High Tide

by Michelle Mankin

I thought Hollie was a great character, she was so determined to make her own way, to overcome the hurdles that her stepfather, the man that hurt her so much seemed to relish putting in her way, she had the potential to have the world at her feet but he was so bitter that she was left feeling that she had no option but to hire herself a bodyguard.
I felt so sorry for her, feeling that way must have been so profound for her but I liked the fact that she was willing to at least own her situation and be proactive. She took control of what was happening in her life no matter how unpleasant it was at times and acted.
Now, Max Cash her bodyguard was a good guy and there was some pretty incendiary chemistry between the two of them from the outset, but by the time their situation morphed into something more I was beginning to wonder what exactly was going on with him because he was a little sketchy at times, and some of his behaviour was just plain weird…but why?
Of course, Hollie is a great girl but I couldn't help but get the feeling that the situation with Max was just too simple, I wondered what else was going to come along, luckily the author had the latest complication in Hollie's life, all lined up and things were destined to get more than a little mixed up!!!
So what was her complication - well it wasn't a what...nope it was a who and he came in the most delicious package, one that she knew she was going to have a problem keeping at arm’s length.
From the time Hollie stepped foot at her sister's party she was caught in the crosshairs of everything that is the Dirt Dogs band because not only is Ash, her sister’s partner a member…No, her main problem was the fact that she was left in no uncertain terms what the bass player Diesel Le has in mind for her!
Oh, I do love a man with a filthy mouth!
So, now Hollie has a choice to make, her safe and solid ex-military man Max or the enigmatic Diesel????
I liked the fact the story had options, that there was enough going on to bring forward genuine anxiety, I wanted what was best for her but I honestly didn’t know which way she should jump, which of the guys was going to be the guy for her?
Diesel gave off a vibe that for much of the time I wasn’t sure I actually understood or wanted to understand, he was everything I expected from someone in his position, I mean he played the perfect part of being a man-whore, but was he more than he let on? Whilst I was initially “team Max” I have to admit that as the story progressed, he really did start to freak me out, he wasn’t all that he appeared to be and that was disconcerting! What exactly was he capable of and what did that mean for Hollie??
But when it came to Diesel , Hollie was like a moth drawn to a flame, he drew her in they had a connection that neither of them could verbalise, their souls seemed connected, and with a cliff hanger of an ending the second book in the duet can't arrive soon enough there are so many questions that I quite simply NEED to have answers too!!