SYNOPSIS:
In a world full of secrets, heartache, and betrayals, they only have one thing on their mind: redemption.
But with redemption comes destruction.
And that destruction might cost them their hearts.
Kyler Parker is not one of the lucky ones.
Abused and neglected until he was sixteen, Kyler needed an out. A way to escape.
Now, at twenty-four, Kyler’s past is knocking on his door, offering a deal he has no choice but to take.
*
Unwanted from the day she was born, and then discarded, Bailey’s only plan in life is to make it through to the next day.
One hopeless night, one wrong decision, and one pull of the trigger changes everything.
*
Nate DeLuca was born into a life he didn’t want.
Forced to walk a path that was already chosen for him.
Grandson to a mob boss, he’s forever torn between his duty, his honor, his legacy, and the truth.
But the truth is never simple, and it’s not at all what it seems.
*
Some villains are made.
Some villains are born.
And some villains aren’t villains at all
REVIEW:
Triggers: Blood, Death, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content & Violence
Hero: 5/5
Heroine: 5/5
Sex: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Would I read again? Yes, when I’m in the mood to cry.
Would I read future books from this author? Definitely.
Gahhh! This is a must-read, and I desperately need more of Nate & Bailey.
Jay McLean is an emotional writer, and I know that, and I have completely ignored that. Every time I read a book from this author, I cry and not the nice sniff sniff cry, the one where you cry and beg the Lord to make it stop. Yeah, that kind of cry.
Kyler Parker, aka ky or Parker, is one of those you understand and relate to how he thinks and does things. I think this is why I liked him so much, and I felt like he needed his own book after this trilogy because of how things ended with him and Madison. I wanted to see his journey and growth after combative.
“Her chest rises when mine falls.
She exhales.
I inhale.
She takes.
I give.
She pushed out a breath.
I pull one in.
So here we are – taking each other’s breaths away.”
Madison, aka Bailey, is one of those heroines for whom you instantly fall for, and I liked being in her head most of the time. Her journey wasn’t easy, and the people who needed to be there for her weren’t, so I understood how she held on to her secrets, but what I didn’t expect was the big reason she held back that much.
Nate Deluca was hard to connect with at the beginning and trust me, you probably won’t like the guy at first, but when you start being in his head, you understand him way better, and you fall for him very hard. The guy’s perfect, and all you want to do is fix everything for him.
“I didn’t really have a reason to smile until you came along. You make me forget what my life is and who I’m supposed to be. You make me happy, Bailey.”
I smiled against the pillow when I heard Nate say my name, and it grew the second I felt his lips on my bare shoulder. “You need to wake up, baby. It’s time for your meds.”
I wished more than anything in the world, that this wasn’t our life. That we were able to be out there, loving each other freely and honestly, because I’d give up the world if I could’ve met her as her and have her fall in love with me for me.
This guy is pure perfection, and the minute I started getting into his POV, he owned me completely. The love he and bailey had for each other was out of this world. You felt it.
I wouldn’t say this was a love triangle, but you’re definitely going to root for one of the main characters more than the other. This is a story about love and tragedy. Do you think Romeo and Juliet were tragic? Ha! Let me introduce you to Nate and Bailey.
I’m trying to be as vague as possible because this is one of those books you need to go in blind. It took me a year before I finally started this trilogy, and I can’t tell you how much I cursed myself for not jumping in sooner. If you still need convincing by the end of this review, let me add some more of my favorite quotes, and you decide. I highly recommend this book. Even at the ending, I wanted more of Nate and bailey. To this day, I still want more.
“Bailey had become my drug, My addiction, My escape, My salvation & My curious fascination turned obsessive infatuation.”
“A calm washed over me… the kind I suspected junkies got after taking a hit.
Was Nate my drug?
My addiction?”
“I walk away, fighting against my craving to be near her. Because my mind knows it as much as my heart does… that I’d rather die a thousand deaths beside her than live a single day without.”
“Ti amo, mio bellissimo ragazzo spezzato.” I love you, my beautiful broken boy.
