4 Stars for this heartbreaking story!

Jack and Laurel loose their baby in an unimaginable circumstance and two years later they are both still very much broken. Jack buries himself in work and the case, while Laurel hides in her bedroom refusing to live. But when Laurel decides to leave Jack and moves to her mother’s house in Portland, things will never be the same for either of them.

I did not realize this was going to be a cliffhanger. All I know is that I only had a few pages left and there were so many questions to be answered yet! So now I can’t wait for the next book.

It seems about the only time Jack and Laurel get along is when they’re having sex ... and even then sometimes it’s very rough. And Isaac just seems like this big teddy bear ... but I just know there’s way more to his story. A great start to the series!

I received a copy courtesy of Kobo Writing Life through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This book was all over the place for me. I was expecting a dark, revenge story but its didn't come across as such. It was a bit dull in my opinion and a lot disappointing.

After reading the blurb and a few reviews, I think I was expecting more to the story. It was basically just a relationship on the rocks with two main characters that I found pretty annoying and a third character thrown in to create additional real or imagined drama I guess. It was basically the day-to-day lives of two people who separate but still have lots of angry sex, I mean lots... to the point it became kinda boring.

There was a cliffhanger ending but it felt a little unreal and out of character to me. I don't think I'll bother with the next book in the series.

This is not a stand alone and It is a cliffhanger, making wish you had the next book. A crazy roller coast ride, you'll be hook right away.

What ?? Noo... You can't do that.. What kind of an ending was that ???

Ok Damn.. the start and end of this book are absolutely nail biting.. I mean wow.. just wow.. The book starts with a heart wrenching tragedy. That death is inevitable is acceptable, but tragic death, unfair death..death of young life is so confusing and enraging. Jack and Laurel seem to be the perfect couple scarred by this tragedy and they are trying to cope up with it in their own ways. Jack wants to bring the killer to justice and Laurel just wants to move on and make peace with what happened. So stuck are they in their own ways that without realizing they have moved further away each other. They do love each other, they are the perfect yin to their yangs, but is that enough for them to overcome their grief ? Laurel moves to her mother's house to take a break from all the frustration and this is where she meets Isaac, her mother's ex-soldier PTSD neighbor, who helps her maintain her mother's garden. Lines are getting blurred and if Jack does not comes to his senses soon, he is going to lose Laurel. But will Jack even find the killer ? Will he realize what he is losing at the cost of his vengeance ? Will Laurel understand why Jack needs closure ? Will they be able to survive this distance ?

I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved Jack and Laurel's characters. So well-written and they make such a powerful couple. It's great to read the way they complete each other. Isaac is a good addition to the plot and so are Drea and Dylan. The misunderstandings seemed justified and not stretched. The plot is fast paced, however, very little progress in terms of finding justice or getting clues in the investigation. This is the 'Denial' mode in their broken relationship. Isaac seems to be a good character, but he absolutely has nothing on "Jack, which was kind of a let down. Jack needs a kick on his behind.. figuratively, of course. And a much more solid third angle would have kept me hyper ventilating. However, the author seems to be very sure that Jack and Laurel are it. Delayed, but period.

I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

This story is superb but I wish it was all complete in one book as I hate having to wait for the next one to see what happens.

Laurel and Jack seem to have it all in their marriage,love, money and a beautiful new baby until one horrific night when everything is turned upside down.
Two years later their marriage has deteriorated to the point that they are hardly speaking to each other and Laurel decides that she needs to get away for a while. She goes to her Mother's house in Portland and tries to start a new life, recover from her heartbreak and decide if she wants to stay married to Jack. Jack on the other hand does not want to let her go.

The story was very well written and really sucked you in from the beginning, however I am left at the end of the book with a creepy feeling about the husband and the neighbour next door. and wondering whodunnit and if there will be a twist in the tale. Don't want to give the plot away you will have to read it! Cassia please hurry and write the next book the suspense is killing me.

This story has a lot of potential, it started so different from all the previous ones I've read. It is not two people falling in love and meeting for the first time, this is a marriage and a love that needs to be mended. Both parties are dealing with grief in very different ways and they need to find a common ground. But of course, things are never easy. There are misunderstandings that threaten the union, and good intentions that are misinterpreted due to lack of communication. With Jack and Laurel having problems, when Isaac comes into Laurel's life it becomes a threat to Jack. But he becomes the conduit for her to grown, let go, be more independent and find self worth. Even with Jack trying to solve everything with sex (and damn good sex it is...) the relationship will require more of a commitment to change and you as a reader will probably identify more with Isaac. But there is more to come and the plot thickens...

This book was so much more than I thought it was going to be it ended up being a really good emotional read about two people dealing with and moving on from the ultimate loss in different ways even if its not in a good way, this is the first book in the trilogy and I cannot wait for the next part such a super read

3.5 stars for me

I am not sure what to think right now and am torn. So I shall do the rambly thing....On the one hand, I really enjoyed the premise of this story a lot. I was completely intrigued and flew threw the book. Jack and Laurel suffer a huge tragedy, and their marriage is at a stalemate and in seriously decline. We start out seeing Laurel leaving Jack, but he comes after her, and they do what they do best, they have sex - hot and heavy sex, almost hateful sex. That's the only way they truly communicate. But it isn't enough for Laurel anymore, and she decides to stay gone until Jack agrees to go to counseling. He does so, but with great reservation. It looks like they might just make some progress. However...dun dun duhhhhhh...while Laurel is away at her mother's old home, she meets her somewhat dark and broody neighbor, Isaac, and they form a friendship, which you never really get to see develop. You're just kind of told it develops. There is no action or angst or slow steamy buildup (at least that you see within the pages). It's just suddenly the neighbor admits to loving her at a really inopportune time. She is completely unaware why he would feel that way. It just seems like a really lost opportunity. Like the story is so much bigger than the writing. I could have used about 150 more pages of her time with Isaac. It would have added so much to the storyline at least for me. There just doesn't seem to be enough depth to that part of the story. This does have a killer cliffhanger...like totally out of the blue, OMG WTF moment...but in a good way. I will most definitely be going back for Book 2 because I have to know where that cliffie is leading.

