Review: I cried. I laughed. I loved.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 30, 2013
I had been on the fence about this book. I'm not going to lie. Indie authors scare the crap out of me a lot these days. I often have no idea what I'm getting into and even more so when it's a new author. After much debate and a push from a fellow blogger, Natasha is a Book Junkie, telling me this author gives you in-your-face heroines, I decided to give it ago. I'm happy to say I loved every flipping minute of this book and it, without a doubt, will be one of my favorites this year.Delilah "Lily" is sheltered. She lives in this bubble that her father has created for her and her sister that gives her very little interactions with the outside world. Her father fears for their safety with good reason and takes overprotective to a whole new level. Her world is dull and she lives vicariously through the characters in her books. The thing about a sheltered life is that sometimes you don't always realize just how dull it really is until you're thrown into a whole new life and that's exactly what happens to Lily.One evening she is abruptly kidnapped and taken to a safe house. We quickly learn this was for her own good and are now camped out in this safe house for what I believe is a few months. This is where we fall in love with ALL of the characters.The majority of the book takes place in the safe house. This is where we get to watch Lily grow and really experience life for herself and not through the pages of a book. She encounters the simple things like friendship, love, and many of her firsts there. It was funny, endearing, and some of her first experiences seemed so real. I could actually think back to some of my own and relate, so not only was I laughing because it was hysterical, but I was laughing because I got it and the author connected me with Lily. It was brilliant. Lily could be so strong at times and at others she could crumble. No matter how tough we want to be sometimes you just break and I like that. It's real, it's relatable, and it brought Lily to life for me.Nox, our hero of the story and "kidnapper," I truly loved. Not only is he an alpha male, but he's sweet. I don't know about everyone else, but I am sick of the Ahole alphas that seem to be running all around our Kindles these days. It seems like authors have to take a guy and make him an utter a$$ so they can show his progression. It also gives them a base for a story they know can draw some emotion from us because rage from a reader is the easiest to obtain while keeping us somewhat engaged. That was not the case here. Not only did Ms. Aurora get me completely engaged, she did it while giving me a hero who is good to his core... not because someone changed but because this is who he is.I know the cover looks dark and while I did shed some tears, this is not a dark story. This is a story about growth, sacrifice, friendship, love, and loss. It's not often you find a book that gives you everything you need; a relatable heroine that you understand, a hero worth truly loving, side characters who you would beg to get their own book, laughs that you can't contain, sex that was done right when the scene called for it, and tears; both painful and joyful. I cried. I laughed. I loved.Mistress M