It was supposed to be a fresh start. A small town where I could hide my little girl from the shadows that haunt us. A place where I could keep us safe.
The last thing I expected was him.
A surly, broody mountain of a man who helps me save an injured deer in a snowstorm.
Now, Roan Hartley keeps showing up with his glowers and grimaces. But they only make his rare smiles and the gentle way he talks to my daughter mean that much more.
When forces from my past find us, Roan is determined to keep us safe—even if that means sleeping on my ancient couch every night.
As days turn to weeks, his touch has my walls crashing down. But someone out there doesn’t want me to find happiness. He doesn’t want me left breathing at all…
I knew Roan’s story would be intense and this book delivered. Aspen’s secrets have been teased throughout the series and we finally get the reveal. Her story is so tragic and rough, she’s been through a lot. Roan has too and he immediately feels a connection with her and with her little girl. He’s been a gruff man-of-few-words type throughout the series, keeping everyone at arms’ length, even his family, to their dismay. The Hartleys have all been through so much, but Roan is the one who has yet to recover from everything they went through years ago.
He usually prefers solitude to anything else so his need to stay with Aspen and Cady at the first signs of dangers shocks them all, including Aspen. She’s also used to being alone, although it’s not by choice for her. In fact, she’d love nothing more than to put down roots and give Cady a real family, but Aspen has to live with one foot out the door, always ready to run. The constant threat of being forced to start over again hangs over her head at all times, because she’ll never be safe.
The women of this series adopted Aspen and Cady long ago so when things get tough, she’s got the whole family behind her, especially Roan, to the shock of the town. And whether he’s checking for monsters or putting bullies in their place, he instantly becomes an unlikely bestie for this sassy little girl. Bet you weren’t expecting to ever see Roan get a sparkle manicure, huh? But we get that here and so much more. He wasn’t my favorite sibling in the series, but he quickly won me over. I really loved these characters and their story. Now I can’t wait for Lawson’s book, especially because I thought I knew who his leading lady would be, but I was totally wrong. That will be bittersweet since it means the end of the series but maybe we’ll get a next generation that starts with Cady and Charlie. A reader can only hope.
