They say in order to find yourself you have to go home.
What if home was what you're running from?
Where did that leave you?
Always on the other side of the fence.
Always looking in.
Always wishing you were someone you couldn't be.
Until one day you meet her.
The one.
She was my high, but she was also...
My demise.
REVIEW:
YIKES! This is the first book I've read by this author. Talk about emotional turmoil. These characters really go through the ringer and from what I read in CRAVE ME, it seems like the same goes for the other couples in the first three books in the series. CRAVE ME is a standalone book so don't worry if you haven't read the others.
CRAVE ME is the story of Austin and Briggs. Austin grew up in Oak Island, NC. A friendly beach town filled with people that love him. He has a tight-knit group of friends that the adults call the Good Ol Boys. Austin is the youngest guy of the group (Alex is the youngest and only girl in the group). He's always felt like he had something to prove - never really felt like he fit in. He loves all of the guys and Alex and knows they'd always have his back, but as the years passed and they started growing up, things changed. Hearts were broken, friendship tested, and secrets were kept. After a terrible accident left him damaged and full of guilt, Austin takes off and drifts from place to place. Never wanting to go back home where all his pain is wrapped up in the people he should be closest to.
Briggs lost her parents in a car accident when she was six-years-old. With no other family, she is taken to live with an Uncle she never met. An Uncle that doesn't know how to raise a child and tends to paint her a realistic picture of life. He doesn't show affection, frequently moves her from school to school, and keeps a close eye on her all the time - to the extent of giving her a driver/bodyguard that eventually becomes her only friend. After a particularly bad fifteenth birthday, Briggs makes a hasty decision that leads to devastating consequences. The consequences pull her further into her Uncle's world - a world of illegal activity.
One night at a party, Austin and Briggs see each other across the room. They have an intense interaction that leaves a BIG impression on both of them. Unfortunately, the only see each other that night. Fate brings them together again after a year or more and soon they begin a relationship. They start out as friends and progress to lovers after a couple of years learning each others secrets.
As the years go by, Austin becomes more involved in Briggs' work, going so far as taking the lead in the drug transactions. Unfortunately, this is the beginning of the downward spiral in their relationship.
The obstacles these two face seem insurmountable. The heartbreaks and deceptions keep piling on and on and on. Soon neither of them recognize the person they fell in love with.
Be prepared to hurt when you read this. I mean, really, you'll wonder how Austin and Briggs will survive in tact. At times you'll wonder if they'll survive at all. Your heart will ache as they work their way through their troubles.
I have one teeny tiny issues with the book. THE ENDING. I won't give anything away, but....I would have liked it to be a little tidier. Although the ending is the lead in to a spin-off series that focuses on Briggs' Uncle. Hmmm. Anyone else feel this way?
If you want to grab the other three, here are the links:
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