Black smith romances are my catnip (please always tell me if you find one) but I'd been saving this Adriana Anders in case of an emergency, and wow did that pay off well for me!

With such a heavy subject matter, I loved how Anders showed Uma reclaiming her power and control, and for Ivan being oh so willing and able to do whatever Uma needed to feel safe and comfortable. Uma's fear of being discovered by her powerful ex, who is a prosecutor and "in bed with the cops" made my heart break thinking about how many people live with that same fear.

Uma learning self-defense, finding friendship, finding love, was so fulfilling. I never felt like Uma went through a "magic" moment of healing, which is what I fear from stories including abuse and trauma, but Anders put our heroine well on the path to finding her happiness and home.

Of special note, I loved how the relationship between Uma and the woman who became her employer played out. Uma didn't take her shit, but also respected her as a human, despite her awfulness/crankiness. I liked how that played out, and I about passed out when we found out her name.

CWs: heroine experienced emotional and physical abuse/torture at the hands of an ex. abuse is detailed, and the ex does return to try and harm the heroine. Hero served prison time for beating his sister's abuser. Drinking, medical procedures (heroine is getting tattoos forced on her by ex removed).