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!

Going Under by Lexi Ryan is the third book in The Blackhawk Boys series. I love these boys and this series! It is a breathtaking tapestry woven together with angst, hot football players, life's tragedies and glories, friendship and romance. Did I mention hot guys? Going Under is now my favorite book in the series. It truly is an emotional story with a complex plot. Just when you think you have it figured out...wrong. Sebastian Crowe has loved Alexandra Deluca for as long as he can remember. She has felt off limits to him due to being his best friend's sister and due to events in his past. He has worked hard to make his life better, but has never felt worthy of her. Alexandra left town after a tragedy that killed her twin sister and forever changed her life too. She returns to town after years of being away determined to move past her love of Sebastian. She believes he isn't interested in her beyond friendship. She wants to let go of the past and find a future for herself. Now that she is home and sees Sebastian she realizes that her flame for him still blazes hot and deep. She has always loved cars and is now working in his families garage along with Sebastian and her brother. She also is enrolled in college with him and shares a class with him. They keep getting thrown together and can't seem to fight their attraction. As the layers of their past are peeled back and truths are revealed it is obvious that they deserve happiness. Can they move past their fears and insecurities and find happiness in each other's arms?

“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.