Olivia:
Mason Kade is everything Iâm not. Dominant. Confident. BeautifulâŚ
Sinner.
I know better than to fall for that enigmatic smile of his. I know better than to fall for my guardianâs brother. There is just something about him that makes me want to sink in a little deeper each time. He is the one temptation I canât abstain from. Even when he tries to resist us, I see the truth in those bottomless blue eyes of his. He wants me. And I will do whatever it takes to keep him.
I should have listened to his warning instead. I know better than to build my hopes and dreams on a fairy tale. Yet, I naively thought he would be my happily ever after.
Thatâs my mistake.
Olivia:
Mason Kade is everything Iâm not. Dominant. Confident. BeautifulâŚ
Sinner.
I know better than to fall for that enigmatic smile of his. I know better than to fall for my guardianâs brother. There is just something about him that makes me want to sink in a little deeper each time. He is the one temptation I canât abstain from. Even when he tries to resist us, I see the truth in those bottomless blue eyes of his. He wants me. And I will do whatever it takes to keep him.
I should have listened to his warning instead. I know better than to build my hopes and dreams on a fairy tale. Yet, I naively thought he would be my happily ever after.
Thatâs my mistake.
Two months before
I looked out onto the New York skyline as the winter storm continued to rage on outside.Â
In a lot of ways, New Yorkâs winters reminded me of Chicagoâs. Yet, it wasnât the same. It wasnât home. I missed home.Â
I missed my friends and my family.Â
I missed my brother.Â
But how could I go home?
New York was where I was exiled: My escape away from my all my wrongdoings, away from the hurt I had caused a little girl with big brown eyes, whose only sin was having been born to a careless mother and an absent father.Â
But that little girl held my brotherâs heart, and I didnât know how to be in the same city as her, let alone the same room.Â
I didnât know how to face my brother, even if he had forgiven me. Yet, New York had never given me the peace I thought it would. It only made me yearn for something more.Â
âYou need to come home, little brother,â Max had said on the phone last night.
âWhy is that?â
âBecause I need you. I donât know what to do anymore. Grace is lost to me. That shouldnât really matter, but Iâm afraid she might be lost to Olivia, too. And when that happens⌠Iâll need you by my side.â
There was this desperate pleading in his voice that I couldnât ignore. Selfishly, I had hoped that by telling myself my brother needed me, I could end this self-impose exile and come home. That everything would be okay.Â
Everything was different now.Â
I wasnât that hot-headed boy I once was. And Grace had changed, too.Â
And perhaps she was different because of me, because of my actions. I needed to face that head on.Â
But could I do it?
Could I face everyone I had hurt by my own selfish actions?
I pressed the intercom on my desk and a soft familiar voice came through. âYes, sir?â
âCandace, I need you to book me a ticket to Chicago.â
âAnd when should we expect you back, sir?â
I hesitated, but only for a second. âNever. Iâm going home.â
Trigger Warning: darker themes of sexual assault, abuse, pedophilia, self-harm, and suicide.
Abandoned by her mother, Olivia is thankful to be rescued by Max who soon becomes her idol. As some truly tragic events unfold, Olivia finds herself trying to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and mind. With the help of Mason, Max's big brother, she learns to open herself up again and search for happiness. But when the past comes back to bite her in the butt, and secrets are revealed, she learns all my not be as it seems.Â
This was a powerful rendition of the struggles those facing sexual abuse experience. As both the MC's come from a dark and sordid past, watching them navigate their tragic circumstances to find light, hope and happiness was simultaneously gut-wrenching and heartwarming.Â
The emotions of the characters were quite potent and gave a powerful insight into how both the victims and their family and friends cope with the aftermath. were
This novel also features abandonment, and the emotional turmoil inflicted on the kids being left behind. I found this statement to be quite profound:Â âYour parents love you, they just don't know how to do it correctlyâ
This is my opinion but I strongly believe that Olivia was being taken advantage of by Mason. Yes, I can accept needing comfort and yearning for a sense of security, but I couldn't help but feel that Mason should have known better. As the adult/ older figure, he could have navigated the relationship towards a nonsexual ground until he became mentally stronger. It almost felt as if he took advantage of her crush and subsequent dependency on him to cope with her darker emotions.Â
There is also a lack of respect for Max from both Olivia and Mason. Max is a Godsend- supporting her in everything, giving her unconditional love, I think it was a betrayal of the highest order for Mason to snub him so deceitfully.Â
While this was an interesting take on two dark souls who each have scars too deep to heal alone and gravitate towards each other for comfort and strength, I do believe the younger girl/older guy trope story was not to my taste in this instance because of all the abuse both physically and mentally. I do love Max though and wish he gets his happy ending because he truly deserves it.Â