Review: Most Eligible Bachelor (Billionaires of Manhattan #1) by Annika Martin

TitleMost Eligible Bachelor
Author: Annika Martin
Publisher/Year:  Cinnamon Crane 9/16/21
Length:  300 pages
Series: Billionaires of Manhattan #1

Overview

OMG – the cute little dog I adopted turns out to be a billionaire Maltese! That’s right, my tiny dog just inherited giant corporation! …and the jerky CEO? Not amused.

I’m Vicky, the dog whisperer. (Not really, but that’s what my elderly neighbor says whenever I walk her dog, Smuckers.)When she dies, she surprises everybody by leaving a corporation worth billions to Smuckers…and she leaves Smuckers to me.

Suddenly I go from running my Etsy store to sitting in an elegant Wall Street boardroom with Smuckers in my lap. And my neighbor’s son, Henry Locke, aka New York’s most eligible bachelor, glaring across the table at me.

Rumor has it Henry’s a business genius who’s as talented in the bedroom as he is in the boardroom.

Sure, he’s gorgeous. Sex-in-a-seven-thousand dollar suit. But…He’s arrogant and infuriating.

He refuses to listen to me when I insist I didn’t con his mother.

He thinks he can bully me, buy me off, control me, even seduce me.

Henry may have the women of Manhattan eating out of the palm of his hand, but I’m so over entitled rich guys who think they own the world.

No way will his wicked smile be charming ME out of my panties.

His wicked…devastating…impossible-to-resist smile.

Oh well, who needs panties anyway?

My Thoughts

I have to say that it’s probably a good thing this was one of the stories that’s in ‘Deep Pockets’ the boxed set because i’m not sure that I would have crossed paths with this book on my own. It’s a sweet story – has all the trappings to be something great, but perhaps not for me. I don’t know. At some point I’m sure i’ll get into the second book in the series to see what’s what with Henry’s friend.

Anyway – in this story, we meet our leading lady Vicky (Vonda, Veronica….any V name will do) and she’s in an interesting position. We learn early on that she’s somewhat on the run from something that was so bad that she’s had to change her identity, protect her sister and become something that’s entirely new. We get hints throughout the story of what it was, but don’t get the full story until we’re about 75% done.

Vicky finds herself in an interesting position just as the summary says – she’s become the guardian of a rich woman’s dog after the woman passes and of course everyone is down to believe that she’s a scammer, that she knew the woman was wealthy and wanted to steal her money. Surprisingly that’s not the case even though all the money would do her good.

That’s where Henry comes into the mix. The son that stopped talking to his mother for many reasons, few that he believes are his own fault. His mother was eccentric and that means that there’s really no reasoning with her about anything. They didn’t talk for years leading up to her death and that adds to why things are so interesting when he learns that it’s the dog that inherits everything, and Vicky is the one to ‘interpret’ the dogs wishes.

The story we go through here is one of dishonesty and lies across the board. Henry doesn’t trust Vicky and Vicky is hiding everything from Henry. They form this Hate Hate/Love relationship between them, he hates her, she hates him, and then they have this weird dynamic that shifts things entirely.

Of course, just when things seem like they could be going well. the other shoe drops. Henry’s cousin Brett decides that he’s on this quest to dig up all the dirt and brings back the one person from Vicky’s past that could do real harm to them and that’s exactly what happens. Vicky loses trust in Henry, Henry doesn’t know how to properly fight for anything and they split.

Vicky and her sister are on the run again, new identities, new life and no one knows how their story will end. There’s no trail to follow and Henry’s charmed life seems bleak without her. So…..we have to see where their fairytale goes – what that means for their future and what it means for Locke Worldwide and the livelihood of Vicky and her sister.

I’m sure there are a lot of readers who love this book, and some that would truly enjoy it. It’s not my speed necessarily so while a sweet story, one that I likely would not have picked up on it’s own. But…i’d love to hear what you guys think. So read, and report back. Enjoy!

Review: City of Sin by Ivy Smoak

TitleCity of Sin
Author: Ivy Smoak
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 2/15/16
Length:  422 pages

Overview

The only reason I agreed to go on a blind date were the two Knicks tickets I was promised for my time.

What I didn’t expect was for her to pass on me.
Me, the playboy who never sees the same woman twice.
This has to be a joke.

Now I have no choice but to prove her wrong.
In one week she’ll be begging for me to stay.
Then I’ll say goodbye to her long legs and smart mouth without a second thought.

