Be brave. Just for sixty seconds. Twenty breaths.
One night changed them both forever.
Their lives shattered, beyond repair, with jagged edges and pieces askew.
Now, Everly has a chance to make things right. To bring healing to the place where everything fell apart. But it means facing the family her father almost destroyed, and the boy with the dark eyes—now grown—who still haunts her dreams.
Just one breath away from having your life ripped out from under you.
The last thing Hayes wants is another reminder of all the ways he failed sixteen years ago. When Everly drives back into Wolf Gap, his only mission is to get her to leave. For his family’s sake, and for his own, those demons need to stay buried for good.
But everything about this woman is a surprise, from her spine of steel to the sanctuary she hopes to create with the land her mother left behind. And Hayes is powerless to stay away.
As a careful friendship sparks into something more, someone watches. And they’ll do anything to tear it all apart…
This is one of those books that deserves ten stars on a scale of one to five, it’s just that good. There’s something almost poetic about the author’s style that really pulls me in. It’s an emotional rollercoaster but I mean that in the best possible way. Hayes and Everly are everything. I loved Everly immediately because we first meet her as a child and her life is so hard, but then we learn it’s been even more heartbreaking since then. She’s done nothing to deserve it but she has enemies who aren’t afraid to hurt her, but she has no support or protection. She’s truly alone in the world.
Hayes is the ideal book boyfriend with just the right mix of bossy and sweet. They clash at first but balance each other perfectly once they find their groove. Everly’s used to taking care of herself so she resists Hayes’ attempts to protect her and comfort her. She’s done a great job of looking out for herself for most of her life and she’s got the skills to do it but he’s driven to protect everyone, especially her. He doesn’t know why at first but something about her just speaks to him. Everly carries so much guilt and shame for the actions of her family, she can’t imagine that anyone could stand it. Sure, they might have a relationship for a while, but it’s only a matter of time before her family’s past and present make her more trouble than she’s worth.
She’s struggling to find her place in the world and Hayes knows she’s right where she belongs but can he convince Everly? I’m always left wanting more and wishing for a look into the future for characters I like but their story ends perfectly, there’s nothing more to be said. This is a great start to a new series and I can’t wait for the rest. I’m so looking forward to Hadley and Calder’s story, it can’t come quick enough. I received an ARC from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.
