This book has not been written, it has been crafted. And it has been done so beautifully.
It is not an easy story, it covers some sensitive subject matter and some readers may find it a very tough read but I will say that it is handled with kid gloves and there details are treated with reverence.
While I would love to wax lyrical about the book and completely go to town on my review, but I really can’t because it would be detrimental to the enjoyment you would get when you read the book for yourself.
But what can I say, well you will be completely blow away by the story of Jules, Dante and Holden.
Jules has lived cruelly subjugated by those around her. Her victimization was complete, it was abhorrent but it was the life she had and she did what she had to survive. Her humanity and spirit where the parts of her that she could control and contain and using an inner strength that I could only hope to have, she survived and eventually found the help she needed.
And that came in the delicious shape of Dante and Holden Riley.
These guys gave her the encouragement to stand tall and make her statement, forge her place in the world and make it one that counts. She fought to create a woman in her that she was proud of, he expanded her horizons by feeding her mind at college and she insured that she was always going to be force to be reckoned with by building not only strength but confidence when she decided to take self-defence lessons.
I loved the Riley boys, they were like chalk and cheese but they each brought their own brand of alpha to each and every page.
Holden had that whole glorious good guy vibe going on, musclebound fitness god, he was just what any woman would want, he worked every emotional combination, proving that he could listen and provide support but when necessary, he was going to bring that alpha tendency that he hid so well out to play and god help anyone that got in his way. He gave Jules the sort of support and love that completely blew me away.
Dante on the other hand was cut from very different material, he was all alpha, he hid nothing – his alpha was on show permanently and he was proud of it.
But I have to say that initially I found his demeanour hard to take, I suppose I just didn’t understand him but as the book went on I found that his thought process was more open and his emotional opinions made more sense.
He was a good man underneath his armour and I liked that he was willing to try.
The book ebbs and flows and the path that the story meanders through is not clean up and sparkly, it is harsh and in parts harrowing but it has elements of enlightenment, hope and happiness that I like to think I can pin my heart to.
I liked the characters, I loved Holden- honestly he was superb, I hated what had happened to Jules but I found that her strength made her more appealing, it gave her an honesty that I could truly appreciate and well how I eventually felt about Dante – I could write on a stamp – awesome.
The story finished on a twist that I had not expected and I have to say that it was a sharp, move on behalf of the author - congratulations