3.5 Stars. Two MCs with ex's that were abusive, one emotional/psychological (no physical) while the other did both. They both are insecure because of their exes and it is evident with the problems they have. Asher is more insecure about being left, Geoff shows his insecurity by leaving. So...yeah, Geoff doesn't come off as the best at times when he keeps leaving and playing with Asher's feelings. It's worst considering how fragile Asher is and Geoff knows it... Overall, I enjoyed the story. When they were together, Asher and Goeff worked, especially when they talked, instead of letting their insecurities run wild. ( )

The first half of this novel is edited better than the second half, which means I skimmed through the second half, which irritates me no end since it means I was LIED to for a sale.

Plus, had the editing been better, I could've given this five stars, despite the whole 'why don't you two just TALK TO EACH OTHER' issue (too common throughout the genre). What they saved in time/editor cost, I resent and say so here. Any review adds to rating, but for those who read reviews (hi) I hope this helps you decide on this book for yourself.

Plot, a little slow, a lot sweet, a fair amount 'argh, TALK' and a lot creepy via each abusive ex. Surprisingly good epilogue, considering it's in the second half. Characters were good, all of them.

If only the boring and repetitive bits, dialogue and thoughts, had gotten the editing they needed, particularly the conversation filler phrases like "What do you mean?" - as if he can't offer a counter-thought. Or like, follow the thread, or whatever. It's lazy writing, is what I'm saying. Or lazy editing, an issue I have with this writer in particular. Every time I fall for another of her novels, I end up grousing about the clunky prose. Oh well. Maybe I can make this one my line in the sand, since it was good despite having to skim. ( )

Rating is probably actually a 3.75 stars but I'm rounding up because I thought this book was sweet and I had a good time with it.

This is not a particularly unique romance plot and didn't blow me out of the water by any means but I definitely enjoyed myself while reading this. Obviously, I liked it enough to finish it in less that a day. I thought the characters were good, though I do wish they had been a little more fleshed out, and I liked them together.

Both side of the relationship Asher and Geoff had suffered from some sort of abusive relationship with their previous partners and were working through that. Though I would say I like a little protectiveness in my romance and a horrible past partner can definitely lead to that, romance plots centered around past abuse can be a little dicey if not handled appropriately or with care. I do think the author did a good job on that front and made it clear that it would take a lot of work to heal from that sort of relationship and getting into a new relationship isn't enough to fix the problem. This is a pretty quick story and a longer one may have been able to flesh out those ideas more, but I thought the author did a good job.

I liked how respectful both Asher and Geoff were of each others boundaries and how willing they were for the most part to speak openly with each other when they were nervous about something or when they were simply unclear about an issue. I hate it when people in books just refuse to talk to each other for no good reason. There were a couple of things about fears about the relationship that I did wish they had just talked out but for the most part it was good.

This was just a really sweet romance and I would have rated it higher if it had stood out a bit more but overall I did really like it and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet relationship where there is still some tension. ( )