Jessica Sorenson can write the tortured characters like no one else. I never would have guess their back stories were so dark, based on their appearances in Callie and Kayden's books. But I should have known better. 
 I wasn't a big fan of Violet before I started reading this book. Nor was I a big fan of Luke, but first for Violet. She often leaves Callie with no where to sleep, with her signal ribbon left on the door so many nights. She is standoffish and rude to everyone around her, keeping that wall up around herself to keep everyone else out. Luke is the same, only add in a constant stream of alcohol. He does have Kayden who knows some of his secrets, but just like Violet there are very few people who know anything about his past. As the story progresses and the backstories come out, their prickly exteriors make so much more sense and the sympathy I started feeling did wonders for my connection to both characters. 
 Together they seem like they would be a train wreck, but something about each starts to heal the other. Watching these two work through their pain together should have hurt. There is so much working against them, as individuals and as a couple. I liked that even once they started getting to know each other they both held back from trusting completely. For both of them, that is such a huge part of what made them them, that trusting quickly or even completely would have been so far out of character. 
 Callie and Kayden don't really play a part in this book, though Seth and Grayson do make pretty major appearances. As a very sideline character previously, it was nice to get to know Grayson and to watch him and Seth together. They definitely bring humor in to the story, as well as sounding boards for both Luke and Violet during crisis situations. 
 This is not the end of Violet and Luke's story. I wasn't expecting a cliffhanger before I started reading (mostly because I didn't check to see if there was a second book listed on Goodreads for Violet and Luke -- there is), though as I got closer to the end it was obvious there was still too much to resolve in the one book. But where the story ended left me hurting for both characters, even though I knew it was coming. Yes. I saw the ending and called it at about a third of the way through. But that didn't diminish the journey for me, maybe partly because I didn't think it would be the end. In fact, I almost think having a good suspicion kept me reading to find out when it would click for the characters and what that one piece of information would be. So now it has me waiting for the second book, which has been announced, thankfully. This is a story that definitely needs a resolution. Those two both deserve it. 
 Thanks to Jessica Sorensen, Forever/Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.