Naughty Book Girl's Book Reviews

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Collateral Damage by A.M. Myers

 

Collateral Damage is a best friend’s brother romance with some mystery thrown in and a touch of suspense in the background. I sat down to read it this morning and I carried my e-reader everywhere I went today, unwilling to have the book out of reach until I finished it just a few minutes ago. I must say, WOW!

This book is the second of three novels in a series (Hidden Scars) but it can be read as a standalone without the reader feeling like they are walking into the middle of a story. However, skipping the first book, Hidden Scars, is not advised because it is such a great story and you would be missing out. For those that have read Hidden Scars, this book’s time line runs parallel to the first book but it is not overly repetitive and it remains in the background until they have to converge.

Daisy has loved her best friend’s brother, Tucker, since she was a child. Tucker has always treated her like his own little sister, until one night and one kiss changes everything. Or does it? Can Daisy’s love and patience break down the walls Tucker has been building for his entire adult life? Will Daisy be strong enough to hold out for the love she deserves? Will Tucker realize that his past doesn’t erase his worth of a future? Will Daisy and Tucker even survive the storm that is brewing in the background? I am not telling!

Daisy was a rare and impressive woman in the romance world. She was kind, patient, and understanding but she was no doormat. She gave Tucker a fair shot and few chances but she knew when to stand her ground and she stood it so well that it broke my heart. Her loyalty, capacity to love, her patience and her strength are inspirational.  She is officially my new favorite romance heroine.

 Tucker is a yummy, dirty talking, alpha with a side helping of damage that draws me in but his stubbornness and secrecy had me shaking my Kindle and raising my voice in exasperation. Tucker’s secret remains intact for the majority of the book, building curiosity and frustration to a boiling point. When he finally shares his story, my heart broke just a little bit more.

This book gave me so many feels. There were moments that made me chuckle out loud. There were many moments that had me fanning myself and I may have sent my husband a text or two asking him to come home from work early. Curiosity and frustration were plentiful when it came to trying to figure out what made Tucker the way he is. My heart broke for both characters but Daisy’s plight had me shedding some quiet tears. Collateral Damage has everything I look for in a great book. The story pulled me in and held on tight, forcing me to finish in under a day. I felt for the characters. The background story, while familiar to me, was told from a perspective different to that of the first novel so it didn’t feel like I was reading the same thing over again. The perfect level of angst that pushed the story forward and didn’t feel like filler made me love the book even more.

There is a lot of sex in this book and it is neither repetitive nor boring. In fact, I am pretty sure my husband will be contacting the author in the morning to thank her for putting me in a randy mood. The sex is graphic and there are dirty words, so if you don’t like this…please don’t buy the book and trash it in a review. It is a contemporary romance and these days, a little smut is the norm rather than the exception. We are reading romance, not Zane Grey.