Marked hit me right in the feels! Kate's husband died tragically in a car accident. Several years have past and Kate is pretending she is 'moving on'. She loves her son and will do everything she can to keep him happy. Liam watched his mom struggle after his dad died and knows all too well what Kate is going through. He wants to help her, but how do you help someone who is so closed off?
I loved Liam. He had feelings for Kate, but knew exactly what she was going through. The guilt, the loss...all of it was what he watched his mom go through. He was the perfect guy for her. Sometimes, I find widow stories difficult; if you loved someone, moving on feels like betrayal and I feel that the new person in the relationship is always competing with a ghost, but if you move on too quickly, then you question if they really loved them at all. Its a fine line to walk. Kate's survivor's guilt was heartbreaking. She felt that she shouldn't ever love again, that doing so would be a betrayal. She really loved Joel (her husband) and they had been together since high school. As if the death of her husband wasn't tragic enough, Kate didn't have a great childhood either. She clung to Joel because they created a family neither had ever had. Appropriately, this was a slower burn since Kate has such love and devotion to her late husband.
Liam had a great family and I thought that was wonderful to read. He was close to his mom and his siblings. Its not often you get functional families in romance. I loved that he was a tattoo artist as well. He embraced and encouraged artistic talent. While my heart went out to Kate and her struggle, I adored Liam and he is what made this book for me! Marked is full of deep, real emotions and will have you tearing up frequently, but its a beautiful ride!
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: yes
- Trope: single parent, widow, MC club
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: yes
Clutch by L. Wilder, Outlaw Ride by Sarah Hawthorne, Follow Me Back by AL Jackson...then you will probably like Marked!