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Review

4.5 stars

The sensational writing of Krista and Becca Ritchie just gets better in this third installment of what is easily becoming one of my favourite series.

The beginning was a little slow for me, but with the introduction of a frightening threat which gains in intensity as the story goes on, and a group trip to Cancun, things started to pick up, and the second half of the book absolutely blew me away! It was amazing! The character development, the interactions, the humour, the love, the devastation, OMG the emotion, it was all incredibly intense, and I couldn’t get enough!

Lily and Lo are back together after Lo’s three month stay in rehab for alcoholism, and I loved seeing them together again! The deep connection, and the love that they share is as intense as ever, and even with all that they are facing, I got swept up in the romance.

“What’s going to happen,” he breathes, “is that I’m going to carry you through this door. I’m going to draw out every single moment until you’re exhausted. And I’m going to move so slow that three months ago will feel like yesterday. And tomorrow will feel like today, and no one in this fucking universe will be able to say your name without saying mine.”

I was worried that there was going to be an overload of mooning about their addictions – with Lo returning to ‘real life’ and Lily, who has been working on her overcoming her sex addiction about to come face to face with her toughest challenge yet – Lo in her bed. But it was handled really well, and my heart broke for her as she struggled to deal with her new reality.

I’ve lasted three months without sex, but I also didn’t have him here, in bed with me. The equivalent for Lo would be snuggling with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Cuddling with my own vice seems dangerous, but I can’t be abstinent forever. I have to figure how to do this the right way.
“What’s wrong?” he asks…
“We’re not going to have sex tonight?” I ask for the third time today.
“No, love, not tonight.”

They are navigating their new lives together now, and they do it so functionally! Sure, they are both recovering addicts, and there are hard days and slip ups here and there, but they fight hard – for themselves, and for each other, and they are so honest with each other. And I absolutely adore the way that they are so incredibly understanding, and that their love for each other wins out over everything else.

It’s confusing for her. She wants to be with me, but my mere presence tempts her. I don’t ever want her to believe that being alone, being apart, is the solution.
It’s not.
She needs me as much as I need her. We just have to find our footing in this relationship. And that takes time.

I don’t know much about sex addiction, but I can’t imagine anybody handling it better than Lo. OMG, the man is perfection! Loving and supportive, he stays true to himself, and to his feelings for Lily, and he still manages to keep the intimacy and the fun of their relationship.

“You could have knocked … Or, you know, announced your entrance like they do on Downton Abbey”.
He steps out of his drawstring pants, now completely naked. He walks towards the glass shower door and stops. And then he knocks on it.
I have petrified by the tiled wall.
“It’s Loren Hale,” he says, a smile spreading across his lips. “May I come in?”

And not only are they finding a healthy way to be together and deal with the mess they have made of their lives, but they are trying to branch out, to let others into their lives, and to rebuild the relationships they have allowed to crumble with their selfish behaviour. And this is where things become SUPER awesome! With Rose, Connor, Ryke and Daisy coming into the story.

This is an absolutely phenomenal group of characters! Individually they are all amazing, but throw them all together, and they banter and bounce off each other brilliantly! You wouldn’t expect them to be close, but family ties, love, and the fact that they genuinely care for each other keeps them together, and I thought the interactions between the boys, the girls, all of them together, and even the one on ones was absolute gold! And the way they are so accepting of Lily and Lo and all of the issues that they are working through is absolutely sensational!

“Lo, put me down!”
He pats my ass. “You don’t like it up there?”
“Are you taking me to the bedroom?” I ask, rethinking my dislike of hanging upside down. If it ends with me on a bed and having crazy sex, then I wouldn’t complain.
“No, love.”
“I can give you head,” I offer.
“I’m still in the room, Lily,” Ryke reminds me. 

And when the hard times hit one of them, that’s when they pull together and show just how truly amazing they are! Each of the boys got an opportunity to step up and prove their awesome during this book. God, I love them!

The relationship set ups are brimming with UST, and I’m so looking forward to Connor and Rose’s book – Connor proved himself to be quite the champion in this book, and I can’t wait to see him as the romantic hero.

And then there is Ryke and Daisy. Goddamn! The ‘thing’ between these two is absolutely electric! Even with the age difference, and Daisy being so much younger than the rest of the gang, they still have this fantastic bond. As soon as the two of them start interacting, I almost get goosebumps. It’s that good! And the way that the rest of them can see what’s going on just adds a whole new dimension to the awesome.

Lo shakes his head at him.
“What?” he says.
”You’re walking a thin fucking line.”
“I always am, little brother.”

This book is a rollercoaster ride of emotion. Lily and Lo learning to overcome their addictions is just part of it, they are also dealing with the continued consequences of their past actions, personal threats, extreme external pressures, and family dramas – holy shit, these guys all lucked out in the parental department! What a bunch of ASSHOLES!

Watching them go through all that they do is heartbreaking, but one of the highlights of the books for me was seeing how the characters all have each others’ backs. Through it all you never doubt the strength of the group to be there for one another, or the depth of love between Lily and Lo, which was absolutely beautiful.

“I need you to know that I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here when you come home. There will always be an us.”

Lily and Lo’s story finishes off (for now) at a great point. And while I am keen to continue their story later in the series, I am more than ready for some action featuring Connor and Ryke. BRING. IT. ON!!

I loved it – 4.5 stars.

 

The Addicted series

 

Check out our Author Spotlight on Krista and Becca Ritchie.