Wow just wow. I am totally hooked. Have already started on book 3 but decided I better stop and write this out or it may just get jumbled up as I am doing a marathon read here. Sorry I just can't stop. 
 To put it plainly our boy Blane has royally F'd up in this one. In his attempt to keep Kathleen safe he has left her out of his plans and decided that his brother Kade needs to keep her safe. The first is a lesson in trust and the latter? Let's just say with the flirt that went on in book one that wasn't the brightest idea. I know, I know Blane had no idea that was going on and in truth Kathleen and Kade had no idea who the other was. But when Blane decided to leave Kathleen in the dark and separate, it set a course for Kade to step in and become the trusted one. 
 I'm usually not a fan of the love triangle however this is done so well that it just somehow works. Although not a virgin Kathleen has had only two lovers. The first, a very unpleasant backseat grope-feat as a teenager and the second Blane. Blane knows she is young (24) and inexperienced when it comes to relationships. That was part of the reason he tried to push her away before. Kathleen also has a lot of self esteem issues along with trust. Everyone she loves leaves her. 
 "People leave, you know?" I said out of the blue. It was a fact I'd always known but rarely stopped to dwell on. "They desert you, forget about you. People hurt you, betray you, don't love you anymore. They get hurt. They die" 
 Sickness, murder or betrayal. She is wary and rightfully so. But when Blane says things like this.... 
 "I prefer a woman with long hair the color of the sunset and eyes as clear blue as a twilight sky. She's got an Irish temper and likes her bourbon. Her guilty pleasure is a certain well-known pop princess and she has a passion for rocky road ice cream. Her skin is the color of peaches bathed in cream and is as smooth as silk." 
 Good right? That one of the many reasons she is falling in love with Blane. 
 But then Kade says things like this..... 
 "I also know that the last thing you want to do is trust someone, because everyone you've ever loved has left you. And I know this because we're the same, you and me. Trust, love--those things are more dangerous than knives or bullets. 
 "And suddenly, I care about more than just Blane and my own hide," he confessed. "And I didn't want to. I've fought it and I tried to hate you, tried to despise you--but I can't." 
 What I find interesting is Kade seems to pay more attention. He sees more. Like how Kathleen is being treated by those she works with. How she needs help but won't ask or take it when offered. He just jumps right in a fixes thing without asking. Blane seems to be wrapped up in his own thoughts when it comes to Kathleen and doesn't notice the day to day issues Kathleen faces. I know he loves her but he doesn't seem to see her in the same light as Kade. It's like Blane sees her limitations and Kade thinks she's limitless. 
 We end with Kathleen very much at a crossroads of sorts. Will Blane be forgiven or will Kade be given an opportunity? 
 "I miss you, Kat," he said. "I miss your smiles. I miss your crankiness in the morning before you've had your coffee. I miss how excited you get when it snows. I miss how you won't eat popcorn unless you have a Pepsi with it. I miss listening to you sing in the shower when you think I can't hear you. But mostly, I miss how I feel when I'm with you." -Blane to Kathleen 
 "You came to my rescue, Kade." A grimace of pain passed over his features. "Blane's the white knight. Not me." My heart went out to him. He couldn't see himself the way I saw him--strong, brave, loyal, trustworthy. As noble as Blane, though I was sure Kade would disagree. "Sometimes knights wear black," I said quietly. - Kathleen to Kade 
 5 Stars 
 T~