Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWorking through trauma
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2021
It's not a secret that I adore Stephanie Queen's books. This book is another example of why I do. It's much more common today to find books where the heroine is so strong she doesn't bend well. Nyla is so strong...she does bend. Stephanie reminds us that sometimes being someone's rock, their shelter is the strongest thing you can do.
Brick has lots of past trauma,including the fact that Nyla 'abandoned' him. Even though he knows logically she had to and he would've pushed her away regardless, emotionally he blames her for not proving some women stay.
Brick has plenty of self-loathing too. He is difficult and is cruel and hurtful. Through it all, she stands by him. But she does it in such a way that she just stays. She doesn't chase, she doesn't throw herself at him, she doesn't subjugate herself...she just stands. Some people would say that she was weak. I don't think so.
Nyla proved that people with abandonment and trauma issues need consistency and unwavering support. It really is all about them because it has to be. Brick comes to his own conclusion that he needs to give her a chance to prove she will always love him and he needs to take his second foot off the cliff.
Stephanie never ceases to amaze me with how well she writes on trauma, both in the descriptions and reactions. She also doesn't back away from showing how freaking hard it is to stand by victims of trauma. It's ugly and complicated and complex and painful...for both people.
