Review: Raw and gritty and full of emotional upheaval
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2013
Rating: A ... Heat: HotI did not want to read Shooting Scars. That may sound odd but Sins and Needles and On Every Street gave me the mother of all book hangovers. I couldn't read another book for two plus days. Ellie, Camden and Javier just wrecked me. I found myself so drawn into their story, their drama, their unlikely romances, that I couldn't bring myself to leave their world. I knew Shooting Scars would leave me reeling and unable to move on. I knew it would blow my mind and make the next book I read pale in comparison. And it did.When we last left these three in Sins and Needles, Javier gave Ellie a choice: come with him and he'd let Camden go or things wouldn't be very fun for Camden and his family. Considering that's really no choice at all, Ellie left with Javier. What Javier has planned for Ellie... it's everything she used to dream about and nothing she wants anything to do with anymore.Javier wants... well, I'm not sure exactly what he wants. I'm not sure even Javier truly knows. But what he tells Ellie he wants is Travis Raines. More specifically, Travis Raines dead--and he'd like Ellie to do it. Can she? Will she? Being back with Javier stirs up old feelings and more than a little bit of resentment. Being around Javier brings out the Bad Ellie that's she tried so hard to bury. With the threat of Camden's continued safety hanging over heard, there's not much Ellie won't do.Meanwhile, Camden has - once again - been screwed over. With nothing left to loose and everything to gain by finding Ellie, Camden seeks out the only person who might be able to help him: Gus. Thrown into a deceitful new world, Camden's going to need all the help he can get. He's also going to have to go to dark places and do his fair share of dirty deeds in order to get Ellie back... All while wondering if she even wants him to rescue her.Javier, Javier, Javier. Where to even start? Maybe by admitting I am drawn to him and scared of him in equal measures? He's not good, that's for sure, but a part of me wants him to be redeemable. Some men are dangerously handsome. Javier is deadly handsome. And he sure knows how to wreak havoc and wreck people's lives--including his own. He is definitely not on his best behavior in this book. And yet there are still these moments, glimmers, of a better Javier--a Javier who actually cares.Shooting Scars is raw and gritty and full of emotional upheaval. Ellie and Javier. Camden and Gus. Four lives, one complicated web. Halle has woven danger and intrigue together masterfully. She draws you into a world of lies, distrust, and mayhem. There are so many twists and turns that you never know what's coming next. She makes you invest in each character. The reader's relationship with Ellie, Camden, and Javier feels personal and intense. I don't know where Halle is going to take us in Bold Tricks but you can bet I'm along for the ride!