Oh my gosh! This was such a beautiful love story with so much angsty goodness my heart is bursting!

Kristi has had a crush on Jake since they were children. When a night out opens the door for something more with him, she eagerly steps through it. But trouble follows and it follows in a big way. Decisions are made, actions taken, and their lives are irreparably set onto a new path.

I adored Kristi. She was a sweet, small home town girl with a desire for a touch of darkness in her life. Jake fit that requirement and even as she knew it was only temporary, she grabbed it with both hands.

’”You’re a good girl.”
“I’m shy, not good.”
His smile vanishes. Heat darkens his eyes. My words excite him. He likes shy girls who aren’t good.’

She wasn’t looking at life through rose colored glasses and even if some of her decisions might conflict with reader’s beliefs, it was what she felt to be right considering where she lived. While she isn’t your normal kick tail heroine, she was strong, independent and fierce all with a touch of innocence about her.

My heart hurt for Jake. He’s lived a life of never being enough. His own decisions cause mayhem and destruction in his life and as a result he loses a part of his soul. Initially, I didn’t want to cheer him on due to some of those decisions, but holy heck, when he pulls himself out of the gutter he was wallowing in, he did so with intense determination.

’I haven’t felt this free, this salvaged, since the day Kristi told me she’d wait for me. Everything that happened in between are layers of dirt, but I’m scrubbing them away one by one.’

He quickly became totally swoon worthy and I absolutely loved him and all his brokenness.

Never have I read such a story filled with such heart breaking yet beautiful redemption. Jake had amends to make and he did so with words and actions that melted my heart. This couple belonged together but it was a struggle for them to find their path much less to stay on it.

’Like a wild rose creeper that has invaded the abandoned mesh of a fence, the feelings strangling my heart are twisted, and warped, and full of thorns with fragile little flowers in between. Even if I don’t want to admit it, I still have feelings for Jake. Those feelings are intertwined with the pain, fragile little roses that survive between thorns.’

The road this author takes us on with them was strewn with rocks and boulders. But oh my, when they finally found their solution, I was in tears from the pure joy that they had come through it all and survived, changed yes, but all the stronger for it.

Although this looks to be a longer read, it felt anything but. The rhythm and pacing was such that I had consumed more than I had thought and still didn’t want to put it down. There is never a doubt regarding the chemistry between Jake and Kristi. It absolutely sizzles from one scene to the next. While this starts out with smexy times, there is actually a good portion of the book that has a slow burn to it. It was absolutely perfect for their situation and when they finally step across that line again…beauty in every word.

If you enjoy an angst filled love story and intense groveling, you’re going to love Jake and this story.