He had the wisdom of a man who had lived multiple lifetimes and the body of one who'd only just begun his first. 

Liv is guarded, overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, and stuck. She tries to be strong and resilient. She is doing what she has to do for her sisters, but she is still sacrificing herself and her dreams. And in order for them to survive, she has to do things she is not proud of. 

When she and Will end up in an unexpected situation, guards come down and sparks fly. But no matter how charismatic, hot, and sweet Will Goods is, he is still part of the town she just wants to put in her rear view mirror. And there are plenty of reasons that he is just not a good idea at all. 

She needs control and usually practices extreme self control. But Will makes her lose it. And he likes it that way. So the best answer for her is avoidance. But that is easier said than done.

Their lives are complicated. He has secrets. She has fears, rules, and big walls up. She runs, avoids, and pushes people away. He also has insecurities, so sometimes he lets her. Their anxiety, doubt, and secrets create barriers that often get in their way. But the times when their guards are down they are connected and passionate. And they begin to see little slivers of hope and happiness intermixed with the bad situations.

"Life is full of sh** luck. That's why when you find that thing or person that isn't every now and again, you grab on and don't let go without putting up one hell of a fight."

Liv was a bit hard for me to warm up to at first, but I understood why she was the way she was. Her upbringing was hard, her life had some recent pitfalls, and responsibilities and hardships wore her down. She lived her life in self protection mode that caused her not to really live her life fully.

Together they were kind of a mess, but good for each other too. They had an intense chemistry and pull to each other. But are they both too damaged to be able to handle not only their own problems but the other ones' issues too?

It's about stagnation, despair, connections, hope, taking chances, and living life to the fullest. It was a bit darker than Hard Knox and sometimes it could be  pretty negative and frustrating. But there were also times of passion, sweetness, fun and romance too. It had some unique and interesting twists. Will's secrets kept me intrigued.  I pondered over them and was analyzing him intently throughout the story and I did figure it out, but I know someone else that was totally shocked. It really added  an interesting dynamic to the story. It was told in Liv's point of view making Will's secrets his own, until he or someone else revealed them. She drove me a bit crazy at times, but she also showed growth and I did end up liking her. I enjoyed her dedication to her sisters and their typical sisterly interactions from love, hate, and in between. I totally fell for Will and thought he was a wonderful, damaged hero. He has three brothers we did not meet, but I would be interested in reading more about Declan, Ryker, or Grant Goods or even more with her sisters Reese and Paige. They have all come from this devastating place so seeing them rise above it could make good stories. 

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.