Kristen Ashley

At Peace

🧸

dnf 24%

I HATE CAL AND WHY IS VIOLET SO DUMB UGHHH

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

  
    
  




At Peace is the second book in the 'Burg' series and this review I have a feeling will be difficult to write. Its a story I enjoyed and as always it has the charm of Kristen Ashley's style of writing, but I am still on the fence on this series. It just hasn't drawn me in like the other series have but maybe it will get better with each book. And I think I had a hard time with this one because of how this one starts. I am not big on the "fling" beginnings, they just aren't my cup of tea and one of my least favorite tropes so I think that put me off for a while but I did enjoy it overall and eager to delver more into this world. 



At Peace starts off with Violet and Joe coming together in a most unconventional way. Violet wakes up to loud music and goes over to her next door neighbor's home, to get it turned off and ends up being caught in the middle of a tense situation where she meets Joe who throws a woman out of his home who isn't wanted there. And at first Violet is scared of Joe, unsure what the real situation actually was but there is intense chemistry between the two and her fear turns into desire for this mysterious dark man. Joe has some demons in his past, and will only settle for causal hook ups, its the only way to live for him until Violet. He sees something deeper in her than ever before but there is a man that is hunting Violet and Joe will protect her at all costs...



At Peace was a very interesting read. We see lots of conflict and pain inflicted on these two in the beginning. They have both suffered trauma's and loss of their own. But they also are strong independent souls. Violet is a single mother, her husband being murdered by a mafia boss and now is on her own with her two teenage daughters. Joe runs a security business but has deep scars of his own and has been burned in the worst way. He is slow to trust and much of his treatment of Violet in the beginning is fear of what he has to face in himself and his past if he ever wants the future he invisions having with her and her girl who have stolen his heart. 



  

  
    We’re talkin hearts, here. You don’t play games with the hearts.You’re wrong. Only games worth playin’ are games of the heart.
  
  




I really found this is a great story and I breezed through these 600 pages (and yes this book is THAT long) and once we get to the point where Joe is willing to fight for Violet and her girls boy the romance really picks up and steals your attention and heart with every single page. I became so captivated by everything surrounding the events of this story and most especially the villain. Its not a big focus to be honest, the suspense and mystery surrounding him isn't super focused as the romance is at the heart of the story bu loved seeing it come to conclusion and seeing Joe and Violet find their HEA in such a beautiful spellbinding way.

Samantha Emery

5 stars after a re read.

I love this book.

It is truly truly beautiful!

Violet Winters has moved the The 'Burg after losing her cop husband to a crime lord, a crime lord who then took an interest in her, and "stalked" her for months.

She moves in next door to Joe Callahan.

At first, they get off on the wrong foot!


   Wasn't that just the shit of it? There I was, in my predicament and I had security to the fucking stars living next door and I hated him because he was a huge jerk 


But they have an attraction to each other, and both try to fight it, and even make a good go at fighting it, denying what they could mean to each other. There is hurt and hurtful words thrown on each side, but they cannot deny what they mean to each other.


   "You're unbelievable" I snapped.
"I'm yours"
That socked me in the gut, so hard it winded me and all I could do was stare up at him.
Taking advantage, his face dipped close and his hands curled around both sides of my head.
"First fuckin' time you smiled at me in my bed, that's when it happened," he murmured.
"Joe-"
"You're under my skin"
"Please-"
"I'm under yours"


Not to say, Joe did not do some hurtful things, but it was all in an effort to protect himself, and once you know why he felt that need, your heart broke for him.

But once he decided Violet was it for him, he was all there and completely committed to it.

Add in some drama, a once again excellent set of secondary characters (and is it just me who wishes we could have had a lot more of Cal's secretary Lindy?") and you have a winner

A beautiful heart wrenching 5 stars

At Peace

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