This absolutely gutted me. I'm so glad I read it.

I read this TWICE, pretty much back to back. I don’t know what to say about this author’s writing, other than while I recognize it's not perfect, it works for me. It’s very poetic and lyrical, with narrative asides that would annoy me if they weren’t so well done, and she makes this world of werewolves almost . . . mundane? Not boring at all, but just very plausible and not the focus of things. It’s all about feelings and growth and family eventually Romantic love, but even then it's shown as not more important than the love of friends and family. 

There’s a lot of darkness, and Damien is put through it in the first half of the book, and those experiences with abuse haunt him for most of the rest of the book. The romance doesn't even start until after the midway point, and I thought I'd skim the first half on my re-read, but I got sucked in and just did a full read on the second pass. There is also a good depiction of finally getting therapy/counseling, which is a recurring theme in her books. I’m probably going to start the second book in this world (don’t think it’s really a series) soon, and then I’ll have to wait for new stuff, sadly.

This is one of my favorite books ever written. I cannot recommend it enough.