I loved this book! Lately, I have been having a hard time getting into a new book. I have been stuck reading the yearly favorites (those books I read at least once a year), but as soon as I got the notification from Amazon that Lily White released a new book, I was all on that.

From the first few pages I was hooked. Seriously, I got that feeling that comes when I know I am about to read a new favorite book. Hallelujah!

I will leave others to go on about the synopsis. This isn't a book report, like some of my other reviews, but the synopsis is as good as what you think.

There is a lot of heat, suspense, and even humor. A lot more humor than I expected, but most of it was dark humor. Ari along with his assassin friend Lincoln has been watching over Adeline since she was sixteen. They both know pretty much everything there is to know about her. Ari charges Lincoln to "babysit" her when he is away on a job (they are both assassins). Since Adeline is a wild-child, free spirit, Ari has made it his mission in life to protect her from both herself and anyone who should even dare touch her in pain. He allows her to grow up, and doesn't interfere unless the situation becomes dangerous.

The book opens up with Ari standing outside a club watching an 18 year old Adeline waiting in line with her boyfriend of the week, he knows she is going to use a fake id, and is musing over the idea of going after the guy who keeps supplying them to her after he stealthily makes off with them in an attempt to keep her out of trouble. Once the couple get in the club Ari makes his way to a place out of sight, but keeping Adeline in his view. He is watching her dance with abandon while having a running monologue in his head about how free she is and how he loves her even more for it.

This book has all the feels, it takes a while to get through, but it is never boring, and is the perfect thing to open when you are in a slump. Seriously, it is a perfect book slump breaker.

Final note, I am wondering if some characters who were introduced in passing are in other books that have already been written or will be written about later. You will know who I am talking about once you read it.

Update:
Ok, so I feel like a dolt. Aiden and Rebecca (the gallery owners) were the main characters in the Masters series. I love that series, and if you haven't read it yet, then do so now! I had to go back and read those chapters in this book again to get the full reaction. I do miss Aiden and Rebecca. ( )

There is something about the way that this author writes. It is almost like she has me spellbound with her words, words that should make me run away or pray to a God that I do not know or even believe in. Even amidst the darkness, she manages to keep me afloat. Never questioning why I am drawn into something that shouldn't entice me, but entice me she does.

This blurb drew me in. Previous to reading this blurb I had only read one book by her but after reading this blurb I was on pins and needles. So I took that time to binge read several of her previous books in preparation for this book. I am glad that I did because I learned how versatile and insanely talented she is when it comes to traversing dark and raw with brutally beautiful.

In this book, I was given everything and then some in regards to amazing this blurb was. It was perfect and yet it still wasn't, if that even makes sense. I say this because this book lived well past the potential of the blurb. This is story that reminds me that not everything is black and white. The storyline, the characters, their issues, their strengths, and their weaknesses made it a joy to watch. I enjoyed trying to figure out Ari and what made him tick. Was Ari a good guy? Not by today's standards but in regards to Adeline he was. He protected her and kept her true to herself and I liked that. Adeline was one of my favorite characters from this author. I liked that she was different. I liked even more that she wasn't "normal" per se but rather was unique. As cliche as it sounds, but these two needed each other. They completed one another.

Even though there was a foreshadowing of what was to come it also wasn't because it always came in an unexpected way. There were a few twists that I was not expecting. I LOVED Lincoln and his relationship with Ari and the banter that these two shared. I hope with all that is right and just in the world that he gets a story. He needs one.

This is definitely in my top books of 2020 and might just move her book, Five, out of the top spot as my favorite from her. ( )