Review: Amazing story, but NOT for HEA readers!!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 4, 2014
Nicky's Review3 StarsCharacters- I LOVED the characters. They are so well written. Ace and London are super hot together!Plot/Storyline- Okay, the plot and story were AMAZING! I couldn't put the book down. The love story (not your conventional hearts and flowers relationship, but I loved that) was awesome and the added drama and action just made this story addictive. It was a great emotional and mental ride ;)Steam Factor- Get out your sham wow panties!! Ace KNOWS how to please a woman and things get down and dirty at times. Raw and hot as hell!!Cover- Sexy, just like ACE!!Cliffhanger- Nope. This is a standalone. No HEA though.Overall- I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY enjoyed this book... all the way up to the end. The end just deflated the whole story for me. The entire book was great and very well written, but I'm a HEA person and this book doesn't deliver for that need.We meet London, who happens to be a walking bad luck charm. Everyone around her dies. First her parents, then her brother, and others. Her whole life is quite upsetting and just one bad circumstance after another.  The loss of her parent's is the reason her brother, Jonah, starts to work for Ace in order to make lots of money to support London with her expenses (housing and college); despite it being illegally earned.  Things go wrong during an exchange and London is left alone with no living relatives.Ace and Jonah were pretty close so Ace takes London in under his wing after Jonah passes.  There is a lot more that goes on between Ace and Jonah that you find out throughout the story and explains the REAL reason why Ace takes in London after Jonah's passing, but I won't go into that so that you can enjoy the story yourself.When Ace and London interact, there is a strong attraction and they both lust for each other. The sexual tension is fun to read as well as the actual sex. Their sexual interactions are so raw and primal and sexy as hell. Ace makes me want to start dressing in silk and pearls.... wink,wink.The story's ability to pull you in with the love story and the action/suspense aspect was perfectly executed.  The writing was spot on with plot/story details and character development. I was consumed with the story and was happy with the flow and delivery throughout the entire book. There was never a moment where I wanted to set the book down unless I had to. That was... until the end!! I wanted to throw my iPad and then call Shanora myself and ask her why she would just keep dealing London a rotten hand in life. The ending was so frustrating, but I am an HEA addict, so if you're good with an ending that doesn't end happily (because not all stories do, but I avoid them) then I HIGHLY recommend you read this book because the story is AMAZING and you will love it!!Shanora, I tip my hat to you in your amazing ability to tell a story. I ate up every last word and was able to fully lose myself in your story, BUT the ending girl!! I needed an HEA after all the crap London had to deal with in life, I needed it for me and for her. Thank you for the escape and for giving us the privilege to read your creative work. XOXO ;)***Favorite Quotes:“You don’t scare me,” I whisper. Revealing a simple dimple, he says, “Really? ‘Cause you should be terrified.”"I shouldn't be getting close to her. Getting too close is dangerous for both of us. Spending time with her is wrong, but something inside me enjoys it. There's some part of me that likes her laugh, her smile, her jokes, her careless attitude. I don't want to get close, but the closer I get, the less I feel like I'm a monster or a threat. The more I feel... alive. Human.""Yes. Love. It's what we feel... we just aren't brave enough to admit it to each other. We have too much pride. We're too afraid of the outcome... the future. We're too afraid to love damaged goods. Monsters. Crooks. Loners. We fear losing something that means so much to us after being alone for so long. We fear falling because We're falling into the unknown."