A rockstar struggling with mental health issues ends up on a cross-country trip with a man with worries of his own and an instant attraction slowly building up between them. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of In the Grey by A.M. Kusi, along with getting my impressions of this sixth installment in the Shattered Cove series, then add it to your bookshelf!
They were never supposed to be. When their lives collide again, is it wrong to want what they could never have?Emma has kept her pain buried longer than she can remember. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, the successful rock star struggles with depression and self-harm. And when the man who raised her dies, she rushes back home... and into a drunken sexy night with his son.
Link can barely handle his grief. With his father gone and the pressure of keeping his business alive, he’s burning with shame over ending up in bed with the woman he was supposed to protect. So when the will requires them to take his dad’s ashes on a cross-country road trip, he vows to keep his burgeoning feelings for her locked down tight.As Emma reels from Link’s rejection, she falls deeper into the dark urges compelling her towards self-destruction. And as Link does his best to help the damaged musician process her emotional trials, he fights to resist his own need to wrap her in his arms forever.
Will the lovestruck pair recognize their destined passion and give themselves over to love?
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
The moment I started reading this book is the moment I knew I was in for the ride of a lifetime as the death of their "father" leads to an unforgettable night for a compelling pair, a night of giving into temptation followed by an uncomfortable road trip that opens up painful wounds. For Emma and Link, this is a tale full of angst as the author deals with mental health in vivid detail. But it's also a heartwarming tale of acceptance and love that pulled at my heartstrings.
As a rockstar Emma seems to have it all, but beneath the glitz and glam surface is a woman struggling with self-worth. Courtesy of a childhood seeped in abandonment Emma's always felt unworthy of love and that she's destined to be alone. These feelings are compounded by a mental illness that becomes blatantly obvious as the story progresses. Emma's a heartbreaking character with a past that broke my heart and a vividly depicted mental illness that involved self-harm, depression, and even more self-destructive behavior fueled by Link's rejection of her after their night together. Their road trip together led to some emotional talks along with a time of closeness that Emma relished, a time that showed her vulnerabilities that had me wanting to hug her.
Link seems to be her opposite as a man who shows himself capable and self-sufficient. He's riddled with guilt though over his long-term attraction to Emma, an attraction he gave into during a moment of grief and that has him ultimately rejecting Emma in an act that frustrated me. During their road trip he was at war with himself over perceived obligations to his father as well as what he himself wanted. Add in her mental health issues, and his concerns over if he can truly have a relationship with her, and it all makes for a story full of angst. Throughout the story Link was a man slow to let others in and I was grateful for his friends in Shattered Cove who pushed him to listen to his heart when it came to Emma. He eventually showed himself to be a real hero, a supportive and protective man, in words and deeds that warmed my heart.
Though this is the sixth installment in the Shattered Cove series it stands strongly on its own in its dealings with mental health. It's a tale full of angst, a story that doesn't pull any punches when it comes to depicting the depression and self-harming aspects of mental illness. It's a romance that's sweet and scorching at times, a romance that pulls at my heartstrings while ultimately making for a richly rewarding romance. This was my first time reading A.M. Kusi but it definitely won't be my last as this was a powerful romance with a compelling main couple who I'm still thinking of!
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
A.M. Kusi is the pen name of a husband and wife team. We enjoy writing romance novels that are inspired by our own experiences as an interracial/multicultural couple.
Our novels are about strong women and the sexy heroes they fall in love with, are emotionally satisfying, and always have a happy ending.
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