Two Warnings!
#1: This story is about a stalker who will do anything to get to the object of his fixation. Violence is depicted in various ways including torture, stabbing, bombings, assault, attempted sexual assault, and other actions. Objectification of the female body is also discussed in this story. If you have any triggers, please read this book with caution.
#2: Once you start reading this book you won’t be able to put it down until the end! So make sure you have plenty of time to devote to this story so you won’t end up reading until the wee hours of the morning and having a book hangover like I did!
Ok, on to the review: What an amazing book! I know that people often think of romance novels as being “porn for women” or not worthy of serious praise, but this book blows all of those stereotypes out of the water.
While romance is the heart of this story, you also get what felt like a real look into the world of being a celebrity, of being a soldier dealing with ptsd, of a stalker with obvious mental health issues, and the challenge of not adhering to the typical social norms of society. Each of the male characters are so well developed that you could feel Matt’s guilt as he struggled with PTSD and flashbacks from serving in the military, the emotional discomfort Glenn had because of visible scars on his face, and Kenta’s need to help and protect the people he loves. The main female character, Briar, is depicted as an ice cold bitch, but it quickly becomes obvious that it’s a coping mechanism to protect herself from the judgment, pressure and the many unpleasant aspects of life as a celebrity.
The author did an amazing job of making these characters multifaceted, complex and very interesting. The emotional growth of each character feels genuine, and definitely had me laughing, crying, sympathizing and giving me all the feels.
The story is fast paced, well researched and entertaining. The world building is so detailed that it is easy to fully immerse yourself in the story. Sexy scenes are included throughout the story but only add to the growing relationship between the characters, and occur in various combinations of M/F, MFM, or MFMM. No swords cross in the story.
This is a great drama/action/romance that I think most authors hope to write at some point in their career. Lily Gold is quickly becoming one of my favorite reverse harem authors. I just can’t say enough good things about this book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.