There was no question Ash and CheIcie were going to have to overcome some huge hurdles in order to find a way into each other’s hearts. While watching them battle their way through, we have a front row seat to a tale of pain, heartache, grief, forgiveness, and at long last utter happiness and love. ~ Rhayne, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Do you take me seriously? Because I don’t. I use my jokes and easygoing personality to hide the pain I’ve felt since he took his last breath. I’m adrift without my partner in crime, my best friend…my brother. I can taste the vengeance just within my grasp.
Until she barges into my life. Promising me happiness and a peace I’ve been craving for years. She is the sun to my darkness, the happy to my despair.
But she holds secrets. Just like I do. She holds hers close, where I just pray mine don’t rock the walls we’re trying to build.
Now I’m stuck at a crossroads between my desire for revenge and my craving for her and the life we could have together—and I have no idea which road I should travel.
All I know with crystal clear certainty is that the past has the power to destroy it all.
Review copy provided for an honest review
In book four of the Corps Security series we experience a whirlwind of emotions. There was no question Ash and CheIcie were going to have to overcome some huge hurdles in order to find a way into each other’s hearts. While watching them battle their way through, we have a front row seat to a tale of pain, heartache, grief, forgiveness, and at long last utter happiness and love.
This book detailed for us the brutal childhood that Ash and Cooper shared. We experienced firsthand the lengths that Ash would go through to keep Coop safe. It lets us see how hard Ash is taking it since he wasn’t there to protect Coop months ago and he’s not gotten over his guilt. He’s buried his grief in booze and women. He will go to any length just for a few seconds of numb.
Chelcie is struggling adapting to everything new in her life. She is in a new town, she has a new home, she is getting to know and trust her new friends, and now a new baby on the way. She wants to find a way to move on and she knows Ash is the one she wants to move on with, but he is stuck in a down whirl spiral and she has to fight to find the strength to pull him up.
There is quite a bit of back story thrown in to give the reader a chance to really connect with the characters. I loved that. Even though it was brutal and hard to read, it really helped us understand Coop’s perspective on life. Ash is just torn between grief and a burning need for revenge. Chelcie is confused and hurt, but she has a determination that is unwavering and she proved to one hell of a strong lady.
Watching Ash and Chelcie come together and try to accept the past they can’t change and reach for the happiness they both desire and deserve was absolutely beautiful. They really have a love story that is unmeasurable and completely consumes your heart.
The secondary characters really helped pull off this story. They proved to be reliable, dependable, loyal friend. And I know this isn’t Maddox’s story, but damn, that man absolutely stole my heart. We saw a complete different caring compassionate side to him that just proved his book is going to be epic.
The only issue I struggled with was the appearance of someone showing up from Ash’s past. I didn’t feel like it mixed well with the plot, and parts of this scene were very similar to what we saw in Mandy and Cage’s story. I’m not going into a lot of detail, it’s hard to do that and not give away any spoilers, but for three chapters my head was spinning.
Aside from that, I loved reading about these two. Parts of their story are very sad and hard to get through, but the happiness they eventually find makes the bumpy road to claim it completely worth it.
Thanks Rhayne