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Review

Romantic, dramatic, exciting, dark and sexy as all hell, this is a fantastic ending to a unique love story, and I absolutely loved it!

4.5 stars

This book is a direct continuation on from the amazing Everything I Left Unsaid. That book blew me away when I read it, and I dearly wish I could have read this one immediately after, but sadly I had to wait, which meant that I lost some of the momentum that built up over the first book – which was incredibly intense and had me DESPERATE for more – but the mood is quickly recaptured and in no time at all I was lost in Annie and Dylan’s story again.

I won’t give too many details because I don’t want to ruin the first book, but I will say that this duet is a unique and intriguing love story. Annie and Dylan have both had troubled pasts which have impacted hugely on who they are, and for both of them, that continues to plays an active part in the story that is unfolding.

There is a real battle in this book for Annie and Dylan to come together in the way that they both want, and the dual POV gets you right to the heart of the characters and their heartache. But it never felt annoying or too much, you could genuinely see the struggle, and I understood it – I felt it. They want each other, they’ve fallen for each other, and while they both accept that, the reality of their lives complicate a possible future together. But they are both prepared to fight for it, and that is what I love about this story! They both hit low points, but the other is right there with them to help them through, and the promise of their happy ever after keeps them pushing forward.

“You’re going to be happy again,” Dylan said. “I swear it. We can…we can get through this. You and me. I promise.”
“… Why would you promise that?”
“Because you said you wanted to come back and I said I wanted you to.”
“It can’t be that simple. Not anymore.”
“It is. For me it is. It’s you and me. That simple.”

The last book was Annie’s journey, and that continues in this book with a highly intense beginning, but the focus shifts very much to Dylan for this one and I loved getting to know more about the damaged bad boy.

Dylan is damaged by his family legacy – it’s part of what has kept him so isolated – and I loved the way that that got explored, the impact it had on him, and the way that particular storyline play out.

I was a fucking Daniels. We didn’t love, we crashed. We destroyed. We burned everything in fire.
This is a mistake. You and me, we’re a mistake.
I almost said it. It would have been a relief to say it. To bow out of this thing we had between us. This thing that required pieces of me I didn’t have or know how to use.

But the whole time Dylan is struggling, he never pushes Annie away, it’s just a matter him sorting it all through, and that was gorgeous to watch.

I wanted to fuck her and protect her all at the same time. I wanted to keep her and push her away. I was everything in opposites, and I felt torn apart by her.

And the whole time, Annie is pushing him on. She doesn’t play games, she doesn’t get shitty, but she’s not a doormat either. She makes her feelings known, and she doesn’t let Dylan get away with stupid behaviour. She’s strong, and she fights for what she wants, and I love that about her.

“I wanted to show you the truth of me. And…loving you is a part of that. It’s a part of who I am now.”

I loved watching these two find their way forward together. Like I said, they need to deal with the past, but there are issues building in the present which also add pressure, and there’s a lot that they have to deal with, but their attraction and need for each other is never in doubt, and the way they feel about it each other is incredibly special.

The ways she was different from any other woman in my life could not be counted. I didn’t want to say she was sweet, because that seemed to negate all the ways she was fierce. I didn’t want to say she was generous, because it would deny the ways she was selfish.
I’d never had a woman in my life show me so much of herself.

Of course it’s hot as all hell (frequently!), but it’s more about the emotion in this one, watching them fight their way through all of the crap to find a way to be together, and I loved it! I loved their passion, I loved the playfulness, and I love that they maintained that special connection on the phone where they were free to be who they were and say what they wanted to say. The romance builds beautifully, and the swoon is worth every moment of their fight.

“You changed me, baby,” I told her, stroking her cheek. “I barely recognize who I was before you came into my life. And I don’t…I don’t want to go back to being that way.”

“I’m not letting you go.”

I would have like more of an epilogue, but I suspect (and hope) that we have not seen the end of these characters. It feels like the author is setting up some of the side characters for their own stories, and I would love to read those!

I loved this story! I devoured it in one sitting, and I recommend it to any readers who like a bit of darkness with their romance.

Sometimes you just had to feel it. Sometimes you had to let the terror and the anger and the fear tear you apart. So you could feel what came next.

4.5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Everything I Left Unsaid series