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Review
3.5 stars
A young widow with a 4-year-old daughter struggling to get by, and her ex-fighter brother-in-law who was her first love, and who loves her still. It’s a situation already high on drama, but this book still manages to pack a surprisingly emotional punch in a heartwrenching story that had me hooked.
Julia’s world shattered when her husband was killed in a tragic accident. She was not only heartbroken, but she lost her home and had to move into a dodgy apartment with her young daughter, Everleigh. Though she works two jobs, she’s struggling to get by, but she’s determined to create a good life for her and her daughter.
Crew is the brother of Julia’s deceased husband. It was actually Crew and Julia that were a couple first – they met as teenagers and fell in love quickly, but when Crew travelled away to pursue a fighting career, he left Julia behind without a word and she eventually fell for his brother. Crew knows he stuffed up and he still regrets his decision to leave, because he’s never stopped loving Julia, even the whole time she was married to his brother. He pretended to be ok with it and was a big part of their lives, and he is still a cherished and doting uncle to little Everleigh, and helps the two of them out whenever he can. But his relationship with Julia is strained at best, and he’s been hiding his real feelings for years.
When tragedy strikes again, Julia justifiably falls apart, and Crew is there for her. He wants nothing more than to be there for her and Everleigh, and he knows that it’s his chance to make up for letting her down so badly in the past.
“We are in this together. For as long as I live, every battle you face is mine, too. And I promise you,” I say, leaning in like I’m telling her a secret, “I’m one helluva fighter.”
Their lives become more and more intertwined, and with Crew by Julia’s side when she needs him the most, she can see how much he’s changed. Julia’s feelings towards him begin to change, and it’s a slow and natural shift from sort-of friends to lovers once again.
I turn, touch the side of her face and look into her eyes. I hope she can see what I feel in them. I hope she can see that I’ve loved her since the day I fucking saw her. I hope she can see that I will love her ‘till the day I die.
It’s sweet, sexy and emotional, and I enjoyed watching these two come together. But at the same time, they’re in the fight of their lives, and there’s no limit to the sacrifices they are willing to make for the happy ending that they want so badly.
The best things in life don’t come easy, but those things are the ones worth the sacrifice.
Like I said, this is a book full of drama and emotion. Locke does a really good job getting us up close and personal with both Julia and Crew, and all that they were feeling, and I thought she handled their situation so well. It’s a difficult one, but through it all I love that the memory of Julia’s husband was never disrespected. He was such a big part of both of their lives, and that was honoured and cherished all the way through the story.
This was a really good read. Though it was full of emotion, I didn’t feel it quite as much as I thought I would. I was expecting more of a second-chance-romance, but we never got to see them together in the past so that aspect of it wasn’t really much of the story at all. But it’s still a gorgeous romance, with a lot of heart, and I really liked it.
3.5 stars.