Tessa McDaniels is Eden's best friend so is part of the Absolution girl posse even if she had not found her own ace. She has been in a long relationship with a boyfriend no one likes and cannot understand why she stays with him. But one night she decides things need to change. And it leads her to confide in Milo. 

Milo Hendricks is a bouncer at the club. He has had his eye on Tessa for a while but knows he cannot touch. He knows he could never be good enough for her, but is happy to be her friend. He is intimidating and burly, but he is also protective, charming, and has a caring heart. His past has marked him so deeply that he does not feel like he deserves love or happiness, and he has an important goal that fuels him on a daily basis. 

Tessa is a bright light...kind, sweet, caring, and funny. Her past makes her want to give back and be charitable. She loves hard and is fiercely loyal. 

One night changes everything for them. New ideas. New plans. Forming a team to help each other. But when things get more real it is easy to sink deeper into temptation and raw feelings. But sometimes even a light is not strong enough to keep the darkness at bay. And Milo might just be headed more into the darkness for the fight of his life in more ways than one. 

I really loved Tessa and Milo together. Beauty and the Beast. Sunshine and Thunderclouds. They seemed so different but balanced each other so well. But Milo has so many secrets and so much guilt, pain, and fear that sometimes he cannot see past it. And even when he gets a glimpse of hope it seems that the darkness seeps back in. And Tessa has had her own pain and issues that have made her long for love to ease her loneliness even more. There are more than their own hearts on the line as well due to his sweet children he is also fighting for.

This is an intense, steamy, passionate, heartbreaking, single dad, fake fiancee', romantic suspense story. It is about loss, hope, love, healing, redemption, and fighting for what matters. The mystery, suspense, and danger built up throughout the story bringing some surprises, twists, and all kinds of tension. There were times I was not sure how they were going to navigate all of the obstacles in their path. There is so much tragedy and heartbreak in their stories but that makes the hope and healing so much more satisfying. But they will both have to fight to get there...themselves, each other, and a host of antagonists looking to destroy their chance of happiness. It was quite a tumultuous and emotional ride but well worth it.