Modern day
Asheville, North Carolina
Synopsis
Grace needs a new start, away from painful betrayal and the shelter of her parents' wealth and connections. Her new position as director of the Hartsford Center for underprivileged children is the perfect fit for this driven, selfless woman, and the fact that it is hundreds of miles from home has its perks.
Matt had finally overcome his painful past, or so he thought. When Grace comes along, she turns his carefully planned life upside down. He is undeniably attracted to her from the start, even though she represents all that he despises and doesn't understand his world. In fact, her naivety is sure to put those he cares about in grave danger, not to mention herself. To top it all off, his growing feelings for her are forcing him to revisit things he thought he'd dealt with years ago. Will he ever be able to trust himself, or Grace, enough to pursue the relationship they both long for?
Review
I had never read anything from this author before, and let me just start off by saying that I am hooked! The cover is what first attracted my attention. The image has so much emotion and I just couldn't resist taking a chance on this book. The text turned out to be just as riveting. This was a gritty look at crime, trauma and abuse, and how the resulting pain and insecurities can resurface even when they have supposedly been overcome.
Matt was such a likable, layered character. He is loyal and dedicated to the underprivileged children at the Hartsford Center. He would give anything to prevent them from suffering as he had. When Grace walks into his life, she threatens to crumble the walls of protections he has built around himself. I wanted so badly for him to let go of his painful past and trust himself enough to pursue a relationship with Grace, who has insecurities of her own. He tried so hard to fight it, for her sake, but the magnitude to which they are drawn to each other could not be denied for long, and their interactions had me riveted. When he finally trusted her enough to lay his heart bare before her, I ached for them both. This book was so real, and the romance scenes were descriptive in a way that was passionate, but not indecent. You can feel every emotion of the characters like you are right alongside them. Even the background characters were compelling.
If you want to dive into a story that digs deep into human emotion, addresses issues that are real and gritty, and has believable romantic interactions that get your blood pumping without crossing the line, this book is well worth your time! Highly recommended read!
Matt was such a likable, layered character. He is loyal and dedicated to the underprivileged children at the Hartsford Center. He would give anything to prevent them from suffering as he had. When Grace walks into his life, she threatens to crumble the walls of protections he has built around himself. I wanted so badly for him to let go of his painful past and trust himself enough to pursue a relationship with Grace, who has insecurities of her own. He tried so hard to fight it, for her sake, but the magnitude to which they are drawn to each other could not be denied for long, and their interactions had me riveted. When he finally trusted her enough to lay his heart bare before her, I ached for them both. This book was so real, and the romance scenes were descriptive in a way that was passionate, but not indecent. You can feel every emotion of the characters like you are right alongside them. Even the background characters were compelling.
If you want to dive into a story that digs deep into human emotion, addresses issues that are real and gritty, and has believable romantic interactions that get your blood pumping without crossing the line, this book is well worth your time! Highly recommended read!
Edgy Content
1) Passionate romantic scenes are descriptive and deeply emotional, but I don't find them to be indecent in any way.
2) Murder and severe physical abuse, portrayed as nightmares, are compelling but not over the top with detail.
2) Depiction of crime and violence. This is well done and very convincing without ever being gory.
3) References to past, off camera, fornication. I found that this added depth to the characters as they strove to keep their present relationship within the boundaries they have set.
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