I totally fell for the vulnerable, damaged man Caden and saucy Makenna in Hearts in Darkness. Their connection forged in a darkened elevator was funny, heartwarming, and hot. Their hearts touched on such a deeper level and their bodies reacted accordingly. And we got their happy for now ending then, but now we see what happens later.

Even though they shared a lot in a short time, this gets to the more real life stuff. This is incorporating each other into their daily lives, meeting friends and family, and dealing with insecurities and fears.

Caden has been through so much during his life and still bears the scars, fears, and anxiety. He has been a loner due to all of his baggage. He has covered his pain in armor of tats, piercing, and an intimidating facade. But deep down he is vulnerable, struggles with fear of rejection and abandonment and he feels himself unworthy.

Makenna sees the good in him even when he can't see it himself. He is caring, protective, selfless, and has a sarcastic sense of humor. She is positive, honest, and usually can keep his anxiety quiet. But the more serious they get, the more his fears and anxiety threaten to come to the surface.

They will both have to dig deep to trust, share, and fight for the love that surprised them both in order to try to keep it. They have internal battles and external ones. Communication came easy for them in the beginning, but becomes another challenge for them. This was emotional, frustrating, humorous, sexy, romantic, and realistic in a lot of ways. Life is not always easy and comes with challenges that must be faced...some alone and some together. But hopefully they can be overcome and the results are better in the end.

This duet grabbed me from the first page and these characters buried themselves into my heart. I felt everything they did. I genuinely liked them despite their flaws and mistakes. I found Caden to be a swoonworthy broken hero who had so much to offer if he could just believe in himself. And Makenna was strong and supportive despite the difficulties they faced. I adored them together and was rooting for them the whole time. I loved getting the dual points of view.

Even though their story could have been considered finished after the first book, I feel like this second book was the perfect addition and just endeared them to me all the more even though at times it was heartbreaking and difficult. But it just showed the intensity of their connection and how deep both their feelings and insecurities went. It was an emotional journey that completely touched my heart. I highly recommend this well written, engaging duet that will have you laughing and smiling, and then will turn around and bring tears to your eyes.

I loved getting to meet her brothers Patrick, Ian, and Collin and would not be opposed to reading spin off books about them. Just putting that out there...

Makenna James and Caden Grayson thought their time in the elevator was the worst they had to deal with. But real life has a way of tripping up even the most established couple, so it serves that these two would have more to deal with before their true happily ever after. Meeting the family and ghosts of the past still stand in the way of Makenna and Caden’s forever.

This felt like a natural continuation for a couple who met while trapped in a dark elevator. The newness of their relationship means they still have a lot to learn about each other. Though their first book felt a little insta-lovey, this second story gave an extension to their timeline, allowing those initial feelings to develop and deepen while throwing real life challenges their way. As Caden struggles thinking he is not good enough for Makenna, meeting her family only compounds those thoughts in his head, while she fights to prove that he is exactly what she wants.

I loved meeting the James family. The love and support she gets from these men was amazing, though Ian did have to grown on me. They were a great hurdle for the couple, though watching Caden’s spiral after the first meeting hurt.

Caden’s past was equally important in the events of this story. His handling of things was painful and emotional, both for what it did to him and to Makenna. This part of the storyline provided much of the emotional drama. It was while Caden was in the midst of his crash that I really fell in love with this book. Without the crash, it was a nice continuation, but the inclusion of this arc makes the story whole.

I loved what this story gave Makenna and Caden, even for all the struggles they face. Their world became more than just the darkened inside of an elevator and forced them to deal with things that had been brushed aside for far too long.

ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

Makenna unbuttoned her jeans, pushed them down, and took them off altogether, leaving her standing there in an oversized, faded red and blue Penn sweatshirt that was just long enough to cover her panties. “You should get undressed, too,” she said, coming to Caden and starting on the buttons of his shirt. 

Press and release, press and release. Until she was pulling his shirt from his dress pants and exposing his skin. 

She gave a little moan and kissed the center of his chest. “Just like unwrapping a present.” She trailed a line of kisses and licks from one nipple to the other. 

“Fuck, Makenna,” he whispered. “What are you doing?” 

“Tasting you,” she said. 

The words were like a blowtorch to his blood. He was hard in an instant. “We can’t,” he said, though his hands went to the back of her head, encouraging her, guiding her as she continued to kiss and tease and drive him wild with her mouth. 

“We can if we’re quiet.” Slowly, she dropped to her knees and bared him to mid-thigh. She took his cock in hand and gripped him firmly, tearing a soft grunt from his throat. “I’ve been wanting you all day,” she whispered, her lips teasing his head with soft kisses. “Wanting to touch you and kiss you and hold you. I can’t hold back anymore.” She licked him from root to tip. Once, twice, three times. And then she sucked him into her mouth. 

It felt so fucking good that Caden’s hands flew to her hair, digging in, grabbing hold. She moaned at the contact and pushed herself deeper, burying his cock in the back of her throat. The intensity of it nearly took his knees out from underneath of him. 

Makenna pulled off his length. “Lay down on the floor.” 

He was too far gone to debate the wisdom of having sex in her father’s house. He needed this. He needed her. He needed the connection and the coming together of the act. Caden locked the door, took the rest of his clothes off, and spread himself out on the beige carpet. 

She undressed, too, all that beautiful red hair spilling around the bare porcelain of her shoulders and making him think of peaches and cream. And, fuck, he was starving. 

Caden grasped his length. “Take me back in your mouth.” 

He didn’t have to ask twice. Makenna settled herself between his legs and wrapped her lips around his cock. She sucked him deep and slow, than fast and shallow, her baby blues flashing up at him so fucking sexy. He needed to see her eyes, so he fisted her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. He used his grip to urge her harder, faster, deeper. He needed it. God, he needed it. And she took it. She took everything he gave her and so much more. 

“Fuck, Red, I’m gonna come if you don’t stop,” he whispered. 

She pulled off him, her lips shiny and swollen. “I want you inside me first,” she said, already crawling up his body.

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