In the first book in this series, The Feud, it was pretty obvious there was something more to the relationship between Kate and Gabe than the rivalry between their families. There are a few flashbacks sprinkled into this story and I adored the couple’s origins. I hated how things ended, but I was able to forgive them because they were young and impressionable when it came to their families.

Things Gabe did in the past could easily make him an unsympathetic character. Yet he proves time and time again that he isn’t like his parents and he probably never was. Gabe had a great relationship with his now-deceased sister and is protective of his niece. He has no ulterior motive when he says he wants to be in her life. He slowly earns Kate’s trust and that of a couple of other Blackburns, as his love for his niece shines through. I ended up more sympathetic to Gabe than to any other character. His parents are truly awful people. Not just his dad and not just recently. It’s a wonder he and his sister made it out of childhood with any sort of morals.

The way the Blackburn family is so supportive and loving, yet also so harsh and rigid, adds a nice depth to the characters. Kate is no exception, although her brothers are a bit more harsh. Kate has a hard time showing her soft side having grown up with mostly brothers. This brings me to a problem I had with this story…I didn’t feel Kate’s twin sister was utilized enough, even if just by phone. Her absence was strange. It wasn’t a huge deal for the story, but it was something I noticed.

As for Gabe and Kate, I enjoyed the simmer between these enemies who secretly yearned for more. The progression of their new relationship and how they deal with their past was well written and had me wondering how the Blackburns would take their relationship because there was no way these two didn’t belong together.