4.5 Smooches!
Synopsis
Everything in Duke Grayson’s life was all he could ever ask for: A loving family, loyal friends, a beautiful girlfriend, and a scholarship to his top choice college. It’s his senior year of high school, and all he needs is to focus on his grades, lacrosse, and keeping his girlfriend happy. That is until Raya walks into his life.
From the moment they meet, Duke is drawn to her, not only for her natural beauty and her stunning crystal blue eyes, but because he’s aware there’s more to this girl than just his alluring pull to her. He senses secrecy and fear.
Throughout the year, their bond grows stronger, and his feelings for her become undeniable. Just when he is about to express his love, tragedy strikes and Raya disappears.
For six years, Duke is tortured by his struggles, as he’s unable to find her and blames himself for failing to protect her. Until the day, she’s found, and he’s given a second chance. Will Duke become her beacon of hope and make her see that it’s the little things that make life worthwhile? Can Raya overcome her fears and fight against the terrors that haunt her? Or will her dark and torturous past be too much for her to battle against?
*Warning: This book contains some disturbing situations, strong language and sexual content. Suited for 18 years and over.
Review
I have to say I didn’t quite know what to expect when I started this story but I honestly ended up loving it. This started out as a new adult book: we follow Raya, a young woman who lives far from a perfect life in an abusive home trying to disappear from the world but Duke won’t let her and quickly these two develop feelings for each other, but at the wrong time for something explosive happens that rips Raya away from Duke. From this point the story turned quite quickly into something full of suspense and darkness which I LOVED!! It was such a contrast to the beginning on the story and I enjoyed the two parts to it.
“You’re worth it. You’ve always been worth it….”
From the first few pages in I was already in love with the main characters. Duke was the sweetest and most caring book boyfriend I have read in a while: he was the perfect boy next door with how charming he was, how affectionate and caring, he was cute and sexy and honestly, I wish I could find myself a Duke!
“I promised to keep you safe and I won’t ever stop. I’ll do everything to protect you. Even if it’s from yourself.”
Raya was a lead female I could look up to and I wanted her to do well, she faces such terrible situations but she always remained strong and never truly gave up hope and I thought her and Duke together made the perfect couple!
“You’ve changed my life Duke, even before everything in Chicago happened. You make me a better person…I’m no longer numb or shut people out. I’m in touch with my emotions and I stand up to face my fears. But all of this was because of you.”
The story itself was amazing! Exactly the genre of book I love with romance, suspense, and the darker element added in. I liked how we started off sweet and hopeful and then BANG we get thrown into the story with everything that happens and the story never really slows down. The author really brings you into the both sides of the story, the sweet NA beginning and then the darker more suspense-filled middle and end.
“As we descend into the darkness of the tunnel, tears return as my body tremors in fear of the horrors that await me around the corner.”
It kept me hooked from page 1 and didn’t let me go the whole way through…. Even when it finished I was still hooked on the story and I wanted more pages to magically appear on my kindle so I could keep reading about these characters and remain in their lives!
Overall 4.5 stars for an amazing book which had a very captivating plot and characters that I absolutely adored.
Well done to the author on writing such a great debut novel!
Bethany
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