Review: 5 Well Deserved Stars
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2014
This book was so much more than I what I had imagined. It was the typical angsty set up that I tend to love in books: boy with demons, girl with past heartache, lots of sexual tension between them. While the labels apply they do little in explaining how much more this story conveys.I attribute my love of this story to the wonderful writing by Nathan. Literally, the prologue itself blew me away and I was thrilled that the rest of the story affected me the same way. Told in alternating POV's we get the story of Hayden and Alex.Hayden had an abusive past and was witness to horrible events. Shuffled around through the foster system he befriends Remy. Remy and Hayden work as the collection agency for a bookie, if you catch my drift. On top of that lifestyle, he tends to lose himself in booze and women. That was his lifestyle until Alex comes into his life. Hayden is intrigued by this girl who lives across the hall with his landlady. She is sad and looks lost which is something he understands. Once he meets her he realizes she is more.Alex has lost everything and she finds herself starting over, broken and alone. The tears finally stop when she meets Hayden. Aside from his good looks and incredible physique she senses a familiarity in him. He seems to understand her. Not only that, he has become her savior.I loved Hayden and Alex's story because both characters are real, their emotions are raw and they simply are perfect for each other. Alex's sarcasm was refreshing. Though she was developing feelings for Hayden and Hayden continued to screw up she handled it well. She didn't become some whiny heroine. I loved how she stood up for herself but not to the point where she let forgiveness go to the wayside.Hayden had his issues. There were times I wanted to strangle him, but for the most part he was still a decent guy, especially once he started letting Alex in. He wanted to be better for her but his past made it difficult. I loved how he tried but did I mention there were times her made me want to strangle him.Nathan did a wonderful job bringing Hayden and Alex's story to life. I loved how Nathan eased us in to Alex's traumatic past. It didn't wind up being one of those stories where you are like "really, that is all it was" or "omg can all that even happen to one person". Even better, when we get the climax, I truly was on the edge of my seat. It was written so well I was able to experience the emotions and the pain. The best part though is that the Epilogue is the icing on the cake. We get a HEA in this wonderful stand alone book and truly believe it needs to be on everyone's TBR list.Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review