4.5/5 stars
ARC was received by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I love this series and even though it’s a spin-off, I felt it completely as a stand-alone, because it is raw and very emotional, with a heart of his own. When Samatha is releasing a book from his universe, I leave everything aside and focus on these stories, because they are very close to my heart. It’s challenging to rank them in a specific order, but Jared and Allegra are clearly on the podium. So if you ask me, dear Sam, please keep on writing stories like this and you will have my full attention until forever!!!
Allegra is Aria’s sister and Jared is Sarah’s cousin – to put a little context on who the characters are. Even though we are let to know a little about their future connexions, nothing will prepare us for the real deal. The marriage of convenience is the trope around the story and it was VERY well done, because Allegra and Jared already shared tons of chemistry and we know it from their previous interactions. Allegra needs her UK visa and Jared needs to save his farm. Both will do anything for it and to be honest, being around each other is not so hard, considering their past encounters.
I loved Allegra’s creative side and her personality. Even if she was surrounded by fame and had some crappy parents, she is strong and managed to overcome so many obstacles, because she could do it practically alone. I loved her relationship with Aria and I personally wanted to have something like that, even if I’m an only child. Her creativity, her passion for being independent, and her fierceness really made me admire her sooo much. Her sensuality and openness were also to be admired, considering all the scenes in which Jared was involved.
And speaking of Jared. He has a nice surprise and a thought cookie to crack. He is still having issues with overcoming his grandfather’s loss and is taking on full responsibility on the farm, which up to a certain point is overwhelming. The compromise to marry Allegra came only from desperation because he could not lose what his grandfather built with so much hard work. Plus, his crappy father is giving him a hard time and this needs to stop. Jared made his story relatable because I also lost my grandfather 6 years ago and even though the pain is bearable right now, I still miss him every day and wish he was still here with me.
The story had its defined moments of romance, sensuality, drama, and friendship, but also tension and breathtaking thrilling situations. It follows the same pattern as all the books from the series, but each with its own uniqueness and special moments. I read it in 2 days and I loved the vulnerability of the characters, their evolution, and the way they opened up to each other and were even afraid to fall in love because life has been hard on them. I loved Allegras’ courage and Jared’s fears, but admired them together because they collided with so much intensity that really made my heart melt and swoon. READ THE SERIES and thank me later.
Ramonisme 