3.5*s

This one is listed as “an Angsty, Single Parent Romance” on Goodreads and it’s not a lie. There’s SO much drama going on here. Lucie’s ex is quite the piece of work. He’s controlling and manipulative and pretty much a horrid human being. He doesn’t really care for her or their kids and shows it every way possible, but he also can’t stand to lose so he’s not going away. It leads to more than one moment of trouble.

Caleb has never really recovered from a few traumatic events in his past. They’ve made him hard and detached and sometimes pretty self-absorbed & crappy. He’s a terrible boss, which has caused some retention issues, which is where Lucie comes in as the newest hire at his company.

While I feel like Lucie gives Caleb more than he sometimes deserves, I found myself liking him just because she does. She’s had a terrible childhood, unloved and ignored, and just as bad young adulthood but she’s resilient and so very obviously loves her kids. It makes her appealing as a character and I felt compelled to keep reading to make sure she finally gets a HEA she deserves.

But I do feel like both of the characters could probably have done with some therapy. There is a lot of hurt on both sides and I don’t know that they properly address them. I do have hope for them though and feel a lot of that is due to O’Roark’s depiction of them. I’m curious to see what else she can do.

(Part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. In fact, I didn’t even realize it was the second book until today.)

**I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**