From Goodreads: Carmyn Rafferty witnessed the aftermath of her mother’s affair. She learned at a young age not to trust anyone. Especially not your spouse. So she’s planned. She’s planned every detail of her life: who her husband will be, what their careers will be, what their lives will be like. All to avoid the pain of infidelity.

Dallas Brown lives a life all his own. He doesn’t do relationships, he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him, and he doesn’t live up to anyone’s expectations but his own.

When Carmyn’s fiancé cheats on her, it sends her into a whirlwind of one-night stands with the most infamous player on campus. She can’t seem to stay away from this tough guy and his dangerous motorcycle. Everything about him is the complete opposite of who she’d planned to fall in love with: tattoos, dark stubble along his jawline, and hair that brushes his shoulders.

As Dallas and Carmyn begin to fall deeper and deeper into each other, they learn that love can truly be a wicked, wicked thing.

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This novel blew me away!  Angelina Kace is a master storyteller, and from the very beginning I was sucked into this phenomenal story with it’s true-to-life characters and situations.  I love that it’s told in alternating perspectives, giving readers first hand glimpses into the mind of both Carmyn and Dallas as they struggle to make sense of their lives, their needs, and their desires.  It’s a beautifully written tale that focuses on forgiveness and overcoming one’s past, and I loved every minute of it.

The tension between Carmyn and Dallas is extremely palpable in this novel, but it’s not a vulgar or obscene NA read by any means.  Kace treats the topic of sex with respect and she does a great job keeping the character’s interactions tasteful, focusing more so on driving the plot of the story than on their sexual escapades, for which I am grateful, since I’m a bit of a prude.  But palpable it is, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with the swoon-worthy Dallas as he presses on, falling deeper and deeper in love with Carmyn, even though it goes against everything he stands for.

The characterization in this novel, as I’ve alluded to before, is absolutely superb.  Both Carmyn and Dallas are extremely real, and as the story progresses, it feels more like reading about friends than just some characters in a book. I’m highly impressed with Kace’s ability to flesh out her characters and bring them to life, which she’s done time and time again in her other novels as well as in this one, which is one of the many reasons that I love her so much.

Without a doubt, Kace’s debut into the NA world will leave heads spinning and readers dying for me, especially as Kace unveils her plan for the next installment in this fabulous series at the end of the novel.  Five stars.

I received an ARC of this novel as part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.