Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice. 

Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already. 

But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.

We got a little taste of the the avoidance games between bartender/artist Roxy and cop Reece Anders in Stay With Me. So I was already a bit invested in and anxious to get their full story. Even though Roxy has had a crush on Reece since she was fifteen, she has avoided him like the plague for the past eleven months due to an alcohol induced night of passion and morning after gone wrong.

Confusion, miscommunication, hurt feelings, and a little white lie caused them to lose almost a year, but Reece is done playing games and he is now in hot pursuit. But she is hiding something from him and she is not sure what to do about it. She is a bit awkward in some ways, but also has her own quirky style and sassiness. She could be stubborn, hot tempered, insecure, and built up walls..

God, I sounded like I had a split personality. Go after him. Don't go after him. Tell him the truth. Don't stay anything. I was giving myself whiplash.

Reece is sexy, charismatic, protective, sweet, and alpha. He demands honesty and knows what he wants. Their feelings were already partially developed prior to reconciliation so even though it happened fast, it was not an insta-love situation because they had been through years of hidden longing and foreplay. And the past time apart just made them realize how much they missed each other. I liked them together.  They had good rapport and chemistry as well as history and long standing shared attraction even if they failed to share it. 

"I'm scared, too. And there are times I question what I deserve, but we're in this together. So fall with me?...Let yourself go and fall with me, and baby, I will catch you. I will get you through this. You just got to take that risk."

This one has romance, steam, humor and suspense. It is told in Roxy's point of view so we see her insecurities, fears, and feelings. But I felt Reece was vocal enough to get his point across and for me to like and understand him.

The characters from the other books are all back and I loved spending more time them...Avery and Cam, Teresa and Jase, Calla and Jax, Britt and Ollie, and Katie, Colton and Nick. I love how these characters add more support and humor and that we continue to see their progression throughout the series. 

Even though it was set in the same small town as the last one Stay With Me, I felt like this installment was not as angsty and suspenseful. But that is not a bad thing. There was some mystery and some suspense. I will admit that I was right about who the creeper was, but there were several available options so maybe not everyone will figure it out.This one was not bogged down in a  lot of relationship drama because they had already had most of it prior to their story starting, but a few things did come back to have to be dealt with finally. Roxy had some internal struggles as well that caused her fears and insecurities. It was a bit quieter paced and had a different vibe to it, but I think each one in this series has its own feel. It was engaging, sweet, sexy, and fans of the series will fall right into it. I am looking forward to commitment-phobe Nick's story Forever With You.

Roxy is living in the shadow of the life she would have had if she hadn’t run her mouth off six years ago. Taking classes she hates, working at a job with few prospects (to pay for said classes) and sneaking time for the painting she loves as she can between the late nights and homework, this is not the life she envisioned. But it’s more than Charlie has, and it’s what Charlie would have done, so she perseveres.

Reece knows everything Roxy is going through. He has been there for it all, but one night would wreck the friendship between them. A night he couldn’t even remember. 

I had a hard time believing Roxy didn’t put two and two together when things started happening around her apartment. Based on several details, I had things figured out pretty quick. But I loved her dedication to Charlie, and the way she began to let Reece back in to her life.

And I loved Reece. A lot. He was such a great combination of protective and laid back. He knew when Reece needed her space and when she was putting on a front. 

It was fun seeing the whole group again during the times they all came together for each other. Even as they are now split across several cities, when one of them is in need they all rally together. Even Katie and her crazy predictions has wound herself into the group and created many light moments. 

This didn’t feel as tense as the last book, perhaps because I was fairly certain what was going on long before the reveal took place, but it was a fun read. Roxy had some hard lessons to learn with Charlie, her past, and her present, and each time something happened I hurt with her. Because though she may have been clueless about the situations going on around her she was still a very likeable, hardworking character. 

And that ending? Without giving too much away, it may have been my favorite part of the book. Between the suspense and the full circle nature of things it was such a great mix of tension and emotion.

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

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. 

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. 

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.