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Review
4.5 stars and all the feels!!!
I love Elizabeth Finn’s writing! She writes intense, emotional romance that sucks you in and grips hold of your heart from start to finish, and this book did exactly that. An intelligent, passionate love story with some laugh out loud moments and a touch of the forbidden, and I absolutely loved it!
Keegan Lauri is a political PR strategist, and he is damn good at his job. He’s the man that works with high-profile politicians, making sure they are squeaky clean in the eyes of the public, and getting rid of any dirt that has the potential to ruin their careers. His latest contract sees him working with a political hopeful that is all sorts of trouble, and problem number 1 is that the woman who attends social functions with him is also the woman he pays for sex. Keegan is willing to do anything to keep his client in the clean – even manipulating the young woman to keep her out of the picture. His attraction the beautiful young woman is undeniable, but as he sets his plan into motion, he finds himself drawn to her in ways that he could never imagine. She is not the sultry, calculating seductress that he expected her to be, instead he finds a strong yet broken young college student that is about to turn his whole world upside down.
I didn’t know this girl. At the very least I didn’t know her well enough to justify my involvement in her life. And yet, I felt so fucking immersed in it.
Gabrielle ‘Gabe’ Kitrick is a college senior who is smart, hard working, and who is doing the best she can in difficult circumstances. She has made some mistakes and she struggles with the choices that she has made, but she has a reason for doing what she’s doing, and she perseveres despite the heartache it causes.
Keegan and Gabe’s chemistry is evident from the very start, and their passion for each other is absolutely off the charts! The sexy time is seriously hot and super-intense, but more than that they share an emotional connection which takes them both by surprise, and that is beautifully explored. Keegan sees so much more in Gabe that he never anticipated, and she finds a strength and comfort in him that she didn’t know she needed. Their fall is gradual, heartfelt, angsty and emotional as they battle their complicated situation, and I felt every single moment of it!
“Our lips could make the world disappear.”
And as I was desperately yearning for them to find their way forward together, there is a sense of fear and dread knowing that what they are doing has the power to damage them both – and to destroy everything that Gabe has been working for.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell your secrets,” I whisper.
“You ARE the secret,” she whispered back.
OMG, this book put my heart through the wringer. The highs had my heart pounding, and during the lows my heart ached with all that they went through – at one point I had tears streaming down my face. The emotion of everything that is between them and everything standing in their way is beautifully written, and I loved feeling so completely immersed in their story.
“Wanting you” – I shook my head, my throat constricting as my eyes glossed over – “hurts,” I choked out. “It’s one of the most painful things I’ve ever endured.” My lips trembled pathetically. “It hurts like hell.”
There is so much to this story and the dynamic between Keegan and Gabe is constantly changing. I loved the development of the relationship, and the development of the characters as they follow their hearts and figure each other, and themselves, out. I love the mix of strength and vulnerability that they both show, and as much as I love them together, individually they are fantastic and so well developed. And I need to give a quick shout-out to scene stealing Jessa, because OMG, this girl is brilliant, and her openness and irreverence balances out the heaviness in the story perfectly.
I devoured this book. I was immediately hooked, and as much as I wanted to savour it, I couldn’t wait to see how it was all going to work out. And I was so happy with how the story ended. All of the ups and downs are well worth it to see these characters get to such a great place.
“Nothing we did was pretend to me. You…could never be pretend to me”
Such a beautiful story, I loved it – 4.5 stars.