Pre-Launch Day Blitz: Review, Excerpt, Interview and Giveaway: Back to You by Jessica Scott

Back to You

(Coming Home # 3)

By: Jessica Scott

Pub. Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Forever

Pages: 304

Source: Netgalley

He's in for the fight of his life . . .

Army captain Trent Davila loved his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children. But when he almost lost his life in combat, something inside him died. He couldn't explain the emptiness he felt or bridge the growing distance between him and his family—so he deployed again. And again. And again . . . until his marriage reached its breaking point. Now, with everything on the line, Trent has one last chance to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs . . . if she'll have him

. . . to win back his only love.

Laura is blindsided when Trent returns home. Time and again, he chose his men over his family, and she's just beginning to put the pieces of her shattered heart back together. But when Trent faces a court martial on false charges, only Laura can save him. What begins as an act of kindness to protect his career inflames a desire she thought long buried—and a love that won't be denied. But can she trust that this time he's back to stay?

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley.

This is the first book I have read from Jessica Scott, and it definitely will not be the last! I loved this story and I am looking forward to reading the first two books in the Coming Home series. I am so excited that I was invited to read this galley because I love discovering new authors!

Back to You is so much more then a story about a husband and wife falling back in love. It's about the harsh realities of spouses coming back from war and not knowing how to relate to their families anymore. Scott did a wonderful job showing the reader this. It was very realistic, and even though it is something I have never experienced, I felt the pain that Laura and Trent were dealing with.

Trent has volunteered for deployment time and time again. He's almost died, and many of his friends never came home, yet he still continues to go back. Always putting the war before his family. This definitely caused me to not be a huge fan of Trent. Despite him being a good man, he needed to put his family first. He hardly knew his children and that broke my heart. I ended up really loving him though. He was dealing with so much pain and sadness, but he was holding it inside.

I really loved the connection between Trent and Laura. You could tell that despite everything they loved each other so much. I was rooting for them the whole time!

I am excited to read Scott's past and future novels!

“So, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?” she asked, minimizing her e-mail to be able to focus.

“Don’t throw me out of the office,” he said, trying to keep his voice light. “But I need to talk to you about Trent’s case.”

Laura leaned back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest, and started counting to ten.

“I know you’re having a hard time with him.”

Laura sucked on her top lip for a moment before answering. “I wouldn’t necessarily call filing for divorce a hard time.”

“And that’s what I need to talk to you about.”

“Patrick…”

“Just hear me out, okay?”

She ground her teeth but after a moment nodded.

“Listen, there’s no case against Trent. It’s weak at best. With the Article 32 about to start, we have a good chance of getting it stopped here before it goes to court-martial. But I need to plant doubt that the allegations against him are true.” He met her gaze. “I need you to do that.”

Laura chewed on her bottom lip, playing his words over and over in her head, not understanding what he was asking of her. “What do you mean, you need to plant doubt?”

“The primary witness against your husband, PFC Adorno—”

“Oh, we’ve met,” Laura said dryly.

Patrick’s smile was humorless. “Yes, well, that’s part of the prosecution’s problem. She’s alleging that Trent was inappropriate but the problem is that she and Lieutenant Randall were caught in their shenanigans downrange.”

Laura frowned. “So you think this is a ploy to get herself out of trouble?

“Her and her husband. If they were working together to steal the missing weapons systems, then what better way to get out of trouble than to make this stuff up against Trent? Takes the focus off her and her husband completely.” Patrick leaned forward, tapping his index finger on the desk. “If I can cast Trent as a sympathetic family man who would never do anything like what she’s alleging, this case is all but dismissed. I’m not attacking her. All I have to do is make Trent look better than the story she’s telling and we’ve got a win.”

“And you need me to paint on a happy face and be the loving wife.”

Patrick shook his head. “No, I need you to be one half of a loving couple. And I need you to do it publicly where everyone can see it—in the PX, in the chow hall, everywhere. I need the officers on this board to believe exactly what I’ll be telling them on the day of the hearing.”

She looked down at her empty ring finger, absently rubbing the bare skin beneath the bandage. “Everyone knows that we’re having problems, Patrick.”

“Then make sure everyone knows you’ve fixed it.” He leaned back. “I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I didn’t think it was our best shot at getting this whole thing thrown out.”

She looked up at him. “Why didn’t Trent ask me to do this?”

