on 14 March 2011
Pages: 583
Lieutenant Alexander Colton and February Owens were high school sweethearts. Everyone in their small town knew from the moment they met they were meant for each other. But something happened and Feb broke Colt’s heart then she turned wild and tragedy struck. Colt meted out revenge against the man who brought Feb low but even though Colt risked it all for her, Feb turned her back on him and left town.
Fifteen years later, Feb comes back to help run the family bar. But there’s so much water under the bridge separating her and Colt everyone knows they’ll never get back together.
Until someone starts hacking up people in Feb’s life. Colt is still Colt and Feb is still Feb so the town watches as Colt goes all out to find the murderer while trying to keep Feb safe.
As the bodies pile up, The Feds move in and a twisting, turning story unravels exposing a very sick man who has claimed numerous victims along the way, Feb and Colt battle their enduring attraction and the beautiful but lost history that weaves them together.
For You is simply excellent – romance, suspense, 2nd chances, friendships, small town – it’s ALL good
I have always been a huge fan of second chance romances, and For You delivered a very delicious one! February and Alexander could have had it all. They seemed destined to be together and started dating in high school. Then, something happened, and February broke up with Alexander. She went on a wild streak, and ultimately married another man. After that marriage ended in disaster, February kind of ran away from home and went around the US working in bars. Never getting too close to anyone, until she gets called home to help her brother run the family bar. Once she is home, though, February finds it hard to resist the lure of Alec, and when she discovers one of her friends – murdered – behind the bar, he’s the officer in charge of the investigation.
It soon became apparent that someone was stalking February, as people who might be perceived as her enemy end up dead. And they ended up dead in horrific circumstances. For You has romance, too, though, and it’s a slow burn, baby. Mixed in with the suspense, it was almost unbearable to read this story, and at the same time, I just couldn’t get enough. The character development was so well done, and seeing the reasons why February had left it all behind made sense in a sad way. And as things came to light, and more people died, there are clues that come to the surface as well. One of those clues prove to February that her reason for breaking up with Alec was possibly wrong… And so, their whole lives, difficult relationships and divorces might have been avoided.
All the time they had lost made my heart ache with sadness for them. At the same time, though, my heart was singing with happiness because they had a chance to make things right. To love each other once more. To have a more adult relationship. To learn to get to know each other again. For You includes both missed opportunities and new beginnings, and while some of what happened was extremely bittersweet, the sweet ultimately won out.
The danger was ever-lurking, though, and I was afraid For You would end with tragedy because of how things unfolded. The way my heart was hammering away both with fear and with adrenaline made me realize once more what an amazing author Kristen Ashley is! She had me right where she wanted me, on the floor, almost unable to breathe, in the same position February was in. Written in third person point of view, past tense and alternating between February and Colt’s (Alec’s) perspective, I was so immersed in the story I truly felt as if I was right there with them. The dialogues made that feeling stronger, and I loved both the main characters and the secondary characters – especially February’s parents were righteous.
Alec’s dark hair was too long but he’d always worn it too long, even as a kid. But he’d done it then because his mother was such a shit mother. She never remembered to get it cut. My mom finally ended up taking Alec to the barber when she took Morrie. Later he kept it long just because he was Alec. It curled around his ears and neck now and, as with everything Alec, it looked a little bit wild.
I decided to think about being with my family and friends and how good that felt without me holding onto shit and feeling mostly dead inside. how good it felt to laugh and feel it down straight in your belly. how good it felt to watch the face of someone you loved get animated while they talked about something they thought was funny or something their kid did that was cute. How good it felt to be alive.
Twitter: ailynk
my guess is that Feb was afraid that Alec might turn up dead, that’s why she went rogue… hmmm..
Twitter: talksupeblog
Inasmuch as I’m a sucker for sweet romances, I do love a story where it lets you feel some uncertainty. Like most romances guarantees a HEA, but when I come across a story that “plays” me a bit, I love how involved I get. It can be torture though lol
It seems like you’re really loving books by this author… sounds like another one I am going to have to put on my TBR list! Second chance romances are always so sweet, but I haven’t actually read that many of them. Maybe this is something I need to change :3
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Awesome review! Glad you loved and enjoyed this, Lexxie. I loved this book as well. This is actually one of my favorites by Kristen Ashley. I cant wait to read her next books. 😀
Thanks for sharing.
Another 5 Star Kristen Ashely read! I do need to read this author. I love second chance romances so this could be a good pick for me. I must say that cover is not appealing so I would have passed it up if I hadn’t seen your review.
Wasn’t this just fantastic? I still haven’t posted my review for this one! :/ It’s on my list but funny you’d beat me to it when I read this one like 4 months before you. LOL I just loved Feb and Colt but I also loved the suspense in this one…both with the stalker and figuring out what was between Feb and Colt…what had happened to throw them off-course. *sigh* So good! I’m so happy you enjoyed it as well.
Love, love sharing the KA experience with you, wifey! {{{BIG HUGS}}}
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I do love a great romantic suspense read and a second chance one is the icing on the cake! You have me curious and I do love the few books I have read by her. Thanks for the recommendation Lexxie!
Oh I just adore this author so very much and she can write such heart stopping books and they are amazing!! I do love the way that she writes though. I do love second chance romances because there is so much growth and make for the best stories. Glad you enjoyed this one so much.
Gosh… this sounds fantastic! I love that KA gets you so emotionally invested in her reads. GReat review Lexxie!
This was my favorite of the series. I know a lot of people are angry that Feb left without talking things out first, but you see something like that, and 99% of the time, no explanation is needed. I totally bought why she left, and I loved how things shook out in the end.
Great review!