**3.5**

I should probably preface this with saying that I was reading this at a time when I was kind of distracted with other things in my life so I wasn't able to throw myself into the book like I usually do, which probably prevented me from becoming as caught up in the story as I have been with Loch's other books. However, despite this, I did still enjoy the book.

Loch again seems to have chosen a "theme" for her main characters and built the story around that. I think this focus on a single theme really gives her characters this sense of purpose that drives the story and makes things feel like they have a natural progression. For Branan it was need for revenge due to the abuse he suffered at the hands of Strickland and the murder of his parents by the same man. And on a smaller scale, for Catriona is was the sense of desertion by Branan when he had to flee with his uncle. For both of the characters their lives are shaped and driven by those experiences that caused these feelings and fears. As with Loch's other books, the characters have a sincerity about them that makes them feel real and relatable.

One problem I had was the editing of the book. As usual, I don't know if this is due to the conversion that happens when making a book into a Kindle book, or the author/editor, but there were a lot of mistakes. Twice Branan was referred to as Brendan. Words were missing quite frequently so I had to read sentences more than once to figure out which words needed to be added. I hate to mention things like this because it shouldn't have any bearing on the story, but to the point that I have to guess at the author's meaning because of a grammar issue, it becomes a problem.

Still, I love reading Kathryn Loch's book - she is clearly a talented author that brings her characters to life. ( )