This story epitomizes the deepest, strongest and truest meaning of love. Unconditional love. But it was also a mind f*ck of note. Peach brilliantly weaves a twisted web that left me breathless and in awe.
The opening scene gave me goosebumps and certainly piqued my interest. The rest of the story flowed right off the pages, keeping me in suspense every step of the way.
Aria and Clay’s relationship was a beautiful thing to watch as it developed and grew, even with the dark secrets haunting them. There was something very real about these two – their love wasn’t over-exaggerated as in most romance novels; it felt seamless, almost easy. That’s not to say there was no drama. Salem aside, there was some doubt, white lies, and even the fact that for whatever reason Clay kept taking a step back just as things started to heat up. All of this only made them more relatable. It also fueled the intrigue as Peach gave tiny tidbits of information, making me question everything I thought I already knew.
As for Salem, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. My heart broken a million times over for the devastating events of her past, but she seemed very hard—coming back into Aria’s life, demanding so much. She certainly knew how to tug on her sister’s heart-strings, and to play on her guilt.
I don’t want to go into too much detail in fear of giving away too much, but all I can say is that I NEVER saw the final moments between Aria, Clay and Salem coming. I was sucker-punched with the truth. When I read, my author brain tends to seek out every possible plot twist, and I really thought I knew what was going on, and what had gone down to lead up to the opening scene, but honestly, I was completely blindsided. It was fantastic!
Peach has come to be one of my favorite authors. This book is a little different from her other work, but it still holds all the passion that she pours into each and every word written. It is dark, raw and emotional. But, it is also fun, with a bit of sarcastic humor, romance, and filled with hope. With characters that will burrow right into your heart, it will turn you inside out while at the same time making your heart soar.
A stellar read, this is one book that will stay with me for a long time.