The last words I said to my best friend were “I trust you”. Then the world went dark, and I nearly lost everything.

While my best friend’s little sister lost even more.

I promised him that I’d take care of her—but if he knew my current thoughts when it came to Harper, he’d have never trusted me.

She’s too young for me. Too bright to my shadows. And too tempting.

Now I’m stuck in our small town, and I can’t escape her. I’d rather hide in my cabin, restoring what was once lost. Only Harper won’t let me.

I’ve already held onto more secrets than my family knows. I don’t know if I can keep what I feel about her secret too.

She sees beyond my scars and anger, and I know she hides her own just as tightly.

When one kiss changes everything, there’s no going back—even if it shatters everything in our wake.

This is another solid story for the extended Cage family.

Dorian has kept himself apart from his family since the plane crash that left him injured and killed his best friend. He is hiding at his oldest brother’s house less, but working on the old cabin his father left him keeps him fully occupied and apart from many of the family gatherings. The final thing he promised his best friend was that he would take care of his sister, Harper.

Harper doesn’t have supportive family left since Joshua died. She is at home in Cage Lake, and the town has rallied around her, but it isn’t the same. Her bakery is taking off and keeps her busy from morning to night though. In the way of little sisters, she grew up with a crush on her brother’s best friend, one she wouldn’t act on because Dorian is so much older than she is.

Before the accident, Dorian promised to always look out for Harper, and between his own healing and avoiding town, he hasn’t done a very good job of it. But when he steps up to help her out, he never expects to find himself falling in love with his best friend’s little sister.

I loved watching these two navigate their grief, their friendship, and their growing romance. The pace of their development is perfect, given their history and the way they lean on each other (when Dorian finally stops avoiding her). It was a perfect blend -- not to fast, not to slow -- and once they started admitting their feelings the heat rose quickly.

It felt like there was more of a focus on the characters’ own healing in this book, rather than on facing an exterior threat or conflict. Navigating the grief, the age gap, and their own secrets kept them focused on each other and their relationship rather than worrying about outside influence. I loved the way this focused more on the things that were right in front of them.

This is the third in the Cage Family series and each one keeps getting better. I love how the extended group of siblings has solidified their bonds, bringing the two sides of the family together with a common goal and mutual understanding. I also love how they welcome and bring in each new partner as the siblings settle down. As always, I look forward to the next installment in the series, as the breadcrumbs that have already been dropped have me curious!

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Wilder Brothers, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She’s the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.