Review: Always left wanting more!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 13, 2014
Check out [...] for this and other reviews!Like I’ve come to expect from any Jessica Sorensen story, the story sucked me in, put me through the wringer, and then left me wanting more. So much more. I’ll throw my comment about the proofreading in the beginning unlike my minor diatribe in my Callie & Kayden review from yesterday … and while not quite as full of errors, there were still more than I’d think from a traditional publisher. But that’s all I’ll say about that. About this book …I’ve dug Luke since we first met him in The Coincidence of Callie + Kayden. I couldn’t wait to learn more about him–especially after reading The Redemption of C + K and getting the small-ish glimpse into his home life. Something didn’t seem right about his mom … at all … but it ended up being different than I thought it would be. So point one for not being what I predicted. I like to be caught off guard.Luke’s slutty tendencies used to mask his crazy pain worked for him–until he met Violet. He never cared about anyone other than himself. He couldn’t. Barely able to take care of himself, and really not doing a good job of that at all, he didn’t have the energy to worry about another person. Hooking up with a chick was a means to an end."I’ve never wanted to get to know anyone before. I’ve never even been out on a date. Each woman I’ve been with, I’ve only been with once. Just sex. That’s all it’s ever about. And I’ve never wanted anything more. Until now."Violet’s retelling of her childhood made me so sad. Because of the fictional character attachment, but also because I know this isn’t a fictional thing for many people. Thinking of either of my own kids ever having to endure something like that makes me sick to my stomach. But she somehow manages, and while it turns her into this hardened person, much like Luke, she gets by and it works for her–until she meets Luke."I hate moving. Not just from house to house, but from family to family. I hate moving my legs and arms, moving forward in my life, because it usually means I’m going to someplace new. If I had my way, I’d remain motionless, never moving forward, never going anywhere.I feel content in a dark hole of numbness; a place where I can feel okay being the child that no one wants."The chemistry between Violet and Luke was great from the very beginning. The attracted disinterest both of them had toward one another was really well written, and you could actually feel the sexual tension. I loved that as I got further into the story, I experienced both the barriers breaking down–from each of them. It was a slow build, but I know it was done intentionally. To keep with the characters’ personalities, it had to happen that way, and it worked. Jessica has this great way of writing the most intensely tortured characters. And even though you might not have any idea what it’s like to live a life like theirs, you can’t help but empathize with them on some human level. You want to read to make sure they’re okay. You root for them, feel their pain, celebrate small successes.In terms of what was to come, I did have an idea of where it was going. And that’s okay. But I guess I forgot, which was dumb of me, just how much Jessica likes to leave her readers gasping for air. I knew it would end somewhere along the lines of where it did, but it did still throw me off a bit. I guess I just couldn’t prepare myself enough. Plus, I had gotten so attached to both Luke and Violet, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye–especially not without the closure or at least a tossed bone.I do wish we would’ve gotten a bit more of Callie + Kayden in this book. I realize why it worked that they weren’t in it, but I think if Luke was going through that much hardship, Kayden would’ve known a bit more about it? I realize neither of them are really chatty, but it just felt like there was more of a disconnect than I expected. Seth, though, as you could expect, was just as great in this book. And I liked the tiny glimpse of Greyson we got as well.Overall, I really, really liked this book. And of course, as always, I’m dying for the next installation. I can honestly say there aren’t many series that I would continue to follow where I was dragged through the mud, only to be left tethered at the end. But for some reason, maybe I’m just a masochist, but I have to keep reading. I want to know more. So, here I am again, waiting! I highly recommend reading this book, and really, you don’t have to start with the Callie + Kayden books first, but you could, because you’d get a touch of a background on Luke, but it’s definitely not necessary. Either way, prepare to feel every emotion and be taken on quite a ride!