Thea had to leave her life behind after an emotionally manipulative,abusive, and influential ex got her fired from her job, harassed/stalked her, and put revenge 🌽 out there that she had no idea existed. She found herself in Sparrow Falls, where for the past two years, she has slowly built a life for herself yet has kept everyone at a distance due to fear and the emotional and mental scars left by said ex. Shep is the brother of the FMC in book one and gives such a golden retriever energy in wanting to protect Thea and make her feel loved. I really loved how their relationship developed, Shep understood Theas need for control, etc, and didn't push her but didn't back off as he knew he wanted her and wasn't giving up without a fight. The found family and small town vibes were great, and I want to be Lolli when I grow up. 

Now, the suspense aspect of this was done so well. Catherine has only ever pulled the rug from under me once before in her previous series, and she did it again here, and i LOVE that she managed it! I was sitting there thinking I knew where this was going, thought my theory had been confirmed, and then BAM turns out I was wrong! It's not often authors manage to do that to me, so when it does happen, I throughly enjoy it. The audiobook was fantastic, Erin Mallon & Teddy Hamilton narrate and are as always excellent. This was a great buddy listen with my bestie, and we are looking forward to moving onto book 3 in the new year! 🌶🌶