Review: Strong & Appealing Characters In an Emotionally Engaging Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
It's books like this that have contributed to the increasing popularity of the New Adult genre.  With realistic characters, gritty life experiences, and a feeling of sensuality permeating the story it's easy to get caught up in the lives of the characters and root for their HEAs amidst adversity.Emma is a small town girl with a father who's a preacher.  Her life seemed set in stone until she realized she wanted more for herself and left it all behind for the big city.  She didn't leave everything behind though as she still retains some of the religious beliefs ingrained in her from her father and has chosen to abstain from sex until marriage.  Meeting the sexy Breck makes keeping that vow difficult as everything about him fascinates her against her better judgement.  As their relationship evolves he becomes a bigger part of her life after he takes it upon himself to protect her from the dangers of the city.  She's a strong-willed girl but in some areas still seems to doubt herself which makes me happy she has Breck watching out for her.  She's immensely likable and kind hearted and though her attraction to Breck might not make sense in the long-term, it's obvious how good they are together as they bring support to and meet an emotional need each have been missing until they met.Breck is the quintessential bad boy but there's definitely more to him than what it seems, maybe even more than he thinks of himself.  He's a man-whore who enjoys women and sex without strings attached.  Meeting Emma profoundly changes him and though he knows he shouldn't taint her with his presence he too can't help being drawn to her.  He struggles with her religious beliefs but everything else about her fascinates him and has him becoming her protector and ultimately more in a romance that's sweet yet sensual and rocky once his past comes back to haunt him.  Breck is drool-worthy and a bit possessive, protective of those he cares about, and as the story progresses we dig deeper to see someone worthy of love.Along with the appealing main characters are a colorful cast of secondary ones.  From the lovable and supportive Jess and Gavin, who I'd love to see more of as he's a sexy and gentle giant of a man, these are friends you can always count on.  The villains are just that, from drug dealers showing the gritty underbelly of the city looking to drag others down, to catty women teeming with jealousy looking to destroy love and self-esteem.  All of these characters add vibrancy to an already intense story and keep you tightly immersed in the story.  Though certain events may seem predictable the outcomes are not and it all combines to make an unforgettable story.  Using dual POVs the author gives greater insight into these main characters that you can't help but be drawn to despite their human foibles.  Once the final page is turned you're left with a smile on your face and wanting to read it again.  Here's to a talented author and hopefully another book based in this world as there's plenty of stories left to tell.