Review: 4 unexpected stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 30, 2014
"Roses are red, Violets are blue. I'm a f*d up hitman, and nothing rhymes with that."Wow, wow, wow! Otherwise Occupied left me completely consumed and anxious for more. Evan Arden is probably one of the most uniquely complex and interesting characters I've ever read. He wasn't a good guy and he wasn't completely a bad guy but he was just truly damaged and I love him anyway.Evan is an ex-marine turned mob hitman. He was discharged from the Marines after being held as POW for 18 months. Evan lived through hell and he's still haunted with nightmares from what he experienced. When we first met Evan in the Otherwise Alone novella, he was exiled to the Arizona desert after a job went wrong. He was in the desert alone for months and his only companion was his dog Odin until one night a dark haired beauty landed on his door step. Months later he's back in Chicago with that one woman on his mind."You endured more than most men ever will. You've had it worse than anyone you ever killed. They died quick and easy. You've been dying since they brought you home from that war."The book is strictly told in Evan's point of view and we delve into all his dark thoughts, flashbacks, and his loneliness. Evan is good at what he does, he’s the best. He was unapologetic for the things he did as a hit man and he was cold, calculated, and loyal to his boss. He wants to get back in his bosses' good graces and does everything to prove his commitment. Even though he did bad things, I still loved him, and I was still cheering for him to find some sort of happiness."While the water poured over me, images of long, smooth dark hair - almost black, but not quite - and matching dark eyed flooded my mental vision. I could almost feel her smooth skin against my palms."Evan doesn't usually do relationships and in his line of work, getting close to anyone is dangerous. He’s a ladies man though and he can't have the one he wants so he finds a substitute. I don't want to giveaway to much but it was very different sort of relationship. It wasn't strictly about sex but it some of the comfort that he needed.This book was intense and I didn't want to put it down. The last few chapters had me freaking out and I was so nervous to see how it would end in this book. I loved Shay Savage’s writing! She has an amazing way of capturing emotions and drawing you into a book. This was amazing story and I can't wait to read the next book.