart can desire.
I loved the fact that Nix and Kadence and the rest of the gang are ever present in the story and that the whole club are completely absorbed into the very fabric of the story.
I wait with baited breath for the next in the series, to spend some more time in their company and to revel in the mastery that this author has to impart.