Synopsis

It had always been her…

Ten years had passed since the doors slammed shut behind Decker Calhoun, taking away his freedom, but more importantly, locking him away from Elizabeth Waters, the only woman he’d ever loved—the woman he’d given up everything for. 

The day he was sentenced, he’d looked at her and said, No regrets, Lizzie. But he lied, because he did have one. Although he’s been out of jail for three years now, he was a year too late. Lizzie never knew how he felt and just months before he was released, she found somebody else and it’s too late. 

Or maybe not. It seems that Lizzie’s boyfriend wants an open relationship and two can play at that game. Now all Decker has to do is convince Lizzie that he’s the better man…and has been all along.

Mini Review

This is my first book by Shiloh Walker and it won't be my last. It's a short, sexy friends-to-lovers story which I enjoyed it a lot. It was the right read for the my summer vacation but I needed something more to really love it.

The story flows smoothly, gradually unveiling the past which brought the characters to the places where they are now in the present. Decker is a recently released convict after serving seven years of his ten-year sentence for murder. Lizzie is his best friend, the girl who is closely linked to what happened 10 years ago They are both secretly in love with each other but none of them believes the feelings are mutual, so they maintain a close friendship but nothing more.

She is in the worst relationship possible, yet she fails to see. I understood her fears and misgivings about herself (she is on the plump side and inexperienced with men), yet it bothered me how little she valued herself, and how she was willing to do anything to keep her relationship. It took her a while (and a pretty violent act on the part of her boyfriend) to realize that there was nothing to save there. 

I sympathize with her, yet I was annoyed how stubborn she was, not seeing all the faults in her relationship when everybody kept pointing them out to her. She was also blind as regards to Decker and his feelings for her. She kept convincing herself that he can't possibly want her. 

Decker, on the other had, was absolutely great. Protective, loyal, willing to do anything to make her happy, even if it means forever being just her friend. He was the perfect alpha - bossy, possessive, commanding, yet totally in love with Lizzie, as the his tattoo said - he was owned completely by her.

The love scene was pretty hot, though I felt they deserved more than sex in secret in her office. I was really led down by the end. It's a HEA for them but I wish it was a bit further developed, I wanted to see more of Lizzie and Decker together after they finally admitted their feelings. Another tender and more intimate love-making scene would have been a great ending to the story.  

This said, it was a pretty enjoyable read overall. If you are looking for a quick hot summer read with great Alpha hero and a sweet heroine, you've got your book in this one.

Purchase links: iBooks | Amazon | BN | ARe