I like the premise of this story of ex-con and female police officer teaming up even though Rush is clearly reluctant to do so. I also like that they had a past, a sort of big brother friend seeing little sister friend all grown up going on. Additionally, Take Me Harder by Jackie Ashenden has a no none sense, though naïve, heroine who I really liked. Rush was a harder sell. I get that Rush has had some unbelievable bad situations in his life, like going to prison for crime he didn’t commit but I prefer my heroes not to be so crash and offensive.

The beginning hooked me in but the story did not keep my total interest. This story is better than the last in the series but the series does not have heroes I would care to spend any time with in real life. To be fair, I think fans of MC romance would enjoy this book.

Wow. What a hot sexy read. Ava is on spitfire. She knows what she wants and goes for it. Rush is one hot complicated man. He has a chip on his shoulder and won't take his walls down. They make for one dynamic hot couple. Could not wait to see where the story would go. Loved it.

Rush Redmond is finally out of prison. After giving up eight years of his life for something he didn’t do and for someone who didn’t care for him, he’s done caring about anyone but himself. He has no problem pissing off his brothers and keeping everyone else at a distance, it’s easier when there’s only one back to watch, his own. Nothing and no one gets close enough to make a blip on his give-a-f@ck radar now-a-days.

Except for one milk and cookies virgin ...

If there is one person he can’t convince himself to stop caring about its Ava St. George. He hadn’t seen her in years, but when she strides toward him with a crazy idea to investigate a criminal kingpin, there’s no way Rush can allow her to tackle that kind of danger alone. No amount of threats or bribes can convince Ava to steer clear, not if it can shed light on her mother’s unsolved murder.


Ava still remembers the big tough guy who befriended a little girl, the guy who took care if her and gave his support when no one else did. 8 years is a long time to change a man. He's a smart ass with a massive chip on his shoulder. But deep down, Ava sees that beneath his laid back and careless attitude, traces of the old Rush still remain.

“You’re my hero, Rush. You always have been.”


When a girl who just won’t take no for an answer, and questions about his own past haunt him, Rush finds himself walking a thin line between doing what he wants and getting what he needs.


This is my second read by this author and she definitely has a darker writing style than I’m used to. Her characters are definitely not safe predictable vanilla wafers. But thats what keeps it so interesting! I loved that JA channelled her inner Deadpool to make Rush such an amazing character. His sarcastic humor and naughty banter totally became him and it made this a light read with all its raunchy cockiness.


There is so much going on that you really have to sit back and just absorb every detail before making a call on it. I admit there are times I wanted to slap some sense into both Rush and Ava but then Ms. Ashenden would go and make them do or say something that made me love them all over again.Especially Rush he was a perfect blend of cocky and sweet.


So yes, this book had me high and low but I like a book that leaves an impression on me and this one did.


I wouldn’t say this book is for everybody but I throughly enjoyed this one. This is hard edged, complicated love between two multi-dimensional characters. You have to really stick with them through some crappy situations to get to their HEA. This has angst and push/pull like no-one’s business. Both MCs have baggage that they need to resolve before taking that final plunge and it gets intense for a while. But as messed up as they both are, when they drop their walls, Rush and Ava were so adorable! This had some really great moments that melted my sappy heart!

I am loving this series talk about melt while reading this one. Yes Rush Redmond the middle son of Joseph Redmond now deceased is one bad ass of a hero an ex- convict sent to jail for murder that he didn’t commit and left there for 8 years now he is out and back with his brothers working the bounty hunter business but it looks like an old friend is going to pull him down a peg or two sit back and enjoy a wild ride to a fabulous HEA.

Ava St George has grown up now she is still a cookies and milk girl but a cop as well she has followed in her mother and father’s footsteps and works hard she lost her mother when she was young she was killed while working and her father is distant but she made friends all those years ago with Rush who is ten years older than her. Ava has been given a tip about her mother’s death and she needs Rush’s help now that he is home, but that crush she had on him years ago did it ever go away maybe not because as innocent as Ava is Rush brings out another side to Ava.

Rush is out of jail home and angry big time, he has a good reason to be so angry he has plans to stay a year then move on he has made a lot of contacts inside and is a changed man now Rush was always the caring person not anymore or maybe he is still when his old friend Ava who now is a cop and gorgeous and such a temptation to him asks for help what can he do but help of course there are reasons he wants to help for himself to uncover the truth about a secret that he has kept since his Mum passed away a doozy of a secret.

