Author: Lena Hendrix
Series: Chikalu Falls Series Book #3
Category: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
"In every story, there's a villain. I knew this. But it tore at my soul to know that I had become the villain in hers." - Deck
Deck has been in love with his best friend his whole life, but never had the guts to tell her. And before he found the courage, her life took a turn for the worse with one bad decision. She refused to ask him to stay, and they became strangers in a small town for the better part of fifteen years. As their friends pair off, Deck can no longer avoid Maggie, and though he continues to harbor a secret that he never wants her to find out, he slowly opens up and steps into her life again.
"'When you live with a secret as long as I have, you'd be amazed at what you can hide.'" - Deck
Maggie was a survivor of sorts, doing whatever it took to make it as a single mother with little support. She was emotional but not a quitter, building their life from the ground up.
Deck's life had been on pause as he watched Maggie raise her daughter on the outside looking in. He continuously pushed her away over the years and now that he's finally allowed himself to pursue her, he isn't sure how to do that. Their mistakes happened while they were young, but Deck continued to perpetuate them every time he bullied her and stood in the way of her finding someone else to spend her life with.
While their chemistry was alright, I wouldn't place bets for these two to stay together long-term if this were the real world. Deck had a ton of work to do on himself and Maggie was much too self-sufficient when all he wanted was someone to coddle. Maybe reality shouldn't factor into my enjoyment and review of a book but I just didn't enjoy this couple very much.
Tropes and Themes: Contemporary Romance, Military, Police, Law Enforcement, Small Town, Second Chance, Enemies to Lovers, Single Mom.
Blurb
One moment of hesitation and I lost Maggie forever.
Since then, we’ve spent the last 15 years in this small town circling each other and pretending neither remembers how right it felt when we were best friends.
Now she’s a single mom and doesn’t need a “broody, grumpy cop” like me complicating her life. No matter how many times her heated gaze scorches my skin, I can never have her in the way I want.
Completely.
So I push her away––but it’s for her own good.
Because if she knew the truth of what I did, she wouldn’t just have hurt feelings, she would truly hate me.
She has a guarded heart and it’s all my fault.
But I don’t have a heart at all. I gave it to Maggie O'Brien a long time ago.
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