5 "Just because it's strange, doesn't mean it can't be perfect." Stars 
 And Ms. Cole has done it again. She's made me absolutely adore the hell out of the Dred and Pixie, which is an awesome thing, but does make it difficult to say which couple is my absolute favorite so they'll just all have to share the top spot for now. 
 I liked both Dred and Pixie from the moment they appeared in The Strongest Steel and that morphed into adoration in The Purest Hook. Dred is a sexy as sin bad boy rock god chock full of charisma, charm and confidence but without the over the top arrogance. Underneath that though is a man who had a rough and painful childhood and could have turned bitter and taken a darker path, but he didn't. With the help of his bandmates/best friends/brothers, as well a couple of close friends, he worked his way out of it and is determined to make life better for himself and those he cares about. He has his issues and fights every day to keep the darkness in him at bay, but all of that is tempered with a sweet side that he doesn't hide from those he cares about. He's also extremely loyal and has the patience of a saint. So saying that I adored Dred is a major understatement because the man just did it for me. 
 My heart broke and yet soared for Pixie aka Sarah Jayne. Finding out what she had been through as a teenager was painful and heart breaking. No one, no matter their age, should have had to endure what she did. And though she has put it all behind her and taken control of her life, some of the wounds from that time aren't fully healed and the memories still haunt her. But despite all of that, Pixie has turned her life around, with the help of Trent and Cujo, and she's thriving. She doesn't see her future as being bleak mass of grey, but a bright cacophony of colors with no limits. The nickname Pixie definitely fits her. She is spunky, sassy, kind and though I had moments where I wanted to shake some sense into her, it was hard to not like and admire the woman she had become. 
 With all the baggage and secrets that Dred and Pixie were carrying around, not only from their pasts but even the crazy that was plaguing them as they were trying to figure out what they could be to and for each other, you'd think that their road to their HEA would be extremely rocky, but it wasn't, not really. Though it did take a long time for them to truly open up about their pasts and the issues currently going on with them, they were at least honest about their interest in each other, that wasn't something that was ever in question. I enjoyed their flirting and bantering, especially their texts, and the chemistry between them was pretty damn hot. What I loved the most though was even as Dred pushed Pixie to explore the pull between them, he made sure that she knew she had just as much control of the situation as he did. There were a few potholes in their road to their HEA, but I thought they were all resolved well and the whole Petal/Texting part was my favorite. Well, other than the fact that their tastes in music weren't the same. 
 There was a lot going on this one from Dred and Pixie having to work out how to handle a long distance relationship to the issues from the past and present rearing their ugly heads. It was all handled well, though at times I felt as if they slowed the pacing of the story down, but other than those few moments, the writing was excellent as always. I loved catching up with Trent, Cujo and the rest of the Second Circle gang, and my adoration of them all was most definitely solidified in this book. Then there are the guys in Preload. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that we get to see more of them and that they may get their own spin off series because they are all awesome and I have this need to know more about them! 
 ~ ARC provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~