Patrick swallowed and looked away. “He refused to drag you into this,” he said quietly. “For what it’s worth, I don’t in a million years believe the allegations against Trent. I don’t think he would ever, ever be unfaithful to you.”

Laura pressed her lips together in a flat line. “You’re wrong, Patrick. He’s been cheating on me for years. It was just with the army instead of another woman.”

“Laura—”

“Let me think about it,” she said quickly. “I won’t say no out of hand but I can’t make this decision on a whim.”

Patrick leaned across the desk, gripping her hand. “I know this is hard for you, Laura. I know what I’m asking you to do.”

She said nothing for a long moment and he gave her a sympathetic but firm smile. “Give it some thought, okay?”

When she was alone, she sat there, staring at the picture of her family. Wondering how she was going to bring him back into the kids’ lives and then rip him out again. What he was asking wasn’t fair. He had no idea what this was going to do to her family.

She glanced at the photo on her desk as she typed furiously, trying to get ahead of the flood of e-mails in her inbox.

There was a quiet rap on her office door. “I’m not here,” she said quickly, looking up.

Her fingers froze on the keyboard. Her heart stopped in her chest.

Trent stood in the doorway. He had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. His glasses hid the darkness of his eyes. There was a streak of dirt on his cheek. An assault pack hung limply from his left hand.

I am so excited to feature Jessica Scott on the blog today with this fantastic interview! 

1.      You first introduced Trent and Laura a few years ago and readers have been eagerly awaiting their story for a few years.  Did you always know when you first created them in BECAUSE OF YOU that this was how their story would play out? 

I knew they would have a story to tell but telling their story in this particular way, no I didn’t intend it. It took finding my amazing editor along with multiple attempts at trial and error to get them just right. I’m a nervous wreck about their story but I’m also really excited because I’m very happy with how their story turned out. Plus, hamsters. Who can argue with that, right?

2.      BACK TO YOU is the incredibly emotional story of a marriage at the breaking point.  What or who inspired you to write this story? 

I remember standing in the ops one day and one of the guys was on the phone with his wife. He was telling her how much he was sorry, how much he didn’t want to work late. Then one of the other guys remarked that he always says that but he doesn’t ever mean it. So I had this idea of a man who was so driven to get back to war that he let his entire family and personal life suffer but I also wanted a wife who people could relate to, as well. Laura is Trent’s perfect compliment.

3.      In your own personal life, you’ve been the soldier that has deployed to a war zone and the spouse that stayed home and has taken care of the family on the home front.  Which was more difficult for you in your experience?  And why?

That’s a much bigger topic than we have time for but I’ll say this: each one has it’s own unique challenges. Being deployed, not being able to get home when your kids are crying that they want mommy, that’s brutal. It rips your soul out. But then coming home and your reality doesn’t live up to the fantasy? In some ways, I think it’s worse and that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. As far as being the wife at home? I remember vividly lying awake at night, obsessively checking to make sure my ringer was turned on. I never cared when he called I just wanted to hear his voice. So which one is worse? I can’t really say. But I’m grateful that we’ve made it through each one a little bit stronger, you know?

4.      Which is your favorite story to write—a reunion romances like Trent and Laura’s where each scene is alive with their own history or a fresh romance where they meet for the very first time and everything is new?  Why?

I love a reunion story. I love the idea being able to forgive and love the person you’re with right then and not the memory of someone. I’m a huge sucker for reunion stories, honestly. I love the reconnection, the noting of how things have changed, of learning to love that person all over again, especially after a betrayal or things didn’t work in the past.

5.      Trent is such a compelling character and you do a beautiful job of showing his survivor’s guilt and the resulting anxiety and fear that provokes in him.  He’s both so alpha and strong and so very broken.  What inspired you to create such a complicated hero?  A real life person?  A culmination of your own experiences?  What you’ve seen yourself in the army?  And were you at all concerned about the way readers would respond to him? 

Trent is going to be hard for people to read, I suspect. He comes close to crossing some boundaries and I wanted to do that deliberately: I wanted people to understand that coming home from war isn’t cured in a day or a week. It’s a process. Someone like Trent who has bled in combat isn’t going to be okay after a night of magical sex. I know that’s the fantasy but I wanted something more: I wanted the fantasy that the couple will be strong enough to make it. So for me, Trent is deeply, deeply personal because I’ve seen friends struggle with some very tough choices. And the truth is, there is no magical cure but there can still be a happily ever after if you have someone strong enough to stand with you.

