This was good, but it could have been an exceptional novel. It needed a more experienced author, I assume, as it suffers some issues I associate with inexperienced authors - particularly all the telling me what a character is thinking or feeling rather than showing it through words and/or actions, which is much more viscerally effective. But there are also serious plot issues that a sharper writer would have corrected. The worst one is this; no one in their right mind sends a still-suffering PTSD victim back into a nest of triggers where his expertise will be compromised and his health or life at risk. It's a waste of resources. Cam wasn't hiding his issues so well they didn't know. Big plot flaw.

Despite the telling habit, the author managed to show me how serious and crippling and dangerous Cam's PTSD is. Conversely, except for one scene, I found Ty's issues less well supported, told what they were, told why he's career-focused rather than shown. Telling removes the power, the urgency of a childhood wound serious enough to drive his whole adulthood (until Cam shows up). However, I really liked Cam and Ty's dynamic, the intense attraction versus what each thinks he wants/needs/deserves, and I liked the other characters, even the slut-shaming sister, even the racist mother. In fact, Ty's troubles with racism were striking, it was one of the better aspects of his character, in that 'you're your own worst enemy, sometimes' way. (He's Chinese American.)

I liked what Cam's darkness was and how it changed as he did. Despite its flaws, give this one a try. ( )

Not a very happy theme to this one and parts of it were very hard to read. I liked learning early on what Cam's darkness was and how it changed as he did. It was an original and compelling read. Cam and Ty are fascinating characters, both with painful stories, but somehow it never felt over the top. I would have liked more focus on why they’re attracted to each other so early on, which would have brought more romantic tension into the story and enhanced their relationship. While the book doesn't try to give a cure-all for PTSD, or present the fantasy that falling in love can make everything immediately all better...but it does show that falling in love with a really good person that will take you with all your bumps and bruises...can go a long way in helping you come to terms with almost anything that life throws at you. ( )