This is one fabulous story that will keep you turning the pages my god Rush is bad and Ava so innocent but what a perfect couple they make friends to lovers and wild up and down journey that is fast and so very good I savoured every word. MS Ashenden you have done it again a fabulous story that will be on the keeper shelf.

Take me harder is one of those books that surprises you and draws you in like a mother to the flame. While you want to hate Rush, you slowly fall in love with him. There is emotional depth, sweetness, and snark in the best combination.

Take Me Harder by Jackie Ashenden is the third book in Texas Bounty Series and can be read as a standalone. This is my first book by Jackie, and I loved it ... will be reading more of her books without a doubt!

This is the story of Rush and Ava. I loved the description when I saw it in Net Galley and the pairing of an ex-con and Cop intrigued me ... I wanted to know what happens and needless to say, I wanted to know about Rush, who took the brunt for someone's actions.

Rush comes off as someone who doesn't care about anything! Though he has a soft spot for Ava, he tries to chase her with his hard-ass attitude and harsh language. But Ava sees something in him, that no one sees - she sees beyond his "devil may care attitude".

So, what happens when they team up? Does Rush give up his attitude and show Ava what she means to him? Does Ava overcome her insecurities about his past and trusts him not to break her? Read Take Me Harder to find out answers to these questions and more!

I absolutely enjoyed Jackie's writing and for most part, the book held my interest. While I loathed Rush initially, he redeems himself! Oh & I loved that beyond his brash exterior, he is a real sweetheart! The brief glimpse into their childhood was good ... Can't wait to read the other stories in this series especially Quinn.

If you are looking for an easy , fluffy storyline, this one is not for you. BUT…. if you are looking for a complex book filled with an ex-con, a cop, a history of painful emotional turmoils, dysfunctional families, felons, romance, etc , well this one is worth your time.
I have read the previous stories, and loved them. I was hesitant about the ex-con storyline but knowing it was written by Ms Ashenden , and part of the Texas Bounty series, I gave it a try. Glad I did.
The story centers around Rush Redmond, an ex-con that served 8 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and Ava St George, who is now a cop but is a girl he has known most of her life. While he now is a hard man , and she is a cop, their connection has always been there. He felt protective towards her ,when she lost her mother at a young age, and her father closed up his emotions. While , Ava saw Rush as her best friend and had a terrible crush on him.
Their relationship starts, but neither wants or expects much from it.
While there is lots of action, bad guys, and strippers, there is much more to the story.
It’s a story about how our experiences as a child or an adolescent, as well throughout our lives mold us . If we felt unloved, betrayed , unsupported, then that is going to be our expectation as an adult. Do we mask our true self and feelings in order to create a shell around our heart due to fear, or do we take a step , and put ourselves in the firing line of more hurt? But what if we discover that trust and loving someone just makes us stronger?
It’s a book that is not only well written but also thought provoking.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
I received this book from Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

N/A. Did not review. However, my reviewer read and enjoyed (4 stars) and should have a review up later.

3.75 stars--TAKE ME HARDER is the third installment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult TEXAS BOUNTY erotic, romance series. This is former inmate and reluctant bounty hunter Rush Redmond, and police officer Ava St. George’s story line. TAKE ME HARDER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Some background: Rush, Quinn and Zane Redmond are the current owners of LONE STAR BOUNTY since the death of their father months before. Lone Star Bounty is a struggling business but a business that brings the brothers closer together.


Told from dual third person perspectives (Rush and Ava) TAKE ME HARDER looks at the friends to lovers romance between Rush Redmond, a former inmate who served eight years for a crime he did not commit; and naïve rookie cop Ava St. George-a woman determine to uncover the truth about her mother’s demise. When Ava receives a anonymous tip about the death of her beloved mother-a police officer killed in the line of duty- Ava knows that to dig deeper she will need a list of contacts she knows only one man will have. Enter Rush Redmond, recently release from jail, and the man that has always called to Ava’s heart. What ensues is the tempestuous relationship between Ava and Rush; Ava’s need to uncover the truth; and Rush’s journey to discover the who and what of his past, and the heartbreaking rejection by his brother and dad.

