This book picks up a few months after the Crucible. We reunite with Elyria, Cedric, and others as they search for answers and race to find the crown before the enemy does.

Secrets are revealed, and the bond between Cedric and Elyria deepens. I fell into this book and didn't want to stop reading. I love these characters, their banter, and the found family dynamic. The relationship between Elyria and Cedric heats up and things get steamy. Plus, there's an adorable new pet companion who joins the group and steals more than a few scenes.

Reading a Carrie Ann Ryan book is like home and getting wrapped in a big family hug. She writes small-town romances with big, loving, complicated families. If You Were Mine is part of the Cage Family series. It starts with a tragedy and ends with a happily ever after. This book deals with guilt and learning to live with loss, not to mention age gap (8 years) and best friend's sister tropes. These can be read as standalones, which is great especially if you are just jumping in. Each book follows a different sibling and their story. I really enjoyed reading Dorian and Harper's story, and the ending gave me a preview of what's coming next for the Cage family. I'm excited to read about Hudson and Scarlett next.

Thank you to Kensington Books for this ARC.

“𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓.”

Melissa destroyed me in an amazingly beautiful way with the conclusion of The Legacy Series in Dawn Of Chaos And Fury. This book picks right up where the last one ended, and we get to see Tessa evolve even more into who she was always meant to be. This book and series has such a strong found family dynamic that it makes me not want to say goodbye. I don't want to spoil anything, but know that it is dark in places, and make sure to check your trigger warnings. It takes a while to get there, but it ends in a very satisfying way.

This series will stick with me for a very long time. It's right up there with Lady Of Darkness. If you have not read either series, you don't have to read in any particular order. However, my personal opinion is to read Lady Of Darkness series first, as there are some cameos in The Legacy Series.