But when the time comes, will I truly be able to walk away?

My Thoughts

I don’t think that i’ve had the delight of reading anything from this author previously, so it was a nice introduction. What I will say though is that there was enough in this one book that could have branched into a series, and I wonder why that didn’t happen. Anyhow – what we get is a story of a girl who is out of her element in NYC and trying to get back on her feet after life throws a few curve balls her way, and a guy who’s had the world handed to him on a platter, and yet he’s not satisfied.

This story starts with our leading lady Bee in college – she’s just about done with her senior year and is on top of the world. She’s been with her college sweetheart for years now and things are looking up. They have plans to move to New York if he lands an internship and when the good news comes, along comes a proposal. Their future is looking bright.

Of course we all know how this is going to play out and fast forward about a year or so and they are no longer together. The city tends to change people if you want it to, and that’s exactly what happened for Bee’s fiance Patrick. He ultimately falls in love with the underbelly of the city and cheats on Bee, breaking her heart. Where we pick up this story is watching her put her life back together, trying to just survive now that she’s single and alone.

She’s got some great friends who are looking out for her, and we watch how they have the best intentions of getting her mind off Patrick and instead onto a handsome successful guy who can show her a good time.

What happens next – no one expected.

Enter Mason – the son of a very successful father who owns a finance company and is worth billions. Men like this we know are often playboys – they don’t put down roots and they often don’t care about the trail of destruction that they leave behind. When he’s convinced to go out with Bee, he does it for a price, but what he gets out of it he didn’t expect.

The story from here is an interesting roller coaster of sexual tension, power struggle and a fight to understand how it’s possible for a person to change your outlook and approach to life. These two are so opposite yet they compliment each other so well.

There are hiccups along the way – of course it was Mason who took Patrick around and introduced him to parts of the city that changes the dynamic between Bee and him forever so there’s a grudge. There’s a fear that they will never be enough for each other based on a difference in status and that’s also a struggle. Then to add to that, Mason is trying to start his own agency, and Bee is trying to make a name for herself professionally which hasn’t panned out, so there are tensions everywhere. Will it be too much, probably, will they find outlets for some of that, of course….

A campaign goes wrong, people are fired, people are cut off and relationships are left in turmoil. So…..given this is a one book series, you’ll get all the resolutions you need, but perhaps not in the way you expected. Read and find out. Enjoy!

Review: Coercion (Controlling Interest #3) by Amelia Wilde

TitleCoercion
Author: Amelia Wilde
Publisher/Year:  Dangerous Press 1/24/23
Length:  336 pages
Series: Controlling Interest #3

Overview

There’s a fight to the death… and a fight for his heart.

My Thoughts

Alas, a story with barely any summary published! Anyhow – what we get here is the culmination of all things related to Bristol and Will and it’s good! It’s been a roller coaster for this couple – they’ve finally come to terms as to what they mean to each other and how they need to be together some how but then it comes down to safety and finding balance.

We know that Will’s uncertain about his choice to join Hughes and that’s nagging in the back of his mind. When we see the corporation almost implode with the news of Daniel’s dementia, we know that there’s an out and it’s just a matter of time until we see what Will does with that information.

Then there’s Bristol – she’s trying to keep her siblings in a safe and secure home and it’s not easy given that their father is still mixed up with the wrong people. Every time she thinks that she’s able to protect them, to give them stability, something awful happens.

It’s no longer safe in their apartment, and it’s no longer safe in Will’s apartment. (who would have ever thought that). They end up at Emerson’s house and they see what the security of life out there could be and Will decides to make a move.

Bristol and her siblings find themselves in a dream. They now have a family and a home and everything that they never knew they needed and certainly never wanted for. Will is bringing their lives to whole different level and that’s a huge change for everyone. It’s all fantasy until their father contacts them and things go sideways.

There’s a kidnapping, there’s a hostage situation, and then there’s someone from the past who’s popped up and is on the run again. We also see someone get shot, and someone go into hiding. So there’s really no comfort in knowing when the next shoe is going to drop.

Will’s mom comes back and continues to try to make contact and we have to watch how that train wreck continues on, especially now that we know that Sinclair knew that their mom didn’t die but he was covering for her.

So you can imagine that there’s a lot going on in this finale, and the ending that we get is almost worth the build up for the entire story. The nice thing though is that we get the preview in the epilogue of Sin’s story – although I have to wait now about 2 weeks for it to come out. I’m excited to see where all this goes and how the stories of the Morellis, the Constantines and the LeBlancs continue to intertwine. Enjoy!