6.      Laura is such an amazing character because she’s done the best for her family at every turn and supported her husband.  But when all communication breaks down with her husband and he just keeps deploying, she serves her husband with divorce papers while he’s serving.  It seems like such a taboo to serve papers while your spouse is deployed—is that true?  And why did you choose to have Laura, the ultimate good wife, respond this way? 

Laura sending Trent divorce papers while deployed I think is the ultimate prohibition. It’s just wrong on so so many levels and yet, I wanted to give readers a sense of what could drive someone to their breaking point. Laura is such a strong woman and yet, she broke. The strongest of us all have our breaking points. I wanted to show people how hard the war has been on everyone: not just the soldiers deploying but on the kids, on the spouses but I also wanted to give people hope, too.

7.      Agent Chaos and Fluffy, the family hamsters, almost steal the show with their disappearing acts and they add the perfect amount of cuteness and comic relief.  What inspired you to add them into the story?

Ah Fluffy and Agent Chaos. So for readers who don’t know, we have hamsters. It all started when we volunteered to buy the pre-k class pet. I didn’t realize that this would include home visits for the holidays. Fluffy was the first hamster and she promptly escaped within the first 24 hours. After that, we’ve become a multiple hamster household and well, when they escape, it’s madness because we have dogs and cats who, by some miracle, haven’t actually ever managed to capture one of the little buggers.

This story badly needed something to lighten it up. I thought adding in some escaping rodents would be the perfect thing to break up a really tough interaction between Trent and his kids. They provided a bridge for him to cross, a way to reach them while he was still getting used to them.

8.      Big wedding or small?  Hamsters or dogs?  Sweats or lingerie?

Small wedding. Both hamsters and dogs and cats. Sweats all the way.

9.      Emma and Ethan, Trent and Laura’s kids, are adorable and watching Trent learn how to be a dad again is an amazing thing.  How do you think Trent got so detached from his family? 

Coming home to be a parent again is probably the hardest thing soldiers do. The kids have changed, they have their own wants and needs and, well, they’re not your soldiers. They don’t listen like your soldiers have to. The noise and the chaos and the constant needs are really tough to get used to again so I think Trent just ran away because it was too much to deal with.

10.  Since this is such an emotionally charged story, was it difficult for you to write?  Or did it come easily?

It was very, very difficult to write. I wanted to push boundaries and create at least a glimpse of what it’s like to come home. I wanted to give readers a taste of the emotions that people go through, the fear, the uncertainty but also the love and the hope and the relief that their loved one is home safe.

11.  Since you’ve been in Trent’s shoes, what is the hardest thing about readjusting to civilian life after a deployment?

The crowds and the entitlement. To this day, I won’t go into crowded stores or wait in crowds. It’s suffocating. And it’s funny because when I first came home, I was so annoyed at people complaining about lines and traffic and school starting. I was just so grateful to be back. Now, I’m much more sympathetic to everyday gripes and groans. I think it’s just part of how we get through our days.

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Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Heartbeat

By: Elizabeth Scott

Pub. Date: January 28, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 226

Source: Netgalley

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.

Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

This is the first book that I have read from Elizabeth Scott and wow can she pack an emotional punch! From the first page I was an emotional wreck. At only 240 pages you don't think that the author will be able to really develop the characters in a way that they deserve, but Scott is very talented, and the characters were written wonderfully.  They were realistic and broken and I just wanted to give them a big, fat, bear hug.

Emma's mom is in a coma and is only being kept alive because she has a baby inside of her. Because of this choice, Emma completely hates her stepfather, who really is the only father that she knows. This made me so sad and I had to keep remembering that Emma is only a teenager who just lost her mom. You can tell that her stepfather is not a bad guy, that he is just trying to do what is right in an impossibly hard situation. I hated how Emma treated him because of it. Emma was so lonely and so sad and there were many times that I had to put the book down and get my feelings in order.

I loved misunderstood bad boy Caleb! If I thought Emma's pain was hard, Caleb's pain was unbearable. I felt everything this sad, broken boy was feeling and it killed me. Especially when I saw what an amazing and sweet person he really was, but he is completely alone, even in the same room as his parents. His scenes were hard to read and must have been unbearable to write.

Emma and Caleb had such a beautiful connection and they really helped each other through their pain. They were able to understand each others grief, since they both have lost loved ones and in turn, so much more. I wanted so badly for things to be ok, but Heartbeat was a realistic story and in real life things don't always end up happily ever after.

