My dreams of attending Juilliard shattered the night tragedy struck my family.
That night, a part of me died inside.
Now, the only peace I find is in stolen moments on a rooftop where I dance to remember as much as to forget.
Until I literally stumble headfirst into Levi’s life.
He’s six feet two inches of ripped, hard, gorgeous temptation wrapped in a very irritating package. I swear he was sent to test me, because his hot-and-cold attitude pushes my buttons like no guy has before.
I don’t know at what point I fall, but he worms his way into my heart without me noticing. One moment we are trading insults, the next we’re shedding our clothes and surrendering to the searing-hot chemistry smoldering between us.
He breathes life into me again.
Before tearing me apart when I discover it’s all been a lie.
He says he kept his identity a secret for my protection.
Yet I’m all alone when his enemies come for me.
I’ve read this book yet again and wanted to update the review to say I still love it as much as I did the first and second times.
I love this book. There’s a lot to say about this story, but that’s the bottom line and the most important takeaway from this review. The MCs are great, the plot is complex but clear and the story is just crazy enough to be exciting without being ridiculous. I immediately liked both Dakota and Shawn. They both have heavy baggage and are struggling to find themselves when they find one another, so falling for each other is not ideal. Dakota lived a carefree life as a fun-loving dancer on her way to Julliard until tragedy struck, changing her entire life in an instant. Now she’s the dutiful daughter studying accounting at the state university so she can take over the family business and her social life is nearly nonexistent since she goes home every weekend to care for her family. She’s struggling to decide who she really is anymore: daughter, dancer, martyr, sister. Dakota’s no longer sure.
Shawn Lucas is a world-famous bad boy pop star who left his friends behind to gain fame and lost himself along the way. He hates what he’s become: estranged from his family, surrounded by phonies who just want to use him, and desperate to make real music again but he’s forced to churn out garbage pop. He expected fame and fortune to make him happy but he’s lonely and unfulfilled. He finds relief in an unlikely place, when a stalker threatens his life and his handlers decide to send him to Iowa where he’ll go incognito as an average college student. Shawn relishes the anonymity and quickly finds some peace. He’s relaxed and writing music again, enjoying every minute of his off-the-radar identity as accounting major Levi, until he meets Dakota.
He’s instantly drawn to her in a way he’s never been drawn to anyone before and he’s desperate to get close to her but drawing her into his world means putting her in harms’ way. Shawn knows she’s not safe until his stalker is caught but he can’t help himself when he sees the pain in her eyes because all he wants is to take it away. Dakota is guarded, with good reason, but fate keeps their paths crossing and she can’t resist him. They become friends not because of their attraction but rather in spite of their determination not to fall for one another because they both desperately need someone to lean on.
“My heart beats only for you, and I know you said you only wanted to be friends, but I can’t just be your friend.” He pulls me closer. “Not when I want so much more.”
They’re both frustrating at times, with some immature reactions and lots of second-guessing themselves and one another but it’s realistic. Considering all they’ve been through and the adaptations they’ve both had to make growing up, the self-doubt and insecurities are true to life. The subplots are riveting, with Dakota’s ex and her crazy family situation plus Shawn’s stalker. Siobhan Davis keeps the twists coming as always, so even when you think you know what’s coming or who’s behind something, you’ll be wrong.
One of the best things about this book is that it brings back characters from Inseparable, another favorite Davis book and presents them in a new capacity, which is so much fun. I enjoyed everything about this book and will definitely read it again.