Review: Extortion (Controlling Interest #2) by Amelia Wilde

TitleExtortion
Author: Amelia Wilde
Publisher/Year:  Dangerous Press 10/22/22
Length:  227 pages
Series: Controlling Interest #2

Overview

Will Leblanc takes risks in his private equity firm and in the underground boxing ring, but nowhere else. Definitely not in love. Which is why he had to walk away.

Except Bristol Anderson needs his help. More than that, he wants to protect her.

But no one can protect her from him. He has a dark side. A violent side. She’s an unbearable temptation. He’s barely holding back.

What happens when the monster inside him gets loose?

My Thoughts

We left the first installment of this series with Will pushing Bristol away because he couldn’t handle his feelings towards her and their dynamic and at the same time, we saw Bristol decide that she had no choice but to do what was best for her siblings. So this second installment watches how life goes on and not in the best way for either.

Will’s company is now merged with Hughes and what he agreed to and how they’re executing off it, they aren’t the same thing. Will regrets the choice to allow the acquisition and now wants to figure out how to get out.

Bristol now has found a new temp agency since Will had done something on the backend at the one that she was at before that made her inhirable essentially. What that results in is working for bosses that was her to do ‘favors’ for them rather than work. It’s not until she gets a last minute new placement that her life turns.

She’s assigned to Greg – a man who works for Hughes and that we met in the first book. There’s flirtatious intention of course, but more so, I wonder if Greg wants to mess with Will. We’ll have to see how that plays out.

What happens though is that the space that Will tried to force between himself and Bristol is minimized and they are in close proximity, giving us the chance to see how they combust often. They can’t stay away from each other and there’s really no point.

Then there’s the side story of what’s going on at home with Bristol’s family. Her father is still missing – she’s trying to raise her brother and sister and she’s trying to survive. Her brother shows up and asks all sorts of questions as to how she got the apartment in shape, how deep she’s getting into things with Will.

Things continue to take a turn. Bristol comes down incredibly sick and Mia and Ben go to will for help. He comes in as the prince on a horse and takes care of her because he realizes that he’s more invested than he knew. Then when they go back to her apartment, they notice that the house is being watched and that means that it’s not safe. So, we find ourselves back at Will’s place – playing happy family and that’s a new scenario for everyone.

We watch how things evolve, how there’s a growing relationship between Will and his brothers, Bristol and Will’s family – and that means that everyones even further intertwined. Just when we think that things are looking up, two things happen…

  1. Will’s mom comes back – and we don’t know how and why since she’s supposed to be dead
  2. Mia and Ben are taken and we don’t know where they are, who has them and why they were taken.

So we’re left on another cliff and that means that I have to dive into this story NOW to figure it out. Enjoy!

Review: Blackmail (Controlling Interest #1) by Amelia Wilde

Title: Blackmail
Author: Amelia Wilde
Publisher/Year:  Skye Warren 2/7/23
Length:  152 pages
Series: controlling Interest #1

Overview

Bristol Anderson will do anything to protect her younger siblings. Even if it means embezzling from the company where she’s a temp. No one will find out. And the wealthy owner of the venture capitalist firm will never notice.

Except Will LeBlanc doesn’t miss a thing.

He could call the police, but he has more interesting plans for her. In the copy room. On the conference table. Under his desk.

The coldhearted capitalist will make her pay back every last cent.

My Thoughts

We have a first book in this series that is Hughes adjacent as well as Morelli adjacent, so i’m a fan. We have a woman who knows her worth, but who’s living under circumstances that are not idea. Then we have a man who is powerful, but troubled, and a brother of Emerson, a man that we’ve met before and who has his own darkness.

This story takes us on the journey first starting with Will and then joining up with Bristol.

Will has built a successful firm, he’s made the right investments and is now looking to be acquired by Hughes. This means that he’ll get a lot of money but may lose control. There’s also some sort of power struggle dynamic with him and Finn and that means that we have to watch out in the future.

Will is precise and uncompromising – and that’s where Bristol comes in. She’s coming in as a temp secretary as he’s fired his all within weeks of starting. She comes in with confidence, ability and does what no one else can. Intrigues him. He not only appreciates her skill and what she interprets from him, but he’s also drawn to her in ways that compromise his beliefs. He wants her even though he knows he can’t have her. He’s a monster.

