I found this book—this story, these characters—absolutely captivating. I don't typically go for new adult romance because I have little patience for the immaturity that many of the typical characters display, but I LOVE a strong, kick-ass heroine, and the blurb of this one lured me in with the promise of my favorite kind of female lead. And that blurb was spot-on. I loved Shay from the first page of this enthralling story. I usually prefer fast-paced action and find my attention waning when I read books with a lot of character self-reflection, like this one has, but I never once got bored with this; I devoured every single word. Despite a heavy backdrop, this is a beautiful story filled with a tremendous amount of heart. I did not read the other two books in this series, and although I realized quickly that some of the characters mentioned had already found their HEA, in no way did I feel like I was missing anything that I needed to know to enjoy Shay and Ben's story. It can definitely be read as a standalone. This author duo has an amazing talent. I'm so glad to have found them!

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an ARC for review.