From the very start Brecken had stole my heart, he had me swooning the instant he found Rina in that bar playing trivia and he swept her off her feet. They have a steamy romp then Rina walks away thinking that is the very last time she will ever see the guy that gave her the best night of her life ever again. Three years later we see Rina has her own demons she is fighting and when she goes to meet up with her friends, she sees that guy and finds out that he is her best friend’s playboy older brother. Brecken could never forget the angel he had three years prior and now she is ultimately the most off limits any woman has ever been, but he can’t help the attraction he feels between them. Like Rina we see that Brecken has his own secrets for being back in town and one too many times the rejection he feels from Rina starts messing with his head, but he can’t help how he feels. Brecken was pure perfection, he made me laugh one second then swoon with his alpha growly self the next. Rina is a tough character that has been through some serious trauma, so she has built her walls up high to keep people at a distance which is understandable after we learn what her secrets are. What I loved the most was how they shared their secrets with each other to understand each other better, but I also loved the way Brecken described his Rina. He always knew she was his angel, but he saw all sides of her and said,
“I suppose you’d call her a perfect storm. A converging of multiple cells that leave nothing but chaos and destruction in their wake. But damn, all I want to do is have her storm plow through me so I can say I lived through it.”
He always saw deeper and knew there was more to her than the persona she tries to hide behind and that is what I loved about him. The way Brecken came into her life like a wrecking ball without being a creepy stalker and the bond he formed with her brothers made me laugh and fall so much more in love with him. He was always trying to show her that he was more than what his sister said, and she was worth everything. Their romance might have been forbidden and I could see where Aria didn’t want her friendships jeopardized but she made me mad a few times because she was being hypocritical about the whole friends and siblings’ issues. Other than that, this story was perfect because we have the funny alpha sweet man and the woman who had too high of walls set around her waiting to see if anyone was worthy enough to climb them to see her true self. Brecken showed Rina many times that he was willing to climb her walls or wreck them all just to get the woman he was falling for.
“Maybe it’s that she’s a walking contradiction. Easygoing yet rigid. Confident yet afraid. Sassy yet sweet. It’s as if she seen and experienced things in a way others haven’t. Despite her defiance, there is a vulnerability she works to hide. And that strength above whatever she perceives as a weakness might be what turns me on most about her.”
“Don’t run because its what you always do. Stay because you never have before.”
( )

4.4 stars

This author can always write a book that captivates me. Her writing skill is sublime, her characters are sublime, and there is always just the right amount of tension and angst.Loved these characters, especially, Brecken.

Where I had a slight issue with the story was with bringing back Harrison's father. None of that served the story in my opinion. I would have wanted more insight into the healing of six years after a traumatic event. Still, this was very good. There is a reason she is one of my favorite authors. ( )