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Review

“I do believe in love … I believe it’s the most destructive force on earth.”

4 bitter, twisted and angsty stars

I love R.K. Lilley! She writes brilliantly angsty, emotionally intense stories with fantastic, sexy romance, and she’s given us something really unique in this book – a love/hate story that is absolutely brimming with intensity and that is more disaster than romance, but one that is dripping with chemistry and angst and held me absolutely captivated.

Scarlett dreams of life as a movie star, but at the age of 27 her life seems to have stalled. She’s working as a flight attendant, living paycheck to paychek and is one bitter and twisted ball of anger. Her childhood was hideous, but she found something special with her first love, Dante, only to be left completely destroyed when it fell apart.

How much of your life can you devote to spite?
I’d spent a lot of time thinking about this.
The answer, in my case, was sad: Too much.
Great, gory chucks of it. Major, necessary pieces.
And all because of him.

Scarlett gave herself completely to Dante. From a childhood of abandonment and neglect, she let him in and trusted him fully. They knew each other inside and out, and hid nothing from each other, and the loss of that relationship and the betrayal she felt over its breakdown has left her bitter, hard, and unhappy. She dislikes most people and doesn’t let anybody close, making an effort to be bitchy in order to protect herself. And that is never more evident than when Dante appears in her life again.

Dante has tracked Scarlett down, claiming that he needs to talk to her, but from the moment they see each other, passion and tempers flare, and they are immediately engaged in an epic battle to one-up each other in a game to see who can hurt who the most. But their chemistry is still sizzling, and it creates one hell of a dynamic.

“Scarlet,” he breathed…
My eyes were shut tight as I breathed back, “Don’t talk. Your voice ruins it for me.”
“Scarlett,” he repeated, this time with a smile in his voice.
“Shh. I’m trying to pretend you’re someone else. Every time you speak it ruins the illusion.”
“It’s been too long, angel,” he murmured, then took my mouth and shoved in hard.

There is SO much anger and pain between these two, but Dante is bringing news that leads them both back to their home town – to where it all began for them and where it all fell apart, and so begins their journey as for the first time in years they are forced to spend time together, both of them emotionally shattered and vulnerable enough to let go of the game playing and embrace the constantly-sizzling sexual tension between them (So. Freaking. Hot) and start to confront their past.

“All we are is proof that love can survive anything. You and I, we’re heavy hitters, but even at our worst, we still couldn’t break this bond. If you’re honest with yourself, we didn’t even come close. “

This has got to be one of the most effed up relationships ever! There’s no denying their love for each other, or their incredibly intense physical and emotional connection, but it’s all overshadowed by their anger and the events of their past.

Scarlett and Dante’s backstory is revealed in chapters of their past where we can see the incredible connection that they shared as young teenagers who fell in love and became each other’s whole world. Their love was all-consuming, but was impacted on by difficult childhoods that left them angry, distrustful and insecure. They had no choice but to cling to each other, and though it’s not all sweet and happy, they truly did have something special together.

“Neither of us have a choice in this. You and I being together is not a question, Scarlett, it’s a fact of life.”

The two stories blend together to give the beginnings of a heartbreaking story. Hints are dropped throughout the book about what tore them apart and left them both bitter and twisted, but there is still so much to be revealed. But through it all it’s very clear that the love they had for each other has never disappeared, it’s just become warped with anger, pain, guilt and regret, and it makes for one very intense read.

“I hate you,” I told him, quietly and vehemently.
“I hate that I still love you.” Just as quiet, just as vehement. Far more destructive … “I hate that I’ll never stop.”

I have so many theories, so many questions, and I’m slightly terrified of where the story is going to go, but Lilley does a great job of building the tension. You think you almost know what happens, and then another hint will be dropped and she’ll have you guessing all over again. It definitely looks to be a situation where all is not as it seems, and all I can say is it had to be epic to bring Scarlett and Dante to the position they are in now, and I’m desperate to find out more.

I can’t forgive you. I can’t and won’t trust you again. You betrayed me and it can never be made right again.
Also, I can’t forgive myself. The things I did to hurt you, to survive after you left, and of course, the things I did to take revenge for the things you did, have damaged me beyond all repair.

The book ends on a massive cliffy which makes me very thankful that I waited to read it until the next book was available. I’m diving straight in.

4 stars.

 

The Love is War Duet

 

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