Everyone knew Alicia Harrison’s marriage to Ilya Stern wouldn’t last. They’d grown up on a remote stretch of Quarry Street, where there were two houses, two sets of siblings, and eventually, a tangled mess of betrayal, longing, and loss. Tragedy catapulted Allie and Ilya together, but divorce—even as neighbors—has been relatively uncomplicated.

Then Ilya’s brother, Nikolai, comes home for their grandmother’s last days. He’s the guy who teased and fought with Allie, infuriated her, then fled town without a good-bye. Now Niko makes her feel something else entirely—a rush of connection and pure desire that she’s been trying to quench since one secret kiss years ago. Niko’s not sticking around. She’s not going to leave. And after all that’s happened between their families, this can’t be anything more than brief pleasure and a bad idea.

But the lies we tell ourselves can’t compete with the truths our hearts refuse to let go…

Review:

Intense, poignant and full of angst!

This is a dark, married-the-wrong-brother romance that highlights how tragedy affects us all differently; sometimes we cling to each other and sometimes we runaway.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are troubled, complex but not entirely endearing. And the plot, which is ultimately about guilt, love, life, loss, heartbreak, yearning, sexual tension, friendship and family does have some of the sexy and steamy we’ve come to expect in Hart’s novels but at the same time seemed to have just a little too much going on for me.

I have to admit that this wasn’t one of my favourite novels by Hart but her exceptional ability to write stories about unconventional relationships and to push people to understand and accept that there is no one norm will always make me a huge fan.

If you haven’t already had a chance to read my review for one of her previous novels “Beg For It” be sure to check it out HERE!

This book is due to be published on May 1, 2017.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.