Review: A fantastic sequel to this series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2014
We first met Tristan and Leah in Can't Go Home.There is no doubt about the kind of man Tristan is. He is a complete jerk. Typically I luuuuuuve me the jerk (the worse the better), but I think even he was a bit much for me to take at times. He's spent his entire life trying to matter to his father, to gain his respect and love. Two things that prove to be utterly impossible to obtain. But he had a glimmer of something good once, something that he thought he ruined.Leah wasn't new to the world of one night stands, after losing her mother she allowed her life to spin quickly out of control. But just as she is gaining control again the man that unknowingly changed her path is standing right in front of her. For weeks, Tristan has been coming into her bar and one night after a few drinks she can no longer deny that she wants him. But when she wakes in the morning everything she thought she could hold in her hands was lost. A plan was set into motion and three years later she's trying to undo all the damage that she caused.Leah finally made something of herself. She's an artist and owns her own gallery, she may have a man on her arm that is nothing more than a companion, but she doesn't need that kind of passion in her life. Three years have passed since she woke up in that hotel room alone, since she blackmailed Chet O'Donnell and lied about being raped. But it's finally time to make it right, well as right as she can.When Leah heads south for Dre & Kathryn's wedding she didn't expect to see Tristan there. But now that he is, she gets her chance to say she's sorry for what she did. But both of these two have amends to make for a mistake that might have wrecked something beautiful. Tristan's eyes are slowly opening to all the wrong he has done in his life, the choices that he's made. With the knowledge that he needs to make a change before it's too late he knows what he wants. Leah.I loved the format of how this story was told. The story begins in present day, Leah trying to pay for her sins and just as she is able to clear the skeletons from her closet we are tossed back into the past and get to see just how that night played out. How much more that night was to both of them. Tristan seriously was the biggest jerk until about 50% where he did do a really quick 180 (a tad too quick), but we get to see why he was just so bitter about every part of his life.His second chance, not only with Leah but with his brother and sister - a chance to finally have the family he's always wanted but never had. Seeing how free Piper and Dre are without their father's shadow looming above he finally sees what kind of happiness he can have, if he just makes the choice to take it.The only part that bothered me was the speed in which he transforms from what can only be called an epic jerk into prince charming. I know the pages are limited to really have allowed to see this growth play out and maybe this man lurked beneath the surface all along and just needed the right set of circumstances to finally be set free... but I just didn't get that feeling from him at the very start of the story, so that was not something I could hold on to as a reason. But, I still loved it once he pulled his head out of his butt.Leah's character was much stronger than I expected, even though she had her moments of weakness. It was as if she was missing something that gave her a reason to be strong. She needed someone so that she could regain that strength. I loved how her story was told throughout this book. There were so many little subtle things that made you see a much larger picture of just who this girl was. That may have something to do with the the minor issue I had with Tristan's character... Leah was showcased beautifully and there seemed to a few layers that we got to peel back throughout the book, with Tristan it felt like we missed out on that discovery process.I am looking forward to more from this series, not sure if Piper or Sydney will get their story next but I do know that I will read the heck out of it!