I wish this story was a little longer, but only because I wanted more of the beautiful writing and story. I am excited to read more from Scott! 

Review: Defy by Sarah B. Larson

Defy

(Defy # 1)

By: Sarah B. Larson

Pub. Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pages: 336

Source: Netgalley

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

I am not a huge fan of stories with kingdoms and magic. But something told me to read Defy and I am so glad that I did! Defy was a fantastic read and it is definitely something special. I loved everything about Defy. The characters, the story telling, the writing and the world building was absolutely amazing. I seriously do not have enough nice things to say about this book.

Following the death of her parents, Alexa pretends to be a boy named Alex and she with her twin brother, Marcel join the Kings Army. I loved Alexa! She was so strong and loyal. I loved how she was a better fighter then all of the other men in the guard and was able to hold her own. But she was also so realistic. She still has insecurities and was unsure of herself at times. I loved that she knew she was an excellent fighter though, and was never insecure about that. I was a huge fan of Marcel and I loved the way he protected his sister for years. Their bond was something that was so sweet and special.

Everything will start to change when Alexa, her friend and another member of the guard, Rylan and the Prince, Damian are kidnapped by a neighboring kingdom. This is when the book really started to pick up! The Prince comes off as a selfish, lazy guy, but he is so amazing and wonderful. I loved watching his true self come out. It was hard not to feel bad for him. He has lived such a lonely and painful life. I loved watching Damian and Alexa open up to each other! I usually am not a fan of love triangles, but I couldn't choose between Damian or Rylan. Rylan was so sweet and honest with Alexa.

I really loved how the story ended, and I am so excited to find out some information on the second book of the series!

Review: Erased by Jennifer Rush

Erased

(Altered # 2)

By: Jennifer Rush

Pub. Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 288

Source: Publisher

After fleeing the Branch with Sam, Cas, and Nick, Anna is trying to make sense of the memories resurfacing from her old life. At the same time, she's learning how to survive in hiding, following Sam's rules: Don't draw attention to yourself. Always carry a weapon. Know your surroundings. Watch your back.

Then a figure from Anna's childhood reappears. Is it a Branch setup, or could it be the reunion Anna has hoped for? Uncertain of where her loyalties lie, Anna must fight to learn the truth -- before she is betrayed again. Ultimately, the answers hinge on one question: What was the real reason her memories were erased?
 
Jennifer Rush delivers a thrilling sequel to Altered in a novel packed with mysteries, lies, and surprises that are sure to keep readers guessing until the last age is turned.

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Hachette for sending me this ARC.

If someone asked me which book was I most excited for, I would have to answer with Erased by Jennifer Rush. I could not wait to read it. As soon as I got it, I devoured it, after the happy dance of course! I was so excited to learn more about Nick. Erased definitely lived up to my expectations! It picks up a few months after the events of the first book with Anna, and her boys, Sam, Nick and Cas still on the run from the branch.

I loved watching Anna grow into the person she is today. She is so realistic and easy to connect too. The boys are teaching her how to fight, and I really enjoyed the connection the four of them shared. Nick was so interesting and mysterious in Altered, so I loved learning more about him! I think Anna and Nick have a better connection then she has with Sam!

I was hoping to learn more about Sam, but he is still as mysterious as ever. He comes off as a jerk, because he never shares anything with Anna. We do learn a little about him in the novella, Forged, but it made me like Sam even less!

Erased introduces us to some new characters, mainly Anna's sister Dani. Dani was very interesting and you could tell she loves her sister. After reading Forged, which was told in Dani's POV, you finally understand why she joined the Branch. She faced some hard choices, but she did what she had to do.

Erased is the last book in Anna's POV, but the next book will be in Nick's POV. I am so excited to read it. It is hard not to love Nick!

Review: The Deepest Blue by Kim Williams Justesen

The Deepest Blue

By: Kim Williams Justesen

Pub. Date: October 15, 2013

Publisher: Tanglewood Press

Pages: 257

Source: Netgalley

Mike hasn’t spoken to his mother in years, and what few memories he has of her are painful. When Mike’s dad is killed in a car wreck, Mike wants to stay in his hometown and live with Maggie, his dad’s girlfriend, who has been like a mother to him for the last five years. But Mike’s mother reappears in his life and demands that he return to her custody and live on the other side of the country with a family he doesn't know. The law is on his mother’s side, and Mike will have to grow up quickly and take on the legal system to have the life he wants. This deeply moving story of a young teen's difficult family relationships reflects the reality of many children and teens with strong emotional ties to adults who have no legal rights in the instance of death or divorce.

