Review: Compelling Read, Emotionally Intense With a Charming Hero
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 30, 2014
As a child the future seems full of possibilities, but as we grow up things happen that derail those dreams.  For Star and Shane those things were tragic and life-altering and left both emotional and physical scars behind.  It's this mutual pain that brings them together while their age difference (and her fear of opening up) have her fighting their obvious attraction.  With her past getting closer to her everyday it's Shane and her newfound circle of friends that will stand beside her and help her acheive the new dreams Shane's love and support has fostered in her.Star never knew her father and her mother cared more about men than her daughter.  Looking for love in all the wrong places led her to Derek who abused her mentally and physically.  He took away her self-esteem, her trust in others, and turned her into a scared mouse who hated herself for being unable to leave.  Realizing that it was only a matter of time before he kills her has her running for her life and into a small town where she finds an unexpected sense of family and a young man who truly understands her and gives her back everything Derek beat out of her.  Slowly Star regains her self-esteem, becomes more outspoken and vocal, and starts dreaming of the future instead of just existing.  I admired this new Star and applauded her picking herself up and dusting herself off.  Though the age difference between her and Shane bothered her, she needed him to heal and I'm glad she finally allowed herself the happiness of being with him.Shane once had dreams too, as the star basketball player with a scholarship that was going to get him out of his small town.  But one bad decision resulted in a car accident that killed his girlfriend and his future because of a permanently damaged knee.  Between that and his mother's death life felt as if it stopped and to find anything worth feeling led him to drugs, drinking, and sex.  He's put all that behind him though the emotional pain still haunts him at night.  He hides his pain well though behind an infectious grin, a charming nature, and being boyishly sexy.  I absolutely adored him and his interactions with Star!  He could sense her trepidation and bonded with her as a friend first before letting her know he wanted more.  All their scenes oozed sexual tension as evidenced by the witty dialogue and playful sexual innuendoes and these interactions put a smile on my face.  Shane is exactly what Star needed and he needed her as well to get him out of his rut and make something of himself to be the kind of man she deserved.This was a hard story to read early on as Derek's abuse was vividly depicted with each blow being felt by us readers.  Knowing Derek wasn't going to give up on Star kept me on edge and added a layer of foreboding to the story as his rage escalated.  Star's evolution from meek to strong-willed though was richly rewarding and cheer-inducing.  Shane was utterly charming and he won me over even more by being open with his feelings and is still in my dreams as he represents the quintessential hero in my mind.  Throw in a delightful cast of secondary characters who help Star resurrect her dreams and you have a powerful and ultimately heartwarming story.  Though the ending felt a bit rushed with Derek's comeuppance not as rewarding as I'd hoped, I still found myself clapping at the end for all the possibilities laid out for Shane and Star.  This was my first book by Ms. Clark but won't be my last as she crafted a compelling story highlighting what draws me to the NA genre and I highly recommend it!