Review: Characters had great chemistry and story left me needing more!!!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2013
Being a fan of Karice Bolton, I was more than willing to read and review this book. I had only read her paranormal, but she does romance really great, so I was really excited to dive into this new adult book. It was a very touching and emotional story. A bit predictable, but still incredibly good. Let me warn you in advance though, if you are not a fan of cliffhangers, I would hold off on reading this until at least the next book is out. This is not just a cliffhanger, it's an "OMG YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!!" cliffhanger. Since I am a sucker for cliffhangers, it didn't bother me too much, but it's an intense place to leave off. The main story is mostly resolved, but this cliffhanger leads into a different part of the story. One thing is for sure. Karice Bolton knows how to make you need more.Gabby is one of those characters that takes a while to grow on you. She is in a bad mental place because of her mothers death, her brother leaving, and her father always being away. She has everything she wants, a great job, plenty of money, and a fantastic best friend, but it's hard to move past the things that have happened to her. She loses herself in her work, and wants control of everything in her life since so much in her past has been out of her control. I get that need that she has, but she did get a little irritating at times with not just going with things once in a while. She has been hurt, and still lives with the pain of loss in a number of ways, but I didn't like that she was so unwilling to let anyone in or do anything that she isn't completely in control of. She does learn to let go after a while and learns that things are beyond her control sometimes, and not all of it is bad. It just took her a while to get to that point. She is a forgiving, smart, and compassionate person though.Jason was fantastic. I am usually a sucker for the guys in these types of stories, but he really deserves the praise. He is a bit on the arrogant side at first, but it's all in good nature. He doesn't come across as a tool. He builds custom motorcycles for a living, and doesn't really seem to care one way or another whether Gabby is into him or not. He is obviously interested, but he doesn't play her hard to get game. When they finally do become more, it's hard for him to tell his secrets about his past, but he is willing to open up. His past is devastating and a harsh reality too, but unlike Gabby, he doesn't let it control him. He has tried to move past things to the best of his ability. It doesn't mean he hurts any less, but he knows he can't fix things. He is sensible and smart, and has found a way to channel his hurt without trying shutting himself off from life.Their chemistry was amazing and apparent right from the start. On that note, I do believe this was very insta-lovey. I am not a fan of how fast they become entangled in each others lives and fell for each other, but it did make for a great story packed full of emotion and some super steam and sexiness. There was a lot of back and forth that also started to wear on me, mostly from Gabby's end. There is a lot of drama involved, but it's the kind I like. It made their relationship very in depth in such a short time. They face a lot of challenges together, but I felt that it made their bond that much better.The story was great and was able to keep me wanting more even though I could always tell what was coming. Others may not pick up on all of the things I did since I do tend to way over think things and can be too perceptive for my own good. I also though there was a lot of super tragic things that happened and it was almost overwhelming. I really loved all of the side characters in the story too and can't wait to learn more about them in future books. That brings me back to the MAJOR cliffhanger that the book ends on. I seriously need the next book almost as much as I need air. It totally leaves us hanging at a super intense moment. Gabby and Jason's story isn't what we are left wondering about though. That is pretty resolved at the end, but other things that are happening in the story are what we are left needing to know. This book was fabulous even with my knowing what was happening and my slight irritations at some of the things that happen. I will definitely be continuing this series!!*An advanced copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any compensation.