Ava has always believed her mother, Lauren St. George, was killed by a drug dealer but a recent phone call from an unknown source revealed that the wrong man was arrested for her mother’s shooting. Rush Redmond was the only person with the available means to ferret out the information and contacts that Ava required but the man she loved was no longer the man she remembered years before. Ava has been in love with Rush Redmond since she was a little girl but eight years behind bars hardened Rush Redmond into someone she no longer knew. Rush Redmond is an angry man; a former member of the armed forces, a military man who upon his return three years later began working in the family’s LONE STAR BOUNTY business only to take the fall when a shooting goes horribly wrong. Ava’s request of Rush is met with derision , harassment and too much anger but our heroine is determined to take down the man who destroyed her mother’s life –with or without Rush Redmond’s help.


The relationship between Ava and Rush is acrimonious. Rush will direct his anger at the woman who calls to his heart; his treatment of Ava is reprehensible, rude and vulgar. Rush is nothing short of a pr*ck and an a$$hole; his demons ride very close to the surface. Ava is so desperate for information that she is willing to submit to Rush’s demands believing the man she once knew hides behind the cold and rough hewn exterior. The $ex scenes are erotic and intense. Some readers may take offense to Rush’s treatment of the story line heroine.

Most of the previous story line couples and characters play secondary and supporting roles including Rush’s brother Zane, and the love of his life Iris Callahan (Take Me Deeper #1) , as well as Nora Sutcliffe of Duchess Bail Bonds (Make It Hurt #2). Quinn Redmond may or may not have an attraction to Duchess Bail Bonds owner Lily ‘Duchess’ Hammond. The Redmond brothers are a little rough around the edges and continue to push one another’s buttons; I am hoping the author reveals more of the family history because the brother’s relationship struggles with secrets from the past. Rush can only surmise why he had to suffer through his father and brother’s rejections. The requisite evil comes with many faces including an expensive bottle of bourbon that all but tries to destroy Rush’s life.

The world building continues to focus on the struggling sibling relationships between Rush, Quinn and Zane Redmond, as well as the bounty ‘collections’ that come into the office. The hunt for the man responsible for destroying Ava's life reveals some interesting facts about Rush Redmond's past.

TAKE ME HARDER is a gritty romance about a broken man who lost eight years of his life for a man who seemingly despised the ground upon which he walked. The premise is dark and multi-layered; the characters are tragic and tense; the romance is difficult and struggles in the face of one man’s anger and shame.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

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When I start a Jackie Ashenden novel I know that I have to be prepared to be wowed! This author can knock your socks with her sexy times, hot chemistry and engrossing story lines! Take Me Harder was no different! Rush and Ava were fantastic. I was consumed from the first page!

Rush and Ava have a history. Being ten years older than Ava, Rush had always looked out for her when she was younger, protective of her while she was growing up. But years go by and now Ava is a grown woman and Rush is out of an 8 year prison stint for a crime he did not commit. So what happens when Ava needs a favor from Rush in solving a murder? This is the same man she has always had a crush on who is now a broody, angry broken man who doesn't look at her like a little girl anymore and who isn't afraid to tell her what he wants in return. Be prepared for FIREWORKS, people! Read this book! It is electrifying and hard to put down. Rush and Ava were amazing! 4 stars!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept house for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. ~Ratula

This is the third book in the Texas Bounty series by Jackie Ashden and as I have read the other two books, let me say this book is a winner. It kept me turning pages, completely involved in the storyline and rooting for the HEA. This book was about Rush, the middle brother of the three brothers who inherited a bounty business when their father died. Believe me, each of these brothers has some big issues, but that's why the need a woman in their lives. Rush's savior is Ava, the sheriff's daughter who has become a cop herself. She has always had a crush on Rush, and although he thinks he doesn't need her, we all know he does. Ms. Ashden gives us a good plot, and although maybe a little formulaic, it worked for me. Thanks as always to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review. Honestly, I hate having to wait until 2018 for the next book in this series!😊

Rush Redmond is home after spending 8 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He has never killed anyone. He is home and has a bad attitude. Ava St. George has had a crush on Rush since she was a young girl and he would feed her cookies and milk when her father, the sheriff, would drink with Rush's dad. Rush was there for her after her mother died and helped her through her grief. Now she is a police officer and she is hunting her mother's killer and looks for help from Rush. This does not go over good since Rush does everything to keep her at bay (did I mention the bad attitude) but they are hunting the same man and he is extremely dangerous. Will they work together and will that bring them together? Only time will tell...

This one can be read alone but this is a great series and I recommend all of them, although I enjoyed #2 the best so far.

