Nicole Lynn
Written on Aug 2, 2017
***I was given an eBook ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
This novel was definitely action packed! Right away we're thrown into the fray of action with Sophie's dad and then Sophie on the run. The suspense and action continued throughout the whole novel really keeping the pacing going strong and the reader engaged. I flew through this story as Sophie and Damon went from escaping one danger into having to fend off another.
The mystery behind what happened to Sophie's dad and why she was in danger really pulled me in as a reader. I wanted to know what happened and unravel her dad's secrets just as much as Sophie did. I really felt like Freethy captured the 'I don't know who to trust' atmosphere throughout the novel. Just like Sophie, I wasn't sure who to trust in the story--who was friend and who was foe? Luckily through the multiple POVs the story is told through, it was easy to see early on that Damon was someone both Sophie and I as the reader could trust.
Sophie and Damon definitely had a lot of chemistry between the two of them and their past together definitely lent to that chemistry. I also enjoyed how while their relationship was 'heating up', it was also getting stronger on a personal level. Both Sophie and Damon learned to trust each other and mend old pain through the strengthening of their relationship. I really enjoyed seeing how both of them grew closer in an emotional way alongside the physical.
Sophie was a pretty strong female character. She was smart and didn't completely lose her cool while on the run. She questioned Damon for a day or two before really trusting him and her actions & reactions seemed realistic throughout the novel. She had some 'life sucks' moments, but she wasn't fully bitter like some other characters can get. She trusted her dad and later Damon and did her best.
Damon never seemed to let Sophie go from his mind after their chance encounter four years earlier. His first instinct was to try and find her once news hit of her dad and I like that while he remained aloof, the reader could tell he was already half in love with her from their first meeting. I'm not a big fan of instant love, so knowing that these two characters had feelings from before really made their relationship progression realistic to me. I also enjoyed how Damon included Sophie on his plans and thought process. The key to their success on the run was the trust they had for each other. While Sophie took a little longer in trusting Damon, Damon offered his trust from the beginning and I really enjoyed seeing that from a male character. Damon also did his best to keep Sophie safe and calm throughout their ordeal and I like seeing him open up to her and him grow just as much as Sophie.
The romance and relationship development between the two main characters was really strong in this novel. Freethy also did a great job utilizing her secondary characters and setting the scene. I really felt engrossed in the storyline and the action/suspense kept me turning the pages. What I felt was a little off with the story was the ending of 'who done it'. It seemed a little bit out of left field. It was definitely a plausible 'who done it,' but I felt there weren't a whole lot of clues (outside of one main one) that really lead to that ending. I don't want to get too much into it (we're spoiler free here ;) ), so if you've read this one let's discuss!!! ;). Any way, that was the only real draw back for the novel. I was satisfied with the ending, just a little thrown for a bit on how we got to that person so late in the game without much pointing in their direction.
Overall this was a fun, fast read! It was my first Freethy novel, so I'll definitely be looking up some of her other works as well as looking forward to the next installment in this series! I'm excited to see who will be getting stories from this one ;) I'd definitely recommend this novel to anyone who like suspense romance or even contemporary romance. Its fast paced, entertaining and filled with sexually tense moments that would appeal to any romance lover!
