The way the author pulls you into the conflicting worlds of Patrice and Easton, laid out in escalating internal and external factors so delicately that when the personal conflict hits it hurts the worst it possibly can? Yeah. All the stars.

That said, I skipped the middle book of these three because the characters didn't grab me hard enough to ignore the author's habit of stating how a character's feeling, then having that character say nearly the exact same thing in dialogue. The paragraph editing gets sloppier toward the end, indicating that whoever edits these ought to start with the last chapter and work backward after working forward. It works well for erasing confusion on who is thinking and whose voice the scene is in. Don't neglect the end of your book! It's as important as the beginning!

Still, if you care at all about racial targeting, activism, justice, and love, read this one. ( )

This series just keeps getting better. ( )

This book was intense af and that’s all I want to say about it. The author does a great job tackling so many important issues like police brutality and discrimination against black people, the plight of refugees, and homophobia giving each of these the thoughtful representation that they deserve. And all the while, she also deftly manages to include a fascinating romance between two people from opposite backgrounds but similar values.

I thoroughly loved the experience of reading this book but I have to say I’m still reeling from that one particular intense scene from the story and I just don’t know to describe more of my feelings. Just go pick up this book because it’s important and lovely. ( )

I've loved all these covers, but this is my favorite. Because PURRRRPLE

My review will be published on my blog on September 7, 2019. Link will be active then!

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Patrice is a newly appointed professor when he is reunited with ADA Easton. They come from different backgrounds, Patrice was a refugee raised by a strong and vibrant single-mother. Easton comes from a privilege that he’s embarrassed by… and he throws himself into his work. Lack of attraction isn’t a problem for these two men. They had a few nights together the previous summer and have now found themselves living int he same town. The attraction is still there on both sides.

The problem is that Patrice seems to feel that he can’t open himself up to someone like Easton.

There’s a lot going on in this story and it’s a bit tricky to unpack. Herrera has touched on some really timely issues considering the current political climate in the US. The town that is the setting for this story has had several occurrences of people of color being harassed by law enforcement officers. Patrice is very political. He’s well-known on twitter for his outspoken views, he volunteers where he can and he tries to speak up for what he believes in at every possible occasion. As ADA Easton does his best to fight for justice, but some things are out of his hands or have to be handled with political finesse.

Time and again these two men find themselves retreating from each other as the situation around them becomes more and more volatile.

Patrice was a difficult character for me to like. His views on what happens in the US … and to him and his friends were absolutely right. There’s something very broken about the system but I found it difficult to take how quick he was to take out his frustration on Easton. This is definitely an HFN ending, but I can’t say I’m very convinced that these two characters would find a way to stay together given the complexities of their lives.

There were a few things that bothered me a little once the book concluded. Patrice is a professor but there’s very little characterization in terms of him as a teacher. There are a couple of really brief scenes during which he’s at work, and that’s it. It seems as though him being a professor was more of a throw-away fact.

The political issues and challenges in the book are very real and authentic. I was a bit disappointed that there was no resolution to the ongoing issue in their town. There really was little forward movement at all in terms of what Easton and Patrice were trying to accomplish. The story felt a little unfinished to me, but it is categorized as a “M/M romance” so I may have been expecting too much from the plot! Kudos to Herrera for getting me that interested that I wanted it to continue!

All in all, this was an engaging read and gets 3 stars from me! ( )