We watch how these two swirl around each other at first – knowing that there’s an attraction but neither acting on it. It’s not until Bristol is put into a position where she steals money from him to pay off her father’s debt, and that Will discovers it that the tables turn. He chooses to use his power and authority to work her debt off and what happens is unexpected.

They catch feelings that they’re not willing to admit. They’re protective of one another even though they know that there’s no good that either can contribute to the others’ life. What happens at the end of this installment is expected.

The merger goes through

Bristol’s temp job is over

and they are uncertain as to where they stand.

so…i’m off to find the next book in this series and see what mess they can continue to make in their lives – while also somehow being steamy and naughty. Enjoy!

Review: So Close (Blacklist #1) by Sylvia Day

TitleSo Close
Author: Sylvia Day
Publisher/Year:  Sylvia Day 3/28/23
Length:  326 pages
Series: Blacklist #1

Overview

You can’t believe all of them, but can you trust any of them?

Widower Kane Black is still ruinously married to his late wife, Lily. Grief has hollowed him . . . until he sees a woman with his wife’s inimitable beauty on the streets of Manhattan. He whisks her up to his towering penthouse, protectively under guard, nestling her in dark opulence where Lily’s memory is a possessive, beguiling force.

Aliyah, Kane’s mother, deals in science. There are too many questions, too few answers, and too much at stake. Lily has dangerous control over Kane and there can be only one queen on the throne.

Amy, Kane’s sister-in-law, has been bloodied by deceit and betrayal, and she’s devolving into murderous rage. She’s paid too high a price and now intends to claim what she’s owed.

Three women, linked by buried secrets, circle the man who unquestioningly accepts the return of his beloved long-dead wife. Kane is happier than he’s ever been, and he’ll do anything to stay that way.

My Thoughts

The summary above definitely gives you a sense that this story is going to be complex, rooted in a lot of different character stories, and engaging to read. It doesn’t disappoint. It’s been a minute since we’ve had a great new series from this amazing author – Ms Sylvia Day, but it was almost worth the wait!

Just like we see above, Kane is our leading man – someone who’s still devoted to his wife even though she’s just a memory. We know that his past was dark, that his family never met Lily, and there’s so much that no one can really wrap their heads around. Lily has a very specific look that everyone knows because of how devoted and obsessed Kane is, and women try to emulate that in the hopes of getting into his line of sight.

Like Kane’s past, there are mysteries as to what exactly happened to make him and the family who they are. We know that his father embezzled money and left them with nothing – ruining the company that they worked so hard to develop. Kane and his mother were able to bring it back to life, and we learn that it was in part due to Lily that funding came through. This comes to the misery of Kane’s mother – a women who has her own ambitions to do things to take even more control over the business and her children.

Amy wants kane – she’s married to his brother, has made her rounds with the brothers as a matter of fact, but the challenge is that it seems more about the quest rather than the reward and we don’t know what’s at stake. She’s a woman who developed and crafted her own successful business that was absorbed into the family company, and she regrets that choice. She’s insecure of her relationship with her husband at the meddling of her mother-in-law and it manifests in a drinking problem and misplaced anger. The path that we watch her go down is one that’s so sad for a woman who has so much.

Then there’s Lily – or whomever she really is. As the summary says, she’s come back from the dead, but while she insinuates that she doesn’t know what the past few years held for her, there’s clearly more to the story than we know. There are constant blends of lies with few truths, but we don’t now what the truths are. She has relationships that were cultivated with ill intent and that will lead us to the end of this first book where things happen that we continue to have questions about. There’s a murder, a murderous past, and a confusion over who is connected to whom, for how long and why.

On top of all that, there’s Kane’s ‘assistant’ of sorts – Witte. A man who sees more than anyone realizes, and a man so cultured that he made Kane into the man that he is now. There’s something mysterious about him and something that he sees about those around him that makes me feel like he’s going to play a pivotal role in the next installment of the series.

So…where does that leave us? Relationships that are intense, sensual and dark, and often times without hope. We don’t know who’s going to make it out alive, who’s going to see their demise and who will walk away with more than what they came into the story with. I don’t know who’s going to fall on each side of that, and I cannot wait to see what happens. Enjoy!

Review: Sweet Sinner (The Necklace Series #5) by Lisa Renee Jones

Title: Sweet Sinner
Author: Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year:  Lisa Renee Jones 3/18/23
Length:  278 pages
Series: The Necklace Series #5

Overview

Bella Bailey. Tyler Hawk.

