HERO by Leighton del Mia

Synopsis:

Calvin Parish
They call me Hero.
I defend.
I protect.
I ask for nothing in return, and that makes me good.
Doesn’t it?
That which makes me the ultimate predator also feeds dark impulses I’ve learned to control—until I bring her too close. For years I’ve watched her from afar, but what started out as duty has become obsession.

Cataline Ford
I work hard.
I play by the rules.
I’m content.
My scars are quiet and invisible, and that keeps me hidden.
Doesn’t it?
One fateful walk home, I’m taken by someone I didn’t know I should fear. Captive and afraid, nobody will tell me why I’m confined to this hauntingly beautiful mansion. I’m given everything; I have nothing. He takes what he needs from me, and for that I hate him. But I might have loved him once.
And just because you’re reading this doesn’t mean I survive him.

Review:

Feeling. Immense, deep, dark, emotional feeling.

The story of Calvin and Cataline is a raw, gritty tale. It left me feeling deeply. Lots of emotions and ideas were running through my head. To me, that is the mark of a great book. This is one that will stick with me for quite awhile. The author, Leighton del Mia, does such an excellent job of painting the picture of the story that unfolds with her beautiful prose. It truly is like you are watching a Superhero movie. I am a huge sucker for a Superhero so I was thrilled! What reels you in is the language, the character development, the beauty in the mess that Calvin creates when he takes Cataline. Their relationship is so complex and ruins almost Cataline’s whole life. He is her Hero, her saviour, and her captor. With the complexity of that situation, you’d think it would be hard to articulate, but this story read so beautifully.

The story’s point of view does jump between Cataline and Calvin, however most of the story is developed through Cataline’s eyes. She is young, and innocent and yet has gone through so much pain and abandonment in her life that she has an edge. Her fight during most of the story is just so real, so raw! Even though, most likely you have never been kidnapped; you can relate to her situation and how she handles herself. Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were taken? Would you fight with all your might to get free, or would you accept your fate? The relationship that develops between the two of them is one built on dominance, and yet in the end Cataline can’t accept a life without Calvin and vice versa.

I really loved Cataline. I feel like she was developed in such a way that your heart breaks for her misery and soars with her defiance. She is complex. She is beautiful. She is broken.

Calvin carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is unforgiving. He is larger than life. He is intense and it all comes together so poetically when he finally succumbs to his true feelings for Cataline.

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you are in to deeper, darker reads with an edge, this is for you!

5 ENORMOUS smooches!!!!!

~Nicole