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Review

“There was an anchor, tied around both of his ankles, and it was taking him deep, into black fathomless depths, drowning him slowly but surely.
I didn’t tell him that he was dragging me down with him.”

4.5 devastating, heartbreaking stars

Alright, so hours after finishing this book I have managed to gather myself together enough to form some sort of coherent thought. And just a warning – this review is going to be spoilery if you haven’t read the Up in the Air series.

This book is the continuation of Tristan and Danika’s story from Bad Things. I absolutely adore these two! Their banter-filled, passionate, all-consuming romance completely swept me away in the first book and, having read the Up in the Air series, which takes place between in between this book and the next one, Lovely Trigger, I knew what was coming, so I have been delaying reading it, not feeling brave enough to face it. But face it I did, and Oh. My. God. I knew it was going to be bad, but… FUUUUUUUCK! This book broke me. The heartbreak, the emotion, the absolute tragedy of it all left me shattered with tears streaming down my face.

I felt broken after that last encounter.
Was broken.
Pieces of me had been shattered … important, essential pieces, and they would not, could not, ever find their way back together.

*sniff* Oh, the pain!!!!

But let’s backtrack a bit…

Firstly – there are some truly beautiful moments in this book. Tristan and Danika’s intense love for each other is never in doubt as their relationship continues to deepen, and there are laughs, and plenty of swooning. And let’s not forget that it’s also hot as hell! These two have crazy chemistry, and their passion, need, and love for each other is absolutely intense.

She was the one. If I’d ever had a doubt, I didn’t now. She was the one I’d be thinking about, longing for, until I took my last breath. If I lost her tomorrow, I’d pine for her like a lovesick fool. This was the kind of love that only hit you once in your life.

Things start to change when Tristan’s band finds success, and the frequent separations, combined with the rock and roll life style threatens their happy ever after. It’s so sad watching it all unfold. And when tragedy after tragedy hits them, it pushes them both into a downward spiral. Danika does all she can to pull herself out of it, while Tristan completely loses himself, and it’s like watching a train wreck.

At first, we were drowning together, but my will to survive was too strong to let that continue forever.
My hold on him became weaker and weaker, and eventually, every finger broken, my hands opened, and I let him go.
No one could say I didn’t fight for him. No one could say I didn’t lose.

I think knowing what is coming just makes the whole thing worse, because you spend the whole book just waiting for it all to fall apart. And the writing style adds to the anxiety, as the story is told in flashback, with little moments of insight that bring a sense of ominous dread to the story – even if you didn’t know beforehand where it was headed. And it takes moments that would usually have me swooning, and instead makes them utterly devastating.

“I can’t ever lose you, Danika. I’m not sure I’d survive it.”
“You’ve got me. And I’m not going anywhere. Not ever.”

R.K. Lilley has written an amazing book. The emotion is high level all of the way through, and with the dual POV, I found myself sympathising with both Tristan and Danika as they try to deal with all that life throws at them. It’s intense, but it’s real, and I felt everything right along with them – which is why I was left a quivering mess at the end of it all. Tristan’s brokenness and vulnerability just devastated me, and while I was so proud of Danika for handling everything the way she does, my heart broke for her over and over. The whole thing is just so unfair!!!!!

“Even love couldn’t cushion a fall like ours.”

The stage has been set for an EPIC end to the trilogy, and I cannot wait to see how Tristan and Danika find their way forward from all that they have endured. They so deserve their HEA, and I NEED to see it happen for them.

Fantastic – 4.5 devastating stars.

 

The Tristan & Danika series

 

For more great reads by this author, check out our R.K. Lilley Author Spotlight.