3 stars - I liked it

CW: death of best friend and brother; graphic torture recounted; grief and guilt; PTSD; attempted mugging; stalking; gun violence; on page death of a friend and spouse from gun violence; Islamphobia; vomiting;

It’s been years since I read this series and figured it was time for a reread considering Walker just released a new spin-off series. Ali’s life was upended when her brother died but the pain didn’t stop there. For the past few months she has been followed, her house and workplace broke into and almost mugged. So she heads to Chicago to seek help from her brother’s best friend, and the man she has been crushing on for years, Nate “Ghost” Weller. 

This was a good and very emotional start for a series. It does feel a bit dated at this point but still enjoyable overall. Nate is a grumpy and serious soldier who has spent years fighting his attraction to Ali, but her being in danger means he can’t hide his feelings anymore. Nate was a very protective man who has gone through some very traumatic experiences. While I liked him, I did get a bit tired of his determination to be a manly man by not talking about his trauma and seeking help. 

Ali may be a kindergarten teacher but she is no weakling. She was a very capable woman who is still dealing with the grief of her brother’s death. I liked that while we do see her struggling with the events that happen to her and her brother, she pushes through and keeps on fighting.  Ali was a great heroine and I do like that she softened Nate’s edges and pushed him to talk about his trauma. 

Nate and Ali’s relationship was filled with danger and a lot of emotion. While Ali goes all in very quickly we see Nate push back against his feelings multiple times, mostly due to his guilt in her brother’s death. I did get a bit tired of Nate’s actions but he was dealing with a lot of PTSD and guilt so it was a bit understandable. 

The Black Knights group are a very tight knit group who are still struggling from the loss of their friend and comrade. Becky was a fascinating character and I loved how smart and sassy she was. She wasn’t putting up with any of the men’s shit and had no problem telling people off. I really can’t wait to read her book. We also saw more tragedy with this group which was very heartbreaking and I felt a bit unnecessary. We will see how that plays out in future books. 

Overall, this was a great introduction to a series and I enjoyed Nate and Ali’s story. I can’t wait to dive back into this series and get to know these characters and see them fall in love.