I received this as an ARC from the author and boy, oh, boy am I honored to be reading it before it's release on Sept 19th.
This is one of those moments I wish Goodreads gave partial stars because this book is more than 4 stars but not quite a 5!
The world is developing and I found this story driven by Leila, the FMC, coming into more of her personal power as a single independent woman and a SA survivor at a base level. I wanted her to be more demanding and not fall so easily into lip locking (but who am I kidding...? I'd probably do the same thing.) I found the tone of the text and characters to be immature at first and then I put their age into context and it made more sense. I'm a 30 yo lady reading this so some of the miscommunication was like "but why...?!" but for the characters as early 20 year olds it makes perfect sense! Leila is thrown into a whole new world and she traverses it well for a 21 year old!
Lucy was giving Den of Vipers level MMC intrigue with a more thought out plot. Nex is obviously Garrett.. but more my type. If he wants to call me carino I will not complain one bit. This was also a beautiful opportunity that I haven't seen done before, where each love interest presents a different k*nk experience (Chase really does love chasing through the woods).
I love a 'Why Choose' trope and all of the boys bring different levels and intrigue to Leila coming into her power as a woman and a survivor. It was a tough start to the book for me personally (as a SA survivor) but the found family support was what kept me reading. Both Leila's relationship with the boys and Tate pushed her to check her reactions to situations and deal with the root of issues at different points.
This is just the first in a series and I'm quite invested in the relationship building and where Lucy left us at the end of the novel. I look forward to further connection between the FMC and MMCs, mystery solving, and what the heck is up with Tate and Jay?!
TW: Assault, Attempted assault, abuse( reference to childhood abuse), violence, group sex
Tropes: Why Choose, found family, biker gang, small town, corrupt politicians, primal play, light knife play