**Received an ARC copy for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

4 of 5

Adult Romance

ARC provided for an honest review through NetGalley.

Rush Redmond is a free man. After spending 8 years in jail for a crime that he did NOT commit, he has to learn how to live again. He can’t work with his brothers in the family bounty hunting business but he can drown his sorrows with some strong drinks and sexy strippers but one person stands in the way, Ava St. George.

Ava is the sheriff’s daughter and a cop. She’s on a mission to find her mother’s killer. To bring her to justice, she must get some inside criminal information, who better to help her than Rush, the sexy as hell ex con. Rush is still the charming man she once knew and adored but is also now cold hearted player. He wants nothing more than to pass out drunk with a hoard of strippers.

Ave knows better than to get mixed up with Rush but she can’t seem to stay away.

I enjoyed the whole idea of this book. A handsome, bad boy (innocent) ex con and sexy woman who is a cop? Yes, please. Lawbreaker vs law abiding officer who have a past and a lot of sexual tension/chemistry. Hot. These characters, Rush and Ava, create a lot of steamy chemistry, funny moments and awkward situations that keep the story interesting and entertaining!

Overall, this book is interesting and has some HOT scenes/chemistry. I would have liked to have “seen” more flashbacks or moments of when Rush and Ava interacted before he was sent away. I think being able to see them together would have created more of a connection. As a cop I would have thought Ava would have been a bit more feisty and confident. She clearly has a lot to learn and Rush can help with that. Rush has “harden” after his time in jail and needs someone like Ava to make him feel again and “soften” him up!

This book releases TOMORROW (February 7th) – preorder on Amazon.

Check out Jackie Ashenden’s other Texas Bounty Hunter books –
Take Me Deeper
Make it Hurt

In this third book of the Texas Bounty series we find Rush Redmond finally see a girl from his past as a woman and their journey to find love and redemption.

Rush Redmond is the foul mouthed, pleasure seeking, trouble making Redmond brother. He has served eight years in prison, taking the wrap for a crime he didn't commit, believing that he was doing his familial duty. He is bitter towards his late father and two brothers for leaving him in prison and not doing anything to get him out or even visiting him. All he wants now is to drown his bitterness and aggrivation in alcohol and women. The last thing he wants is to have the sheriff's daughter and the sweet girl that he took under his wing when he was a teenager, come to the stripclub where he is letting loose and get in his way, demanding that he needs to help her on a secret case that she is working on. Especially when she looks nothing like the wholesome, freckled girl that he used to know.

Ava St. George has always had a crush on the middle Redmond brother. The way that he always used to listen to her and comfort her and make her feel special. She has been working herself rugged to become a cop and prove herself to her father and make her late mother proud and has never had the time to live or enjoy dating. But Rush has always been the star of her fantasies. So when an anonymous tip comes exposing the name of the man who was really responsible for her mother's murder, she finds herself going to the one man who was always there for her. Not only physically but also emotionally. Too bad that Rush is doing all that he can to prove to her that he is not the good man that she knows him to be.

To be honest, Rush isn't really the kind of hero that would make you all warm and fuzzy inside. In fact, he is quite the opposite. He is obnoxious and annoying. But in a way he is refreshing and original. And who says that all heroes have to be polite and true gentleman? I really can't wait to see Quinn and Duchess getting together. That duo sure promises to be explosive!

Unfortunately the book was not for me, no review was publicly posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or Twitter etc, so no ratings were affected in relation to it.

3 1\2 Stars

Take me Harder is the third book in the Texas Bounty Series by Jackie Ashenden. This is the first book by Ms Ashenden that I've read. This book is about Ava St George, the ultimate good girl and girl next door, who ends up as a cop, just like her sheriff father and her late mother. Ava's bad boy, innocent ex-con hero is Rush Redmond. Rush and Ava have been friends since she was 7 and he was 17, and her mom was killed while trying to arrest someone. Her father is grief stricken, to the point that he doesn't notice his daughter needs someone to talk to, someone to help her understand what happened with her mom! Her dad would go to the Lone Star Hotel to try to drink his grief away with Rush's dad, who'd lost his wife about five years before. Rush noticed how angry and upset Ava was, and the only thing he could think to do was give her milk and cookies and listen to her troubles. When she was a teen and had absolutely decided that she was going to be a cop, Rush took her out to teach her how to shoot.

