A chance meeting draws her attention to the quiet, intense man that shies away from social contact. Bree is tenacious and pushes Archer out of his comfort zone. She is able to communicate with him like no one else has. They begin a tentative tolerance that turns into friendship. Their chemistry is magnetic and soon they find themselves unable to resist more. But this is all new and confusing for Archer. And they both have fears and insecurities that affect them. Both need to move on from their pasts, open up, and learn to trust. 

Seeing these two people with troubled pasts fall into a companionable rapport and relationship was beautiful. Bree understands Archer like no one else. And she becomes a lifeline to him. 

Archer is a loner. He is strong, intelligent, capable, but also vulnerable and inexperienced. He has self esteem issues and feelings of inadequacy. My heart just broke for this sweet man. He is one of the most unique, charismatic, lovable male characters I have ever read. I absolutely loved seeing his personality start to shine through. Archer's past story was so tragic and left him with such displaced guilt and severe loss. It truly shaped the man he was and he needed to figure out who he really wanted to be. He needed purpose, confidence, and to feel worthy of love.  

"I didn't know enough to dream you, Bree, but somehow you came true anyway. How did that happen?...Who read my mind and knew exactly what I wanted, even when I didn't?"

Bree is a genuine, caring individual who had her own share of suffering. She is beginning a new life for herself that she never expected and finding comfort in a new place. She is open, inquisitive, and determined. These two fit together so well, providing much needed calm, love and protection. But they both had demons to face before they could truly move on. They had to find their own inner most strength and empowerment in their lives. 

Watching him come into himself was a thing of beauty and I felt privileged to be a witness to it. 

There were so many heartfelt and amazing moments in this book. Those that touched my heart, broke it, caused me to gasp out loud, tense up, and alternately made me cry, swear, swoon, or smile. There was danger, tragedy, suspense, surprising plot twists, and mysteries. The secrets were slowly revealed along the way making it more intriguing. There were villians and injustices that made me angry. I felt so many emotions while reading it and was so attached to and invested in these characters. I swear I held my breath a few times and  my heart felt like it was in suspended animation. I alternated between wanting to flip pages faster to figure out the secrets and find out what happens, and wanting to slow down and savor it so it would not end too quickly.

She had told me my voice mattered, and her love had made me believe it might be true. And sometimes that's all it takes - one person who's willing to listen to your heart, to the sound no one else has ever tried to hear.

This story was truly refreshing, unique, heartwarming, and inspirational. It was told in predominantly Bree's point of view. But there were some chapters in Archer's POV in both past and present, and it all flowed flawlessly. It had complex, likable characters and an engaging, intriguing story line. I was drawn to Archer from his first appearance just as Bree was. He had a magnetism about him even when he was gruff and uncommunicative. Seeing him emerge from an unsure, unsocialized, loner to a sexy, loving, motivated man with purpose was a true journey. He had such a vulnerability and sweetness about him. His devotion and attachment to Bree was so deep and heartfelt. And the fact that she got to know Archer when no one else would give him a chance was so special.. She was an amazing character in her own right. She had been dealing with so many issues, but she ran away and really found herself and found the one person that could calm her demons. And together they filled a void in each other's lives and enriched them so much. This couple just made my heart happy and full of hope. They both had such personal growth throughout the story individually and together. It was truly a moving experience. 

Bad things don't happen to people because they deserve for them to happen. It just doesn't work that way. It's just...life. And no matter who we are, we have to take the hand we're dealt, crappy though it may be, and try our best to move forward anyway, to have hope anyway...to have faith that there's a purpose to the journey we're on. And try to believe that maybe more light shines out of those who have the most cracks. 

Mia Sheridan always amazes me with her multi-faceted characters, unique plot lines, depth of emotion, and beautifully written prose. Each book in the series is written exquisitely and this is no exception. With the exception of Leo and Leo's Chance, the books in this series are not related and can be read as stand alones. This will be a story and characters that I will not soon forget. It has been days and I still am not sure I can describe how much I truly enjoyed this book and how beautiful and inspiring it was. I highly recommend adding it to the top of your TBR list.