I’m not usually a fan of romances featuring younger characters. I can’t help but think that people in their early twenties have so much more to learn about life and love. But I AM a fan of Jessica Lemmon’s writing, so I thought I’d give this book a shot. I’m glad I did. Lemmon’s writing is as strong as always. Her characters are interesting and complex and there was a bit of suspense and intrigue to the story as well. Devlin and Rena were a great couple and I enjoyed watching their shift from strangers to uneasy confidants to lovers. Dev is a bad boy with a heart of gold, and Rena is a good girl with an inner bad girl itching to come back out. The only slight criticism I have is that there wasn’t any real glimpse into Rena’s aspirations. Devlin spent a good deal of time coming to terms with the life he was leading and the changes he wanted to make. And two of the side characters (who are featured in the second book in the series) also are more fleshed out in terms of their ambitions. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of a life Rena hoped to live. Her interest in sketching was mentioned in passing, but nothing more. I was a bit disappointed about that. But overall it was a great read. Devlin and Rena were passionate and intense, complex and engaging. I definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to the next in the series.

Incredible book! This story was so much more than I expected, it just blew me away! Devlin is the bad boy that catches every girls eye. The saying “every guy wants to be him, every girl want to be with him” definitely came into mind while being introduced to his character. As the story unfolds and Rena is introduced we see him as more no matter how hard he tries to put up a suave facade. Rena is a “good girl” who is still reeling from a horrific personal tragedy. She appears to just be going through the monotonous motions of life until her spirit and “life source” are awoken by her dreamy bad boy boss. These two characters are perfectly matched in so many ways, it was beautiful to see them figure out how to navigate their struggles and see what they could be for one another. I found this story to be immensely engrossing, I just couldn’t put it down. It not only drew me in with the overall plot, the important side plots and the fantastic additional characters but it also had my emotions running wild. Some chapters had me with a constant lump in my throat, tears in my eyes and an ache in my chest. I felt for these characters and their situations, Jessica’s writing as always conveyed all of that and so much more in the most brilliant of ways. An absolute must read, I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. Highly recommend reading this book! So excited to read the next book in the series!