A deal sealed with far more than a kiss.

Passion. Mystery. Heartache. Betrayal. Lust. But is it love?

Hang tight for the dramatic, intensely romantic, wildly passionate continuation to the Tyler and Bella series.

My Thoughts

Well, first – that’s an awful summary of a book that’s going to bring greatness! We were left at a cliffhanger in the last book where we thought things were going down the right past with Tyler and Bella, and he does what he thinks is right to protect her and it backfires. She’s angry, he can’t fix it and her brother comes in at an inopportune time.

The path that we go on for this next installment is one where we see direction, we see what an outcome needs to be, but we also understand their desires. Feelings and outside forces are what makes it so hard to see a direct path to happiness.

Tyler still finds himself in a the position where he needs to get engaged and married, publicly so that he can keep control over the company and the only woman he wants is Bella. On the other side of things, she doesn’t want to feel like she’s being paid for, she wants the feelings and whatnot to be real, not something fabricated for the purpose of protecting everyone, and she’s afraid of what the perception of her will be professionally if she takes the deal. So they are at an impasse.

There’s interesting things going on though that we don’t quite get to the bottom of. Personally I think that Tyler’s lawyer is up to something, or is connected to someone that’s got their own motivation that’s not Tyler’s best interest, and we will need to see how that plays out.

Additionally, if that story line weren’t enough, we watch things change for Bella and her brother’s career – the studio wants more from them than they originally planned for and now it’s a test to see what they can negotiate and at what cost.

It’s a roller coaster since there’s romance and angst, there’s fear of what’s on the other side of the door for safety and protection and we really don’t know who’s on what side. We’re again left on the precipice of the unknown, but roles and relationships have shifted slightly. Can’t wait to see how It plays out. Enjoy!

Review: Finale (North Security #4.5) by Skye Warren

TitleFinale
Author: Skye Warren
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 8/30/21
Length:  173 pages
Series: North Security #4.5

Overview

Francisco Castille, the exiled Duke of Linares, knows his duty. Even in modern times, the line must continue. So he’ll marry and produce an heir.

Yes, a wife will fit into his well-ordered life.

Instead he ends up with the brilliant pianist Isabella. Strong. Spirited. And highly disobedient. She rebels against every custom and every rule, threatening his careful balance.

Francisco never backs away from a challenge.

Isabella never bows down to anyone.

This scorching hot battle of wills may leave both of them broken.

My Thoughts

I know that I should know a bit more about Isabella, especially since I read the entire series that leads up to this story, but I guess there has been a bit of time since we first met Samantha Brooks and saw her interaction with the hotelier / pianist. Regardless, we have a lovely novella here that peeks into what makes Isa tick, and then what transformed her world because she’s far too selfless.

This story takes us to a point in time where her family is in need of saving, and as the fixer, the one who finds solutions, she’s put at the helm to do so. Her family owns a successful portfolio of boutique hotels that while profitable as they are, the acquisitions themselves end up putting the family further and further into debt. As the one who runs the numbers, Isabella is always trying to get her father and brother to make better choices, but of course men don’t want to hear the sense that a ‘smaller’ woman talks.

Isa gave up the life she had as a society party girl to graduate at the top of her class in Harvard and then managed to save the business. When she can’t save them with the help of banks to loan money, the one thing she can do is entertain a meeting with Francisco Castille, a man who is financially liquid enough to dig them out of a hole.

The meeting doesn’t go as planned, and part of the deal that he makes to help the hotel is for Isa to marry him. While she fights it at first, she always puts her family first and we watch what happens with this naive and inexperienced woman is owned and controlled by a man who’s quite the dominant.

The life she lives now is not one that she ever expected and we watch as she comes to terms with what she’s become. While Francisco gives her freedoms that she wanted, she’s away from her family, she’s in an environment that she’s not confident in, and she’s with a man who’s tastes are beyond her imagination.

Suffice it to say, only an author like Skye Warren could pack quite to much excitement into a novella of this length, but we get to see how this story plays out for all those that could be involved. There’s a rollercoaster of emotions and events, all ending in a way that some may have expected and others were unsure of. So…not it means I have to find something else to read….so that’s where i’m heading. Enjoy!

Review: Audition (North Security #4) by Skye Warren

TitleAudition
Author: Skye Warren
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 12/9/19
Length:  300 pages
Series: North Security #4

Overview

Blood and sweat. Bethany Lewis danced her way out of poverty. She’s a world class athlete… with a debt to pay.

