So this book is easily the heaviest of the bunch. This series began as a really lighthearted series. There was a little danger and a little drama but nothing too deep that added any major gravity to the story.
This one immediately has a different tone than books 1 through 3.
And I like that - I like that we finally get a little seriousness, a little angst.
What I didn't care for so much in this book that in the first few chapters, we encounter a situation that I despise. Let me describe it for you.
Man gets hung up on woman, but for whatever reason, won't let himself have her. So he goes to a bar, meets ANOTHER woman, gets almost naked with her, then decides - nope, we can't screw because you're not who I really want - THEN goes and meets up with the woman he wants in the first place.
1. This is gross, little boy behavior.
2. You're leading another, completely innocent party on by going home with her, then deciding she's not who you want. What an awful thing to do to a person - and just because she's a puck bunny or buckle bunny or whatever the hell doesn't diminish the fact that she's a human person with real human feelings. We don't treat people like they're disposable. That's gross. (It doesn't even matter that Jen's not a good person in the end. If Brady hadn't done what he did with her, I doubt she'd ever have been a problem in the first place.)
3. I don't want that kind of person anywhere near my FMC. She doesn't deserve someone who thinks it's okay to "fuck her out of my system" with someone else. It doesn't matter that Brady didn't go through with it with the other woman. He went home with her. Led her on to the point where she was undressed. Then drove to Abbi's house with this other woman's taste still on his lips. Nasty.
To Brady's credit he does immediately tell Abbi about it - at the same time telling her that he wants her, but shouldn't be with her because he's "not a good bet" or whatever. But it still doesn't change the fact that he did it in the first place.
This became a nasty dark little cloud that followed me through this book. No matter how sweet Brady was with Abby or how much I adored him with Daisy. No matter how pure the relationship became. I kept thinking about this incident that happens just 12% into the story.
And the whole reason he'd decided in the beginning that he couldn't be with Abbi falls completely by the wayside by 15% of the way through. He is a bull rider, and risks his life and he doesn't want to hurt Abbi and Daisy if something happens to him - but it absolutely doesn't stop him from spending all his time with them and falling in love with both of them and letting them do the same.
So honestly, what was the whole point of this entire situation? There isn't one. Because he doesn't let it get in his way at all. Which makes me feel even weirder about the whole Jen thing because it could have been avoided altogether if he'd gotten his head out of his ass sooner.
Anyway.
Now let's talk about the good stuff.
As I said, there's a LOT more angst in this story. Abbi's got a terrible past, with real, complex trauma that follows her into her adult life. We get to learn a little bit about it over the course of the story, and we get to see how it affects her. THIS is the depth I've been searching for in this series. Abbi is a fantastic character, a strong, successful woman who still sometimes struggles overcoming her godawful childhood.
When things in the present happen, it triggers terrible flashbacks and panic attacks and they feel realistic while also making me feel super close to her as a character.
AND we get to see Brady and the whole of the Wild collective come together to support and uplift her and make her feel safe. This aspect of this story earned every single star for me.
The drama at the end is about on par for this series - and while I'm kind of tired of the "psychopaths are hunting me" storyline, I eat it up every time and this time is no different. It's just weird, right that EVERY. SINGLE. Wild couple has had some crazy person come along and try to hurt or kill one of them, right? Is Montana just the place where people who are running from something end up? Jesus.
Anyway, this story had its ups and downs for me. More than the previous 3. And as much as I Adored some aspects, others just didn't land the way I wanted them to. Here's hoping we end this series on a high note with Millie's book!