Review: Different than the rest of the series
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 20, 2014
I have very mixed feelings about this book.  When I first read the other reviews (most of which were not complimentary) I didn't immediately give in and buy the book.  The only reason I did buy it, is because I have read the other Hart Family books and wanted to see the story come to a complete ending.  Warning, this book does not give you an ending!! This is the first book of this series that Ella Fox has felt it was necessary to end on a cliffhanger, and after disgesting this for 24 hours now, I'm okay with the cliffhanger.  This is by far the darkest of the books, and I anticipate that the next book will get worse before it gets better.  In the first three books of the series you get to see a HEA for the characters, but you are invested in the family and thats why you keep reading the other books. This book is frustrating because you don't get that HEA, and really you're not sure the characters deserve it, so the cliffhanger is a necessary tool to keep the action moving.Dominque, the Hart sibling this book focuses on, is actually a very hard character to relate to, or even to like.  She has played a very background character in all the other books so it was nice to see a little bit more of her personality, but her character almost immediately turned me off in this. *Spoilers* You learn that something awful happened to her many years ago, and if you've read the series i'm pretty sure you can figure out what that is.  She has let that one thing shape her life, and because of this thing, she has built a life of lies that is so complicated she almost can't escape from it.  Other reviewers have complained that 75% of this book is kind of a backwards in time, retelling and that has bothered them.  But this story is sooooo complicated that you have to have this retelling.  Yes you will have to reread bits and pieces of other characters storylines, but the auther reveals Dominique's feelings and circumstances in those moments.  It's fascinating to see the story from all different perspectives, to understand that each family member is going through their own trials and tribulations.Another review i read, said that the author backed herself into a corner when she made Dominque a lesbian and that getting her out of that relationship in this book came off as sloppy and kind of unbelievable.  I completely disagree.  I think the author knew what she was doing the whole time...remember, Dominique has spun a web of lies for YEARS now and her lesbian relationship is just one more aspect that the author had to unravel.  Honestly, this book is fascinating because you can tell the time and energy the author put into unraveling everything this family has gone through. I will definitely read the next book, and the only reason i give this only 3 stars is because I am not a huge fan of our main character and her web of lies.  Give it a chance, it will probably surprise you.