 I received this galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Tanglewood Press and Netgalley. 

The Deepest Blue is one of those heart breaking stories that will leave you with a whole bunch of different emotions. It's about loss, love, forgiveness and family. I went into this book thinking it was going to be very predictable, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I really enjoyed this story, despite the fact that it kept making me want to cry!

Mike is a normal teenage boy. He has friends, a girlfriend, and a great relationship with his dad and his dad's girlfriend. His mother left when he was younger, but Maggie filled the role as Mike's mother early on, and he never felt that he was without a mom. But then Mike's dad dies in a car accident. The author did such an amazing job with this. Though I have never experienced a death of a parent, I felt like I was living it right along with Mike. His pain was so real and raw, and to add insult to injury, his mother wants custody of him. Something that Mike will fight at all costs.

I really liked the character of Mike. In so many stories today, the main character deals with his pain through having sex with every girl he meets. I was happy that Mike wasn't like that. He dealt with his feelings in a much more realistic way. Mike is very relatable and easy to connect with.

I assumed that the story was going to start with the death of his father. But we got about five chapters showing Mike's relationship with his dad. His dad was so good and supportive and it made losing him so much worse for Mike and for the reader.

I really enjoyed The Deepest Blue and I highly recommend it!

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Unhinged

(Splintered # 2)

By: A. G. Howard

Pub. Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Amulet

Pages: 384

Source: Netgalley

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Amulet.

I was a huge fan of last years, Splintered. It is an original take on the Alice in Wonderland classic. I was so excited to receive a review copy of Unhinged, especially with Morpheus on that gorgeous cover. The second book did not disappoint, and this series is easily becoming a favorite!

Alyssa is trying to move on with her life, especially after the events in Splintered. She just wants to be normal, go to prom with her boyfriend Jeb, and move to London with him. But Morpheus has other plans for her, and needs her back in Wonderland. One of my favorite things about this series is trying to figure out Morpheus. Is he good or evil? What are his intentions? After reading the short story, The Moth in the Mirror, I definitely feel like I knew him better, even if his intentions aren't always clear. I love the dynamic between Morpheus and Alyssa. They definitely share a love/hate relationship.

Alyssa is such a strong character. Even after everything she has been through, and continuing to learn things about her parents, she is still strong and fierce. She will do anything to keep the ones she loves safe, and I respect her so much for it. I love her relationship with Jeb. He doesn't remember anything about being in Wonderland and the things he did, and I wished so much that she would tell him the truth. She kept wanting too, but things always got in the way. Jeb's love for her is so real, and I felt so bad for him because of it.

I am so excited for the third book! Splintered and Unhinged are so much more than just an Alice in Wonderland retellings. They definitely can stand on their own! 

Review: Ruined by Jus Accardo

Ruined

(The Eternal Balance # 1)

By: Jus Accardo

Pub. Date: December 30, 2013

Publisher: Entangled Embrace

Pages: 325

Source: Netgalley

Hell is looking for a way to break loose…

Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it's killing him.

After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she's been trying to forget.

Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Entangled and Netgalley. 

Being a huge fan of Jus Accardo's Denazen series, I could not wait to read Ruined. It was everything I was hoping it would be and more.

Bad boy Jax literally has a demon living inside of him, due to a family curse. The demon is only happy when the people around Jax are miserable, and the demon absolutely hates Jax's twin brother, Chase. His entire life Jax has had to control the urge to kill his brother, but one night after almost losing control, Jax finally leaves his home behind. In leaving, he also left the love of his life, Sam. Jax doesn't want to be alone, but he knows if he isn't, the demon will finally win and he really will hurt someone. After Jax comes back to town to visit his uncle, he learns that someone is after Sam and he vows to protect her. Forcing him to stay close to his brother.

Ruined was told in the POV of both Jax and Sam and I loved this! I wasn't expecting to read Sam's side, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw I was able too. I loved the connection between the two of them. You could tell how much Jax loved her, even though it was so hard for him. My heart broke for Jax. He lived such a cruel fate, and while sometimes he deserved the bad rap, other times he did not.

I wasn't surprised with the big reveal in the end. It was pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy was, but I still enjoyed how Accardo put everything together. I am very much looking forward to the second book!