Joshua North always gets what he wants. And the mercenary wants Bethany in his bed. He wants her beautiful little body bent to his will.

She doesn’t surrender to his kiss.
He doesn’t back down from a challenge.
It’s going to be a sensual fight… to the death.

My Thoughts

It’s nice to get this extension of sorts from the North Security series – although we were owed the story around Josh – the one brother that we hadn’t met yet. We know where he stands with his brothers and in the family business, but it’s nice to see how he fights for what he wants, even when it seems like it’s an impossible battle.

Bethany has her own struggles in life – and after leaving the tour that we met her on with Samantha, she’s had to fight to prove herself as an amazing artist in a place where she felt safe and was appreciated.

On one hand it’s wonderful that she has this guy around her that dates back years – that has this history of sorts, but we know that they both ended up hurting each other in the past that it’s inevitable that it’ll happen again. That often makes for the most dynamic story, the most intense chemistry and what we don’t lack here is any of that. Ms Warren, our amazing author has done it again.

We watch the roller coaster with these two, trying to understand what Bethany needs to be protected and why it has to be Josh to do it. We watch as we know that they both want to remain whole but know that in order to do it, they need each other even if they won’t admit it to themselves.

There’s passion and lust. There’s angst and fear. But underneath it all, there’s hope and there’s desire to just ‘be’. It’s an expected story of sorts, but the journey to the end is one that makes up for how we anticipate it will end. Question remains if it wraps up as you want. Only you can tell when you read it. Enjoy!

Review: To the Ends of the Earth (Stripped #5) by Skye Warren

TitleTo the Ends of the Earth
Author: Skye Warren
Publisher/Year:  CreateSpace Publishing 11/15/16
Length:  174 pages
Series: Stripped #5

Overview

Another rundown apartment. Another job that pays cash. Every new city it becomes harder to hide but I can’t stop running.

There are two men after me… One wants to save my soul.
The other wants to claim my body.

Part of me wants Luca to catch me, even knowing what he’s capable of. An enforcer. A fighter. The only language he speaks is violence. How far will he go to find me? What will he do once he does?

A wild glance over my shoulder. The shadows are moving. I’m about to find out.

My Thoughts

We first met Beth when she was at Harmony Hills – when Ivan went about doing his manly stuff to get retribution for what’s been done to Candy. Beth was caught in the crosshairs a bit since she took over for Candy’s position with Leader Allen (not by choice I have to say) and she was left to be abused, neglected and we can only imagine what the means for her in the long run.

We saw the interaction between her and Luca when she was first ‘re-captured’ and there is chemistry there, desire, but the question becomes who will break whom and what does that mean. We saw in Candy’s story that Luca is willing to sacrifice a lot for Beth, that’s how much she cares for him, and this next installment takes us into the future where we see how that worked out.

Some how Beth got back on her own two feet – she’s working the best jobs she can to provide food and clothing and shelter for her daughter (Leader Allen’s if you’ll remember) but she’s on the run. Both from Luca whom she wants to put distance and from her brother who was the one who was sent to Tanglewood to do harm. People put this notion in his head that Beth’s baby is a message from god and now he has all these notions about things that should be happening with the baby and none of them are good.

She had been so careful each time she’s moved from state to state, into Canada, off the grid – just for a little bit of security. Any time it seemed like someone may be getting too close, she’s picked up roots and gone on the run again, but Luca is not far behind. He’s a man on a mission and not willing to say goodbye.

So we watch how Beth is constantly looking over her shoulder. how she’s learned to forgo everything for herself because she needs to protect her daughter. She’s gotten stronger, she does what she can to keep them safe until it seems like things come to a head. She’s attacked by a bunch of drunk men, and her protector – Luca comes to her rescue.

The journey from here is one where we watch him try to do all the right things to keep her safe – to give her and her daughter the life that they deserve, and Beth fights him every step of the way. She’s afraid to let someone in, and she’s afraid of what it will mean if she gives him that amount of power over them. But what she hates more is that she wants to let him in because she’s afraid of the outcome otherwise.

The tension between them is hot, and it adds to the tension of the unknown with the story. Trying to find her brother before he finds them, and trying to get things back on track. The lengths they go to in order to do all of that – well….it’s entertaining to say the least. What I will say though is that this story resolves how we need for their installment – and now it’s onto the next.