I'm not sure what happened..... when a book starts the way this one does it almost feels like the rest of the book should be just as explosive. From the description Jqck and Laurel have this unbelievable relationship. I get people deal with tragedy in their own ways but these two acted like children. They "drama" between these two was exhausting and I didn't quite feel the emotion between the two.

Then we add in Issac to a story line that isnt to heavy on the secondary characters which might be why it's hard to bring the story back? But hopefully Issac has a bigger role in book two or otherwise I feel like he's a wasted character. Jack and Laurel have already unnecessary issues I feel (hello grow up and act like adults) and adding in a pointless secondary just feels weird. I'm not sure if I'll read book two but who knows. Maybe it will bring everything together better.

The book was really good I enjoyed the character development between the main characters. The story was heartbreaking, but I loved every minute of it!! I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this book, and i will for sure read more by this author.

Warning, get read to grab the next book too! I flew through this book and thankfully the next was available too so I read that too, now I am waiting. If you want a dark sordid tale this is for you. The storyline will pull you in with a bit of mystery, as well as the romance and dirty se y love. What a packed book!

This is maybe a 3.5 read for me. I am a fan of Cassia Leo, having read a few of her other books but this one wasn't up there as one of my favorites. And because of that I know you need to be emotionally prepared before you read her books, there is sure to be some unimaginable devastation. I am not sure you can emotionally prepare yourself for this one though. This book was well written, it kept me interested, and the characters are well developed. Ends on a sort of cliffhanger and I am on the fence on whether or not I will read the next in the series. If this book would have been a movie I would have been shouting at the TV "No, don't do that!". I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone because of the content but if you are familiar with Cassia Leo's work then you know to be prepared for your heart to shatter and then she will slowly put it back together, piece by piece. If you are not familiar with her work then you are going to be in for a shock!

Laurel and Jack have been through a heartbreaking loss and their relationship has taken a big hit. Laurel packs up and moves away to help with her grief and she meets her sexy next door neighbor Isaac. An amazing read that will have you wanting the next book.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book started with a heart wrenching tradegy and then it was blame him or her for this or that and then sex. A lot of it. For a broken couple in a broken marriage they did a lot of physical communication instead of helping each other. It was heartbreaking to read how both were falling into hole of no return. Laurel finally had enough and left Jack to find herself again and find their love for each other and to stop grieving their son. She finds a job, Friends and a neighbor who has issues too. The ending is a cliffhanger and I had to get the 2nd book to know if Laurel finds her happy ending. Don’t know if I like Jack. Very controlling.

I received a copy through NetGalley from the publisher.

I thought the beginning of this book was so tragic and heart rending that I was tempted not to complete the read, but I was curious to see how the tragedy was handled.A young wealthy couple,Jack and Laurel,has suffered a deeply affective loss and throughout the book we get glimpses and close-ups of how they handle every situation that has become tinged with the stain of their heartbreak.I got increasingly disapproving of the way they just try to paper over the hurt instead of dealing with it, and skeptical of the constant graphic sexual encounters that just lead to more resentment.The element of "who dunnit" kept this plot from being completely perversive and bawdy and will be the impetus to continue this series.

did not finish the book did not hold my interest. She seemed very uncaring for losing her son and mother. He was a little over board.

This book was really hard for me to get into. However once I sat down and really got into it was truly heart breaking and I think that is why it was hard for me to read. The scenes where steamy but I was confused about the addition of the neighbour. Like for real what was his purpose? It was GREAT writing but maybe just not for me SORRY

Welcome to my review of one of the most fabulous, addictive, cliff-hanger novels that I have ever read! Normally, I’m not a fan of cliffhangers but holy hell this one was worth it, especially since the second book comes out in a few days!

Jack and Laurel have been married for 5 years and have endured more hell than anyone should ever have to face. When she feels like she’s at the end of her rope, Lauren leaves Jack, heading to Portland to the house that her mother had willed to her. Dirt follows their story as Jack struggles with accepting the trauma that they endured, while also trying to save his marriage to Laurel. Mix this in with a sexy, sweet neighbor and some counseling and this proves to be an explosive story.

Not to be negative, but I’ll start with Jack. Besides his obvious sexual prowess, I liked very little about him. Besides needing some serious grief counseling, I found him manipulative and dishonest. Several times throughout the novel, when he was faced with the thought of possibly losing Lauren, he reverted to his go-to solution which was sex.

I admired Laurel’s character and her ability to keep going each day after what her and Jack had been through. However, she clearly enabled Jack’s inclination to solve problems with sex because she became putty in his hands several times when she should have smacked him in the head. I truly believe that her and Jack are truly in love, or at least they think they are, but I much preferred the Laurel that hung out with Issac. Whether they were gardening, cooking, or eating, her and Issac’s friendship involved real communication, sharing, and exposing vulnerabilities.

As stated previously, I typically hate cliffhangers. However, this one really works. If you are reading this review, tempted to check it out, then decide against it because of the cliffhanger – trust me, this one is worth it. Dirt was already fabulous, but that insane, crazy, frustrating (but wonderful) ending has me chomping at the bit for the release of Seed this Friday!! It may be a cliffhanger but Cassia Leo nailed it and left me dying for the next novel. I highly recommend Dirt and this fantastic author.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this novel in exchange for my honest review.