For a shorter book, I had trouble focusing on this one. I also got frustrated with Gabe's back and forth. One minute he was all about Sasha, and the next he was saying how he couldn't be with her because she was a friend of his brother's. This seemed to go on and on.

As for the "dark" past of Gabe's, that was built up to be way more than it was. The dude got into some trouble as a teenager. Yeah, he considered himself a "grifter" (and I think someone else in the book refers to him that way) but we aren't actually given any evidence of this. He stole cars as a teen. We're told that he has the skills to take money from people (grift) but we aren't given enough of a backstory for this to seem like it should be an issue.

Sasha is dealing with wanting to be a singer and she wants to open a club. Most of her family "doesn't believe in her". Again this is played light and doesn't seem like it's a serious conflict.

Honestly, this book wasn't bad. I just would have liked to see a bit stronger of a hero (with less back and forth over his being with Sasha) and a bit more to the story.