Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback

Review

4 “Get Vandalized” stars

The second book in the Ashes & Embers series, and after that little glimpse at the end of book 1, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one! Broody base player, Vandal’s story was destined to be a heartbreaker, and while I certainly wasn’t expecting it to go into the direction it did, I loved it! I listened to this as an audiobook and couldn’t put it down, completely swept up in the intensity of the story and loving the darkly emotional romance as two broken people put everything on the line, testing the limits like never before and falling hard despite all that stands between them.

When a tragic accident shatters Vandal’s world, he understandably hits rock bottom. Forced to take a break from the band, he is drowning in grief and guilt, and feels completely alone – until he finds a woman that is suffering just as he is. Tied together in the most devastating way, Vandal develops a fixation on beautiful young widow, Tabitha, and when he offers her a way to forget about her trauma and start to feel again, she has nothing else to lose and she willingly follows wherever he wants to lead.

I don’t know shit about love and romance, but I know that true submission goes far deeper than love. It gives more; it takes more. Love is fragile and can be destroyed. Submission is strong and only strengthens with time. Love leaves people weak and devastated, as she is now. Submission heals and awakens. Submission is love on fucking steroids. Men like me have a radar for women that need to submit, and she’s silently screaming for it just as much as I’ve been silently begging to give it.

Holed up in his country retreat, Vandal introduces Tabi to his dark world of sexual submission. It’s on the lighter end of BDSM, but it’s still a Dom/sub relationship with a bit of kink and oh holy hell it is seriously steamy. Vandal unleashes a whole new world of hotness for Tabi, and she embraces it willingly – taking everything that he has to offer, and giving back to him in a way that completely consumes her. She revels in his attention, in his touch, and in what he makes her feel, and she begins to not only find herself again, but for the first time she feels like she is truly living.

Yesterday I wanted to die, but today I just want to kill the girl I used to be and meet the girl I could be.

But while they are using each other, and their sex life, to pull themselves back from the brink and start living again, neither of them expected to develop feelings for the other, but it slowly starts to happen, and it’s a beautiful journey for them as all of that chemistry naturally grows into an emotional connection that takes them by surprise, but that neither of them are prepared to walk away from.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispers, and a lone tear slowly slides down his face, the sight of it stopping my heart.
In that moment, everything changes. There is a shift, deep, and permanent, like the hand of a monstrous clock just ticked to the next moment, and then stayed there.
This wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
This isn’t just about me anymore.

I loved this story! Vandal and Tabi are fantastic characters, both very different, but locked together in their grief and despair. Vandal’s tortured darkness is absolutely irresistible, and I fell madly for him, desperate to see him find some happiness. And Tabi was perfect for him, light and bright but temporarily lost in her devastation. I could feel their need for each other, and the strengthening bond between them as they gave over completely to each other. I loved how even though they were in a Dom/sub relationship, they were very much equals and open with each other about all that they were feeling, and I thought the progression of their relationship was natural and effortless, and so, so beautiful, and I fell right along with them.

He is mine, and I am his.
I am his heart. He is my armor.

But the real world is waiting for them outside of their secluded bubble, and the secret of their shared tragedy still stands between them. There is a lot for these two to work through before they can claim their future together.

This is a great read. Cole does a wonderful job capturing the emotion of these two shattered people, and I loved watching everything change for them as they fell for each other despite being so completely broken. There are some pretty serious themes in this one – death, grief, depression, self harm, substance abuse, as well as the psychological darkness of the romance (which is actually pretty tame compared to a lot of books out there) – but the subject matter is handled sensitively, and I loved seeing Vandal and Tabi heal together and find something truly beautiful from the depth of their grief.

There are some quick moments with the rest of the band. I loved Evie’s role in the story, I loved seeing brothers Vandal and Lukas together, and Sterling the blind kitten absolutely stole my heart! I’m looking forward to continuing on with the series.

I loved it – 4 stars.