Ummm…wow! I’m usually a Chelsea Maria fan, and have definitely enjoyed my fair share of slow burn romances, but this one was too much and too slow. I’m not incapable of deciphering and enjoying complex, lengthy literature. However, there was a lot going on in the first half of the book, and it almost discouraged me from continuing on. CM is a master wordsmith and has previously impressed me with her writing skills. That’s why I was willing to “thug it out,”-- allow her the chance to tie everything together and bring it home for me.
When Atlas was in Keatyn's presence—he was like a beautiful, black dream come true. A man who knew all the right things to say, offering his queen an ear to express her inner most thoughts and desires, a shoulder to lean on where she could lay out all her fears, insecurities, and troubles. And it didn’t hurt that Atlas came wrapped in an exquisitely sexy package complete with a voice that had the ability to make Keatyn melt into a puddle at his feet.
As for Aaron, I was conflicted about how I should have felt about him. Running weapons and whatnot (still not sure about all the stuff his family was into) reading old girl’s texts/emails and having her followed. Granted Michelle aka Ms Thang was no picnic, and was a spoiled b*tchy brat, but Aaron’s actions were totally unnecessary; especially since he should have just kicked her complaining, trifling, ungrateful a** to the curb a long time ago. Aaron seemed too preoccupied, immature, and less confident where Atlas carried himself as highly intelligent and exceptionally in tuned to his woman’s thoughts and feelings. I had a really hard time reconciling Aaron and Atlas being two parts of the same whole. I understand writing characters’ lives in parallels, but I think this missed the mark.
As I said earlier, there was a lot going on, and it was hard to keep my focus on the beautiful friendship and romance that was blossoming between Atlas and Keatyn. Then part II of this story began, and with that came a lot of angst. Even though Aaron and Atlas were two sides of the same coin, the Atlas I loved and fanned over in the beginning dwindled and too much of Aaron appeared. Once everything was out in the open, I wished for Atlas to dominate. Instead, the hero seemed to be punishing himself, which in turn punished Keatyn. Not to mention that Keatyn was playing games and decided that she would dish out her own little punishment to the hero. This went on for too darn long! They were both frustrating and exhausting.
I will say that the side characters brought an interesting dynamic to the story, like Keatyn's friends and Aaron's brothers—especially Cassian. That brother definitely brought the comedic relief. And I wouldn’t mind having a peak inside Amell's mind. He scares me, but I’d still like to see what really makes him tick. I honestly wish I could say that I enjoyed this romance like I have with all of Chelsea Maria's stories I’ve read, but this one just didn’t do it for me.