Review: Perfect Conclusion to The Best Dark Series!  5+++++++ Stars!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 20, 2014
OMG!!!  I loved this book.  It is by far my favorite book of the WHOLE SERIES!!!!  I was literally without words when I finished it.  I thought I loved Tony until I read this book!  There were times where I went back and forth about Tony…… even in the companion novels.  This book solidified by undying love to that man!!!I always questioned Tony’s love for Claire because he was originally obsessed with her.  Even when I read the companion novels, I questioned it.  What I loved about this book was that we knew for a fact that he loved her.  The things he did for her undoubtable proved his undying love to her which made my heart melt even more for him.In this book, we go back through Tony’s eyes and see what happened during the two years that Claire was institutionalized.  Which means, we get to see what happened from the time Claire shot Catherine forward, but from Tony’s perspective.At the first, I was extremely hesitant about reading this book.  I loved Tony and the thought of reading about Tony in jail about killed me.  And when I read it……. It broke my heart.  There were several times in this book that I was tearing up and wanted to strangle someone for what Tony was experiencing.I know that this series is quite controversial but I love the whole series.  And this book was the perfect conclusion to this series.  I was really blown away and I’m not just saying that!  Soooo many authors draw out their series to the point that I have several DNF books for huge authors because I hated the 3rd book.  For me it always feels like someone is dragging out the ending.  But not this book.  This book gave you soooo much more depth to the series and which allowed it to have the perfect conclusion.SLIGHT SPOILERS!Some of my extra thoughts on different things………First off, I hated Emily in this book.  HATED HER!!!  I get why she did the things she did.  Think about it.  If someone you loved was kidnapped, beaten, raped and brainwashed what would you do to keep that person safe?!?  Especially after you got to read a book about what truly happened!  But still……… my love for Tony override that!  I think in part it was because we got to go into his mind and Claire’s mind to have a better understand of what was going on.  Therefore, I wanted to reach through my iPad and drop kick her!!!The book at least did give a good conclusion for Emily, John and Tony.  They realized what he gave up in order to save them.  That he risked his freedom and happiness to keep them safe.  So, it was nice to watch that progression over time.There were secondary characters that I absolutely loved in this series:Brent and Courtney:I loved that they stuck by Claire and when they told Tony about them being the ones who set her free… he thanked them.  I think that showed how much Tony had changed.  From being the manipulative control freak/boss/friend to actually being true friend was beautiful.  I loved seeing their friendship evolve in this book.Harry:Oh Harry!  To see him put the pieces together about Amber was horrible.  How does a brother investigate his own sister……… ugh!!  I felt for him.  But when he told Emily and John about the deal the FBI made with Tony…… and how he gave that up to save them…… perfect!!Phil:**SWOON**  Phil is by far my favorite secondary character and I’ve already told Aleatha that I want Phil to have his own book.  I have loved Phil from day one!  If fact, I need a button that say’s “I love Phil!!”  No matter what, he was always looking out for Claire.  Even in this book.  Tony asked Phil if he would continue watching over Claire and he never stopped!  He always made sure that she was okay.  He even breaking some laws to make sure!!Additional Thoughts:I run a group on goodreads and there was a lively discussion over there about this book about how I could sit, read it, and love Tony.  So I thought I would include some of my thoughts for those who struggle with this nature of this series since some people ask me how I could read this series or love a rapist…….Tony did have consequences for his actions hence jail! In real life do I think he received enough time, no, but then restitution lies with the victim and I know Claire forgave Tony.  In the end, her opinion is the one that matters.I worked with people who have gone through and done some of the worst things in life to others. But for me personally, if someone is willing to admit their mistakes and genuinely work hard to change then I will give them a second chance.I think the author did an amazing job and showing how someone can change. Do I think all people change, hell NO!!!  But I think there is a small percentage.Like I’ve said to many…. in the first book I wanted to literally kill Tony!  In the 4th there were times where I was like how did he only get two years. After reading it you see how technicalities work in real life. How people’s time gets reduced! THAT IS REAL!! Which is crazy to me! CRAZY!!! But real.Personally, this is why I loved this book. There was no disconnect for me. I’ve worked with these situations day in and day out at various levels for almost 10 years!!! So for an author to be able to write a character like this that I could love is UNFATHOMABLE!! And maybe that is why I love it even more. Because I’ve worked both sides of this issues……. and that shows how talented someone can be.Again, in real life the likelihood is very slim that I would love Tony. But, series takes place for a span of 8 years and you get to see real progress if you’ve read every one of the books!There were even therapy sessions in this book that Tony cringe at.  He didn’t want to see what he had done.  He didn’t want to face the realities of his relationship with Claire but he did!  He did two years of INTESIVE THERAPY!!!  (FYI:  Aleatha did really good with writing those scenes, we all know I hate it when someone butchers mental health stuff!!)Tony got his HEA because he was willing to walk through fire, step up to the plate and take ownership for what he did to Claire (again, you must read all the books to see this). He literally, knowing, admitted everything when he didn’t have to and wait to jail because he wanted to show the world that what he did was wrong and was willing to make amends for it! That was the turning point for me! He knowing put someone else’s life over his knowing he would go to jail. He didn’t make excuses in the end.  He admitted that he was messed up in the head and dealt with it! That is amazing progress!!!Aleatha is an amazing talented and brilliant writer!  I’ve never read a series that took me on this level of emotional ups and downs!  I literally had a panic attack reading the first book and by time I hit the 4th book I would have defend Tony with everything I have.  That’s talent!This book is not for everyone, but if you love dark reads, this is my favorite series for that!  No one and I mean no one writes dark books like Aleatha!Rating: 5++++++++++++++ Stars!!(A book that I will re-read over and over and over again!!)**Special thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**