Years later, after Rush had been in the army for several years, he came back to help with the family bail-bonds agency. While trying to pick up someone that had skipped bail, a young woman is accidentally shot and killed. Though it was either his father's or brother's fault, Rush offers to take the blame, as long as they would work on getting him out of prison as soon as possible. His father never tried to get him released, nor did he ever visit Rush. He died before Ava's father comes to Rush's aid and helps him get early parole from his manslaughter charge. Even though Ava and Rush had been friends when they were younger, he'd told her not to visit him in prison. Once he was released, she was worried prison had changed him, that he wouldn't be the same guy that fed her milk and cookies when she was upset.

Ava waited two months before she went to find Rush, and it was about a personal favor using the contacts he'd built up in prison, all so that she could check the reliability of an anonymous tip about why her mother was killed. She quickly realized he had changed, a lot. It wasn't too hard to prove those changes when she has to run him down at a somewhat sleazy strip club, where she has to cuff him and take him to a "private room" to get anything out of him, and that was really just a verbal agreement to help her. The rest of the book is about her trying to get him to stand behind that verbal agreement, and then what they go through to try to find the answers Ava wants.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into Take Me Harder, I think mostly because I don't care for anti-heros. But about halfway through, it becomes more clear that Rush has to force himself to be mean to just about everyone, though he does have some deep seated rage that tries to make its way out every now and then. But Ava has that same hidden rage, that looks for a way out at the strangest times. And though Rush felt like a perv to begin with, for looking at Ava like the grown woman she is, I don't think there's any perv lines crossed, since he didn't have those feelings when she was 7.

Who would I recommend this book to? Fans of romance that don't mind lots and lots of dirty talk!! And then following through on a chunk of the dirty talk. I will warn that it can get somewhat slow at points, though it never stalls out completely. There are a few extremely surprising scenes, when Ava tries to find someone to get advice from. She definitely thinks outside of the box when it comes to following up on what Rush tells her!! Though there is plenty of drama, there isn't much mystery. Since it involves lots of crime, and it's a drama, I expected mystery. I did still enjoy it, since Rush was pretty good looking. And he had a giant heart of gold!! Who wouldn't want to read about a guy that had spent 8 years in prison but still came out with a heart of gold and a list of criminal contacts long enough to make the world go round??

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Rush served 8 years in prison for a crime he did not do. I guess you could say he took one for his family. His father said he would do anything he could to get him out sooner but he didn't and never even came to see him.

Rush learned from his mother at age 12, and as she was dying, that the man he thought was his father wasn't. Now he knew why his father treated him so bad, he basically had nothing to do with him. His father eventually became a drunk, and a mean one, and didn't treat his other sons well either.

Ava's father and Rush's were friends. They would visit and while his other brothers couldn't be bothered with Ava, Rush would spend time with her. She was 7 or 8 years his junior and had just lost her mother. She was frightened, sad and confused and her father was not there for her, but Rush was.

Rush is home and a changed man. He is arrogant and doesn't care about much. He spends his time drinking and sexing it up, anything to deaden his feelings. His father has passed away and he doesn't have much of a relationship with his brothers. He used his time in prison to make many contacts, contacts that would help him track down a man he has an issue with.

Ava has become a cop and works very hard to prove to others that she is doing it on her own and not using her father's influence. Her father has become basically emotionless toward her since her mother died. It's like he locked all his emotions away. She knows he cares about her but the words are never said. She grew up excelling in everything she did but she didn't have many friends. Rush is the only one who ever cared about her..

Ava approaches Rush to get some help in finding the man she thinks killed her mother. She knows he has the contacts. After he rips into her for not calling or coming to see him when he got home, he basically laughs at her and tells her there is no way he will give her info to find the man.

His protective instincts rear up also though. He reminds her this man would kill her in a minute and not think a thing about it. He doesn't tell her they are both out for the same man. Ava has certainly grown up while he was away. Even in her boxy uniform he can see her curves and her beautiful red hair. Ava thinks Rush is just a beautiful man. Rush continues to try and push her away, even as they try to find the man who has impacted both their lives so much.

What will happen as these two go forward?

Rush tries to push everyone away with his arrogant mouth and attitude. He is really a jerk and I could understand why no one really wanted to be around him. Ava finally sees what he is doing and let's him know she is not going to be pushed away. Without giving too much away, it takes a couple of "dressing downs" from Ava for Rush to realize that he has to let go of the anger and frustration so he can live again. He also needs to extend the olive branch to others to heal wounds.

