Long & Short Reviews
Carver was a hard man living a hard life – desperate and willing to do whatever he had to in order to survive, he never expected kindness or compassion from a complete stranger. But that’s what he found when Yasmin offered him help for no reason other than he needed it. Carver instantly knew she was his and no one else’s. Years later, when Yasmine is tired of picking up after her father and saving his bacon all the time, Carver has the chance to fulfill his promise and repay her kindness. I found this to be an intense but really interesting and emotional story. While it’s clear that Carver is capable of great violence and is not a soft or easy man, he isn’t heartless or despicable as he – and his reputation – seem to think. Carver is certainly possessive and a little bit obsessed with Yas, but it’s equally clear to me that he genuinely cares about her and that small act of kindness she showed him those many years ago touched Carver and changed something deep inside him. For me, personally, both Carver and Yas’ characters were complex, layered and deeply interesting. I’m not much of a fan of the harder plotlines a lot of stories have recently – MC clubs and assassins, kingpins etc – but I thoroughly enjoyed this story primarily because Carver was such an interesting and engrossing character. He and Yasmine are totally suited – Yas being a strong, resilient and brave woman, a good match for Caver and the life he’s made for himself. I also really appreciated that while it’s clear the world Carver inhabits is a violent one, much of the grittiness of that violence and aggression was in the background here – the romance and relationship building between Carver and Yas was front and centre and that greatly helped me enjoy the story and helped keep me reading eagerly. While there isn’t a hint of further stories to come – I’d happily pick up a story about one of Carver’s bodyguards, Jake. I found him to easily be the most interesting secondary character introduced in the story and would find his story quite appealing to read. When a story leaves me wanting to read more, that’s always a good thing. I found this to be a good story with a solid plotline and interesting characters. Recommended.
