If I had the luxury to view the world through rose colored glasses, I wouldn't hesitate. Instead my lenses were fractured.

This books was a fast, confusing, chaotic, rough, dangerous, sexy, heartbreaking, romantic, and  suspenseful read. Yeah, it was all that and all kinds of frenzied and jumbled up at the same time. It was told from Colt's POV in present with flashbacks from the past (thankfully flashbacks were in italics). But it kept you guessing, hoping, and trying to come to terms with some of the baser content of the story.  

Colt is a mess. He is broken by his past and flirting with disaster. He not only is rough around the edges, but he is down right jagged. He is a tough talking, alpha with an agenda and danger lurking the periphery of his life. When we meet him, he is up to no good and in an instant his past comes crashing into his present. 

I wasn't the boy that was going to swoop in and save her when she needed me. I was the monster.

Lily is at the wrong place at the wrong time. Soon they are embroiled in a dangerous situation. The whole time you are trying to figure out where the truth lies. Colt seems to be cold, heartless, and dangerous. But it is obvious he used to be sensitive, loving, and protective. But she devastated him in the past and now there is a thin line between love and hate. 

It didn't matter what she called herself. She was still the girl that broke my heart.

There are multiple bad guys, tense situations, intense sexual tension, and action. It is a constant guessing game trying to figure out what the real story is and who is the biggest threat. At times, we both hated Colt and at other times there was this need to hug and comfort him. Even he has trouble trying to figure out how to act in the situation since his feelings and thoughts are all over the place. Lily was strong and capable, but at times seemed to give in too easily. They had a strong past loving connection that was tainted by heartbreak and trauma. In the present their chemistry cannot be denied, but it was still a harrowing situation to be in. There are multiple layers and story lines from the past and present all intermingling at the same time. 

With all of the pieces crashing together in the dangerous game,  how will they both come out of it alive?

I had looked at the world through my own rose -colored glasses and became oblivious to the big picture.

The both of us had a few issues with the book, especially in the beginning. It really messes with your head, makes you question and rethink, at times it left us wondering WTF? and pissed  us off to no end! There were a couple of things that just did not make sense in the story and still left us unsure at the end. However, as the book went on it was easier to become more invested in the characters, also we found halfway through that it became engaging enough that we needed to find out the secrets and hopefully find a resolution for these two lost souls. It was definitely a different read with a unique twist to the story line not to mention Safe Word is most definitely not your typical fluffy love story. It is raw, deep, dangerous, and rough...but there is also love, redemption, sacrifice, and pain in the mix.

Thanks to Teresa Mummert for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was a Russian spy at the ripe age of thirteen, given my uncanny ability to tell if someone was lying ( I also read fortunes on the weekends). By sixteen I had become too much of a handful for the Lethal Intelligence Ensemble (L.I.E.). I was quickly exiled to the south of France where I worked with wayward elephants in the Circus of Roaming Animals and People (C.R.A.P.). I was able to make ends meet by selling my organs on the black market for pocket change and beer money. At the age of twenty three I decided to expand my horizons and become a blackjack dealer in Ireland. I loved the family atmosphere at Barney's Underground Liquor Lounge (B.U.L.L.). People couldn't resist the allure of Liquor up front and poker in the rear. Eventually I became tired of the rear and headed off to the United States to try my hand at tall tales. That is what brings us here today. If you have a moment I'd like to tell you a story.

(This bio is not to be taken seriously under any circumstance.)

Teresa Mummert is an army wife and mother whose passion in life is writing. She is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels White Trash Beautiful and Suicide Note. Born in Pennsylvania, she lived a small town life before following her husband's military career to Louisiana and Georgia. 

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