Review: My review from MustReadBooksOrDie
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 12, 2014
I reviewed this at MustReadBooksOrDie with my friend Shelley!Shelley: You know, I don't think I've read a story like Bee's before...I found her story so interesting and the thoughts she had about how she fit in with her family...and in general... were so raw and honest and really things I had never thought about. I mean how does one find normalcy after a kidnapping? It cannot come easy. Courtney: I was pretty blown away by the back story for Bee. It was so original and brought even more to the story for me than I already was expecting from Maddox.Shelley: Maddox also doesn't have it easy. He carries a ton of guilt for his connection to his family drama. He completely douches out and closes himself off from everyone and is basically a prick to anyone who comes into contact with him. Courtney: I loved Maddox's character in Facade, but knew that his journey back to happiness was not likely to be easy in his own installment. That is definitely true. Wow. His ability to ice out others is legendary, but luckily he is still a likable character and I kept right on rooting for him to open up!Shelley: We understand early on that both of these characters have a tough time voicing the painful and personal hurts but are shockingly honest about things that most people would normally lie about. Because of their inability to share the deeper parts of themselves they connect on other levels--mainly their love of tattooing and art. This common bond opens the doors for more honest conversations and time spent learning about each other, when they are bickering about everything. Courtney: This part of the story was seriously awesome. The parts of Bee that she can't come to terms with the most about love. And how it puts this expectation on you to be something for or to another person, and heavily questions why that is. Why can't we just be without expectations and disappointments? Maddox and Bee explore this idea a lot throughout this novel, and I enjoyed that aspect very much.Shelley: While it's low in angst, it's high in emotion. These two are deeply wounded and each of their interior monologues are painful and frustrating ( you want to hug and punch them both --at various times). I loved their story--the honesty, the prickly-ness, the chemistry, and that whole kidnapping thing. What a great addition to this series. I'm so glad we finally go to know why Maddox was such a closed off DB and I also loved that Bee was the one that was his 'person'. Courtney: What she said. I also enjoyed the appearances of Colt and Cheyenne (minimally) and Adrian and Laney (quite a bit). We see how they're doing and coping with the past and the present, and everyone is still working hard to move forward every single day. I love that while there are happily ever afters, life is still real dang life...and times are still hard...but Nyrae Dawn's depiction of the journey is still one that will stick with me for a long time.Shelley: 4 StarsCourtney: 4 Stars