Review: PHENOMENAL story! You won't be disappointed.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 6, 2013
There is nothing better in the book world than absorbing yourself in a Kristen Ashley story. At Peace is close for being my favorite of hers. I'm not sure anyone will beat Hop and Lanie because I love Hop so much but Cal and Violet come dangerously close. At Peace made me laugh, it made me angry and frustrated, and it made me cry; most of all it made me feel for these two. Both of these characters have been through absolute pain, their back stories are heart breaking, the peace they find within themselves because of each other is so gratifying as the reader.Violet Winters is my idea of the quintessential heroine. I love that Kristen Ashley doesn't write weak women. Kristen Ashley writes brave, in your face, fabulous women. Violet is admirably strong, knows exactly what her and her girls needs and isn't afraid to go after it. She's naive and cute. She's fierce and loyal. She's been through the ringer and has come out clean. We see so much of her strength through her girls and the admiration they have for her. Violet is their pillar and Cal picks up on that immediately. She's a good mom; she listens, she understands, she gives an inch and because of that her girls respect her. The feelings she has for those girls and for Cal was so heartwarming. Violet gives him exactly what he needs and she's the perfect woman for the job. The family they become is awesome.Joe Callahan frustrated the bejeezus out of me for about 20% of this story but he TOTALLY REDEEMS HIMSELF, seriously he does, tenfold. I can't even focus on the frustration I felt for him because from about 47% on, he's a dream come true for the Winters girls. He's a strong, scary man but he's broken and beat down. Violet helps pull his head out, saves him from drowning in himself. They argue and it's funny. As a typical KA alpha male, he takes no bull and gives it straight. As a typical KA alpha female, she gives it as good as she gets it. Those two facts make for great reading alone. He knew it the moment he saw her that she'd be his undoing, it just took him a while to figure out he wanted to be undone. What he does for those women is phenomenal. He assimilates himself into their lives seamlessly, like he was always supposed to be there. Rooting himself in deep and they all need him to and respect that he did. They know he'd do anything for them even before he makes his ultimate move. Juggling between laughing and crying, you'll feel for them as a family, they're amazing. Honest to god, every time Cal pulls on the girls into his chest or kisses the top of their heads I melted, heart flip-flopped, melted.Kate and Keira were completely awesome. They love fiercely too. Their love for their Mom is perfect and the love and protectiveness they feel for Cal is perfect as well. I'm so glad they were such an integral part of this story. They make the hero and heroine stronger, more human. The rest of the supporting cast is just as great. Colt and Feb are back with their undying loyalty to each other and to their circle. All the girls are back and immediately accept Vi. Even Violet's husband is present and it makes you sad and happy knowing the kind of man he was and what he did for his family while he was there to do it. It was uplifting to know the impact he had on their lives and the impact he still makes after his death. Cal's family with their in your face love are hilarious and make you just want to sit at Vinnie's pizzeria with them over good Chianti and pizza pie and just listen.My favorite scenes/chapters are the hood of Cal's '68 mustang; when Cal comes charging in after Vi's parents show up about Sam; Vinnie's pizzeria; the family reunion Vi's and the subsequent shopping trip. My absolute favorite is the very end from Aunt Theresa's POV. Knowing what she tells made my heart soar. It's a great book. Sitting here typing this makes me realize, yeah, this is my favorite. Thank you Kristen Ashley, again, for strong alpha males, their strong alpha women and their engrossing love stories.