Okay, I know I haven’t talked much about R.L. Mathewson; but I have to tell you that she is one of the authors on my auto – buy list; I would literally pick up her books without even glancing at the blurb; because almost always, they give me solace from a reality that I somehow can’t seem to understand.

Devastated, like the series’ name suggests, is all about a-holes; their demons and the woman with spine of steel to stand up to them – yes I know, this is the first book in the series; but I am gonna go out on a limb and say that that’s gonna be the theme of this series.

Hunter O’Malley is nothing short of a grumpy, rude and dismissive a-hole who has literally been put on a leash; read: house arrest and mandatory therapy that he swears he doesn’t really need. He doesn’t like being controlled or confined and he definitely doesn’t need a babysitter for the duration of the house arrest. Oh, the title isn’t of his babysitter, but of his live-in assistant; but his fulfilment of the arrest terms requires her presence; so he is definitely going to make her life as hellish as his own will be.

Kylie Davis needs this live-in position, she is desperate enough to sign the work agreement with the DA’s office without understanding the legalities, but it is a position that she needs to survive right now. What she doesn’t really expect is to deal with a-hole boss, whose sole job in the house seems to be irritating and prickling her with inane jobs and duties that borders on harassment.

Now Hunter and Kylie have something in common; a childhood of neglect and abuse – but while Hunter survived with just neglect, parents who really didn’t want anything to do with him; Kylie, on the other hand; suffered abuse with derelict and something far worse than you and I could have ever imagined.

Kylie uses EXACTLY that survival instinct to push back against Hunter’s dictatorship and somehow manages to form a reluctant truce – and it doesn’t take long for either of them to turn that truce into a friendship and then later into something far more precious.

I adore this author’s books; just for sole reason – she is able to expertly finagle the perfect balance between emotion and humour without overwhelming with either – and that’s exactly what she does with this new series in hand. The wait is excruciating for the next book in the series; but it is definitely well worth it!



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