When one of your favorite authors writes a new book, as a blogger and fan you drop everything and free up time to read and review. I almost didn't read this one, bad blogger and fan, bad. True story. But I came to my senses and I'm not above begging for an ARC, so that's what I did.
We met Darlene in The Butterfly Project when she was at her lowest - an overdose that almost killed her forced her to take a hard look at her life, get clean and take charge of herself again. Two years without drugs, a boyfriend who doesn't even have the cojones to dump her face to face and Darlene is ready for a fresh start in a city where nobody knows about her past.
Darlene is a warm, sweet heroine with a super-soft heart. She is always friendly and tries to stay upbeat. Her new neighbor, Sawyer, is a jerk but she senses his exhaustion, the daily stress of providing for his daughter, studying for his finals and bar exam leave him on edge. So she does something that's so inherently Darlene: she kills him with kindness, gentleness and care. She's an absolutely endearing heroine who is constantly facing her demons but never lets them pull her under. It was incredibly sweet to watch her fall in love not only with the hero but also with his sweet, bright daughter Livvie.
Sawyer is a grump - that's what stress does to him and it's pretty understandable seeing how he cares for his daughter, who was just dumped in his lap by the mother, and trying to finish law school to give his girl a better life. But when Sawyer has to face his worst fears he becomes stoic and builds a wall of ice around him. Only those who know him well enough see it for what it is. He may act like a jerk and idiot sometimes but when all that falls off of him he is a beautiful man with a heart the size of Texas. The love for his daughter, how he handles her with utmost care and reverence, is so incredibly touching. And it wouldn't be Emma Scott if Sawyer didn't have a heart-breaking past.
The first half of the story was not as angsty as I expected from Emma Scott but that's not necessarily a bad thing because once you're past that she cranks up the anxiety-slider and I got the familiar delicious squeeze in my chest, the one that has your heart beating in your throat. She builds up the chemistry between the characters at a steady pace but doesn't give us the release we crave, no, she keeps on going, letting the sexual tension crackle until we are just about to blow. But that was fine with me - these characters really had to sort through a lot of baggage before they could focus on their relationship.
Emma is a masterful emotion conjurer. She has this way of tying you to her characters and making you care deeply about them. Those are big personalities with depth and layers. And that doesn't just go for the main cast, the side characters all have a story to tell as well, so you wonder if they'll be happy in the future, what life has in store for them. Max and Jax shine almost as bright as Darlene and Sawyer. And don't get me started on the adorable Livvie, who took off with my heart and didn't let go. Also, if you loved Zelda and Beck from TBP a much as I did you'll be happy to hear that we get to catch up with them!
And then...then there is the twist that will make you fall in love with Sawyer even harder.
Again, Ms. Scott weaves a gorgeous story that shows her own heart beautifully. It is charged with emotion, kindness and sweetness. It's true that we always measure authors against their best work and the Full Tilt Duet and The Butterfly Project still remain my favorite by Emma Scott - they play in a league of their own - but do not underestimate the power of this story and the punch it packs. This author isn't one of my favorites for nothing and she made me fall in love with one of her stories yet again.
“A tornado, Darlene,” he whispered. “I’m swept up.”
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Reviews with images
Nice
Sawyer is a single dad who just wants to finish law school so he could provide for his daughter. When a beautiful woman moves in next to him, his walls are firmly in place but she manages to sneak past his defenses.Darlene is looking to for a new start. She moves to New York not to escape her past but to heal from it. Can these two opposite find a common ground? 💙📚 “𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫?” 📚I'll start by saying that I really liked the connection between Sawyer and his daughter, Olivia. SWOON! 😍But that was only the secondary plot. The main plot was... OK. 😬The problem for me was that I didn't really feel a chemistry between Sawyer and Darlene. Plus, there were parts that didn't add up for me (like - Sawyer's views on people who use drugs because of his past - and his reaction to finding out about Darlene's past - he was more bothered that she talked to another man than about her past... so it wasn't that important to him after all?) 🙈📚 “𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞.” 📚Don't get me wrong, this book wasn't bad, but it wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped... One thing is for sure - Emma Scott's writing is incredible, as always. 💙
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