“You might not be my girlfriend, woman, but you’re definitely my partner. You have been since the day I met you.” - Jaydon Stonewood

My heart was not ready for this one. Jay has always been the fun, understanding friend. He's not like his brothers. He isn't super alpha or business minded. He is the baby of the family, carefree, and pursued his passion of becoming an actor.

We knew he was in LA. (If you read these books in order) We know that LA is known for the party scene and subsentence abuse. With that said, reading that he was partaking still caught me off guard. There is just something about his vulnerability, his personal struggle with guilt, and the need to be everyone else's happy that was really deep.

Meeka surprised me. She has a type A personality, low self-esteem, a kind heart, and a need to belong. I wanted to wrap her up in a hug and then keep her safe in my pocket. I can't think of a way to not directly say that she is a victim of domestic violence and seeing her struggle to walk away is frustrating and difficult because it's so real and relatable.

This love story is about two broken people struggle to become whole separately while navigating the complication of romantic feelings and the desire to be more than friends while knowing that the timing is not ideal.

I know several recovery programs say NOT to form any new relationships in the year of sobriety while others argue that forming/strengthening bonds can help. I've never attended so I can only express hearsay.

Anyways, I will say this for me was the most emotional love story of the three brothers because of the deep examination in personal flaws, acceptance, love, and trust.

There are several funny moments, despite the heavy topics there is still plenty of smiles.