Ava becomes frightened when she realizes her feelings for Rush are so strong since she doesn't know his feelings toward her. She just doesn't know if she an handle someone else leaving her...

Rush and Ava have to deal with issues they may never be able to get answers for, especially Rush. Is their love strong enough?

I loved it, the characters and plot was amazing. A perfect balance of romance, some action, and realistic problems- such as daddy issues.

4 1/2 Stars! Rush and Ava have known each other since they were kids. Ava was 7 when her mother was killed and when her father got together with Rush's father (who also lost his wife) to console each other by drinking, Rush would feel sorry for Ava and give her cookies and milk. Ava was being ignored by her father and Rush understood that better then anyone, as he had been trying to get his fathers attention for as long as long as he could remember. Rush even spent 8 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, in order to get his father's approval. But by the time he got out of jail, his father was dead and Rush was a changed man ... no longer the sweet caring guy to give a 7 year-old cookies and milk

Rush is an absolute a$$hole towards Ava, and well really everyone, when he gets out of jail, but she doesn't let him push her away .... she keeps coming back because she knows that underneath all that arrogance is the caring guy that she fell in love with. Rush was so cruel and crude to her at times, I thought why would she take that crap. I think she should have pushed him a little bit more. This book is funny and has lots of steam. I really enjoyed it ... the best in the series so far. I can't wait to see what Quinn's story is.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Random House-Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This was the first time I've read a Jackie Ashenden book and I honestly wish I could say I was thrilled and couldn't wait to read the next book in the series. But that wasn't the case. The premise of the book was great - an ex-con (Rush) and a cop (Ava). Rush is just out of prison and working for his family's bounty hunter business. Ava is continuing the family tradition of law enforcement.

I just didn't think the characters were really that likable though. In fact, they pretty much annoyed me for most of the book. They both had daddy issues and suffered from a lack of love from their fathers. But they took their issues to the extreme and closed themselves off from potential friendship and love from others. Towards the end I just wanted to slap some sense into Ava - she went from completely in love and a great character to a bitter young woman very quickly. It was a complete 180 in her beliefs and personality just because she 'assumed' he wouldn't love her back in return. Ugh. And I don't blame Rush at all for anything at that point. I just felt sorry for the guy since he did absolutely nothing wrong (for a change).

Rush's character was interesting. He spent 8 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He took the fall to protect his father and older brother Quinn. But neither one of them visited him in prison or got him out like promised. They just completely abandoned him. I really expected SOME resolution or explanation to that whole ordeal, but we got nothing. And when that consumes the majority of the thoughts rolling around in Rush's head during the book, you want some closure. But we don't get that at all and it's frustrating. I get why Rush was bitter, he had good reason to be. I understood his methods of protecting himself (humor and meanness). I just wish he hadn't been so mean to Ava in the beginning. He was pretty crude, but again, it was a coping mechanism and understandable.

Another issue I had with the book were that the same things kept being repeated. We had to hear about Rush's father and brother not visiting him an awful lot. We kept reading about Ava's father ignoring her throughout the book. We get it! Their families abandoned them and they're lonely. We don't need to read about it every chapter. It takes the focus off what was a promising storyline and most of the time just seemed like filler. Sometimes I thought I was reading the same paragraph over again and had to double-check behind myself. But no, just the same thoughts popping up on the next page.

The whole timeline for Rush's birth father kind of confused me too. So Ava's mother or father arrested Tony, he skipped bail, was picked up by Rush's father. Tony seduced Rush's mother and that's why they believe Tony was Rush's father. If Ava was younger than him by 8 years, yet she was obviously born before her mother died, then how could her mother's death have been around the same time as Rush's conception? Maybe it just wasn't made clear and the investigation into Tony by Ava's mother came long years later - but why make it seem as if the two were closely related? I was utterly confused at that point and had to re-read that paragraph several times to try and make sense, but it didn't help and I'm still lost.

So what did I like? I liked the relationship Rush built with Ava as a kid. Even though he was 10 years older than her, he still took the time to comfort her and be her friend when she needed someone to speak with. It was very sweet, especially since most young adults want nothing to do with an 8 year old.

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me and left me with more questions than usual after finishing a book. It had great potential and the ending was nice and sweet, but still didn't wrap everything up in a pretty bow like I hoped.