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Review

“You aren’t in my world … You are the center of it. You always have been.”

4 stars

This is a dark and edgy read with strong characters, unique dynamics, suspense, excitement, and gives us a glimpse at life on the shady side of the law. Add in a steamy love story with epic chemistry that has been brewing for years, and this was an intriguing, romantic read that took me on a wild ride. I loved it!

When I started reading this book I didn’t realise that it was actually a spin off from Crownover’s Welcome to The Point series. I’m usually an OCD reader who likes to read everything in order and have all of the background I can before diving into a book, however I was intrigued enough just to have a peek at the first couple of pages and I was instantly, absolutely hooked and I just HAD to keep going. The tie-in to the other series is strong, but I was easily able to read this as a standalone. Enough background is given that I never felt lost, and I’ll now be going back to read the earlier books and get the stories of all of the characters I met and need to know more about.

This book belongs to Nassir and Keelyn, and the dynamic between these two is absolutely fantastic! Intense sexual tension and a strong and ongoing power struggle defines all of their interactions, and their love for each other is clear to each other and the reader – even before the words are ever said. It’s a complex relationship, and I really enjoyed watching their story play out.

He’s been hungry for a taste since the first day I met him, and while I had always been tempted to feed the beast, fear of losing more than my fingers to those vicious jaws always kept my from offering up myself on a platter. The only thing I ever wanted was to be my own person, to thrive and be independent, making my own rules and answering to no one. The only thing he wanted was for me to be his.

Nassir met Keelyn when he first arrived at The Point. He was a dangerous yet private man and she was a naïve young stripper going by the name ‘Honor’. Their connection was immediate, and in the years that have passed since then he has been her protector, and though their chemistry has always been magnetic, they’ve never taken that step. Now, Keelyn has left The Point in an attempt to start her life over again. But one visit from Nassir is all it takes for her to realise that her heart is back in the town that made her who she is, and with the man that she cannot forget.

He was both my hero and my worst enemy. He had always been my saviour and my captor. He was everything I ever wanted and everything I shouldn’t allow in my life, and there was absolutely no one I loved to hate more than him.

I love anti-heroes – men that are bad on the surface, but are so much more underneath, and that is absolutely Nassir. The book begins by showing us his early life, and how he came to be the man he is now, and I was blown away by his backstory and the fact that he survived it with his sanity intact. His smooth exterior hides so much, and seeing him as a man in control of his empire, you would never guess at all that he has survived. And not only has he survived, but he has thrived. He has risen to become a ruthless and powerful man, wealthy and successful with everything he could want except the woman he has always loved. And then Keelyn walks back into his life.

She was my endgame. She was what had given my life meaning, and now she was breathing that very essence back into me and it felt perfect. She was everything.
My hands ached to touch her. My fingers twitched so hard they hurt as I latched them on to the edge of the marble counter behind her… She wanted to control me. She wanted to call the shots… I wanted her forever, on my terms, and I knew the only way to make that happen was to make her want to surrender. She had to give herself up to me and to the kind of life I could offer her. I knew she didn’t want to belong to me, but she did.

Nassir offers Keelyn a business opportunity, welcoming her into his world as an equal, allowing her to do what it is she does best, and it shifts the dynamic between them yet again, and proves to be the tipping point for everything that has been brewing between them since they met.

“Why me, Nassir?” You don’t have patience for anything that isn’t perfect and I am far from that. Why would you wait for me all this time, especially when you have beautiful woman dying to take my place?”
“If not you, then who, Keelyn? Who else has the fight and strength to stand with me in this city. You own a part of it just like I do. You earned your place here while I took mine, and you might not want to be Honor but you have it in spades. You care about this place and the people in it. You care about me even though you know you shouldn’t. You’re the only one in my life who has ever been worth waiting for.”

The power balance between these two is fascinating. It influences everything that is happening between them, and makes the sexual tension even more intense as the man who controls his world and everything in it, sits back and waits for the one woman he has always wanted to come to him. Waiting for her to be ready for him and all that being with him would mean. And when it finally happens… damn! All of that chemistry translates to some epically hot and intense sexy time that is steamy as all hell, and full of passion and emotion.

“Don’t ever doubt that I think you were worth the wait.”

I loved watching them finally give in to everything between them. And more than just sex, there is strong emotion and a soul-deep connection that binds them together in a way that lets you know just how perfect they are together. Nassir is powerful and controlling, but also swoony as all hell and a wonderful romantic hero.

“I probably have never done it right, but I have always loved you, Keelyn Foster.”

And Keelyn is an amazing heroine – smart confident and brave, ably protecting herself and her man, and standing by Nassir’s side as a strong and worthy partner in love and in life. They are fantastic as individual characters, but together they are a powerhouse, and I loved seeing them together as King and Queen of The Point.

“You aren’t in my world, Key, you are the center of it. You always have been.”

But the world they live in is a dangerous one. Not only does Keelyn have to contend with those that resent her new place in Nassir’s life, but when Nassir and his new club becomes the focus for sabotage, he will need to put all of his resources to use to figure out who is targeting him and why. And in order to protect them both, those threats will need to be dealt with once and for all.

I loved this book. The character dynamics were wonderful, the romance was gorgeous, and the violent/suspenseful part of the story was exciting and really well done. The different elements combine perfectly to create a well-paced, gritty, intriguing read that I struggled to put down. I’m really looking forward to going back and meeting the other characters from The Point in more detail, and look forward to continuing on with this series.

4 stars.