Charlotte Stein has a way of showing the reader how much the MMC is head over heels for the MFC, yet still makes it believable that the MFC doesn’t realize his feelings. And I eat it up with a spoon.

Caleb and Daisy were rivals back in college. Caleb was a bit older than the other students and didn’t seem to fit in, so he kept to himself. Daisy, at the time, was young and eager and took Caleb’s mannerisms and actions as him being churlish and judgmental. He poked, she mocked, they were both immature dolts who had so many insecurities they couldn’t fathom having a real conversation with their adversary.

Daisy has spent so much of her life being shown that she wasn’t enough, while also being too much, so that she doesn’t ever imagine anyone would like her for her. Instead, she has learned to adapt by reading people and understanding their needs before they even know what they want. While she thinks she was able to do that with Caleb back in college, all these years later, when they meet up again for her to work for him and repair his image, she’s starting to see that she never really knew who Caleb was at all.

The pining in this story is intense. Daisy and Caleb need to find a way to get over themselves and be together because it’s so obvious they are meant to be. Since Daisy entered into this job with preconceived ideas about Caleb and his feelings toward her, it takes a bit for them to knock down their walls. And they really don’t do that until the very end. More like they make a doorway that is sometimes left ajar.

I would have loved to learn more about Caleb and what makes him tick. The author did a fantastic job, through his interactions with Daisy, showing his feelings. I wanted to know so much more, though. The story still works, and works well. Daisy had some great character growth while also finding her HEA.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely

Devastated. Wrecked. Sobbing. A few of the words that sum up how I’m doing after finishing this book.

I am a capital R Romance reader to the bone, so I’m going to be clear here. This is not a Romance. But it is savagely romantic.

There is so much to say about this story, yet I have no words. Since this book was hard for me to get through, not knowing whether someone would die or have their good work undone by the end, I will tell you that both Thomas and Micha will live full and happy lives.

Micha is hard to love in the beginning. Who am I kidding? He’s hard to like even a little bit. But he’s not hard to sympathise with. Thomas, on the other hand, is very easy to love. His pure heart and naivety are endearing, although those same traits had me wanting to yell out warnings to him about Micha, his brother, and more.

Be forewarned, this story is intense…in so many ways. The addiction, the yearning, the joy, and the heartache are all dialed up to 11. It hurt me to read this story, but it was always at the front of my mind when I wasn’t reading the book.

Usually, my rating of a book is based on my enjoyment of the story. The word ‘enjoy’ is not one I would use for how I was feeling most of this book. Yet I found the storytelling superb. No matter how much it broke my heart.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely

Now that I feel as if I know this town and the people in town, I was able to sink into this story more easily than the first book. Surprisingly, I think this one could be read as a standalone. Yet knowing the town’s quirks made this book more enjoyable for me.

Although the whole Osprey family intrigues me, I was glad to get Christian’s book now. Amka and Christian have a special connection, but she recently got engaged to someone else. Everyone in town is baffled by her choice of fiancé, but Amka sticks to her guns. Her supposed fiancé runs roughshod over her tavern, pouring his own drinks, taking money from the till, and generally being a jerk. Amka is having a hard time keeping her fake engagement secret, as it’s wearing on her to keep pretending she’s happy. I was glad when she started opening up to some close friends, but I still thought she took too long to do so. As trustworthy and protective Christian is, I found it odd she didn’t feel comfortable telling him her secret.

Once Christian and Amka were on the same page, things really picked up. Their chemistry is wonderful. I love how matter-of-fact Amka is about Christian’s need to be outside. He thought it was a barrier to him having what he wanted, but Amka sees Christian in ways even his brothers don’t. As much as he could be overbearing and go a bit alpha, Amka could come back at him just as stubborn. It was great.

Some of the wrap-up seemed a bit rushed after everything that happens in this book, but the way things played out did make sense to the story. And though many questions were answered, there are a whole lot more that were not. This isn’t a cliffhanger when it comes to the Amka/Christian relationship and the big things that were plaguing them in this story, but there are still overarching mysteries in the town that are unsolved.

Who doesn’t love a bodyguard romance? Juliette and Wes have instant chemistry, but he’s a stronger man than most with his will to resist. Of course, he has many good reasons to keep things professional when it comes to Juliette, least of all her father, who will kill anyone who touches her.

I’m not huge on mafia romance. I don’t dislike it, but it’s not something I seek out. For me, the fact that Juliette moved across the country and changed her last name to distance herself from her father’s “business” was welcome. Her father’s organization is discussed, and he pops in and out of the story, but Juliette isn’t in the nitty-gritty of that life. She’s an up-and-coming playwright trying to get by on her own merit.

Wes has a lot of baggage. He’s a former police officer who now finds himself working for organized crime. And though it’s clear he doesn’t like his boss and isn’t keen on being part of this life, he is also good at his job and takes protecting Juliette seriously. Of course, the deeper they fall for one another, the more protective he gets.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Juliette and Wes have a great connection. I loved when they were able to travel together and sort of forget about the danger they were in. Yet, I also thought more would happen. I kept waiting for that danger to rear its head, and it seldom did. That’s on me, though. I went into the story expecting romantic suspense, and in no way was this touted as such. But there’s still a beautiful story about two people falling in love.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Hambright PR. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely