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Review

4 stars

This is a gorgeous romance featuring a strong and determined heroine, a damaged bad boy with a heart of gold and their amazing, ‘against-the-odds’ love story. The romance is full of passion and intensity with no angst or unnecessary drama, and I loved watching these two come together despite everything standing in their way. It’s such a beautiful story, I loved it.

Kat witnessed the brutal death of her father as a child, and though she still struggles with his loss, she is determined to face her fears and honour his memory. She is an English literature teacher, and as part of her father’s life lesson to give back to those who need it, she teaches inmates at Arthur Kill prison, and it’s a job that she loves and takes great pride.

Wes Carter is an inmate at Arthur Kill. He is enrolled in Kat’s class as part of his parole requirements, and from the moment he steps foot into her classroom, they are drawn to each other. When Carter’s disruptive behaviour gets him kicked out of Kat’s class, she offers to tutor him so that his parole isn’t affected, and with each lesson she comes to realise that Carter is so much more than what he seems, and she is attracted to his obvious intelligence and sensitivity.

Their lessons continue once Carter leaves prison (which happened a whole lot sooner than what I was expecting, but allows for lots of extra time together), and the chemistry that has always been between them continues to grow. Although with them no longer under the close scrutiny of prison guards, their relationship shifts from tutor and student to friends, and then more. It’s a bit of a slow burn, and the sense of anticipation is fantastic as the UST builds until neither of them can hold back any longer. And then….. damn.

“I want you,” he murmured into her ear, before placing another kiss in the hollow behind her ear. “God help me, I don’t care if it’s against the rules. I want you so fucking much.”
She turned her head, looking him straight in the eye, and smiled like a vixen. “I want you, too.”

The connection between Kat and Carter is incredibly intense. It’s evident from the very beginning, but once they take the step to move their relationship forward, they become consumed by their feelings for each other, which become all-encompassing and life changing for both of them.

“You’re everything to me, Peaches … You’re the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.” He kissed her. “You’re my everything.”

I really liked Kat and Carter. Kat is a great character – strong and determined, she never judges and always follows her heart and does what she feels is right her, regardless of the fears and concerns of her friends and family who continuously express their disappointment at the choices she makes, especially when it comes to Carter. And Carter is such a great guy – sexy and smart with a great sense of humour, he’s an absolute sweetheart, and incredibly loyal to those close to him. He has been through a lot and has battles that he is continuing to fight, but he follows his heart and doesn’t hold back from Kat, and I thought he was an amazing romantic hero.

I love the way their relationship unfolds. Initially there is the forbidden nature to things that keeps them apart, but that doesn’t stand in their way for long. They are open with each other, they act on their feelings and there is no stupid drama or game playing. It progresses naturally, they fall and fall hard for each other, and it’s a total swoonfest.

“Do you know I’d do anything for you?” he asked. “Do you know I think about you constantly? Sometimes I think I’m crazy. You make me crazy. I’m insane when I’m not with you. Jesus, Kat, I ache.”
She grabbed at his neck.
“I need you so badly,” he continued, breathlessly. “I need us. I need to feel us like this, because I swear to God, my heart, it beats only for you.”

But they still have battles to fight. They are both damaged from their pasts, Kat’s family and friends disapprove of her relationship with a criminal, Carter has his own family issues going on, and then there’s the secret that he doesn’t know how to reveal to Kat. There’s a lot that they have to go through, but again they handle it all brilliantly, talking about what they are feeling and standing strong by each other’s sides, and there is no unnecessary angst or drama thrown into the story.

The story is written in great detail, with lots of time with Kat and Carter together and a lot of their inner monologues, so we get to see every moment as the story unfolds. I actually felt that it started to get a little overly detailed for me, and the story started to drag a bit. But I was listening to it as an audiobook and that usually makes me more tolerant of such things, I think I may have struggled more with it if I was reading it. I was also expecting the ‘forbidden’ aspect of the romance to be a bigger part of the story, but it didn’t really play into it that much at all. Instead, the focus is on Kat and Carter dealing with the demons from their past, the dramas of their present, and finding a way forward together.

It’s really nicely written, with lots of emotion that allows you to feel everything, and the story is tied up nicely to give us a satisfying ending. I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

4 stars.

 

A Pound of Flesh series