There was more to this story that initially appeared possible, and it was easy to fall into the trap of assuming that this was going to be nothing but a “bad boy” story but in all honesty, it wasn’t that at all.

Yes, Brick isn’t all sweetness and light but that doesn’t mean that he was bad to the bone, because once you get to find out a little more about the guy, it was easy to see that there were a lot of complicated layers lurking beneath the surface.

I liked the way the story ebbed and flowed, the fact that it was clear that many are coerced and cajoled into situations and into participating in events that had things been different they would have had no connection to. Whilst a lot of what was going on was illegal as you can probably imagine, I couldn’t help but want more for Brick, I just wanted him to see that he was worth more and that his life as his family’s enforcer didn’t define him.

And when is path crossed with that of teacher Liv, I was silently pleading that he got a chance to show another side of him. Liv was a great character, she had plenty of spirit and an overwhelming desire to the best she could be, to be a teacher that her students could look up to and to be proud of herself…so where exactly does Brick fit into this, I hear you say? 

Well, let’s just say that once he shows up there is no getting away from him! And I wouldn’t have wanted him to be anywhere but ever present in Liv’s life because as wrong as they should have been together, they were just so right. They were totally perfect for each other and that was all I could see.

She was the incentive that he needed, the light that she brought into his life was enough to at least have him considering his options, but it wasn’t all one-way traffic, because Brick had an impact in Liv’s life that she hadn’t anticipated. His presence helped her shake the anxiety that she usually felt and to start to see that she was enough for all of those around her, that they loved her for being her nothing more.

The way the pair of them were able to give each other comfort and to open their eyes to other possibilities was well played by the author because she ensured that the development of the characters was fabulously built up little by little over the whole story and that made it more believable. Together I have to say I loved this pair!

I look forward to hearing more from some of the additional characters in the book as the series unfolds.