Sweet Holy Hell
This author. If ever I need someone to rip me apart, make me laugh, make me cry, and then put me back together again then she is the author to do it to me. EVERY. TIME. The way that she writes characters that have so many layers of pain but still manage to be survivors astounds me. She creates a visceral sensation that is unlike just about anything I have ever encountered before when it comes to reading. I feel it in every ounce of my being. She gives me words that I didn't know I wanted or even needed. Case and point, this story, I loved both Wyatt and Emma before but had no idea I needed to know more than a true glossing over of their story. Well, that is a lie because I would take a story written about the milkman from this author.
In typical fashion, this author created a story that was flawed, beautiful, and bumpy. It dealt with a pretty heavy subject (a couple of them in fact) which was refreshing to see broached. Her characters were jaded and bore the scars that their childhood had left on them. They way they showed their affection in their bantering and fighting had me laughing and also feeling sad for them. Yet, I understood it because it was safer to hide behind that then to show the fear of what feelings were lying underneath the surface.
I could relate to Emma in so many ways, having lived a tumultuous childhood myself. It is hard to let the cynicism go and trust especially when the life that has been dealt has proven that love comes with conditions. She uses words and sarcasm to keep people at bay because it is safer. Even though she truly loves Wyatt, it is easier to push him away especially after he makes a mistake regarding how he handled a certain situation.
"You can't turn all those mistakes and try to make them a fucked -up melody." Her tongue is barbed and at times lethal and would give an adder a run at being the most vicious. Yet in the same breath, she has the jokes, and sarcasm, and glib one-liners that make her endearing. Her fears are legitimate and her struggle for self-worth is heartbreaking.
Bless Wyatt's heart for seeing all the chaos and standoffishness and realizing that a rose wouldn't be a rose without thorns. He is equal part a charming devoted gentleman juxtaposed with sexy rock-god. Some of the passages he said to Emma in order for her to see his true feelings was the stuff of legends. AND, the stuff he said to make her see her self-worth was even better. My jaded black heart just about grew out of my chest.
"I know," he whispered. "that's why I want you to marry me, to spend your life with me. Because you're not my fan, you're my equal. And if anyone's going to worship at someone's altar, it's gonna be me." He kissed the side of my neck. "Because of your cynicism, because of your pain, your strength, your scars...Your heart, your smile, your damaged and magnificent soul. I don't give a fuck if the world worships me. If you don't. I just give a fuck if you're by my side, not at my knees."
Also, Add in his dirty talking mouth, sweet lord I just can't with this guy. I had no idea he would become one of my favorite heroes of the many amazing ones that this author has written but he did. I guess the old saying is true, its the quiet unassuming ones that we need to watch out for. Dimples help too.
"But I'm an asshole who's gonna eat your pussy, 'til you scream, fuck you 'til you can't remember your name and make sure everything you need is at your fingertips. So you got a problem with that?"
Like every book this author writes, there is an underlying message that offers so many things but especially hope. In this case, it Mistakes doesn't necessitate something that is bad or that shouldn't have happened. How they are handled determines if someone is a disillusioned victim or whether they, in turn, grow from it. Often times, or at least in my case, it is the Universes way of giving me just what I need to propel me forward, teach me a lesson, and help me gain the insight needed to open up and allow myself to be both vulnerable and resilient. This author wrote two of my favorite books last year and already in the first month of this year has sealed another favorite. I cannot wait to see what else is coming from her.
