Thank you to @netgalley and @forevergrandcentralpublishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. 

This is a hard review to type and this is a prime example of when star ratings just don’t work for book reviews. Let me start off by saying that this book is riddled with clueless FMC moments that are frustrating and an Alphahole MMC who refuses to listen to his love interest and instead steamrolls her time and time again and is surprised when it blows up in his face. HOWEVER, the vibes at times were pretty good and I did honestly come out enjoying the book?

As mentioned above, our FMC Callie is the biggest ditz there is at times. She has a stalker who doesn’t do anything untoward except for make his presence known. She doesn’t go to the police, nothing, just keeps on trucking on. She also can’t put two and two together about who her stalker was. Even if we didn’t get a dual POV, like seriously girl .. it’s OBVIOUS. You could brush this off by saying she’s too swept up in the grief after her fathers murder and her life turning upside down, but I still don’t understand why she didn’t go to the police??

Our MMC Hayden is an overbearing jerk who plays it his way or no way. At times he had me rolling my eyes and my upper lip curling and yet at others he was surprisingly sweet. His motives for being with Callie are … untoward … but I do truly think that he cares for her, especially at the little glimpses of his character when he doesn’t know Callie is watching. I think he is just a man who lost too much and clings in an overbearing way, holding on too tightly out of fear. It’s sweet, but he needs to let her have her space. 

There were a few plot holes, specifically about how this man attacks multiple people and has absolutely zero repercussions. There is a throwaway line that is meant to explain it, but it feels just that, a throwaway afterthought. I wish that we had more development into the power that he has seemingly accumulated. A simple phone call to the police to bury the damage or something to give depth to who Hayden is as a character. 

The romance between our couple is hot and heavy even though it takes a bit to get going. They certainly have chemistry between them but outside of that I don’t see how they will ever make it as a couple. They are too different and he has to be in control all the time which isn’t sustainable. 

Overall it was okay. It has its issues but there were some quick moments that really brought everything together. Will I read book two? Probably but if I don’t pick it back up I wouldn’t be upset either.