Going Under

4.5 Second Chance Stars! I was captivated by this friends to lovers/forbidden romance from the very first page! I have been waiting for Sebastian Crowe's story since the very first book and it was well worth the wait! This story opens up two years previously with Sebastian at Alexandra DeLuca's door at midnight. She is leaving tomorrow and he can't let her go without seeing her one last time. He knows he shouldn't be there, not only because her brother is his best friend, but also because he has a secret that would destroy her. Alex has been harboring a secret love for him and is hoping he will beg her to stay. Sebastian sucks at goodbye and it leaves them both heartbroken. Fast forward two years and Alex is back home to go to college, working in Sebastian's family garage, and tempting him beyond measure. As they get reacquainted thru work, college classes and friends, they are finding it harder and harder to ignore their deep love for each other or the reasons they can't be together. They have no clue they have been used and manipulated. But as secrets are revealed will they be able to survive the truth or find the strength to forgive? I really liked Sebastian and Alex and love them together. They share a love of cars, and the same quirky sense of humor. I also like their strength. They are both scarred and broken but in very different ways and working hard to be whole. I feel that the decisions they sometimes made were believable even if I didn't agree with some of them. Ms Ryan skillfully revealed this story in alternating past and present sequence and diary entries allowing the reader to be truly engaged both emotionally and thoughtfully. She expertly weaved a tale of loyalty and betrayal, of love and heartbreak, and ultimately of hope and healing. This story is a raw and emotional journey with some suspense and several twists and turns that will keep you guessing. We also get more of the back and forth between their friends relationships leaving us wanting more! I can't get enough of this series and this group of friends and am looking forward to Keegan's story next!

WOW! Another amazing story by Lexi Ryan. Sebastian and Alex have known each other since high school as they shared classes together. Alex suffers unimaginable loss and they both leave town after high school for different reasons. A couple years later they run into each other again and the feelings they both had are still there even though neither has ever spoken it out loud. But the past dictates the present and this keeps Sebastian from acting on those feelings. But so many things keep putting them together even though he remains steadfast in not crossing the line. This book had me on edge wondering what would/would not happen next and I was surprised by the ending. Will the past catch up to them, will they ever break through and give into their feelings....

“We break, and we heal. Our scars can make us more beautiful than we were before.” OH MY GOD! This book was absolutely seething with emotion! “From the very beginning, you were goodness and light, and I was darkness and ugliness.” Sebastian Crowe is a tortured soul and in love with a girl he can’t have. He carries scars from his past deep inside. “She’s fresh air. She’s sunlight. She’s the wind on my face and the reason I fought to free myself from the darkness.” Alexandra DeLuca is back in Blackhawk after escaping to Colorado, two years previously. She’s in love with a guy who’s not interested in being more than her friend. She carries her scars on the outside for all to see. Both are broken. Sebastian is living with a guilt that prevents him from giving in to his love for Alex. Alex is physically scarred and feels ugly and unworthy, and living with the guilt of not having done enough. She’s so in love with Sebastian but he refuses to give himself to her. Not only was this story intense with desire and the agony of a deep and seemingly unrequited love, there was a mystery to unravel, and devastating secrets to reveal. I couldn’t put this book down! It had a fab plot and great pace. The writing was emotive and fluid. Just such an AMAZING story! This author at her best! Thoroughly recommend.