Elsie
My eyes may have opened that morning, but the nightmare had only just begun. Not only had I lost my parents, but I didn’t even get the chance to grieve their deaths. I had to run, go into hiding, or I’d face their same fate. All I had left in this world was my best friend, and although I trusted him completely, I wasn’t sure about the place he had taken me. He swore I’d be safe with his cousins. But being told that these strangers who were going to protect me were also members of the southern mafia didn’t make me feel very safe.
Forge
We didn’t have time for this. My mom’s nephew hadn’t been around in years, yet he was dropping off some girl for us to protect while we were facing my mother’s battle with cancer. While the others in my family thought we should help the girl, I didn’t see how this was our problem. Her dad had been DEA and he should have protected his family better. No one asked my opinion, though, and here she was with those silver eyes shadowed with a heaviness that I understood. Grief. Pain. Loss. The fear that had gripped me from the moment of my mother’s diagnosis.
I’d save her, alright, but the one I was going to have to save her from was me.
Review:
I’ll be honest–a little past 90% I was starting to get a little worried that this was another to be continued in the next book, out in a month, maybe! story–talk about waiting until the literal last minute with that epic grand gesture, Forge! And I’d already read the author’s note at the beginning when she talked about the next book, which isn’t theirs…seriously, it was that late in the book.
I would have actually have liked to see Forge figure his sh*t out, as much as I loved his gesture (and I did love it!), because the last time Elsie saw him before that was not OK. Yes, his actions were pretty on brand for these heroes, but after what she’d already been through that month? Not OK.
Still, overall I enjoyed this one–it’s pretty standard fare from Ms Glines, so if you’re a fan it won’t disappoint. Elsie is all kinds of sweet and in need of some major TLC (and therapy, let’s be honest) after what happened to her family; Forge is the usual Southern Mafia hero, out to get as much no-strings s*x as he can and thinking the past heroes are all crazy for tying themselves down to just one woman. Until he find his woman, of course–then he spends the next 70% of the book in denial of his feelings while being alternately sexy and scary AF; your standard morally dark, dark grey hero from Ms Glines. I do look forward to seeing them again in the next book–it runs at least somewhat concurrent to this one–and finding out what happens with his mother <3
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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