Looks can be deceiving.

I knew that most people took one look at the ink and the impossibly big and strong body it covered and decided I was a brawler…a bruiser…a beast. However, I was hardwired to be a thinker, not a fighter—my mind being my greatest weapon and my biggest weakness.

I should have chosen to use my brain and talents to be one of the good guys, a hero, a man with dignity and worth.

I turned my back on dignity and sold my soul to the highest bidder, deciding to dance with the devil, instead.

I couldn’t figure out how to help myself, so there was zero chance I knew how to save someone else.

That someone else was Noe Lee. She was the unkempt, unruly thief who was just as smart as I was and twice as street savvy. She was annoyingly adorable beneath the dirt and grime and she was in trouble. In way over her head, I told myself it wasn’t my job to keep her from drowning. In the Point, it was sink or swim and I wasn’t the designated lifeguard on duty.

I had shut the door in her face, but now she’s gone…vanished…disappeared without a trace. It took less than a second for me to realize that I wanted her back.

When a woman comes along that melts all the frozen, hard things you’re made of, you’ll do anything you have to, to bring her home.

What you see is not always what you get…and with a man like me there is more than anyone ever bargained for.

Noe Lee gained an enemy in Snowden Stark when she robbed his apartment. But when she ends up in trouble with people after her, she has no one else to turn to for help. 

Stark did not expect to see the tiny, mighty homeless girl again that took all of his tech stuff, and his first reaction was to refuse to take on the situation. But when he had second thoughts, he realized his indecision just put her in more immediate danger. So soon he is invested in trying to get her back safe and sound. 

Stark is a brilliant, analytical tech genius who has his own sense of honor especially when it comes to taking down predators. He is big, tatted, and intimidating, but also a bit socially awkward and hot geek. He is good with computers, but not necessarily people. He has guilt from his past and has kept his emotions buried so he is more machine than man. But something about Noe and his guilt from refusing her brings out more of his emotions.

Noe has had her own painful past. She is a survivor, and is strong, smart, and resourceful. She is a talented techie in her own right so can appreciate Stark's skills. She is good at running and disappearing, but this time she is in way over her head.

I found Stark fascinating as he is one of those broody, quirky guys that I cannot help but love. And Noe is a force to be reckoned with. I love how they challenged the other. The situation they are dealing with is far reaching with many variables. They are surrounded by corrupt people, danger, and threats. Stark has decided to take on the role of Noe's protector and vows to get revenge on the players involved. But he cannot do it alone. 

Both have damaged hearts, fears, and insecurities. But since they can usually find out information on anyone with their hacking and research skills, keeping their own secrets won't last long. And The Point is a place where hope and faith are hard to find.  But sometimes a little  sweetness can be found when least expected. And sometimes broken pieces can be mended together.

They are a catalyst for change with each other. She brings him back to life and unleashes his full potential he has been guarding. While he wants to make her feel safe and accepted. But they are both used to being alone and relying on themselves, so it is not always easy to navigate and to believe in. Their pasts keep bleeding into the present. During the process they both have to deal with their demons and their coping mechanisms are often to withdraw into themselves or focus on the mission. But what they really want is to truly matter to someone and be seen and loved for who they really are...flaws, past, and all. They both need to be reminded of their own self worth and find purpose.

It brings back the tough and complex men of the Point, Nassir, Race, Bax, Booker, Bax, Benny, Chuck, and Titus. And also the strong women Keelyn, Brysen, and Dovie who keep them in check. There is no black and white in the Point, just shades of grey. You have to have villains in order to have heroes, and most of these characters are a bit of both. They all want the Point to be a better place, they just go about it different ways. The Point still may be dark and nefarious, but there is more light and hope moving in all the time.

I cannot wait for Booker and Karsen's book. It has been a long time coming!

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

Snowden Stark regretted the moment he slammed the door in Noe Lee’s face. Now she is missing and he can’t get her out of his mind. She wouldn’t have knocked on his door if she wasn’t in trouble and now she’s missing.

Stark is a hard man to get a bead on. He is used to keeping himself closed off and separate from even the people he considers friends. That’s just the way it is in the Point. It’s also the only thing that has kept him safe from those who are after him. He is a tech genius, though he tries to keep those skills hidden.

Noe is used to living on the streets, relying on no one but herself. Passing herself as a boy to go even more unnoticed, she isn’t used to being a target. She is tough and resourceful, as she has learned to be in order to survive the Point.

Two people who don’t trust make for an interesting read, simply because though they feel an attraction, neither is willing to let down any walls to simply scratch an itch. As it becomes impossible to hold back secrets, the walls crumble around these two. I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching their worlds implode as they spent more time together and those secrets were pushed into the open. These two are used to relying on themselves and letting others in isn’t an easy task. Nor is moving beyond the pasts that have shaped them into who they are now.

The Point is a rough place to live -- that has been established, but it is becoming clearer that each person who lives there has very different reasons for choosing the Point as their home. Because each of these characters has very purposely chosen to live here, whether it was such a simple choice in the beginning or not, it is definitely a choice now. As we get further into this series, it is becoming clearer that the good guys are not all good, and the villains are not all bad. I cannot wait to see what Booker and Karsen have in store in their book, as quite a bit has been teased as Karsen has grown up and headed to college. 

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