Gabriel Dalton escaped a horror no child should experience and for the most part is living life grateful to be alive and part of the normal world. But he wants to be able to handle closeness in ways he hasn't been able to face since he returned home. 
 Crystal is as closed off as they come, having learned long ago that it is easier to be lonely than to feel the pain that comes with letting people in, especially men. 
 These two each have their own walls and histories that keep them from being fully present. But though they wouldn't have guessed they could find common ground, they are drawn to the other in a way that surprises and challenges them. 
 It would be easy for these characters to be flat and one dimensional -- the stripper and the victim. But as the story unfolds, so do these characters. They are so much more than the simple labels they could wear (and really, they both work hard to not wear those labels openly). 
 Once again, Mia has crafted a plot and characters that pulled me in and didn't let go. These characters are so unique, coming out of histories that scarred them each in differently but connecting them most unexpectedly. Of the books I had coming up on my list, I knew this would be a hard-hitting emotional story, and I was right. It is a good thing I didn't try to read this in public, as I would have been a mess. 
 I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.