The past weighs heavily on a couple trying to make a future together in this small town romance full of sexiness and suspense that will put readers through the emotional wringer. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Killer by Hayley Faiman, along with my impressions of this intense romance, then add this fourth installment in the Unfit Hero to your bookshelf too!
Murderer. Knockout. Buried. Tormented.
The image the world sees is not the man that I have become.
Images of me, of what I have done to another man, fill my mind. Nightmares fill my life, day or night, it doesn’t matter. All I see is death.
Enabler. Trash. Hidden. Scandalous.
The image the town sees of me is not who I have become. What I do late at night, to make ends meet, consumes me. I have no future. No prospects. No money.
I’ve always tried to hide the fact that I’m nothing.
Images we try to uphold are lies that we present to the outside world. Masks are all that we show, even to our closest friends.
Nobody knows what lies beneath the surface.
Nobody will ever know.
EXCERPT:
My thoughts drift back to Louis, to the way that his arms felt around me. I didn’t deserve him then and I don’t deserve him now. I was selfish and let myself indulge in all that was him. But I knew that I couldn’t let it go on. It wouldn’t be right, because he deserves someone in his class.
I’m nothing but trash, always have been. I’ve allowed myself to throw my self-worth to the side for a man who does nothing but take from me. He gives me nothing, not a single thing, not even orgasms.
Louis Kingston deserves someone who knows her self-worth, who is strong and not weak like me. He should be with literally anybody but me. I’m weak, pathetic, and kind of sad, which is why I stay with Joey when I know that he’s worthless.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Ms. Faiman’s Unfit Hero series has been a mesmerizing one since the very first installment and this latest addition to the series is no exception as readers are introduced to a couple weighed down by their pasts but trying to make a future with one another. It’s an emotionally intense journey, one that’s both sizzling and sweet, as well as frustrating at times too. No matter the emotions Ms. Faiman arouses readers will be quickly captivated by this couple’s struggles and will be rooting for them every step of the way.
Louis Kingston is a professional fighter still dealing with the accidental death of his opponent in the ring. It’s thrown him for a loop, weighed him down with guilt, and pointed out to him just how alone he really is. He longs to show who he really is below his fighting exterior though which has him frequently thinking of an unforgettable young woman residing back in his hometown. For him, going home means healing, but it’s a rocky process due to unforeseen circumstances surrounding danger to his girl Tulip. To overcome everything though they have to stand up for each other to work through their pasts to find HEA. Through it all Louis is a delicious hero, a bit rough around the edges but with a big heart of gold. Like his friends, once he committed to claiming Tulip he was laser focused and would sacrifice all for her. He showed her her true worth, after years of her being broken down, and his loving ministrations of her warmed my heart.
Tulip Fischer is a complex heroine who I sometimes liked while being frustrated by her at other times. She’s been emotionally battered for years, treated like trash by those close to her and has been left with virtually no self-esteem. She doesn’t think herself worthy of happiness or anything good which drives many of her decisions early on in the story. Quite frankly she’s a doormat at the beginning, putting up with a boyfriend who lets her work herself to exhaustion to pay his bills while treating her as his whore. Seeing her allow herself to be treated like that broke my heart, made it difficult to keep turning the pages, but with Louis arriving on the scene things finally looked brighter. She saw herself through his eyes, she saw just how good of a friend she really is and proved to herself that she was more than deserving of HEA. As the story progressed she became more empowered, but there were still a few bad decisions on her part that put her right in the middle of a dangerous situation full of surprising twists and turns. Despite her flaws I still found myself rooting for her. She’s a truly good person with a caring group of friends who are more like family to her and I enjoyed their subtle matchmaking between her and Louis. They’re a formidable pair, just what the other needed to lift them up from their painful pasts, and along the way they steamed up the pages while making my heart flutter.
From the first page to the last this was a story that held me captive in a tale full of intense emotions, heartfelt interludes, and gripping suspense that had me frantically turning the pages. Louis is a delightful hero with layers I enjoyed discovering more about, a hero who was just as unforgettable as those from the previous books. These men were strong with issues that were raw and realistically dealt with which endeared them to me all the more. They’re a supportive group, brotherly, who wanted each of them to find their HEA. Tulip’s interactions with her girlfriends were much the same and it added a familial vibe to the story that made for an even stronger storyline. Rounding out this book was a novella featuring two characters I was hoping to get to know more about and its inclusion made for a satisfying conclusion. Readers looking for unique characters, storylines full of conflict, and a tale full of heart and soul need look no further than this sweet and sizzling romance.
My rating for this is an A-
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
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AUTHOR INFO:
As an only child, Hayley Faiman had to entertain herself somehow. She started writing stories at the age of six and never really stopped.
Born in California, she met her now husband at the age of sixteen and married him at the age of twenty in 2004. After all of these years together, he’s still the love of her life.
Hayley’s husband joined the military and they lived in Oregon, where he was stationed with the US Coast Guard. They moved back to California in 2006, where they had two little boys. Recently, the four of them moved out to the Hill Country of Texas, where they adopted a new family member, a chocolate lab named Optimus Prime.
Most of Hayley’s days are spent taking care of her two boys, going to the baseball fields for practice, or helping them with homework. Her evenings are spent with her husband and her nights—those are spent creating alpha book boyfriends.
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