Reviewed by Risa Nichols on
Anyone who knows me knows that I love the fighter romance novels, and this particular one certainly was not a disappointment. I'm also a huge sucker for the friends-turned-lovers stories, and I absolutely loved how Till and Eliza's relationship steadily grew as they became adults. Though Till's fear of ruining their friendship by taking the relationship to the next level frustrated me, I could also understand his plight. After all, when you believe you've found magic in a world where all you've ever experienced is loss, how could you not be frightened of the unknown? of the ominous-looking future?
I have seen a few critiques about this book stating that it took too long to get to the "actual" story, but I have to disagree. I loved the way Ms. Martinez gave us the back story, allowing us a glimpse into the lives of Till and Eliza, which helped explain their friendship and why they came to rely so heavily on each other throughout their informative years. Being a young adult is difficult enough in this crazy world, but it's even worse when you have to go through it without having anyone to help shoulder the burden.
Till has the added heavy burden of taking care of his two younger brothers, which ages him very quickly. Once Eliza is introduced into the lives of the two boys, they all become a makeshift family, quickly filling the void their birth families left behind. It takes Till longer to accept the love Eliza is giving him than it does for Eliza to want to begin their lives, and there's some added drama along the way that left me on the edge of my seat.
Not only is this book a sweet love story, it's also fun and filled with an immense amount of humor that had me cracking up as I read the pages. This may have been my first Aly Martinez read, but it most definitely will not be my last. Now if you'll excuse me...I have Fighting Shadows to start. ;)
5/5 stars. 18+.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 7 July, 2015: Finished reading
- 7 July, 2015: Reviewed