Holy hell...

I have known since I first discovered this author in the Sin Trilogy that she was special. There is just something so dang poetic about the way that she crafts a sentence. It is mesmerizing. I could have highlighted at least half of this book with the way that she used words to create an image. There is a cadence and tone to her writing that feeds my soul. I read to have those special moments where I can laugh, or even cry as I fall into the depths of a book and have it feel real. I pursued a degree in it so I could live and breathe books because there is a magic to them. This book is proof of that.

Within the span of minutes of starting this book, I fell in love with Lila and a boy named Jonathon. Never once did I think anything of this friendship or the close bond that they shared as anything that could be misconstrued. Maybe, because I could relate to Lila because I, too, as a child dreamt to be anything other than what I was born into. I liked being able to have a personal connection with Lila throughout the book. However, even those that don't have the same reason, will still connect to this amazing child and later woman. She embodies so many aspects of womanhood and I have to be honest here, I had a girl crush on her. That is because the author gave her the most beautiful of souls and hearts.

Nova... this sweet, amazing, beautiful, dirty talking (good lord does he take dirty talking to a WHOLE new level), complicated man. I might be biased, because I always love this author's leading men, but Nova just almost beat my King (/gasp) which pains me to say. However, I choose to believe it is just because this author has tapped in on being able to create a man that is vulnerable, alpha, and delicious all at the same time while simultaneously making them dreamy.

Even though with this age-gap and the circumstance of their "family' I still have to say that it is not taboo in my book. Perhaps it is because of the vulnerability and power of how she goes about making an unrequited or forbidden love requited and accepted. Love is love and she writes it beautifully. I found myself having a maelstrom of emotions ranging from literal teary eyes to anger, sadness, and finally those of love, happiness, and excitement. That is a gift and the reason that this author is a master storyteller. Definitely, in my top books of 2020 and one, that I highly recommend. ( )

i cried through the entirety of this book ( )